10 Worst WWE Survivor Series EVER - According To Dave Meltzer
3. Survivor Series 1998 (1.68)
Vince Russo's magnum opus suffers the indignity of a pitiful average rating more for how much needed cramming in to make his narrative fantasy a reality.
Survivor Series 1998's 14-Man WWE Title tournament required the rattling through of an entire first round bracket in under half an hour, with even less afforded to the quarter and semi-finals.
It was a necessary evil on the night, with almost every contest woven somehow into the incredible backdoor ascent of The Rock alongside tacit assistance of Vince and Shane McMahon. Up front, the Chairman feigned support for the gullible Mankind, but his interest in the lovable lunatic was merely to ensure he had his main event patsy.
Foley was used and abused in the tournament, working as an inadvertent hired gun against Stone Cold Steve Austin in a contest that revealed Shane McMahon's shocking allegiance with his father in the grandest of twists. The vengeful 'Rattlesnake's post-show fury against the 'Great One' foreshadowed the first of three spectacular WrestleMania battles between the two bastions of WWE's mainstream reawakening.
WWE, such as it is, can rarely produce bottle episodes of their TV shows, but Survivor Series is as close as they ever came. Logical progression, incredible shocks and high drama. The in-ring quality was a justified casualty.