By now you should be aware of WWE's rather selective memory. Great swathes of wrestling history are happily swept under the carpet to preserve the status quo; you certainly won't ever hear a mention of John Cena tapping clean at No Mercy 2003, for example. The promotion doesn't trust their fans to understand concepts such as character development or any sort of gradual change over time - everything must be considered the same as it is now. A curious victim of WWE's constant revisionism is the traditional Survivor Series match (and arguably the Pay Per View as a whole). Although always willing to push the historical importance of WrestleMania and the Royal Rumble, Vince McMahon and co. are surprisingly hesitant to build up their second-oldest PPV as a card of particular importance. Wedged into the widely-accepted worst part of the wrestling calendar, that dead stretch of gimmick-orientated shows between SummerSlam and the Royal Rumble, Survivor Series should be seen as an opportunity to generate some momentum in an otherwise uninspiring time of year. Instead, every year it seems to come and go as any other, with widely varying degrees of emphasis placed on the unique nature of its signature match. The five-on-five (or four-on-four) elimination tag is a wonderful old-school concept, as well as an exciting way of tying several feuds together for one night, yet the build up to such matches involves far less fanfare than they deserve - especially in the long 13 or 14 years since the end of the Attitude Era. Interestingly, this year could perhaps signify a turning point. The Team Cena vs Authority match has prevented the traditional Survivor Series match from acting as glorified midcard filler - it will unquestionably be at the top of the card once more. Similarly, the addition of real consequences (the Authority must disband should their chosen team lose) harks back to an age in which the outcome of matches seemed to matter a lot more than it does these days. In anticipation of this potential new birth for the Survivor Series match, here's a collection of the ten best contests fought under its unique rules.
