11. Tag Team Survivor Series Elimination Match (1988)
The 42-minute classic was the longest match of the WrestleMania Era until the Ironman match at WrestleMania XII. Featuring ten tag teams, the babyface squad featured such legendary teams as The Rockers, The Hart Foundation, and The British Bulldogs, taking on the heel team that included Demolition, The Brainbusters, and The Fabulous Rougeaus, among others. The sheer spectacle of seeing twenty men surround one wrestling ring is a surface reason to get excited about this match, but the quality was top notch. This was one of the best matches of the 1980s in the WWE. It was a unique dynamic to see all of those teams competing in the same match. All it took was one team surviving the wrath of so many others to create a top challenger worthy of a headlining match at WrestleMania, as proven by the Powers of Pain being the sole survivors en route to a Tag Team Championship match with Demolition at 1989s WrestleMania V. Of course, that was after a not-as-heralded-as-it-should-be double turn took place that saw Demolition and Powers of Pain switching their face-heel dynamic with Mr. Fuji as the catalyst. There are 5 Hall of Fame wrestlers involved (surely more on the way), including another three in managers Fuji, Bobby Heenan, and Jimmy Hart.
"The Doc" Chad Matthews has written wrestling columns for over a decade. A physician by trade, Matthews began writing about wrestling as a hobby, but it became a passion. After 30 years as a wrestling fan, "The Doc" gives an unmatched analytical perspective on pro wrestling in the modern era. He is a long-time columnist for Lordsofpain.net and hosts a weekly podcast on the LOP Radio Network called "The Doc Says." His first book - The WrestleMania Era: The Book of Sports Entertainment - ranks the Top 90 wrestlers from 1983 to present day, was originally published in December 2013, and is now in its third edition.
Matthews lives in North Carolina with his wife, two kids, and two dogs.
