10 Amazing (But Forgotten) WWE Pre-Show Matches You Need To See
7. 4 On 4 Elimination Match (Survivor Series 1996)
The 1996 Survivor Series pre-show had two key objectives, neither of which was to shine even a glimmer of light on to the eight men competing in an actual elimination tag. The contest isn't really anything special, and actually contains a number of flubs that neither the crowd, wrestlers or announcers seem to remotely care about, but it remains historically relevent for accidentally showcasing several Attitude Era architects and even a future WWE Champion.
The match, pitting Jesse James, Aldo Montoya, Bob Holly, and Bart Gunn against The Sultan, Justin Bradshaw, Salvatore Sincere, and Billy Gunn, couldn't have mattered less as the company geared the last gasp promotion to the return of Bret Hart as he faced Steve Austin, and the ultra-heated WWE Title main event between Sycho Sid and Shawn Michaels.
This curious abandonment of talent would exhibit exactly why the company was at the time taking an absolute shellacking from WCW. Within three years, nearly every performer in the match was reborn with a persona that could draw money and contribute to a typically chaotic show underneath main events featuring Stone Cold and The Rock.
The New Age Outlaws, Hardcore Holly and Rikishi were all huge fixtures during WWE's most commercially succesful stint, as was Bradshaw before he found even greater fame as JBL. Justin Credible was an ECW World Champion and even Bart Gunn had a hot five minutes when the true power of his left hook was unleashed.