10 Best WWE Survivor Series Main Events Ever
6. Diesel Power Runs On Empty (1995)
There's a plethora of evidence to suggest that 1995 was anything but kind to the WWF. TV ratings and attendance figures struggled, the lack of roster depth was grossly exposed during the Royal Rumble, a retired NFL linebacker main-evented the biggest show of the year, booking decisions for the King of the Ring tournament were a catastrophic comedy of errors and WCW fired the first shots of the Monday Night Wars in September. Much of the onus, however, was placed squarely albeit unfairly at the feet of the WWF Champion and then-face of the company, Diesel.
Big Daddy Cool was by no means the root of the problem, but he unfortunately wasn't the solution. After dethroning unexpected WWF Champion Bob Backlund in eight seconds in the days following Survivor Series 1994, Diesel reigned as champion for 358 days to mixed results, largely dependent on in-ring chemistry with his dance partner. Matches with Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels at the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania XI respectively shined, whereas showings against Sycho Sid, Tatanka, The British Bulldog and the WWF Championship match with King Mabel at SummerSlam...well, the less said the better. When the prolonged reign ended at Survivor Series 1995, most agree he saved his best defense for last.
In a wonderfully brutal No Disqualification match that somehow perfectly blended Diesel's newfound mean streak and the challenger's unmatched technical in-ring acumen, Bret 'The Hitman' Hart survived WWF's first table spot to regain the championship he lost to Backlund the year prior.