Phase 1: The Beginning - Pure Survival (1987–1991)
The original Survivor Series format was centered entirely on the concept of team allegiance and sole survivors. In fact, "Teams of five strive to survive!" was the tagline for Survivor Series events.
The initial shows were characterized by large teams (often 4-on-4 or 5-on-5) composed of allies united against rivals. Each member of a team was engaged in a feud with a member of the opposing team, and the main goal for a competitor was to not be eliminated.
This era emphasized safety in numbers. If a team lost a member early, it was a massive, potentially unconquerable setback, forcing the surviving members to fight a strategic numbers game. A perfect example from the 1987 inaugural Survivor Series event is the match featuring five-man teams led by Hulk Hogan and André the Giant, where their missions were to be the larger-than-life alliance that survived the night.
The inaugural Survivor Series in 1987 and the subsequent event in 1988 were composed entirely of these elimination tag team matches- no singles matches, no title matches, and no other gimmick matches. The entire show's foundation was built on this one distinctive elimination concept.
Phase 2: The Attitude Era Detour - A Change of Focus (1998-2002)
In the late 1990s, WWE began to occasionally deemphasize or completely drop the traditional elimination matches from its Survivor Series event in favor of focusing on singles/tag team feuds and gimmick matches. The traditional match was absent from the show twice during this period.
The 1998 Survivor Series was the first one to not feature the traditional elimination tag team match, instead featuring "Deadly Game", a one-night, single-elimination tournament for the vacant WWE Championship. Although featuring elimination matches, the focus was entirely on tournament brackets.
Similarly, the 2002 Survivor Series did not include a traditional elimination tag team match; instead it hosted the debut of the Elimination Chamber. The unique structure was an immense, circular steel cage that enclosed the ring, measuring 16 feet high and 36 feet in diameter, and weighing over 10 tons. The floor surrounding the ring was a hard steel grate, and there were four inner pods with plexiglass for the competitors to await their turn. Two Superstars started the match, and a new participant was released from a pod every five minutes.
Traditional elimination tag team matches were held at the 1999, 2000, and 2001 events, with the most notable being the epic "Winner Takes All Survivor Series Elimination" 5-on-5 match between Team WWE and The Alliance in 2001. This shows that while the main focus sometimes shifted away, the tag team elimination concept was never completely unused in this era.
Phase 3: Bragging Rights & Monumental Stakes (2003–2016)
The WWE brand split began in 2002, and the traditional elimination tag team match format returned in 2003 with a new purpose: superiority. Revived as the ultimate contest between the Raw and SmackDown brands, it had new weight, as the team matches were booked to decide which brand would have bragging rights. The motivation wasn't personal; it was about being superior.
In addition, sometimes it was about control. An example is Team Bischoff vs. Team Austin (2003), which used the elimination match as a clear, high-stakes competition with major consequences: If Team Bischoff wins, Raw co-general manager Steve Austin loses his job, while Eric Bischoff retains his general manager position. This match proved that the format still held powerful, dramatic potential.
It's also worth noting that in this era, a sole survivor sometimes moved up the card in the near future- Randy Orton went from being a sole survivor at Survivor Series 2003 to becoming World Heavyweight Champion in 2004.
The 2010 Survivor Series event was the last one held under the first brand extension (which ended in August 2011), temporarily ending Raw vs. SmackDown-themed matches at Survivor Series for five years until the brand split was reintroduced in 2016. Nonetheless, at least one traditional elimination tag team match was booked annually.
Phase 4: The Final Evolution (Part 1)- WarGames (2022–Present)
The most significant change in the format came in 2022 when WWE permanently replaced the traditional elimination tag team match with WarGames as the headline attraction. WarGames is a multi-person steel cage match that takes place inside a large, rectangular cage surrounding two rings side-by-side. The match, originally created by Dusty Rhodes, features two or more teams (at least three members each) that start with one competitor from each side, followed by an entry process where teams alternate sending in a new member every few minutes, creating temporary numerical advantages. The match does not officially begin until all competitors have entered the cage, a period historically known as "The Match Beyond," and can only be won by pinfall or submission. In WWE, the WarGames match is now the featured attraction of the annual November Premium Live Event, Survivor Series: WarGames.
This shift signifies a complete change in priority for the modern PLE. The WarGames format guarantees a cage-surrounded, high-risk phenomenon. The goal moves from strategic eliminations to the drama of the entry process, violence, and cage spots.
Guaranteeing a high-energy show, WarGames is a huge draw- Survivor Series 2023 drew 17,138 fans to the Allstate Arena in Chicago and had a $2.24 million gate, which broke the Survivor Series gate record that was set in 2021. It marks the end of the traditional Survivor Series elimination tag team match as the event's main focus.
Phase 5: The Final Evolution (Part 2) - Cross-Promotional Warfare (2025)
The brand superiority concept that defined the Survivor Series match for over a decade has found a fresh, external utilization in 2025, as a result of the now-fractured relationship between WWE's NXT brand and TNA. The October 7th WWE NXT SHOWDOWN event will be a sanctioned inter-promotional war built entirely around the classic Survivor Series-style elimination tag team match. There will be two 5-on-5 elimination matches -one for the men and one for the women- pitting members of the NXT roster against members of the TNA roster.
This represents the ultimate expression of the "superiority" concept. It moves beyond internal WWE brands and uses the elimination format to settle a dispute between two entirely separate companies. The concept transforms the match from something to be utilized as an annual internal rivalry into the supreme battle for cross-promotional bragging rights and superiority.
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