# Survivor Series (2003)
Survivor Series (2003) was the 17th annual [Survivor Series](https://www.edgepedia.org/survivor-series) professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), held on November 16, 2003 at the [American Airlines Center](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-airlines-center) in Dallas, Texas, and featuring wrestlers from both the Raw and SmackDown brands.[1](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/events-results/ppv-special/wwe-survivor-series-2003) The card was built around two five-on-five elimination matches, a Buried Alive match between [Vince McMahon](https://www.edgepedia.org/vince-mcmahon) and The Undertaker, and a World Heavyweight Championship main event in which Goldberg defeated Triple H to retain the title.[2](https://www.wwe.com/shows/survivorseries/2003/results) Its most remembered contest was the Raw-brand elimination match in which Randy Orton pinned Shawn Michaels as the sole survivor, ending Stone Cold Steve Austin's run as Raw co-General Manager on stipulation.[1](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/events-results/ppv-special/wwe-survivor-series-2003)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Date and venue | November 16, 2003, American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas; reported attendance 13,487[1](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/events-results/ppv-special/wwe-survivor-series-2003) |
| Edition | 17th Survivor Series event, following Survivor Series 2002; dual-brand card with Raw and SmackDown talent[1](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/events-results/ppv-special/wwe-survivor-series-2003) |
| Raw elimination match | Team Bischoff (Jericho, Christian, Orton, Steiner, Henry) beat Team Austin (Michaels, Booker T, RVD, the Dudleys); sole survivor Randy Orton, forcing Austin to step down as Raw co-GM[2](https://www.wwe.com/shows/survivorseries/2003/results) |
| SmackDown elimination match | Team Angle (Angle, Benoit, Cena, Bradshaw, Hardcore Holly) beat Team Lesnar (Lesnar, Big Show, A-Train, Morgan, Jones); survivors Chris Benoit and John Cena[2](https://www.wwe.com/shows/survivorseries/2003/results) |
| Main event | Goldberg (c) defeated Triple H (w/ Ric Flair) by pinfall to retain the World Heavyweight Championship[2](https://www.wwe.com/shows/survivorseries/2003/results) |
| Other results | Kane beat Shane McMahon in an Ambulance match; Vince McMahon beat The Undertaker in a Buried Alive match; Molly Holly retained the Women's Championship over Lita; The Bashams retained the WWE Tag Team Championship over Los Guerreros[2](https://www.wwe.com/shows/survivorseries/2003/results) |
| Production | Theme song "Build a Bridge" by Limp Bizkit; commentary by Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler (Raw) and Michael Cole and Tazz (SmackDown)[1](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/events-results/ppv-special/wwe-survivor-series-2003) • [3](https://www.pwinsider.com/ViewArticle.php?id=52717&p=17) |
## Event overview
The show ran about three hours and opened with a Sunday Night Heat pre-show match in which Cruiserweight Champion Tajiri, accompanied by Akio and Sakoda, defeated [Jamie Noble](https://www.edgepedia.org/jamie-noble) to retain the title.[1](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/events-results/ppv-special/wwe-survivor-series-2003) On the main card, WWE Champion Brock Lesnar wrestled in the show's first bout; the Raw World Heavyweight Championship headlined the event, and the Raw elimination match received a prominent slot. According to PWInsider, within the SmackDown brand the promotion likewise signaled that the Buried Alive match was its true headliner.[3](https://www.pwinsider.com/ViewArticle.php?id=52717&p=17)
## The two elimination matches
**Team Angle vs. Team Lesnar.** Hardcore Holly was disqualified at the start for attacking Lesnar before the bell. Bradshaw pinned A-Train after a Clothesline From Hell, Big Show pinned Bradshaw, Kurt Angle eliminated [Matt Morgan](https://www.edgepedia.org/matt-morgan) by pinfall and Nathan Jones by submission to the ankle lock, Lesnar pinned Angle after an F5, and [Chris Benoit](https://www.edgepedia.org/chris-benoit) made Lesnar submit. [John Cena](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-cena) then hit Big Show with a chain and finished him with the F-U, leaving Benoit and Cena as the survivors.[4](https://www.tpww.net/2003/11/wwe-survivor-series-results-november-16-2003/) • [5](https://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/wwe/wweppv/survivorseries/survivorseries03/)
**Team Austin vs. Team Bischoff.** The stipulation was that if Team Stone Cold won, Austin would no longer need to be physically provoked to attack a Raw superstar; if Team Bischoff won, Austin would be forced to step down as Raw co-General Manager.[1](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/events-results/ppv-special/wwe-survivor-series-2003) The eliminations ran: Booker T pinned [Scott Steiner](https://www.edgepedia.org/scott-steiner); [Mark Henry](https://www.edgepedia.org/mark-henry) pinned Booker T; [Rob Van Dam](https://www.edgepedia.org/rob-van-dam) and the Dudley Boyz pinned Henry after a 3-D and a Five-Star Frog Splash; Orton pinned RVD; Jericho pinned D-Von; Christian pinned Bubba Ray; Shawn Michaels then eliminated both Christian and Jericho; and after Batista ran in and powerbombed Michaels, Orton pinned him at 27:27 to end the match as sole survivor.[1](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/events-results/ppv-special/wwe-survivor-series-2003) • [6](https://prowrestling.fandom.com/wiki/Survivor_Series_2003) • [4](https://www.tpww.net/2003/11/wwe-survivor-series-results-november-16-2003/) Austin, whose career was on the line as the match's stake, fought Eric Bischoff and gave Orton a Stunner during the finish, then delivered a farewell address in Dallas, where he had started his career in 1989, before attacking Jonathan Coachman and a group of police officers on his way out.[4](https://www.tpww.net/2003/11/wwe-survivor-series-results-november-16-2003/)
## Championship and gimmick matches
[Molly Holly](https://www.edgepedia.org/molly-holly) retained the [WWE Women's Championship](https://www.edgepedia.org/wwe-womens-championship) against Lita by exposing the middle turnbuckle and driving Lita into it for the pin.[4](https://www.tpww.net/2003/11/wwe-survivor-series-results-november-16-2003/) In the [Ambulance](https://www.edgepedia.org/ambulance) match, Kane defeated Shane McMahon after a Van Terminator from the top of the ambulance failed to finish him; Kane recovered, hit a tombstone, and shoved Shane into the ambulance.[4](https://www.tpww.net/2003/11/wwe-survivor-series-results-november-16-2003/) The Basham Brothers, with Shaniqua, retained the WWE Tag Team Championship over Los Guerreros when Chavo Guerrero accidentally kicked Eddie Guerrero and was rolled up.[1](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/events-results/ppv-special/wwe-survivor-series-2003) • [4](https://www.tpww.net/2003/11/wwe-survivor-series-results-november-16-2003/)
In the Buried Alive match, Vince McMahon defeated [The Undertaker](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-undertaker) in 11:59. McMahon was busted open early and beaten badly, including a shovel shot, but an explosion at the gravesite felled The Undertaker, Kane appeared and threw him into the grave, and McMahon covered it with dirt from a bulldozer for the win.[4](https://www.tpww.net/2003/11/wwe-survivor-series-results-november-16-2003/) • [6](https://prowrestling.fandom.com/wiki/Survivor_Series_2003)
The main event saw Goldberg, with a leg injury [Triple H](https://www.edgepedia.org/triple-h) had targeted, survive brass knuckles from Ric Flair's corner and a sledgehammer attempt, then hit the spear and the Jackhammer to pin Triple H and retain the World Heavyweight Championship in 11:44.[4](https://www.tpww.net/2003/11/wwe-survivor-series-results-november-16-2003/) • [6](https://prowrestling.fandom.com/wiki/Survivor_Series_2003) Triple H regained the title a month later at Armageddon in a three-way match.[7](https://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2014/11/12/survivor-series-count-up-2003-the-rattlesnake-rides-away/)
## Reception
Dave Meltzer, founder and lead writer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, wrote that the show hit a chord few shows hit, driven by an old-school Raw elimination match, the apparent end of Steve Austin's career, and Shawn Michaels' performance, and called it the bloodiest WWE PPV in recent memory.[8](https://www.f4wonline.com/newsletters/wrestling-observer-newsletter/november-24-2003-observer-newsletter-survivor-series-review-wwe-financials-more-324866/) He also criticized the booking device itself: the Austin exit marked the third straight PPV in which a main figure's career was apparently over, following Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler two months earlier and Vince and Stephanie McMahon the month before.[8](https://www.f4wonline.com/newsletters/wrestling-observer-newsletter/november-24-2003-observer-newsletter-survivor-series-review-wwe-financials-more-324866/)
Later retrospective reviews have been more divided. KB's Wrestling Reviews gave the show a D+ overall, rating the Team Bischoff match A- originally and the Goldberg vs. Triple H main event D-, and arguing the Austin storyline should have closed the show.[7](https://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2014/11/12/survivor-series-count-up-2003-the-rattlesnake-rides-away/) WrestleFile's retrospective graded the event B+ (8.0/10), describing the card as uneven but praising Michaels' bleeding, refusal-to-quit performance as the emotional center of the night, with the Team Angle match a strong opener and Goldberg's title defense ending in a spear-and-Jackhammer payoff.[9](https://wrestlefile.com/events/survivor-series-2003/)
## Availability
The event ran three hours and was last available on the WWE Network until February 2021; as of the most recent check it was not streaming in the United States.[1](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/events-results/ppv-special/wwe-survivor-series-2003) • [10](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/wwe-survivor-series-2003)
## References
1. [WWE Survivor Series 2003 Full Results & Match Card, The SmackDown Hotel](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/events-results/ppv-special/wwe-survivor-series-2003)
2. [Full Event Results, WWE.com](https://www.wwe.com/shows/survivorseries/2003/results)
3. [Survivor Series Retro: Looking Back at Every Survivor Series PPV, PWInsider](https://www.pwinsider.com/ViewArticle.php?id=52717&p=17)
4. [WWE Survivor Series Results – Nov. 16, 2003, TPWW](https://www.tpww.net/2003/11/wwe-survivor-series-results-november-16-2003/)
5. [WWE Survivor Series 2003, Online World of Wrestling](https://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/wwe/wweppv/survivorseries/survivorseries03/)
6. [Survivor Series 2003, Pro Wrestling Fandom](https://prowrestling.fandom.com/wiki/Survivor_Series_2003)
7. [Survivor Series Count-Up – 2003: The Rattlesnake Rides Away, KB's Wrestling Reviews](https://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2014/11/12/survivor-series-count-up-2003-the-rattlesnake-rides-away/)
8. [November 24, 2003 Observer Newsletter: Survivor Series review, WWE financials, more, F4W/WON](https://www.f4wonline.com/newsletters/wrestling-observer-newsletter/november-24-2003-observer-newsletter-survivor-series-review-wwe-financials-more-324866/)
9. [Survivor Series 2003 Review & Final Grade, WrestleFile](https://wrestlefile.com/events/survivor-series-2003/)
10. [WWE Survivor Series 2003 streaming: watch online, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/wwe-survivor-series-2003)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Combat sports and professional wrestling › Professional wrestling promotions and championships › Survivor Series*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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