Sage Cortez
Once again, it’s going to be time for Survivor Series, and for the first time the WWF didn’t really have anything great going on heading into it. The Hogan match features him facing Zeus, and Jake Roberts facing Ted DiBiase. That was a good thing. The Warrior match features teammates a bit less noteworthy, but I’m looking forward to it regardless. This is the only PPV from this era that I’ve never watched, so obviously it’s going to be a unique experience for me. To the show!
– November 23rd, 1989, from Rosemont Horizon in Chicago, Illinois
IT’S THANKSGIVING NIGHT, BROTHER. Hogan is thankful for a lot of things, including his Hulkamaniacs. Ted DiBiase is thankful for being rich! Jake Roberts is thankful! Demolition is thankful! The Macho King is thankful! Hacksaw is thankful for being American! Dino Bravo is thankful for THE CANADIAN EARTHQUAKE! Dusty Rhodes is thankful for his polka dots! Big Boss Man and Brutus Beefcake are thankful! So is the Model! Rude is thankful for his body! Roddy Piper is thankful for not being Rick Rude! The Genius is thankful for being a genius! Mr. Perfect is thankful for perfection! The Bushwhackers are thankful, and so is Bobby Heenan! Ultimate Warrior then gives a full blown promo instead of being thankful. He got the last spot in that montage, you know what means!
Vince McMahon then runs down the teams, which is excellent in my opinion. However, they advertised Tully Blanchard being in the main event, and he’s not. For some reason, Akeem was out of his match and Bad News Brown was in. Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura are our hosts, and Jesse’s dressed like a pilgrim!
THE ENFORCERS (Big Boss Man, Bad News Brown, Rick Martel, and the Honky Tonk Man, w/Slick & Jimmy Hart) vs. THE DREAM TEAM (Dusty Rhodes, Tito Santana, the Red Rooster, and Brutus Beefcake) in an 8 MAN SURVIVOR SERIES MATCH
Pre-Match Thoughts: That heel team is great, I think we have a perfect mix of personalities and good workers on both of them. This Survivor Series probably had the best teams of them all. I don’t know the reasoning for Bad News replacing Akeem, and probably never will know. Doesn’t make any sense to me. Nice to see Santana in a somewhat prominent spot as he can carry the match for large stretches. These matches are hell to review, which I nearly forgot about. For some reason, Dusty got his own entrance. It must be that awesome theme. He got a really big pop too.
Match Review: Santana and HTM will start the match, and like Monsoon says, those are two former Intercontinental Champions! HTM attacks Santana from behind, and Santana leapfrogs over him for a bodyslam. He drops a fist on HTM, who is looking a bit rotund and out of shape. HTM comes back with a kick to the face, and tags in Martel who seems eager to capitalize. Martel dropkicks his former tag team partner, this guy was a hell of a wrestler. He tries an atomic drop, but it gets blocked and Santana does it. He rolls Martel up for 2, and we have a bit of a moment where everyone runs into the ring only for nothing to happen. The match continues, and Boss Man tags in only for Santana to arm drag him. Dusty tags in too, and hits Boss Man with big elbows and a right hand to the head. Boss Man comes back with his own, and Dusty clocks him with another elbow. The Barber tags in and hits Boss Man with a double axehandle from the top, but Boss Man grabs hold and drags him to his corner. HTM tags in, and misses a fist drop, so he punches the canvas. Martel makes a blind tag in, and he gives Beefcake a backbreaker for 2. Rooster tags in for the first time, and he backdrops Martel for 2. Rooster misses a charge to the corner, so Martel tags in HTM for a right hand and some dancing. What a clown. Boss Man heads back in, and knocks out Rooster with right hands, basically. Bad News appears to not want to tag in, which I don’t quite understand. Hinting at something for later I’m sure. Martel tags in and drops a few knees, which get a 2 count. Rooster tries a small package which gets 2, then HTM tags in to cut him off from making a tag. Rooster goes for a sunset flip, it only gets a 2 count. Rooster and HTM collide with each other, and Martel and Santana both make a tag in. Santana hits Martel with dropkicks similar to Martel’s earlier dropkicks, and he bodyslams him as well. He hits Martel with an elbow from the second rope, then backdrops him. Santana signals for the FIGURE-FOUR, but Martel breaks it and bodyslams Santana. After a missed elbow drop by Martel, Martel reverses a cradle and holds the tights to eliminate Santana at 9:44.
Dusty heads in there to take the place of his eliminated partner, and it appears his biggest fan is in the crowd! She hasn’t yet been named on TV, though. Dusty hits Martel with a dropkick, and drops an elbow on him for a 2 count. Beefcake tags in, and Martel goes for a monkey flip only to be kicked in the face. Rooster tags in, and Martel drops him with a weird backbreaker. Boss Man gets in there, and nails Rooster with a back elbow. He puts Rooster in a bear hug shortly afterward, and Rooster has to bite him to get out of it. Bad News still won’t get into the match after being tagged, but Rooster brought him in the hard way and hit him with a knee lift. Bad News runs Rooster into the turnbuckle, drops an elbow on him, and grinds that elbow into his throat. Bad News destroys the poor guy with a chop, and holds Rooster in place only for Boss Man to hit him on accident. Boss Man apologizes, but we know how Bad News is. He pushes Boss Man, who returns the favor, and Bad News is ready to leave. His teammates beg him, but he leaves the building and gets counted out at 15:27.
We’re evened up, and at this point you’d think Dusty’s team is going to win the match. Beefcake and Boss Man keep the thing going, and Boss Man hits him with a big right hand, leading to HTM tagging in. He drops Beefcake with a back suplex, then heads up in the corner for punches. Beefcake fights his way out, and hits HTM with a high knee that gets 3 at 17:26. WHAT?
Martel runs in and chokes the Barber, and his team is now at a disadvantage. He puts Beefcake in a chinlock, and when Beefcake fights out, knees him in the gut. Martel follows with a backbreaker, and Beefcake winds up on the apron. Martel rams him into the buckle, and Beefcake flies back in with a sunset flip that gets blocked and Martel tries to grab the ropes on the cover. Beefcake finally takes him over, and that gets 3 at 20:15!
I just noticed that the referee looks like a very young Mike Chioda. It probably is! Rooster runs in there to face Boss Man, who misses a charge to the corner almost immediately. Boss Man quickly catches him and follows with the BOSS MAN SLAM, which eliminates Rooster at 21:00.
Dusty heads in after the elimination, and tags straight out to Beefcake. Beefcake hits Boss Man with a very hard knee to the chest, then tags back out for Dusty to hit Boss Man with elbows. These guys look GASSED. Dusty takes him down with a cross body, and that gets a victory for the Dream Team at 22:04. Brutus Beefcake and Dusty Rhodes have survived!
Boss Man decides to get his nightstick after the match, and takes out both survivors with shots to the back. He handcuffs Dusty to the top rope as well, then beats him like a prisoner. Excellent. The Barber clears the ring with his clippers, but the damage was done. Dusty did a small blade too over the eye, or got potatoed.
My Thoughts: I thought this match was just fine, and the way it finished should have gotten the crowd hot for the later matches. The finishes were a bit strange, most of which came out of nowhere and weren’t really built towards. However, that’s the nature of Survivor Series. Decent enough start to the show, I’ll go with **1/2. The best parts of the match were when Martel was in there. He had the best offense, best gas tank, and most athletic ability of anyone in the match. I believe Boss Man and Dusty have a match on the SNME after this which wraps their feud up. Also remember that Boss Man was a wrestler in the first place because Dusty noticed how big he was and decided that he needed to become a regular character. I find that interesting.
In the back, we have the Big Boss Man talking about what he just did to Dusty, and he says Dusty is his prisoner, and has forfeited all of his human rights. YES.
After that, we have the 4×4’s, and it really makes no sense for Bret Hart to be on a team with these guys. Ron Garvin says his team is ready, and he needs to settle the score with Greg Valentine. Hercules is just there, no real explanation why. Hacksaw has to deal with the Macho King, of course.
THE KING’S COURT (Macho King, Dino Bravo, the Canadian Earthquake, and Greg Valentine, w/Queen Sherri & Jimmy Hart) vs. THE 4X4’S (Hacksaw Duggan, Bret Hart, Ron Garvin, and Hercules) in an 8 MAN SURVIVOR SERIES MATCH
Pre-Match Thoughts: That babyface team is so bad that you know there’s no way they’ll win the match. That being said, Ron Garvin, Greg Valentine, and Hercules had to go in one of the matches here. This was the best fit. I feel bad lumping Valentine in with those guys, but his feud with Garvin meant they had to be in the same match. If you judged the captains based on the company they kept, you’d think higher of Savage than Duggan. Bret looks so out of place doing the 2×4 thing before the match.
Match Review: Macho refuses to start the match with Dugan, but Duggan goes to the outside and throws him back into the ring for Hercules, who clotheslines Savage. He picks Savage up for a gorilla press, throwing him halfway across the ring. The Hammer tags in, is given an atomic drop, and Hercules tags in Bret Hart. Bret goes to work with an arm drag, and tags in Hacksaw. Hacksaw throws Valentine into the corner a few times, and Garvin tags in for some heavy chops. He puts a sleeper on Valentine, who gets out and tags in Dino Bravo. Bravo gives him an inverted atomic drop, then misses an elbow drop. Hercules heads in, and hits him with a knee lift and clotheslines. Bravo makes a tag out to Earthquake after whipping Hercules into the buckle, and Earthquake drops onto Hercules with the EARTHQUAKE BUTTSPLASH for 3 at 3:56.
Hacksaw runs into the ring to deal wth the big man, and they do some collision spots that end in Bret Hart running in from behind and helping Duggan trip Earthquake. Garvin tags in and gives him a splash for 2, but gets trapped in the corner and beaten up by all the heels. The Hammer tags in for an elbow drop and knee drop, they get a 2 count. He headbutts Garvin down low, and it’s time to use the shin guard! He gets kicked into the corner by Garvin, and Garvin rolls him up for 2. He fails to make a tag, and Savage comes in with a double axehandle from the top for 2. Bravo tags in again, knocks Garvin down with a clothesline, but Garvin comes back with a backslide for 2. The heels use some quick tags after that, and it turns out Valentine and Garvin are in there again trading chops. Duggan makes a blind tag in, hits Valentine with a clothesline out of his 3 point stance, and that gets a pinfall at 7:31!
Bravo rushes in and starts choking Hacksaw, then Savage tags in and chokes him with the top rope. Back out he goes for Earthquake, uses his CANADIAN POWER to beat up the former King of the WWF. He slams Duggan, and misses an elbow drop. Garvin tags in once again, and headbutts Dino Bravo, who also switched in. Now it’s time for the GARVIN STOMP. YES. Garvin goes for a SHARPSHOOTER, but Bravo rakes the eyes and tags in the Macho King. Bret Hart tags in too, and the crow pops for this matchup. LOOK AT THAT! PUSH THIS GUY. Bret throws Savage into the buckle, and gives him an inverted atomic drop for good measure. He hits Savage down low, and Savage tucks tail. Bravo tags in, remember that he hurt Bret on a house show in Canada. So, Bret drives him back to the corner, and heads up to the second rope for an elbow that gets 2. There’s a USA chant going while two Canadians are in the ring. Imagine that. Garvin tags in, and Bravo pins him after the SIDE SUPLEX at 11:18.
Hacksaw and Earthquake will keep the match going, with Hacksaw driving him back to the corner for 5 punches. He throws Earthquake into Bret’s boot, and the Hitman tags in for a double clothesline. Savage tags in, and Bret can’t wait for him to get in the ring. Hacksaw grabs hold of Savage which allows Bret to take control with a hard kick to the gut. Savage gets tied up in the ropes, which allows Hacksaw to choke him behind the back of the official. Finally Savage gets out of the ropes, and misses a knee drop on Bret after a snap mare. Bret gives him a backbreaker, it gets 2. A small package follows that for another 2 count, and Bret blocks a charge. He goes up to the second rope again, and this time misses an elbow drop. Bravo tags in, gives Bret a bodyslam, and drops a big elbow. He puts Bret in a bear hug, and breaks it once it’s clear Bret won’t quit. Earthquake heads in, and picks Bret up with a big choke lift before throwing him down to the canvas. Earthquake drops an elbow for 2, and there’s a pop when Bret kicks out. Look, this guy connected with the people. End of story. The King’s Court goes with a triple-team choking attack as Hacksaw rushes into the ring, then Savage tags in. Bravo holds Bret in place, and Savage hits him with a high knee on accident. Bret then scrambles to his corner, and makes the tag! Hacksaw comes in with clotheslines to Savage, and follows them with a bodyslam. An elbow drop misses, but Savage winds up in the wrong corner. He gets out as Bret and Bravo tag in, and Bret misses a full speed charge to the corner. Bravo picks him up, gives him a shoulderbreaker, and tags in Savage for the FLYING ELBOW. Obviously, Savage gets the pin at 19:07.
It’s 3 on 1, but I wonder if Duggan will get the chance to pick up another pin. Savage has a plan for his team, which is to have Earthquake face Duggan. He hits Duggan with big clubbing blows, but misses a charge to the corner. Savage tries to fly in with a double axehandle, but it misses ane all four guys are in there. Duggan throws the two other heels into Earthquake, which clears the ring to a huge pop! Savage and Duggan resume the regular activity, and Bravo comes in, only for Duggan to clothesline the both of them. Earthquake runs in with a clothesline from behind, and seeing as he was the legal guy, he slams Duggan. He hits him with an elbow drop, but it gets 2. Quake has done so much in this match he can hardly move. Savage tags in there, and hits Hacksaw with a double axehandle from the top for a 1 count. Savage wipes out on a leapfrog body guillotine, then Duggan gives him an atomic drop. Duggan goes for his own, but Sherri pulls the top rope down on Duggan and he tumbles out of the ring. Looked like Sherri and Duggan accidentally headbutted each other. Earthquake jumps off the apron with a double axehandle, and the referee follows up by counting Duggan out at 22:25. To nobody’s surprise, the survivors are Dino Bravo, the Canadian Earthquake, and the Macho King!
Even though the match was over, Hacksaw hits Bravo and Savage with his 2×4, getting something back out of the loss.
My Thoughts: That finish was terrible, but obviously there were four guys in there who were designated as being too good to lose. So, that’s the way it goes. The match was nothing special, but when Duggan cleared the ring, the crowd popped big. They also regularly popped for Bret Hart. Why did it take so long for Vince to give him a singles push? Lack of muscles? I’ve never understood, he certainly had the crowd backing. Earthquake was obviously going to be a good fit in the WWF, he was capable and had the size they needed with Andre on his way out. Wrestling can be about filling roles, and in the WWF, they’ve always wanted to have somebody like him even though I don’t see the purpose. The match was nothing special at all, especially when the babyfaces who weren’t Bret Hart were in the ring. **.
In the back, we have Mean Gene with Dusty Rhodes. Or not! Apparently, doctors are attending to Dusty, and he has a concussion and bruised ribs. Gene hypothesizes that Dusty will look for revenge.
It is now time for a Thanksgiving poem by the Genius! He got a LOT of heat when he was introduced, people hated him. This was a hell of a gimmick, when I was a kid, I hated this guy too.
THE MILLION DOLLAR TEAM (Ted DiBiase, Zeus, and the Powers of Pain, w/Mr. Fuji) vs. THE HULKAMANIACS (Hulk Hogan, Jake Roberts, and Demolition) in an 8 MAN SURVIVOR SERIES MATCH
Pre-Match Thoughts: Initial thoughts are that half of the Million Dollar Team can’t work at all. DiBiase is the only heel who can bump, and Smash is the only babyface who will bump around as Roberts had just had surgery. Demolition also works a very methodical style. So, while the matchup is star studded, this match will no doubt suck. DiBiase is the team captain and he’s not even in a feud with Hogan, so that tells me his feud with Roberts was actually seen as being more important for just a little while. Maybe I’m wrong. All the babyfaces entered to their own theme. I know why this match didn’t go on last, and we’ll get to that later. As said previously, Hogan was starting to look aged by this point in time.
Match Review: Barbarian attacked Hogan to keep him out of the ring, which is something I really didn’t expect. Eventually, Jake removes Damien from his bag, and that allows Hogan’s team to be able to enter the ring. Haha. Zeus wants to start the match with Hogan, and the crowd pops huge to the idea of seeing it. We’re going to get exactly that, and they shove each other. Hogan runs into a shoulderblock, and Monsoon points out Zeus wears a sick belt. I’d buy that. Hogan’s high knees do nothing to Zeus, but a gouge to the eyes does and Hogan slams him. Zeus doesn’t sell it, and Hogan gets attacked from behind by the Barbarian. Zeus does the NECK BREAK to Hogan, BAH GAWD IT’S OVER. Except it’s not. Zeus chokes Hogan repeatedly, and Zeus pushes him down to the canvas, leading to a disqualification at 3:22. That was awfully convenient for that to happen and Ventura to immediately mention the No Holds Barred PPV right after. Zeus didn’t want to leave, but obviously he didn’t have much of a choice.
DiBiase hits Hogan with some knee drops, but isn’t going for a pin. No reason for him not to go for a pin, I don’t understand. He continues with the choking that Zeus started, and rams Hogan into the buckle as well. Hogan blocks a charge to the corner, and tags the snake man in. Roberts gives DiBiase a clothesline to send him over the top rope, then rams him into the post outside the ring. Back in they go, and Ax tags in. He clobbers DiBiase until he falls down, then tags in his partner to do the same. Smash throws DiBiase into the boot of Ax, then brings Hogan back in as he’s now ready for combat. He gives DiBiase a double axehandle from the second rope, and joins in on the usual Demolition double teaming. Hogan hits him with a running back elbow, as this match has ZERO heat going for it. Ax clotheslins DiBiase for 2, but DiBiase comes back with a flying back elbow. Warlord tags in, and hits Ax with right hands to the back. The Barbarian takes a turn doing the same stuff, and picks Ax up for a shoulderbreaker. Up to the second rope he goes, and down he comes with an elbow drop that misses. Warlord tags in before Ax can tag out, and misses a charge to the corner, so Ax hits him with a clothesline. He runs the ropes, and Mr. Fuji trips Ax, so Warlord pins Ax after an elbow drop at 9:51. WHAT?
Smash heads in there and throws Warlord into Hogan’s boot, then Hogan tags in and clotheslines the big guy. After a bodyslam by Hogan, he switches out and the Hulkamaniacs utilize some quick tagging. Smash goes for a bodyslam, but Warlord thumbs him in the eye and tags in the Barbarian. Barbarian gets his big boot attempt caught, and Smash trips him only to miss an elbow drop. Barbarian then hits him with that big boot, and DiBiase tags in. He drops a fist on Smash, and gets a count of 2. To the chinlock now, then a bodyslam. DiBiase goes up to the second rope for an elbow drop, but he misses. Smash gives DiBiase a hotshot, but DiBiase made a blind tag. Barbarian hits Smash with a flying clothesline from the top, and gets the pin at 13:44.
Barbarian blocks the DDT by giving Roberts a backdrop, then he misses an elbow drop. Jake goes for the DDT again, but Barbarian drives him back to the corner and tags in the Warlord. Warlord throws Roberts hard into the buckle, then Barbarian tags in to do the same. Roberts is taking some hard runs into the buckle. Barbarian gives him a backbreaker, and tags out. Warlord continues doing the same stuff, which is merely serving to destroy what’s left of this match. DiBiase cuts Roberts off from making a tag, and holds Roberts in place for a shot from the top by Barbarian. DiBiase hits Roberts with a lot of knee drops, and goes for a piledriver, which he hits. Roberts gets his foot on the ropes during the cover, so DiBiase tags in the Barbarian. Barbarian hits Roberts with a diving headbutt, and continues to cut him off from tagging Hogan. I don’t know what this match needs, but it needs something. Barbarian heads up top, and comes down with a flying headbutt that misses. Didn’t even get that big of a hopeful pop. Hogan makes the hot tag, and all three opponents run in for him to beat up. He rams Barbarian into the buckle, and gives him a clothesline. After dropping a few elbows on the guy, Hogan covers for 2. Hogan suplexes him for 2, and Warlord attacks Hogan from behind. The Powers get double clotheslined by the Hulkster, and it would appear they try to come back with a SPIKE PILEDRIVER. When they do it, the Powers of Pain have been disqualified for illegally double teaming Hogan at 19:43. Man, that is terrible booking.
DiBiase goes after the debilitated Hogan, and slaps the MILLION DOLLAR DREAM on him. Roberts breaks it up right before DiBiase would win the match, but DiBiase goes back to it. Hogan rams him into the turnbuckles to break it, and DiBiase has a failed dive from the second rope. Roberts makes the tag in, and gives DiBiase a backdrop. He clotheslines him with the top rope, then drops knees on his head just like DiBiase had done earlier. That’s the ring psychology kicking in. Roberts hits him with a short clothesline, and out comes VIRGIL FROM THE BACK. DiBiase drags him into the ring, and gives him the DDT! DiBiase immediately gives Roberts a fist drop, puts his feet on the ropes, and gets the pin over the Snake at 23:52. WHAT?
DiBiase rolls Virgil out of the ring so he can focus on Hogan, who has been down for the count this entire time. He hits Hogan with a clothesline, it gets 2. Close count. DiBiase puts a chinlock on him, Hogan starts charging up for his comeback, and hits DiBiase to break free of the hold, but it turns out the two clothesline each other. DiBiase gives him a back suplex after reversing an atomic drop, and now it’s time for the comeback. 3 punches, a big boot, and a leg drop ends the match at 27:32. The sole survivor is Hulk Hogan!
My Thoughts: This match was horrendously booked, almost every finish used was as bad as possible. Why in the hell did Demolition lose those two falls? The PoP went absolutely nowhere after this show. They were also protected in this match for no reason at all, which makes me think there may have been other considerations going on. Perhaps Demolition was supposed to transition the titles over to them until Andre told the WWF he couldn’t keep going. That’s an absolute guess, but it does make sense. I was very surprised when DiBiase pinned Roberts, but I didn’t quite think the whole thing through. They needed to sell house show matches, the way to do that is by having DiBiase sneak a cheap win. That’s exactly what happened. This match really sucked, especially given the time allotted. *1/4, and that’s probably a bit generous, but I expect the next match to be even worse. Hogan going over in the end, and Zeus choking him out (although that was too early), were the only finishes that made sense to me when I was watching the match. Based on how dead the contest was, it’s easy to see why Vince thought it was time to change things.
In the back, we have Sean Mooney with Macho King, Queen Sherri, and ZEUS. They’re going to talk about No Holds Barred! Hogan is going to get it in that steel cage, brother. Brutus Beefcake and Hulk Hogan have a response, and Hogan suggests the cage may not be his type of match. I’m SHOCKED that he put over Zeus with that admission. Queen Sherri comes into the background of this interview, and she screams at these two clowns, before THROWING POWDER IN THEIR FACES. MACHO KING AND ZEUS RUN IN TO CHOKE THESE TWO CLOWNS OUT, and a bunch of the other wrestlers have to run in there to put a stop to it. Ventura also is sure to mention before the next match that the Heenan Family has issues and has been pushing and shoving in the locker room.
THE RUDE BROOD (Rick Rude, Mr. Perfect, and the Fabulous Rougeau Brothers, w/Jimmy Hart and the Genius) vs. RODDY’S ROWDIES (Roddy Piper, Jimmy Snuka, and the Bushwhackers) in an 8 MAN SURVIVOR SERIES MATCH
Pre-Match Thoughts: This babyface team is not one that leads me to believe this match will be any good. If it is, I’ll be surprised. The heels on the other hand are a great bunch, guys who could work and talk. As an example of that, the Rude Brood has an interview in which they do some talking. Mr. Perfect has the PERFECT WAY to eliminate Jimmy Snuka, don’t forget it. Raymond Rougeau owned that microphone too, hell yeah, this promo owned. The Rowdies have their own comments, in which the Bushwhackers have carried a turkey to their interview with Gene Mean. This was great too! These guys are totally going to get their asses kicked. Gorilla went straight for the anti-gay shot by saying he wouldn’t want the Genius walking behind him. Very classy. The issues with the Heenan Family were played up by having Rude walk out by himself.
Match Review: Looks like Perfect and Luke will start the match. Perfect attacks Luke from behind, and bodyslams him. He misses an elbow drop, and Luke tags in Butch, who bites Perfect. Piper tags in and does the same thing, and so does Snuka! Butch then bites Perfect’s butt, which I don’t think the other guys are going to do. It’s time for Jacques to hop in the ring, and he does kip ups to get heat. Haha. After hugging his brother, he turns his back and Snuka hits him with a flying headbutt. Snuka follows with a chop to knock him down again, then gives him a backbreaker. After another headbutt, Snuka bodyslams the guy and heads up top. Down he comes with the SUPERFLY SPLASH, and Snuka pins him for a fall at 4:03.
Jacques was pretty much buried on his way out, but Rick Rude gets in there and Snuka hammers him. Rude swivels his hips, so Snuka headbutts him and Rude tags out. Perfect comes in and Rude accidentally pulls the rope down on Perfect, then Snuka gives them a noggin-knocker. Piper tags in to deal with Perfect, and does so with a knee lift. He clotheslines Perfect, then rams him into Luke’s knee. Luke tags in, and drops a knee on the guy. After some tags, Luke bites Perfect, and Butch switches in. Then there’s the most audible spot call ever, and Perfect kicks Butch in the chest. Butch tags out anyway and brings in Piper, who gives Perfect an atomic drop. Raymond tags in for the first time, and trades punches with Piper until giving him a backdrop that Piper turns into a sunset flip for 2. Raymond kicks Piper in the jaw for 2, then Piper piledrives him for 3 at 7:41.
Perfect rushes in there now, and Piper rolls him up in a small package for 2. Perfect comes back with a neck snap, it gets another 2 count. He puts Piper in a front face-lock, and Piper tries to make the tag, but he can’t. He trips Perfect and catapults him into the post, and there’s the tag to Butch. Butch drops a fist for 2, then Luke tags in for who knows what. After a shot to the throat, Perfect throws him into the corner and misses a charge. Piper tags in, and does his own hip swivel while hitting Perfect with some punches. Butch tags in and bites Perfect on the ass again, then goes to celebrate with the crowd. Perfect rushes up from behind, cradles Butch up, and gets the elimination at 10:47.
Piper runs into the ring and tries his own cradle, it gets 2 on a very close count. Snuka tags in, and hits Perfect with a chop from the top. He tags in Luke, who pokes Perfect in the eye and headbutts him in the gut for 2. Rude makes a tag in, and heads up top for a double axehandle that he gets hit during. After smashing his face into the mat, Luke bites Rude’s face. What the hell? Rude kicks Butch in the gut, givves him the RUDE AWAKENING, and that’s Luke gone at 12:14.
We have a decent tag team match now, with Snuka and Piper against Perfect and Rude. The crowd is dead, though. Perfect hits Snuka with some chops, and has one for Piper too that allows him to choke Snuka when the referee gets distracted. Perfect hits Snuka with a dropkick for 2, but Snuka comes back with a kick. He can’t tag out though, as Perfect does. Rude puts Snuka in a neck vice, then tags out after about a minute. Snuka puts Perfect in a small package which only gets 2, as the match has turned into a whole bunch of standing around. Really boring. Superfly hits Perfect with a flying headbutt, but Perfect cuts him off again. Snuka and Perfect collide with each other, and even though Perfect gets up first, Snuka makes the tag. Piper comes in with a tag that’s not so hot, and it’s him against Rude! They trade punches, with Piper getting the better of them, then Piper gives Rude a backdrop. He runs over and hits Perfect, then Piper and Rude tumble out of the ring. EVERYBODY knows they’re going to get counted out, and that’s exactly what happens at 18:38. Good brawl between the two, though.
Perfect and Snuka is a singles match I really don’t want to watch, but it’s the one we get. Perfect gets taken down with a shoulderblock, but comes back with a hip toss, arm drag, and a dropkick to knock Snuka out of the ring. He suplexes Snuka back into the ring for 2, and Snuka comes back with a shoulderblock. Perfect cradles him up for 2.999, then they do a pin reversal segment with a lot of close counts. Snuka chops Perfect in the corner, and follows with a cross body from the second rope that Perfect reverses for 2. Snuka then puts his head down for a backdrop, and of course Perfect puts him in the PERFECT-PLEX for 3 at 21:30! Mr. Perfect is the SOLE SURVIVOR!
Snuka then attacks Genius and Perfect from behind, giving them a noggin-knocker. Hilarious that Monsoon called Snuka a sore loser. He went for a SUPERFLY SPLASH, but Perfect pulled his new manager out of the ring to save him.
My Thoughts: I have no issues with the way the match was booked. It was as good as a match with the babyface team possibly could have been. That being said, the match was very boring in stages and the crowd just does not care about any of this. It’s weird, actually. The Genius did nothing to get heat at ringside, he’s going to have to do better than that in the future. A lot of the usual heat spots, like wrestlers chasing around managers, haven’t taken place at all on this show. The suggestion Dave Meltzer had to have Snuka turn on Piper in this match would have made the match a lot better. I think this was a bit of a bad way to utilize Rude, Piper, and Perfect. The problem is, the WWF didn’t have many good singles babyface workers. So you can’t say they should have loaded up a match full of them and left the other guys to their own devices, as that wasn’t possible. ** for the match, really poor show so far.
In the back, we have a promo with the Rude Brood! Sean Mooney mentions that Bobby Heenan has been absent, and Rude rebuffs the question. He says they expected a win, and they had a PERFECT COMBINATION!
THE ULTIMATE WARRIORS (The Ultimate Warrior, Jim Neidhart, and the Rockers) vs. THE HEENAN FAMILY (Bobby Heenan, Andre the Giant, Haku, and Arn Anderson) in an 8 MAN SURVIVOR SERIES MATCH
Pre-Match Thoughts: Obviously, Heenan took the place of Tully Blanchard because he got fired after the failed drug test. The Warriors have a promo before the match, in which the Anvil says a lot of value. He did a great job with his mic time. Warrior looks so jacked up, it’s really disgusting. Was funny to hear the reaction from Monsoon and Ventura when Blanchard was not present. I wonder if anyone anticipated that this wouldn’t be the first time a Hart Foundation and Rockers member main evented a WWF PPV. I sure wouldn’t have.
Match Review: Before Warrior ran out to the ring, the Rockers attacked and Andre cleared all three of the babyfaces out of the ring. Warrior then runs down sans music, and nails Andre with some clotheslines that knock him over the top. Hebner counts, and Andre’s out of the match after 26 seconds. HAHA. The crowd just got screwed out of what they had wanted to see AGAIN.
Warrior brings Haku and Arn Anderson in the ring the hard way, then throws Arn into the corner for punishment from all three guys. Neidhart tags in, hits Arn with a back elbow, and hits him with a shoulder-charge in the corner as well. Andre finally wakes up and Warrior stomps on him from the apron, a sad end to his night. Haku tags in and the Anvil runs him over a lot, but he hits the Anvil from behind with a double axehandle and the heels finally get some offense in. Arn tags in, and Heenan chokes Neidhart behind the official’s back. Haku comes back in there, and Arn runs interference by distracting Neidhart. So, Haku kicks Neidhart in the back of the head, and pins him at 3:30.
That elimination was a bit surprising, but it wasn’t surprising for Shawn Michaels to enter the match for the first time. Haku rakes his eyes, and takes him down with a big shoulderblock. Shawn dodges a diving headbutt, and exchanges tags and arm wringers on Haku with his partner. Michaels flies in with a shot from the top, the Rockers hit Haku with a double chop, and Haku takes Michaels out with a clothesline. He catches Marty on a cross body, and Michaels dropkicks Jannetty on top of Haku for 2. Arn tags in, hits Marty with a shot to the head, and goes for a suplex. Haku comes in for help, but shawn catches Marty and they deliver a double superkick to Haku and Anderson. Marty hits Haku with a flying back elbow for 2, and the Warrior finally gets back in there. He chops Haku, and backdrops him as well. He misses an elbow drop, but gets right up only for Haku to drive him back to the corner and tag in Arn Anderson. Warrior takes him down with a wristlock and tags out, so Jannetty and Arn fight over a wristlock. Arn gets the better of it and tags in Haku, who gets thrown into the corner only to dodge Marty’s charge into it. Now Heenan tags in, only for Marty to hit him and Heenan tag right back out. Arn hits Marty with a knee to the back, Haku kicks Marty in the face, and that’s a very close 2 count. Heenan tags in again, and he stomps away on the Rocker for a cover of 3 after a knee drop, at 8:49. HAHAHA.
Warrior comes into the match now, to lock up with Arn. Warrior puts him in a bear hug, until Arn rakes the eyes. Haku runs in and is put in a bear hug, then Michaels tags in for a cover of 2. He nails Haku with a dropkick for another 2 count, then Haku throws him out of the ring. Warrior throws Michaels back in, and Michaels gets rammed into Anderson’s knee. Arn tags in there, and Shawn dodges one of his charges to the corner to take him down with a drop toe-hold. He sends Arn over to Warrior, and tags him in for a double punch. Warrior tags back out, slams Warrior, and brings Michaels in with a rocket launcher for 2. That was unexpected! Haku tags in right after that, and he misses a springboard cross body from the second rope. Michaels heads up top, and Warrior assists him in a cross body that pins Haku at 12:51.
Arn heads in and rams Michaels into the knee of Heenan, who tags in. No other choice, is there. Arn throws Shawn over the top, and Heenan heads up to the top rope only to chicken out. Haha. Shawn flies in with a sunset flip on Arn, and gets a 2 count. Arn and Heenan start arguing with each other, and Arn wants Heenan to tag in. He does, and tags right back out so Michaels and Arn can collide with each other. Michaels dodges a charge to the corner, then goes for a monkey flip only for Arn to block it. Arn fires off a SPINEBUSTER, and it gets 3 on Shawn at 15:38.
Warrior is in a 2 on 1 situation, but Heenan might as well not even be there. Warrior hits Arn with a bunch of shoulderblocks, but keeps running and Arn throws him out of the ring. Heenan chickens out of leaping off the top again, so Warrior gets back in the ring and chokes Arn until Arn headbutts Warrior down low. Warrior comes back by throwing Arn into Heenan, then he picks Arn up for the GORILLA PRESS and splashes him. Over for the cover, and that’s a 3 count at 18:18.
Warrior against Heenan should make the fans really happy. Warrior laughs about it, then he gets in there and Heenan finally notices. Heenan begs for Warrior to go easy on him, but Warrior throws him upside down into the corner. Then he throws Heenan over the top, and Heenan simply wants to leave. Warrior follows him, brings him back in, and hits him with the flying shoulderblock. This is sad. He gives Heenan a BIG SPLASH, and that gets the win at 20:28. The Ultimate Warrior is the SOLE SURVIVOR!
For some reason, he clotheslines Heenan in the aisleway, which closed the show!
My Thoughts: This match was probably the best since the first, but that’s not saying a lot as none of the matches in-between were particularly remarkable. The heels did what they could, they were at a disadvantage because one of their best two workers dropped out. In theory, this match could and should have been a lot better. They took the crowd out of it by taking Andre out of it, which I really didn’t understand. Heenan getting a pin was very funny if nothing else. The style of the match also heavily diluted what made the Rockers such a good team. It’s sad that a show that had such good teams didn’t turn out to be any good. **1/4.
This show wasn’t as good as I expected at all, but that being said, I don’t think anyone in the crowd will have felt bad about paying to see it. Part of the appeal of Survivor Series is that you’re guaranteed to watch everyone on the roster that has any value. As such, it has that nostalgic value for tuning in later as well. That’s all the show has. It does not have good wrestling, important matches, nor does it have their biggest stars doing their best. I hardly even see the purpose in watching this event, which was sad. Really, very sad. The Royal Rumble from 1990 is better if you need the nostalgia kick from this era, I remember that being a very good show. Ultimately, even though they introduced a new main event star and had him in that spot, the show was very disappointing. Next up, it’s going to be time for SNME #24. Really hope that’s much better as a lot of the shows from this time period haven’t been good at all.
Wrestling Time: 1:52:55. That’s an awfully long time for mediocre wrestling.
Best: The Enforcers vs. The Dream Team. I guess? Not a lot to work with here.
Worst: The Hulkamaniacs vs. The Million Dollar Team. Despite the show being poor, none of the matches were actively bad. At least there’s that.
Card Rating: 4/10. Simply was not a good outing and not the best way to spend this much time. There are better ones!
