For over three decades, Survivor Series has been a mainstay on the WWE calendar. There have been several outstanding Women’s Championship contests. Following the 2016 brand-split, WWE introduced the Raw and SmackDown Women’s titles, neither of which have been defended at the event. Ronda Rousey will defend her WWE Women’s Championship against Shotzi at Survivor Series for the first time. Since the second brand split, the primary focus of Survivor Series has been champion-versus-champion matches between Raw and SmackDown. Until very recently, when Triple H took control of WWE and rebranded Survivor Series as WWE Survivor Series: Wargames, the WWE main roster had never competed in a match with this stipulation.
8. Jacqueline vs. Sable – 1998 Survivor Series
At the 1998 Survivor Series, Jacqueline and Sable were the first women to compete for the Women’s Championship in the 1990s. As Jacqueline assumed the role of manager for Sable’s ex-husband Marc Mero, a personal rivalry developed between these women.
7. Ivory vs. Lita – 2000 Survivor Series
The best thing to happen to Ivory’s WWE career was joining the Right to Censor. Ivory won her third Women’s Championship quickly while a member of the group. At the Survivor Series 2000 competition, her title was at stake against Lita.
Unfortunately, Ivory’s boots restricted her movement in the ring during the match. After this match, she wore traditional wrestling boots, legitimately splitting Lita’s face open in the process. The match was brief because RTC leader Steven Richards distracted the referee. Ivory seized the opportunity and snared Lita with her title while she was performing a moonsault, thereby stealing another victory.
6. Women’s Six Pack Challenge – Survivor Series 2001
Chyna left WWE in November 2001, during which time the Women’s Championship was not defended for six months. Trish Stratus, Lita, Jacqueline, Mighty Molly, Ivory, and Jazz all competed in a six-pack challenge for the vacant WWE Women’s Championship at the 2001 Survivor Series. This match would mark Jazz’s WWE debut, and it was played at a rapid pace. Trish won her first Women’s Championship when she planted Ivory with a Stratusfaction.
5. Molly Holly vs Lita – Survivor Series 2003
Molly Holly is one of WWE’s most underappreciated Women’s Champions. At the 2003 Survivor Series, Holly defended the Women’s Championship against Lita as a heel. Lita returned to action in the fall of 2003 after being sidelined for a year due to a severe neck injury that necessitated surgery.
In spite of Lita’s failed moonsault, this was a competitive match. Molly capitalized with her Molly-Go-Round finisher, but Lita kicked out, and Molly’s shocked facial expression was all you needed to know. Molly regrouped, and after pushing Lita into the exposed turnbuckle, she retained her title. Notably, Molly wore a wristband bearing the initials “CH” in remembrance of her on-screen cousin Crash Holly, who had died earlier that month.
4. Trish Stratus vs Lita – Survivor Series 2004
In 2004, the rivalry between Trish Stratus and Lita intensified once more. Trish defended the Women’s Championship against Lita in a Survivor Series pay-per-view match. Unfortunately, the match was extremely brief. Lita’s sole intent was to cause Trish pain during the process. She accomplished her objective as Lita attacked Trish with a steel chair, leaving Trish a bloody mess as a result of her injuries. Consequently, Trish legitimately fractured her nose, but she walked away from the match with her Women’s Championship intact, which was a small consolation.
3. Lita vs Mickie James – Survivor Series 2006
Lita defended the Women’s Championship against Mickie James in her retirement match at Survivor Series 2006. Unfortunately, Lita was subjected to a barrage of abusive comments from concertgoers, who were extremely impolite and disrespectful.
As one of the era’s most despised heels, it is not surprising that Lita desired retirement. Mickie reclaimed the Women’s Championship with a devastating DDT, despite the match’s lackluster quality. Lita’s dismal record at Survivor Series continued as she competed in and lost all five Women’s Championship matches. In addition, the Women’s Championship was defended for the final time at Survivor Series.
2. Trish vs. Victoria – Survivor Series 2002
The best Women’s Championship match in the history of Survivor Series occurred in 2002. When Trish Stratus faced Victoria in the first-ever Hardcore match for the WWE Women’s Championship, her reign was in grave danger. Trish and Victoria were skilled storytellers, and Victoria was a psychotic heel. This was one of the most violent matches in the history of women’s sports, and both competitors did not hold back. Victoria ultimately won the Women’s Championship at Madison Square Garden.
1. Trish Stratus vs. Melina – Survivor Series 2005
Raw’s WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus feuded with SmackDown’s Melina to keep up with the early stages of brand warfare between Raw and Smackdown. Trish had no choice but to put her Women’s Championship on the line at the 2005 Survivor Series, as she was abducted by MNM and challenged by Melina during an episode of Raw.
Melina was unquestionably still in the early stages of her ring career. To Melina’s credit, Trish made her look like a superstar, and based on the outstanding performance she gave, it was clear that she would become a future Women’s Champion. Nonetheless, Trish maintained her title in a thrilling Women’s Championship match.
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