Ever since its beginning in 2017, the Champion vs Champion Survivor Series format has delivered some spectacular matches. Though the tagline of Survivor Series being the only place where Raw and SmackDown collide feels like a complete lie, fans are always excited to see champions from each brand challenge each other.
That being said, here are the top 5 best champion vs champion matches at Survivor Series
5. The New Day vs The Viking Raiders vs The Undisputed Era
While a lot of fans may have been disappointed that this match was on the pre-show, especially given the talent of all 3 teams, they would push past this and have a great match, leaving fans excited to see the main show.
In a great match that was a clash of speed, power and technical wrestling, all 3 teams would do well given the time they have, with Undisputed ERA members Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish proving themselves to fans who may not watch NXT
Eventually, The Viking Raiders would pin their old NXT rivals The Undisputed ERA to tie things up on the preshow with all 3 brands having 1 point each at the end of the preshow.
4. Seth Rollins vs Shinsuke Nakamura
Before he would win the Universal Title and eventually be hated by fans, Seth Rollins was RAW’s biggest babyface, due to Brock Lesnar’s absence as Universal Champion. Meanwhile Shinsuke Nakamura was barely booked on SmackDown despite holding the United State Championship. Despite their differences, fans were excited to see both men face each other at Survivor Series.
Both men would be given more than 20 minutes to showcase their ability in a match that showcased Nakamura’s hard hitting ability as well as the fast, high flying style of Seth Rollins in a highly competitive match that would live up to very high expectations.
Eventually, after 20 minutes of back and forth action, Rollins would hit Shinsuke with the Stomp to win the match and further show how dominant he was at the time as Intercontinental Champion.
3. Brock Lesnar vs Daniel Bryan
Heading into the Survivor Series 2018, fans were getting ready to see a highly anticipated rematch between AJ Styles and Brock Lesnar. Daniel Bryan would change these plans, beating Styles for the WWE Championship and turning heel after low-blowing AJ Styles and attacking him after his match, leading to a heel vs heel match at Survivor Series.
In his first match during his 2018-2019 heel run, Bryan would taunt Lesnar, staying outside the ring and not giving Brock a chance to attack him. It was just a matter of time however until Lesnar got his hands on Bryan, giving him several german suplexes, with Bryan selling his past concussion issues. With his chances of winning looking slim, Bryan would hit a low blow and mount a comeback with the fans getting behind him, despite the fact he was still a newly turned heel.
Bryan would continue to push Brock to his limit, even hitting the running knee for a near-fall. Brock would soon recover and hit an F5 to beat Bryan. While the match was heel vs heel, both Bryan and Brock would do a great job in making the crowd feel empathy towards Bryan, whilst still keeping Bryan heel.
2. Shinsuke Nakamura vs Roderick Strong vs AJ Styles
The 2019 edition of Survivor Series was the first time that NXT would join the battle for brand supremacy. This would lead to a highly anticipated match between Shinsuke Nakamura, Roderick Strong and AJ Styles, in a match that you would expect to see in a company such as Ring of Honor.
All 3 men would show their talent and ability in the 15 minutes they were given. While they could have been given another 5 or so minutes to make things even better, it was still a great match, with all 3 men looking strong, hitting their big moves and all 3 men working well together.
Roderick would win the match and gain a point for NXT after stealing the pin from Styles, who had just hit Shinsuke with the Phenomenal Forearm. It was a match that would showcase the talented ability of the NXT roster and would help Strong prove how good he is to fans unaware of his work.
1. Brock Lesnar vs AJ Styles
In what seems to be the start of a trend with Champion vs Champion matches, AJ Styles would beat Jinder Mahal for the WWE Championship in the build towards Survivor Series, giving fans the dream match of AJ Styles vs Brock Lesnar.
While Styles would give his best at the start of the match, it didn’t take long for Lesnar to start suplexing Styles around. With fans feeling like this would be another Lesnar squash match, AJ Styles would fight back, even performing a Calf Crusher on Lesnar, who sold it in a manner which had not been seen for a long time.
Styles would hit move after move of offense on Lesnar, even landing a Phenomenal Forearm for a near-fall. Styles would go for the forearm again only for Brock to catch him and hit an F5 with Styles looking strong after lasting 15 minutes against Lesnar and The Beast Incarnate reminding fans how good he can be.
With Survivor Series 2020 taking place tonight, do you think Roman Reigns vs Drew McIntyre or any other matches on the card will live up to the matches in this list? Let us know in the comments below.
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