10 Best WWE Survivor Series Elimination Matches Of The 2000s
5. Team Raw Vs. Team Smackdown (2005)
It worked so well in 2003 that WWE went back to the Shawn Michaels/Randy Orton well two years later (more on the original to follow). Orton becomes sole survivor for the third year in a row, last eliminating Michaels after HBK almost came back from a three-on-one deficit. We are then treated to a meme-worthy reaction from Randy to The Undertaker's gong hitting after the match (see image).
2005's main event succeeds by peppering the moments and eliminations regularly, while brand warfare was still a thing people were into. WWE put together two brilliantly mixed teams; the experience of HBK, Big Show, Kane, JBL, and Rey Mysterio, breakout stars of Orton and Batista, and up-and-comers Chris Masters, Carlito, and a fresh-faced Bobby Lashley formed a platform for excellent storytelling and an opportunity for the newer roster members to find their feet alongside some of the best in the business.
One pushback on the match as a whole: it would be a more enjoyable experience if you could just turn off the four-man commentary booth. A couple of musical opinions: Burn In My Light was Randy Orton's greatest entrance music, this version of Kane's theme was his greatest, and Rey Mysterio's 2005 remix was... weird.