10 Fascinating WWE Survivor Series 2005 Facts
The peak of Raw vs. SmackDown.
Usually whenever WWE would employ the "combined announce team" gimmick at major pay-per-views, there would exist a mish-mash of talking points without a dominant voice. At the 2005 Survivor Series, when Raw and SmackDown's teams sniped at each other in the main event like Capulets and Montagues, it worked. The purported hatred between Raw and SmackDown's announcers actually felt legitimate, and gave an air of hostility to an already intense main event.
If you can pretend that the Eric Bischoff/Teddy Long match never happened, Survivor Series 2005 is pretty much what you'd want out of an A-level pay-per-view. Going further than that, it's probably the last great Survivor Series to date, at least until the vastly-underrated 2016 show, anyway.
That term "underrated" defines much of the show. Not only was the five-on-five Raw vs. SmackDown match a gem, but the blood-filled Triple H/Ric Flair "last man standing" match is a sadly-forgotten spectacle of guttural abhorrence. It might even be the last "great" match of Flair's storied career. The rest of the undercard (sans the regrettable general managers' clusterschmazz) filled out the three-hour show nicely. Arguably, it was one of the last major pay-per-views where the original brand extension truly felt fresh and relevant.
Here are ten facts about Survivor Series 2005 you may not have known.
10. Eddie Guerrero Was Supposed To Be On Team SmackDown
The wrestling world was still mourning the tragic loss of Eddie Guerrero by the time Survivor Series rolled around. Guerrero was an irreplaceable personality both on and off screen, and his passing at the age of 38 left a massive void in so many walks of his life.
As most would expect, Guerrero was to have played a prominent role in the 2005 Survivor Series, taking part in the big five-on-five main event as part of Team SmackDown. He had recently turned babyface following a short feud with Batista over the World Heavyweight title.
Guerrero had initially won a spot on the SmackDown team by defeating Mr. Kennedy in what turned out to be his last match ever. Randy Orton was named as his replacement.