Survivor Series (2005)

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The 2005 Survivor Series was WWE’s November pay-per-view, held on November 27, 2005, at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. It was the 19th Survivor Series and featured wrestlers from both Raw and SmackDown!.

Six matches took place on the card. The night opened with Booker T defeating Chris Benoit in the first match of their Best-of-Seven series for the United States Championship, giving Booker T an early lead. Trish Stratus defended the WWE Women's Championship against Melina and retained the title. Triple H defeated Ric Flair in a brutal Last Man Standing match after using multiple objects and sustained attack.

In the WWE Championship bout, John Cena defended against Kurt Angle with Daivari as the special guest referee. Cena came out with the win and kept the title. Earlier in the night, Eric Bischoff faced SmackDown!’s General Manager Theodore Long in a match that featured interference and a dramatic moment when The Boogeyman appeared; Long pinned Bischoff to win.

The main event was the 5-on-5 Survivor Series match pitting Team SmackDown! (Batista, Rey Mysterio, JBL, Bobby Lashley, Randy Orton) against Team Raw (Shawn Michaels, Kane, The Big Show, Carlito, Chris Masters). Team SmackDown! won, with Randy Orton as the last Raw member eliminated, leaving Orton as the sole survivor for SmackDown!.

After Survivor Series, a shake-up followed. Bischoff was fired as Raw’s general manager, and Vince McMahon took control of Raw, kick-starting the DX storyline that would define 2006. Cena and Angle’s feud continued, and Edge would later cash in his Money in the Bank contract to win the WWE Championship at New Year’s Revolution. The Undertaker returned at Survivor Series, attacking several wrestlers and setting a casket ablaze, signaling the continuation of his rivalry with Randy Orton. The event helped set up key storylines and rivalries that carried into 2006, including the ongoing SmackDown vs. Raw brand battles and the rise of new championship pursuits.