Every Major Survivor Series Debut, Ranked

Survivor Series has been one of the most important PPVs for WWE since becoming an annual show back in 1987. WWE would start its PPV business expansion model with four main shows per year consisting of Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series. This led to the show having an important place in the history of WWE in the early years and is still a relevant event today.

WWE saved some noteworthy debuts for the Survivor Series event at different points in its history. We will look at the most memorable instances of a wrestler having a first at the show. The stories range from fun debuts that didn’t go far to future legends to instant game-changers. Find out just which talents are synonymous with the show. These are the ten best major Survivor Series debuts officially ranked.

10 Kane

The debut of Kane did not technically come at Survivor Series 1997, but he had his match debut at the event. Kane arrived one PPV earlier revealing himself as the brother of Undertaker costing him the first-ever Hell in a Cell match.

Fans were excited for Kane's first match at Survivor Series. Kane defeated Mankind in impressive fashion to start his career off right. Kane's momentum was hot for the first few months and this debut match played a huge role in his success.

9 Jazz

WWE signed Jazz shortly after ECW went out of business and they moved forward with the Invasion storyline. Jazz joined the Alliance to continue representing the ECW side in their war against the WWE wrestlers. The debut match of Jazz came on the final night of the storyline.

A six-woman match would see Trish Stratus defeat Jazz, Molly Holly, Ivory, Jacqueline, and Lita after Chyna vacated the Women’s Championship months earlier. It was cool seeing Jazz debut in a title match as the impressive performance earned her a long feud with Stratus afterward.

8 The Boogeyman

WWE always loved the potential of the gimmick aspect of The Boogeyman's character. This is one of the multiple reasons why he returns occasionally and is under a legends contract despite not having the strongest run during his time as an in-ring performer.

The Boogeyman appeared in backstage segments and vignettes for a few months. Fans would see his in-ring debut at Survivor Series 2005 when he helped Teddy Long defeat Eric Bischoff in a battle of the General Managers. It started a long run for him as a comedic spooky character.

7 Doug Furnas & Phil Lafon

Doug Furnas and Phil Lafon's debuts may not look that impressive now, but it was a big deal at the time. Both wrestlers brought their successful tag team act from the international wrestling scene to start a new chapter of their careers in WWE.

The opening match of Survivor Series 1996 would see Furnas and Lafon win as the sole survivors of an elimination match. WWE booked the new duo to overcome the odds by defeating The New Rockers, Owen Hart, and Davey Boy Smith.

6 Scott Steiner

Scott Steiner originally debuted in WWE as part of a tag team, but his first appearance as a singles star came in 2002. The Big Poppa Pump character joined WWE at Survivor Series 2002, earning a massive ovation from the Madison Square Garden fans.

Steiner destroyed Matt Hardy and Christopher Nowinski after both men ran down the New York audience. The dominance from Steiner made fans believe that he was going to be a top tier superstar. Steiner’s downfall came quickly after a feud with Triple H, but the debut was outstanding.

5 The Rock

WWE always saw something special in The Rock and it led to a hyped debut at Survivor Series 1996. Under the name of Rocky Maivia, he was the only sole survivor on his team to overcome the heels of Triple H, Jerry Lawler, Crush and Goldust.

Following the eliminations of Flash Funk, The Stalker, and Jake Roberts, Rocky survived to win the entire match on his own. Fans reacted warmly to the moment, but Rock would need a later heel turn to become the top tier superstar we know him as.

4 Kurt Angle

Survivor Series 1999 featured the Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle making his first appearance in WWE. The match was a glorified squash, with Angle dominating Shawn Stasiak. Chris Jericho revealed on his podcast that Angle was meant to be a face, but Vince McMahon made him go heel on the fly due to a negative response from the crowd.

Angle was outstanding in the heel role and his first year in WWE would see him become a world champion. His debut match wasn’t anything special, but viewers could see the potential in Angle as he picked up the wrestling industry as quickly as any newcomer.

3 Sting

Sting's first WWE appearance happened at Survivor Series 2014 and was a huge surprise. WWE had a huge main event with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon’s power as The Authority on the line. Seth Rollins and Dolph Ziggler were the final two wrestlers as Triple H interfered.

Sting made his shocking debut to stop Triple H and help Ziggler win for the faces. The role of Sting as a vigilante inspired him to stop the injustices of Triple H and The Authority. Sting and Triple H started a long program leading to their WrestleMania 31 match.

2 The Undertaker

The Undertaker will celebrate his 29^th anniversary at the upcoming Survivor Series PPV. WWE introduced him at Survivor Series 1990 when many of the current fans were not even alive yet. Undertaker made his first appearance in WWE as part of Ted DiBiase’s heel team.

The money and power of DiBiase allowed him to bring in such a huge wild card like a dead man character. Undertaker would get counted out in the match, but his team picked up the win with DiBiase scoring the ultimate victory as the sole survivor of the match.

1 The Shield

WWE gave the trio of Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns the best Survivor Series debut moment in history. The Shield made their first-ever appearance on WWE television during the event, interfering in the main event between CM Punk, John Cena and Ryback.

All three wrestlers worked together to put Ryback through the commentary table, leading to Punk winning and retaining the WWE Championship. Fans were immediately in awe of The Shield since they dominated the main event match on a major show. Rollins, Reigns, and Ambrose all became massive stars in the industry with this night giving them the best possible start.

NEXT: 5 Times Seth Rollins Was The Most Successful Shield Member (& 5 Times It Was Roman Reigns)