10 Overlooked WWE Survivor Series Classics

So tonight is Survivor Series then, is it?

While it's patently obvious that WWE simply don't care anymore, lazily putting together a card with very little imagination and matches with few stakes, there's at least hope that matches like Roman Reigns vs. Big E and Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch will at least make the show a worthwhile watch.

Those are the two main matches with big expectations but, hell, one of the arbitrary undercard matches could surprise us, too, with a couple of them looking like potential show-stealers.

It's happened at Survivor Series before. The event has a long and illustrious history and, as one of the original 'big four' pay-per-views, has routinely been the host of monumental matches and moments.

The best ones are well-worn, but the following 10 may have dipped under the radar for one reason or another.

Get hyped (as best you can anyway) for this year's edition with these overlooked bangers.

10. Team Umaga Vs. Team Triple H (2007)

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Even though BRAND SUPREMACY wasn't at the forefront of the handicap four-on-five Survivor Series elimination tag match, the interbrand Team Triple H versus Team Umaga battle was very good indeed.

Joining The Game was Rey Mysterio, Jeff Hardy and Kane, while the Samoan Bulldozer partnered with MVP, Big Daddy V, Mr. Kennedy and Finlay. Matt Hardy was missing for the babyfaces due to a (kayfabe) injury.

That's quite the odd but complimentary collection of talent and it threw up some interesting matchups.

Chief among them was Mysterio against Umaga, their sequences providing a great teaser for an eventual singles bout that, sadly, never came. Everyone played their role well and 22-minutes never dragged, with Finlay in particular playing ring general and holding things together nicely.

The only elimination tag on the show was won by the good guys, with Triple H and Jeff Hardy surviving against the odds, the Charismatic Enigma last eliminating Umaga as his push towards superstardom continued.

9. Shelton Benjamin Vs. Christian (2004)

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After a series of breakout performances against Triple H, Ric Flair and Randy Orton in the spring of '04, Shelton Benjamin won his first major singles title by beating Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho at Taboo Tuesday (after being selected as Y2J's opponent via a fan vote).

His first major test came in the form of Christian, a former Intercontinental Champion in his own right and someone who was looking to regain momentum after having sat on the shelf with an injury during the summer.

Both are great workers and did their best to steal the show, Benjamin's athleticism impressing but Captain Charisma using his ring savvy to counter it.

The two went back and forth and dug deep into their respective arsenals, Christian hitting a reverse Tornado DDT and Impaler while Benjamin unleased a Springboard Blockbuster and Slingshot Reverse Suplex, all of which registered only two counts.

In the end, Benjamin eked it after seeing off interference by 'Problem Solver' Tyson Tomko and catching Christian with an Exploder Suplex.

Just a solid, exciting wrestling match and a great showcase for two perennially underutilised performers.

8. Daniel Bryan & CM Punk Vs. Luke Harper & Erick Rowan (2013)

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Though CM Punk was self-admittedly dead-dog tired, rundown and lacking passion towards the end of his WWE run, he still had it in him to produce a winning performance, as demonstrated when he teamed with Daniel Bryan to take on the Wyatt Family's Luke Harper and Erick Rowan at the 2013 Survivor Series.

This was a simple story told well, with Harper and Rowan using their size and power while their much smaller opponents relied on speed and technique.

It's a shame we never got to see Punk and D-Bry team more often, because their styles meshed together really well and they did everything they could to make the Wyatt Family look strong before going over cleanly, which was a surprise in itself.

Despite losing such a high-profile pay-per-view match just a few months into their main roster run, Harper and Rowan looked impressive in the loss, with Harper in particular standing out as someone to watch out for in the future.

7. Ric Flair Vs. Triple H (2005)

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After three years by each other's side, the relationship between Triple H and Ric Flair turned sour in the fall of 2005 as The Game turned on the Nature Boy, leading to a bloody, violent feud.

Their intense rivalry yielded a superior, old-school style cage match at Taboo Tuesday, but their best match together was probably their Last Man Standing blowoff the following month at Survivor Series.

In modern-day, post-PG WWE it can be easy to forget that Last Man Standing matches were often brutal wars of attrition that practically guaranteed blood and this is one of the best examples of the genre.

They beat the hell out of each other and really suffered for the cause. The story of the match was Flair doing everything he could to keep up with his younger and stronger opponents, with his low blows and chair shots perfectly legal within the environment.

There was brawling and big bumps and plenty of hate, before the Cerebral Assassin nailed a series of Pedigrees and finally (symbolically) put a bullet in 'Old Yeller' with a sledgehammer shot to the back.

6. Shawn Michaels Vs. Sycho Sid (1996)

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The 1996 Survivor Series is one of the better in WWE history.

It's a show mostly remembered for the in-ring debut of The Rock and Bret Hart's epic comeback match with Steve Austin, but it's worth remembering that the main event wasn't too shabby, either.

In it, Shawn Michaels defended the WWE Title against Sycho Sid. The Heartbreak Kid always works well with much larger opponents, as he can move around quickly and bump off them, but what made this so intriguing was the crowd reaction.

The Madison Square Garden audience booed the hell of out of supposed babyface Michaels and cheered for Sid.

The psychology and execution of the match were sound, with Shawn trying to chop his foe down by working over his legs, while Sid retaliated with pure power.

The finish was good too, as HBK went to the aide of his trainer/manager Jose Lothario who was having a 'heart attack' at ringside, allowing the Master and Ruler of the World to hit him with a camera and then a Powerbomb for a shocking win.

One of Sid's best matches ever, the Showstopper helped carry him to a 20-minute barnburner.

5. Los Guerreros Vs. Edge & Rey Mysterio Vs. Kurt Angle & Chris Benoit (2002)

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The 'SmackDown Six' were all in the mix at Survivor Series 2002, as Edge & Rey Mysterio defended their newly-won Tag Team Titles against Los Guerreros and the intimidating duo of Kurt Angle & Chris Benoit.

The sextet had been going at it for months in various singles, tag and multi-man matches, but they all finally came together in this Madison Square Garden elimination tag semi-main.

Looking at the talent involved, it would be hard for this to be anything other than 'very good', but the truth is that some people underrate it because of the expectations going in based on their previous matches.

But it is excellent, with the action flowing wonderfully and everyone getting the chance to shine.

It was more than just impressive moves and sequences, as they told the story of Angle and Benoit (still) not being able to co-exist and that ultimately being their undoing, as they were eliminated first, before the lying, cheating and stealing Eddie and Chavo lived up to their reputations by cheating their way to victory.

At 20 minutes in length, it could have actually used another four or five to get to another level, but what's here is superior stuff and something well worth revisiting.

4. The Underdogs Vs. The Bodydonnas (1995)

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Whatever this opening eight-man elimination tag match lacked in star power, it more than made up for with quality action and excitement.

The Bodydonnas - Skip, Tom Prichard, Rad Radford & the 1-2-3 Kid collided with the 'Underdogs' - Hakushi, Bob 'Spark Plug' Holly, Barry Horowitz and Marty Jannetty in a match where it was clear that nobody in it was going anywhere fast (besides maybe Holly in that race car of his), but that didn't stop them from working their socks off.

All eight are solid workers and were clearly out to prove a point, doing everything they could to entertain and perhaps show someone in the back that they were worth the investment.

Refreshingly, there wasn't a single countout or disqualification elimination, as had been a theme in previous traditional Survivor Series elimination tag matches.

Everyone got a chance to look decent and the match built nicely to the Jannetty/Kid finale.

Don't look at the lineup and sleep on this one. It was a hell of a match and a tremendous way to kick off a pay-per-view.

3. Diesel Vs. Bret Hart (1995)

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And so it came to an end.

One year after losing the title to Bob Backlund a the same pay-per-view, Bret Hart recaptured the strap by beating Diesel, who had been in possession of the title for a mammoth 358 days.

Big Daddy Cool's reign had been far from perfect, but at least it finished on a high courtesy of another clinic with one of his favourite opponents.

Like all of their matches together, this No Disqualification bout told a great story and focused on strategy, particularly on how The Hitman was going to use his experience and technical nous to topple the long-reigning champ.

It was methodical early on as they felt each other out, but then exploded into life as both men straddled the line between valiant babyface and edging towards heel.

The Excellence of Execution took what is believed to be the first announce table bump on WWE television when Diesel launched him through it by catapulting him off the ring apron, a move that appeared to leave Bret at his mercy.

However, after taking too long to finish the job, Hart was able to surprise him with an inside cradle and win the WWE Title for the third time.

A hell of a main event that was followed immediately by Diesel's long-awaited heel turn, as he dropped his opponent with a pair of Jacknife Powerbombs.

2. Team Austin Vs. Team Bischoff (2003)

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The friction between Raw co-General Managers Steve Austin and Eric Bischoff continued to escalate until Survivor Series, where each man assembled a five-man team for a traditional elimination tag match with high stakes.

If Austin's team won, the Texas Rattlesnake would no longer have to be 'physically provoked' in order to open up a can of whoopass on members of the red brand roster. If Bischoff's team won, Austin would have to step down as co-GM.

Stone Cold was represented by Shawn Michaels, Rob Van Dam, the Dudley Boys and Booker T, while The Bisch fielded Randy Orton, Christian, Chris Jericho, Mark Henry and Scott Steiner.

The whole match was good but really went to the next level when the Heartbreak Kid was left at a 3-on-1 disadvantage against Jericho, Christian and Orton.

Michaels sprang a gusher and put in a tremendously dramatic performance as he fought the odds, rallying to eliminate Christian and Jericho as fans became more and more invested in the outcome.

He couldn't complete the comeback, however, with Batista's interference proving the difference and leaving the Legend Killer as sole survivor.

It would have meant more if Austin had left for longer than three weeks, but as it is it's a really good and engaging match that showed the revival of HBK and the arrival of RKO.

1. Randy Orton Vs. Shawn Michaels (2007)

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Four years after being the main players in the dramatic Team Austin vs. Team Bischoff match, Randy Orton and Shawn Michaels were squaring off in a singles match for the WWE Title at the 2007 Survivor Series.

The stips going in were that Michaels would be disqualified if he used the Sweet Chin Music, however, Orton would lose the title if he was DQ'd for any reason.

The proverbial 'game of human chess' commenced, as Michaels tried to wind up his volatile opponent while also figuring out a way to end things without his most potent offensive weapon.

He tried every other finisher he could think of (including a crossface and ankle lock), but nothing quite got the job done.

This built and built and built until it looked like HBK was going to hit the Sweet Chin Music - only to remember that he couldn't, the momentary lapse in concentration giving the Viper an opening to strike and hit the match-winning RKO.

A great, unheralded WWE Title match and one of the better singles meetings between Orton and Michaels.