WRESTLEMANIA VII
From The Los Angeles Sports Arena in Los Angeles, CA
March 24, 1991

BACKGROUND
It’s easy to look back at ideas and events with the benefit of hindsight, and be able to say “Ahh, well, they shouldn’t have done that.”

With business dropping off in WWF in the early 1990′s, due mostly to waning interest, as well as public loss of favorability thanks to the steroid allegations, Vince McMahon wasn’t willing to rest on his laurels and accept a slide into pop culture obscurity. Instead, since he had originally booked the 100,000 seat Los Angeles Coliseum for WrestleMania VII, he needed to find a way to fill a venue that would surpass the record crowd in Pontiac, Michigan from four years prior.

Logic seems to dictate that a rematch with WWF Champion The Ultimate Warrior and the man he felled one year before to claim the championship, Hulk Hogan, would be the right course of action. There’s a ready-made draw for the match as well: Hogan wins the 1991 Royal Rumble, challenges Warrior, Warrior says “I already beat you, so forget it”, and Hogan puts his career on the line as collateral, making Warrior accept.

Intriguing, no? Hogan’s hypothetical swan song might have sold out the Coliseum.

At least, it had a better chance than what McMahon actually did go with.

With conflict in the Persian Gulf, WWF made over longtime patriot Sgt Slaughter into a disgusting Iraqi sympathizer, aligning him with Saddam Hussein in an attempt to push the jingoistic buttons of every American fan watching.

The goal: have Hogan defend the honor of America by taking down the fascistic sadist known as Slaughter, and restore America’s dignity.

Slaughter defeated Warrior for the championship at the Royal Rumble, and the idea of Hogan-Slaughter headlining WrestleMania VII did little for ticket sales. By mid-February, only 20,000 seats had been sold.

Hindsight is indeed 20/20.

THE EVENT
After winning the championship in January 1991, Slaughter stepped up his ludicrous façade of hating America. Slaughter won the belt four days after Iraq was to have pulled out of Kuwait, a deadline set by then US President George H.W. Bush, so patriotic fervor was running high.

With the very real possibility of young Americans (not to mention soldiers from other nations, but merely giving an American perspective) going off to war in order to liberate Kuwait, it was astonishing that the WWF was cashing in by wanting to have Slaughter burn the American flag (which he refused to do), but settled instead for having him set fire to Hulk Hogan merchandise.

The build continued, with Hogan spouting American aphorisms and clutching to Americana like heroes of folklore, while Slaughter threatened to take the championship back to Baghdad, in order to present it to his hero, Saddam Hussein.

The WWF made the decision to move the event indoors to the much smaller Los Angeles Sports Arena, with the official reason involving security concerns. Slaughter was, allegedly, the target of several death threats over his character, although the horrid ticket sales were likely a big reason as well.

While the Ultimate Warrior would not be main eventing, he was given quite the interesting match-up to work with. Macho King Randy Savage had cost Warrior the championship at the Royal Rumble, after Warrior refused to grant Savage a shot, and now the two were pitted head to head.

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But the match wouldn’t just be any old encounter; instead, it would be a “Career Ending” match, in which the loser would have to retire. The WWF was no longer big enough for both of their explosive personalities, and the build made up for the lack of intrigue from the Hogan-Slaughter contest.

Also on the card, The Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase would tangle with his ex-bodyguard of over three years, Virgil. Virgil, after months of increased humiliation at his boss’ hands, turned on him at the Royal Rumble. Rowdy Roddy Piper, proud of Virgil for his showing of pride, offered to train him in an attempt to defeat Dibiase and embarrass the snobby villain.

The Big Bossman had a chance to complete a gauntlet AND win a championship. After months of verbal abuse from Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, who frequently insulted his mother, Bossman began to run through Heenan’s “Family” of wrestlers, before getting to the crown jewel, WWF Intercontinental Champion Mr. Perfect. A win would give Bossman personal satisfaction, and championship gold, while shutting Heenan up for good.

Also on the line, the WWF World Tag Team Championship, as The Hart Foundation would be defending against The Nasty Boys, who’d won the right to challenge weeks before by winning a seven team battle royal. The Harts wouldn’t go down without a fight, but a loss might do wonders for one member of the team.

In addition to all of this, a certain superstar made his WrestleMania debut at this event, and let’s just say it was win #1 in his long streak.

Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan called the action, with guest commentators filling in for when Heenan had to manage. Willie Nelson sang the Star Spangled Banner, and celebrities Regis Philbin, Alex Trebek, and Marla Maples were on hand as well.

THE RESULTS
The Rockers def. Haku/The Barbarian in 10:41
(Underrated opener, and a good showcase of how Shawn Michaels could elevate wrestlers to a level above their usual performances. It’s no surprise that the Rockers would split up within the year)

The Texas Tornado def. Dino Bravo in 3:11
(This was most depressing moment in WrestleMania history before the ending to WrestleMania XX. Bad match, both men dead within two years, and Tornado’s “gun” celebration mirrored his suicide)

The British Bulldog def. The Warlord in 8:15
(This was actually a major feud in 1991, even if the crowd wasn’t buying Warlord. At least Bulldog proved valuable as a draw on European tours)

WWF World Tag Team: The Nasty Boys def. The Hart Foundation in 12:10 to win the titles
(A longtime friend of mine is one of the biggest Bret Hart marks I know. He nearly cried at the ending of this match. Of course, nobody told him that the Harts would split, and Bret would go on to become multiple time champion. Then he may have danced)

Blindfold match: Jake Roberts def. Rick Martel in 8:34
(Both men wore hoods so they couldn’t see each other, and the match was as slow as you’d expect. Still, it was less awkward than watching Mason Ryan wrestle)

The Undertaker def. Jimmy Snuka in 4:20
(That’s one)

Career Ending Match: The Ultimate Warrior def. Macho King Randy Savage in 20:48
(Warrior’s best match ever, dramatic as Hell throughout, and the postmatch segment of Miss Elizabeth saving Savage from an irate Queen Sherri, and then reuniting with her lost love is one of the greatest WrestleMania moments ever. You’re allowed to cry if you want to, it’s ok)

Genichiro Tenryu/Koji Kitao def. Demolition in 4:44
(Awkward match, and it was the death of Demolition. Let’s just move on)

WWF Intercontinental: The Big Bossman def. Mr. Perfect by disqualification in 10:47
(The last WWF appearance of Andre the Giant, who came to aid Bossman, and the last time that Bobby Heenan would be a manager on a WWF PPV. God, this is starting to get depressing!)

Earthquake def. Greg Valentine in 3:14
(In 2011, this is like booking Husky Harris vs. Finlay at WrestleMania XXVII)

Legion of Doom def. Power & Glory in 59 seconds
(Paul Roma: WrestleMania Icon)

Virgil def. Ted Dibiase by count out in 7:41
(Highlight: Rowdy Roddy Piper sells the pain of a post-match beatdown by Dibiase, and, in a rage, throws a crutch into referee Danny Davis’ nuts. That’s what he gets for screwing the British Bulldogs over)

The Mountie def. Tito Santana in 1:21
(The phrase “def. Tito Santana” is getting as much face time as “Hulk Hogan def.” in these things)

WWF World Championship: Hulk Hogan def. Sgt. Slaughter in 20:26 to win the title
(Despite the crappy storyline, the need to break an Iraqi flag during the match, Hogan blading on camera, the fact that Slaughter was in the main event, and Regis Philbin being on commentary, this actually wasn’t a bad match. Really)

ITS PLACE IN HISTORY
For the first time in the annals of WrestleMania, a match in the middle of the show completely overshadowed the main event. Sure, WrestleMania III had Ricky Steamboat and Randy Savage delivering a classic, but at least Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant created an immortal moment. Other than Hogan’s on-camera forehead butchering, not many fans recall this main event with great detail.

WrestleMania VII was not a bad show by any means. Rather, it’s a show with a number of great matches, but leaves a rather sour taste in your mouth with the exploitation of the Gulf War.

The conflict in the Gulf was largely settled by the time the show took place, and Hussein’s army was simply no match for the opposition. To have Slaughter go on television and declare such a paltry regime to be so great only served to make him look foolish, and it didn’t make for an enticing attraction for wrestling’s biggest annual show.

WrestleMania VII will be remembered just as much for the tearful reunion that took place in the middle of the card, as it will be for the vile inducing of xenophobia that the main event was supposed to bring out.

Justin Henry is a freelance writer who splits time between this site, WrestleCrap.com, and FootballNation.com. He can be found via his wrestling Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/wrestlecrapjrh

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WRESTLEMANIA VI
From The SkyDome in Toronto, ON
April 1, 1990

BACKGROUND
If you’re not moving forward, then you’ve stopped.

For six years, save for one fourteen month spell, Hulk Hogan had been the WWF’s alpha dog. From January 23, 1984 to April 1, 1990, Hogan was champion the entire time, save for Randy Savage’s yearlong reign, and the two month vacancy in 1988 that preceded it.

But much like any trend or fad, ‘Hulkamania’ was beginning to slow down. Soon enough, Vince McMahon was going to have to find another torch-bearer to lead the WWF into the 1990’s. Savage was better off as a heel, and living in the shadow as Hogan’s tag team partner ruled him out of being that guy.

So, who would McMahon strap the rocket to?

The answer seemed apparent at the 1990 Royal Rumble, when Hogan was part of a maelstrom of force that cleared the ring of all but one other man.

That man was WWF’s Intercontinental Champion, The Ultimate Warrior.

Hogan and Warrior came nose to nose, as the crowd in Orlando lost its collective mind. Tony Schiavone on commentary blew a verbal gasket. Even Jesse Ventura, a known detractor of both men, was sucked into the colossal showdown.

Time stood still as the two men barged into one another, neither men yielding to the others attack. After both men floored each other with a double clothesline, the action died down, but the seed was planted into McMahon’s brain. The energy in the arena when Hogan and Warrior had their version of “High Noon” was like nothing yet seen in the annals of WWF.

The fans were buying Warrior as being on Hogan’s level, and, in 1990, Warrior’s fan base was on the rise, whereas Hogan’s was declining.

That fact made these two men equals in the fans’ eyes.

Hogan vs. Warrior it was.

THE EVENT
Hogan and Warrior was etched in stone to be the main course of a fourteen dish dinner at Toronto’s SkyDome. The WWF knew that filling the venue would be a challenge, with wrestling’s overall popularity waning since the Rock n Wrestling era, and knew that Hogan and Warrior was the best bet to bring in a capacity crowd.

To sweeten the pot, to the vast community of fans that assumed Warrior would merely be challenging for the WWF Championship, President Jack Tunney ruled that Warrior’s Intercontinental Title would also be in the lurch. If the winner of this match was to truly determine the best wrestler in the world, the winner should take all, and the loser left with nothing to call his own.

The match, now taglined “The Ultimate Challenge”, was preceded by weeks of back-and-forth interviews with Hogan and Warrior both making bizarre threats. For instance, Hogan commanded Warrior to die and be reborn a Hulkamaniac, whereas Warrior ordered Hogan to take control of an airplane, and “nose dive” his way into Parts Unknown.

While nothing the two men said was making an ounce of sense, their words didn’t deter the fans from wanting to see the epic clash take place.

While this would be enough of a selling point, the WWF had other offerings to fill out the remainder of the spectacular. The only other “official” title match of the afternoon would feature Demolition attempting to become three time WWF World Tag Team Champions by defeating the team that handily defeated them in the previous fall for them. The team in question was the Colossal Connection, comprised of Haku and the legendary Andre the Giant.

Elsewhere, Mr. Perfect was set to take on Brutus Beefcake, in a match that came to be at the Royal Rumble when Beefcake, wrestling Perfect’s second, The Genius, began to cut his hair during the match. Perfect hit the ring and brutalized Beefcake’s ribs with a folding chair as an act of vengeance. The implication in place was that Perfect felt he should have gotten a shot at Hogan’s WWF Championship at WrestleMania, and was taking his frustrations out on Hogan’s best friend.

In other storyline action, Dusty Rhodes and Macho King Randy Savage had run afoul of each other after their respective women company, Sapphire and Queen Sherri respectively, got physical with each other at the 1990 Royal Rumble. Rhodes then threw Savage out of the Rumble later in the night to set up the very first Mixed Tag Team match in WrestleMania history. On top of this, Rhodes promised a “secret weapon” that would surely infuriate Savage.

Certainly not least, Jake Roberts had stolen the Million Dollar Title from Ted Dibiase, and was holding it hostage in his snake Damian’s bag. Why? Dibiase had put Roberts out for six months with a neck injury nearly one year earlier, and Roberts was using his act of theft to goad Dibiase into stepping into the ring with him, with the belt on the line between them.

For the final time, Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura would call the action together. Robert Goulet opened the show with a stirring rendition of “Oh Canada”. Gossipist Rona Barrett and comedian Steve Allen were on hand, as were Rhythm and Blues to sing their new song.

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THE RESULTS
Rick Martel def. Koko B Ware in 3:51
(One held the AWA Title for well over a year; the other is a WWE Hall of Famer. But watching this match, you’d never know it)

WWF World Tag Team: Demolition def. Colossal Connection in 9:30 to win the belts
(Bigger than Demolition winning was Andre the Giant getting his last hurrah, turning on Heenan and Haku, and leaving in the motorized ring cart to cheers, while waving to the people. There has never been a giant quite like Andre since, and there never will be)

Earthquake def. Hercules in 4:52
(Appropriate timing: Andre takes his curtain call, and Earthquake comes in as the new monster, establishing himself as the next big threat to the babyface side of the roster)

Brutus Beefcake def. Mr. Perfect in 7:48
(A minor upset at the time, as Perfect was somewhat infallible, but more importantly, it would be Beefcake’s last major win for a very long time)

Rowdy Roddy Piper fought Bad News Brown to a double count out in 6:48
(Let’s just say Al Jolson half-liked Piper’s performance)

The Hart Foundation def. The Bolsheviks in 19 seconds
(If Bret Hart has a copy of his check from this show, he should frame it as an immortalization what a great world we live in)

The Barbarian def. Tito Santana in 4:33
(One of the sickest endings in WrestleMania history. Watch Tito’s head on the clothesline if you’ve never seen it)

Mixed Tag Match: Dusty Rhodes/Sapphire def. Macho King Randy Savage/Queen Sherri in 7:52
(Two things saved it: one was Miss Elizabeth being the “secret weapon” and the other was Jesse Ventura dogging this thing on commentary. I was going to miss The Body)

The Orient Express def. The Rockers by count out in 7:38
(Good match, but things would get far better when Kato replaced Sato. Check out the 1991 Royal Rumble sometime for proof)

Hacksaw Jim Duggan def. Dino Bravo in 4:15
(Gorilla Monsoon claimed before the match that Earthquake, in Bravo’s corner, didn’t have a manager’s license and explained “because he’s a wrestler, and you can’t hold both licenses.” Monsoon could explain anything. If he was still alive, TNA could hire him to explain the booking)

Million Dollar Championship: Ted Dibiase def. Jake Roberts by count out in 11:50
(You know a resthold is going long when the crowd breaks out “the wave”. You know it’s going extra long when the cameras pan to “the wave” instead of watching the match. Decent bout either way)

Big Boss Man def. Akeem in 1:49
(THE TWIN TOWERS EXPLODE!)

Ravishing Rick Rude def. Superfly Jimmy Snuka in 3:59
(Steve Allen was on commentary for some reason, and remarked that his wife has Snuka’s tights as underwear. I have nothing to add to the prior statement)

WWF World vs. Intercontinental Championship: The Ultimate Warrior def. Hulk Hogan in 22:51 to claim both belts
(An amazing effort from both men, both of whom told a great story without gimmicks and stunts. Even with Warrior out of breath, Hogan proved to be a solid technician and general by leading his opponent through the wringer without flaw. For that, Hogan deserves more credit than he gets)

ITS PLACE IN HISTORY
Warrior’s win was an upset unto itself, because it marked the first time Hogan had been pinned clearly since 1981, when Hulk was a heel and lost to Tony Atlas. While the sheer visual of Hogan taking the loss without having an out should have catapulted Warrior into permanent stardom, as well as being the new leader of the WWF, business didn’t exactly soar with him as champion, as compared to Hogan’s glory days.

Ignoring that fact for a moment, consider the guts that it took for McMahon to go with that ending. Although in Bret Hart’s memoir, “Hitman”, Hart indicates that McMahon was developing a love/hate relationship with Hogan at that point, McMahon himself may have had reservations about letting his cash cow of six years take a clean loss to a hopeful new savior.

WrestleMania VI is seldom remembered for anything but the main event. Moments like Andre’s final match, Demolition’s final tag team title win, Mr. Perfect’s first major loss, and Jesse Ventura’s last PPV before leaving, are diminished by the light of Hogan and Warrior’s epic.

WrestleMania VI is a one match show, as intended, and that one match shows that Vince McMahon will take chances.

Justin Henry is a freelance writer who splits time between this site, WrestleCrap.com, and FootballNation.com. He can be found via his wrestling Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/wrestlecrapjrh

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WRESTLEMANIA V
From Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, NJ
April 2, 1989

BACKGROUND
The picture of the WWF hadn’t changed much in the year between WrestleMania IV and V. Other than the unfamiliar sight of somebody other than Hulk Hogan being WWF Champion, in this case Macho Man Randy Savage, things in the WWF were seemingly running as smooth as ever.

In late 1988, WWF released their first video game, entitled WWF Wrestlemania, for the classic Nintendo Entertainment System. With Hulk Hogan’s shirt-tearing image plastered on the cover of the game’s packaging, fans who yearned for a WWF-based video game had to get used to this being the only one of its kind until October 1990, when WWF Challenge was released.

Hogan wasn’t just serving as the avatar for wrestling video games. “The Hulkster” would soon be starring in No Holds Barred, a low-rent fighting movie to be released theatrically in June 1989. Although the movie was a critical flop, it did two things. One, it introduced the wrestling world to Zeus, who would be making his way into the promotion toward the end of spring.

The other was reinforcing the idea that, although Savage may be champion right now, Hogan was still the most popular wrestler they had.

In fact, Hogan was used to elevate Savage’s profile as well. The two teamed as The Mega Powers, thwarting the likes of Ted Dibiase and Andre the Giant, as well as the up-and-coming Twin Towers. Never before had the WWF featured two good guys that were, seemingly, on par with each other at such a high clip.

It seemed inevitable, however, that Hogan would be getting the gold back sooner, rather than later. With Savage in the way as champion, however, the WWF needed a way to explain how Hogan would have to challenge his best friend in the whole wide world over it.

THE EVENT
Against the backdrop of New Jersey’s gambling hub for the second straight year, WrestleMania was thrust into the colored, flashing lights yet again. However, unlike the previous year’s glitzy pageantry with the World Championship tournament, WrestleMania V would have a decidedly darker tone.

Perhaps it’s fitting that the house lights inside the Trump Plaza seemed a few shades blacker for the building’s WrestleMania sequel, because the main event of the night featured a storyline that wasn’t exactly comfortable.

In a chapter that would be more at home in the playbook of the Attitude Era, WWF Champion Macho Man Randy Savage and one-time best friend Hulk Hogan watched their Mega Powers-partnership disintegrate over a woman. That woman, of course, would be Savage’s better half, Miss Elizabeth.

After forming an alliance in the fall of 1987 that culminated with Hogan aiding Savage in becoming champion at WrestleMania IV, the duo staved off Ted Dibiase, Andre the Giant, The Twin Towers, and anyone else that dared stand up to the two biggest heroes that the WWF had on display.

Things went sour in February 1989, however, when a mishap during a tag team match saw Savage land on Miss Elizabeth on the concrete. Hogan took her away to be checked out medically, and Savage saw Hogan’s rescue attempt to be him sidling up to her as a homewrecker.

That night, with Miss Elizabeth in agony on a gurney, Savage accused Hogan of having “jealous eyes”, while Hogan defended his actions as being nothing more than platonic. The nail in the Mega Powers’ coffin was hammered in by Savage striking “The Immortal” with his World Championship belt, with Savage further butchering their ties with added punches and threats.

Savage hated Hogan, and perhaps hated Miss Elizabeth more for refusing to take sides. Hogan, for his part, swore revenge for Savage’s treachery, and planned on taking his championship as a means to that end.

Elsewhere, The Ultimate Warrior had became the big star that WrestleMania IV indicated would be coming, and he achieved ascension to that level by winning the Intercontinental Championship from The Honky Tonk Man.

In his sights, however, was Ravishing Rick Rude, who brutally assaulted him with a flexi-bar at the Royal Rumble after the two engaged in a posing contest. The match was also of importance to Rude’s manager, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan who, after five years in the WWF with many different charges in his camp, had yet to manage a single titleholder.

Speaking of managers, Mr. Fuji was four months removed from double-crossing Demolition, the team he managed to WWF World Tag Team gold, and was attempting to lead the Powers of Pain, whom he left the Demos for, to the gold. Fuji would join the Powers in a three on two handicap match against Demolition, who looked forward to not only defending their belts, but destroying Fuji for his betrayal.

Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura would, as usual, call the action. Rap icons Run DMC would perform a special “Wrestlemania Rap” in the middle of the show. Also, Superfly Jimmy Snuka would return after a four year exile.

But biggest of all was Rowdy Roddy Piper returning, fresh from a turn in Hollywood. Piper would come back to antagonize Brother Love and talk show host Morton Downey Jr.

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THE RESULTS
Hercules def. King Haku in 6:57
(Decent opener, but the storyline was better: Hercules was attempting to get revenge on Bobby Heenan and his associates for Heenan selling Hercules into slavery. This actually happened)

The Twin Towers def. The Rockers in 8:02
(Sign you knew Shawn Michaels was going to be great, part 4,515: despite being severely hung over, Shawn still stole the show. By the way, this is the first WrestleMania match to feature four men born in the 1960′s or later)

Brutus Beefcake fought Ted Dibiase to a double count out in 10:01
(Man, what a letdown for Dibiase: headlining one year, and then drawing with Hogan’s landscaper the next. No wonder Dibiase fell into drugs and alcohol so hard)

The Bushwhackers def. The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers in 3:59
(Two years later, and Jacques would be reinventing himself as a crazed Canadian law enforcer. How many other forms of entertainment can boast THAT sentence?)

Mr. Perfect def. The Blue Blazer in 5:38
(Sigh…..great match for being so short, but still, it’s depressing to think about)

WWF World Tag Team/Handicap Match: Demolition def. Powers of Pain/Mr. Fuji in 8:54
(Mr. Fuji in 1989 was in better shape than Ric Flair in 2011. Truth)

Dino Bravo def. Ronnie Garvin in 4:59
(This is the match where those walking cotton candy and popcorn vendors earn their biggest money)

The Brain Busters def. Strike Force in 9:17
(Really good, albeit abbreviated, tag team match that cut a good pace. This also led to Rick Martel turning heel and becoming a fashion model at age 33. And nobody batted an eye)

Jake Roberts def. Andre the Giant by disqualification in 9:44
(The special referee was Big John Studd, who apparently won the right to be referee by winning the 1989 Royal Rumble. Ted Dibiase interfered in the match, which marked the last known time that the Mega Bucks ever worked together)

The Hart Foundation def. Honky Tonk Man/Greg Valentine in 7:40
(Honky became the first man in wrestling history to be knocked unconscious after being hit in the elbow with a megaphone. Maybe the first in human history too)

WWF Intercontinental: Rick Rude def. The Ultimate Warrior in 9:36 to win the title
(Talk about an underrated match; neither man was considered a good worker to this point, and Rude led the way in a tremendous, albeit criminally short, match. Warrior’s post match beatdown of Bobby Heenan apparently exacerbated Heenan’s lingering neck injuries)

Hacksaw Jim Duggan fought Bad News Brown to a double disqualification in 3:49
(If you ever wanted to see Duggan with a primo snot rocket in his beard, you’re watching the right show)

Red Rooster def. Bobby Heenan in 32 seconds
(Bobby Heenan: who DIDN’T he job for?)

WWF World Championship: Hulk Hogan def. Macho Man Randy Savage in 17:54 to win the title
(This match had everything: intense storyline, shades of character from both men and Miss Elizabeth, blood, a crazy bump (Savage being bodyslammed over the top rope), and a satisfying finish. All the bad came from Jesse Ventura going too far in slagging Hogan during the match. Otherwise, great stuff)

ITS PLACE IN HISTORY

Despite having too many matches (14 in four hours), WrestleMania V provided just as much good as they did bad. The majority of the matches had little to no storyline value, and that would become an unacceptable standard for an event that is to be the annual snapshot of WWE for some imaginary time capsule.

However, Vince McMahon must have liked the idea of fourteen matches expanding his card to its limits, because the next two WrestleManias would feature the same amount of contests.

Although the stretched concept didn’t last forever, the idea of adding deep-running intensity and hatred into storylines would. The WWF was getting over the idea of “Hogan vs. monster heel”, and firmly embracing a newer trick of letting characters, not so much caricatures, shine.

Hogan and Savage’s blood feud over a woman helped set the new standard for main event feuds. Over the next several years, Wrestlemania story arcs would feature more attempts at adultery, family betrayal, and calls for blood that would all but make the campy 1980′s “Rock n Wrestling” style extinct.

WrestleMania V will forever be remembered for its headliners, Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage, as the two men would define this era.

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WrestleMania IV
From Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, NJ
March 27, 1988

BACKGROUND
A young comedian walking out on stage after George Carlin has performed doesn’t stand much of a chance in topping the performance of the predecessor. The same holds true at a music festival, if some wet-behind-the-ears pop singer has to croon after Eminem has destroyed the place with his energy and intensity.

Point being, WrestleMania III was going to be a tough act to follow, no matter what the fourth incarnation of the event had in store.

The WWF was in an unusual position, and a self-inflicted one. On February 5, 1988, Hulk Hogan had lost the WWF Championship that had been his for four years. In the highest rated wrestling event in American television history (33 million viewers), Hogan lost his title to Andre the Giant, with a finish that involved twin referees and a Ted Dibiase-orchestrated conspiracy.

Andre, as per the terms of said conspiracy, surrendered the championship to Dibiase, but WWF President Jack Tunney ruled the transaction invalid.

With the belt vacant, a fourteen man tournament was instituted for WrestleMania IV.

For the first time since the Rock n Wrestling era began, the door opened for there to be a possible successor to the Hogan throne. Of course, there remained a possibly that Hogan would continue on as champion once more, as he and Andre each held a first round bye (facing each other in round two), but the remainder of the field would have a chance to shine as well.

But much like the “following greatness” analogy, the question remained of whether or not any potential ‘new suitor’ for the championship could carry the ball the way that “The Hulkster” had in the previous four years.

The WWF was gambling on creating a second savior to walk the earth alongside Hogan, but would it pay off?

THE EVENT
In the vein of a tournament, a handful of superstars are going to have to work several matches apiece. In all, WrestleMania IV would boast sixteen matches over the course of the night, with eleven of those contests taking place within the World Title Tournament.

As a result, other than Hogan and Andre possibly settling their score in the second round, there weren’t very many “money” feuds to build the show with. Instead, Vince McMahon was banking on the lure of a new champion, as well as Hogan and Andre’s third encounter, as being the show’s drawing points.

That’s not to say that the other entrants in the tournament were to be ignored. Although the other twelve men had yet to be crowned World Champion at any time in their careers, the likes of Hacksaw Jim Duggan and Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat were among the WWF’s most popular stars. Villains like Ravishing Rick Rude and “The Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase were perfect foils for the fans to boo vociferously, and would add entertaining layers to the brackets.

Of course, standing out a shade above the pack was “Macho Man” Randy Savage. One year prior, he was a ruthless malcontent who lost the Intercontinental Championship to Steamboat, with the fans rejoicing at his defeat. Now, still flanked by the lovely Miss Elizabeth, Savage had worked his way into the people’s graces, thanks in large part to his relentless pursuit of current Intercontinental Champion The Honky Tonk Man, as well as his unlikely friendship with Hogan.

Although the tournament was certainly the focal point of the evening, a few curious sideshows were offered, with varying levels of build. For one, The Ultimate Warrior, a rising star due to his unparalleled intensity and bizarre charisma, was matched up with middling heel Hercules, in an attempt to showcase Warrior without wasting him with a tournament loss.

In addition, in one of the most strange storylines up to that point (but certainly topped many times since then), The Islanders kidnapped Matilda, the mascot of the British Bulldogs. In an act of revenge, the Bulldogs would team with fellow animal lover Koko B. Ware to face the Islanders and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan in six man action.

In addition, both of the other major titles would be at stake, as The Honky Tonk Man, fresh from fending off Savage’s challenges, would defend The Intercontinental Title against Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake. Also, Strike Force would be putting their World Tag Team Titles on the line against a pair of rising menaces in Demolition.

Just to pad the show with paydays for the remainder of the roster, twenty other combatants were shoehorned into a twenty man battle royal for a giant trophy. No specific reason was given for why these men were fighting for a trophy, but it was a nifty way to get everyone available involved.

Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura would, once again, expertly call the action with the dramatic gravitas that so many other announcer pairings lack. Bob Uecker would be appearing to introduce the main event for the second consecutive year, although replacing Mary Hart as eye candy would be Wheel of Fortune’s own Vanna White. TV host Robin Leach presented the new World Title belt, and Gladys Knight sang ‘America the Beautiful’.

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THE RESULTS
Bad News Brown won a twenty man battle royal, last eliminating Bret Hart, in 10:40
(If this match happened now, Bret would be known as “the battle royal runner up king” on IWC, and would have millions of smarks claiming he was held back. You know it’s true)

Round One: Ted Dibiase def. Jim Duggan in 4:54
(Featuring Andre the Giant at ringside, in a suit. If that suit ever turns up on E-Bay, I’m cleaning out my PayPal account to have it)

Round One: Don Muraco def. Dino Bravo by disqualification in 4:53
(Superstar Billy Graham or Frenchy Martin: who was the more useless manager? By the way, when anyone of substance happens, I’ll let you know)

Round One: Greg Valentine def. Ricky Steamboat in 9:12
(Ah, there we go. Really good match, even if two pros like Steamboat and Valentine did blow a roll-up spot. When these two blow a spot, it’s a bad omen)

Round One: Macho Man Randy Savage def. Butch Reed in 5:07
(When you have Savage, Slick, and Miss Elizabeth at ringside, you really don’t need a whole lot else. Savage was at his awesome apex here, using the rare “hook one leg/use my leg to hook his other leg” pin technique. Dude was feeling it)

Round One: One Man Gang def. Bam Bam Bigelow by count-out in 2:56
(Bigelow’s other WrestleMania memories include beating up a midget clown, and losing to a football player. Now there’s a resume for you)

Round One: Rick Rude fought Jake Roberts to a draw in 15:00
(Speaking of resumes, I’m not sure what good having this on a resume would do for a man. The formula for this match is like listening to a white noise machine after downing shots of NyQuil)

The Ultimate Warrior def. Hercules in 4:29
(Just a harbinger of things to come. Before long, Warrior would become the #3 babyface in the company, and after Savage turned heel, #2)

Quarterfinal: Hulk Hogan fought Andre the Giant to a double disqualification in 5:22
(Well, there you have it: the biggest announced match for the show and it’s a shade over five minutes. It was nowhere near as good as the prior two contests of their epic series, and, to top it all off, Hogan posed for several minutes after the match, despite not winning. A feel good moment, sure)

Quarterfinal: Ted Dibiase def. Don Muraco in 5:44
(The good news is that Dibiase won and would get a bye into the final round. The better news is that we didn’t have to see Billy Graham for the rest of the night)

Quarterfinal: Macho Man Randy Savage def. Greg Valentine in 6:06
(The winner of this good, but abbreviated, match got to carry One Man Gang in the semis. Either man could do it, too)

WWF Intercontinental: Brutus Beefcake def. Honky Tonk Man by disqualification in 6:30
(Only note: Beefcake cut Jimmy Hart’s hair, and Hart ended up wearing a Ghaddafi hat for months)

The Islanders/Bobby Heenan def. The British Bulldogs/Koko B Ware in 7:30
(I liked Heenan’s dog trainer outfit, as well as the Islanders’ soothing theme music. And that’s about it)

Semifinal: Macho Man Randy Savage def. One Man Gang by disqualification in 4:05
(Ever notice that the 1980′s were littered with disqualifications? But I’m just happy it’s over)

WWF World Tag Team: Demolition def. Strike Force in 12:33 to win the titles
(In modern terms, this would be like CM Punk and Daniel Bryan beating two John Cenas, if you base it on fan gut feelings)

Finals: Macho Man Randy Savage def. Ted Dibiase in 9:27 to win the WWF World Heavyweight Title
(Short match, but still great, thanks to the outside antics of Andre and Hogan. Dibiase’s master plan was thwarted, giving the show a happy ending. Besides, Savage was the hardest working man in WWF at that point. He was more than deserving of this hard-earned moment)

ITS PLACE IN HISTORY
The show is always going to be associated with the tournament, as well as it being Randy Savage’s finest hour . Stars like Ultimate Warrior, Demolition, Bad News Brown, Bret Hart, and Ted Dibiase also established themselves out of the pack with definitive moments.

However, the show dragged onward like a rotting corpse of a squirrel being pulled behind a Mongoose mountain bike. The crowd was nearly comatose by the end, and unless Savage was involved, the air went out of the sails slowly and painfully. Savage’s win in the end was a big pick-me-up, but there was little else to scream over.

A lesson here that Vince McMahon seemed to learn was that booking concrete matches (instead of having tournament outcomes determine the remainder of the card) was a surefire way to keep interest as the night went on. Fans need matches with feuds to look forward to. After all, are you shifting in your seat over Dibiase vs. Muraco, or even Savage vs. Gang?

It’s appropriate that WrestleMania IV was at Trump Plaza, because McMahon gambled on a concept that is bizarre in hindsight, as well as a bad idea for a four hour showcase of his talent.

WWE: WrestleMania 29 DVD

WWE: Bret Hitman Hart – The Dungeon Collection

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Survivor Series just ain’t what it used to be.

First, it was Thanksgiving night. Then it was Thanksgiving eve. Then it moved indiscriminately to just any old Sunday in November. When it started, it was all about the elimination matches. Now it’s about the typically-rushed storylines that are often back-burnered in favor of whatever Cena or Orton are doing, with maybe an elimination match or two shoehorned in there somewhere.

Well, forget about senile Vince McMahon and lack-of-fun Kevin Dunn for a minute. Let’s journey back to when the event MEANT SOMETHING, and let’s share some fond memories of some of the greatest elimination matches that have ever taken place at the Thanksgiving night/eve/located in proximity to the holiday tradition!

After all, it sure beats “John Cena and The Rock vs. what’re-their-names.”

Enjoy!

25. Tatanka, Bam Bam Bigelow, King Kong Bundy, and The Heavenly Bodies (Million Dollar Team) def. Lex Luger, Adam Bomb, Mabel, and The Smoking Gunns (Guts n Glory) (11/23/94, San Antonio, TX)
Survivors: Bigelow, Bundy
The main issue was between Tatanka, who sold out his honorable beliefs for Ted Dibiase’s money, and Luger, whom Tatanka had accused of selling out beforehand in a bizarre ruse. After Luger’s team was whittled down to just him against Tatanka and the two behemoths from New Jersey, it seemed that Luger would never get any type of comeuppance over the coalition that had gone after him for months. Near his end, Luger managed to pin Tatanka with a cradle before succumbing to Bundy’s splash. Luger may have lost the war, but he prevented his nemesis from surviving as well.

24. The Holly Cousins and Too Cool def. Edge, Christian, and The Hardy Boyz (11/14/99, Detroit, MI)
Survivor: Hardcore Holly
Gotta admit; that face team would be pretty cool in any era, despite the real life problems of the brothers Hardy. For what it is, it’s a fast paced match between WWE’s “X Division” of 1999; a match in which the second oldest person (Crash) was only 28 years old. When does that EVER happen? Edge being the first one gone was a surprise, as was the heels going over. Then again, since Edge and company were made men after their spectacular ladder match the previous month, why not give some rub to the then-relevant “Big Shot”? Christian’s near-comeback from a three-on-one was fun to watch.

23. Bertha Faye, Aja Kong, Tomoko Watanabe & Lioness Asuka def. Alundra Blayze, Sakie Hasegawa, Kyoko Inoue & Chapparita Asari (11/19/95, Landover, MD)
Survivor: Kong
This was probably the first time since 1988 that WWE had more than three women involved in the same match, and boy, what a comeback for women’s wrestling. Of course, the entire division was scrapped a month later, when Blayze rechristened herself as Madusa and threw the WWE Women’s Title in the trash on WCW Nitro. Alas. The match was a ten minute infomercial for Aja Kong to show how scary-dominant she could be, dropping her fellow Joshi performers on their heads and necks before waylaying Blayze with a spinning back fist to become the sole survivor. Now we get Kelly Kelly rubbing her bony ass in Natalya’s face. Alas.

22. Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, John Cena, Bradshaw, and Hardcore Holly def. Brock Lesnar, Big Show, A-Train, Matt Morgan, and Nathan Jones (11/16/03, Dallas, TX)
Survivors: Benoit, Cena
Lesnar built a team of brawny monsters to take on GM Paul Heyman’s “most wanted” list. It was notable because, unlike today with Cena and Randy Orton, the two men getting the biggest rub (Angle and Lesnar) were eliminated before the finish, thus making whoever survived look pretty damn special. Indeed, the soon-to-be-megapushed Benoit and the being-molded Cena upended Big Show in the end, after Benoit had made Lesnar tap out. Of course, this is essentially the match that kicked off Cena’s interminable face run, so maybe some of you will want to curse this outing.

21. Shawn Michaels, Triple H, CM Punk, and The Hardy Boyz def. Edge, Randy Orton, Johnny Nitro, Gregory Helms, and Mike Knox (11/26/06, Philadelphia, PA)
Survivors: the entire team
One sided as it was, this match provided some decent crowd-pleasing action, as well as a number of comedy spots. Mike Knox being eliminated by Shawn Michaels in under a minute, and then Shawn asking his team, “Who was he?” is never not funny. “I think he’s on ECW.” “Oh, so we’re doing GOOD then?” Too hilarious. Also of note was Punk outpopping the entire team during the pre-match DX intro, despite having only been in WWE for three months. It’s stuff like that that drives Vince McMahon even more insane.

20. Wade Barrett, Cody Rhodes, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger, and Hunico def. Randy Orton, Sheamus, Kofi Kingston, Sin Cara, and Mason Ryan (11/20/11, New York, NY)
Survivors: Barrett, Rhodes
It was a pretty good way of putting over Intercontinental Champion Rhodes and soon-to-be pushed heel Barrett (before his arm injury in February). Orton dispatched a drained Ziggler early before Barrett’s team rattled off 4 straight eliminations, leaving Orton alone against 4 men. Swagger went quietly, then Hunico was RKOed out before the Viper was outsmarted, losing to Barrett’s Wasteland.

19. The Miz, Sheamus, Jack Swagger, Dolph Ziggler, and Drew McIntyre def. John Morrison, Matt Hardy, Evan Bourne, Shelton Benjamin, and Finlay (11/22/09, Washington, DC)
Survivors: Miz, Sheamus, McIntyre
Other than McIntyre’s push stalling in 2010, that heel side is like “Team Groom for Greatness”, as the other four men would all go on to hold a World Title. Whereas the face team features three men no longer in WWE, one suspended for ingesting synthetic ganja, and a captain who is a kitty-whipped laughingstock. Regardless, the match was a tremendous showcase of midcarders soon-to-be big deals, which gives Survivor Series (as well as the Royal Rumble) its ochre of flavor. The highlights were McIntyre nearly breaking Bourne in half at the neck with his Future Shock DDT, and Sheamus definitively crushing Finlay in the “Battle of the Brogue.”

18. Davey Boy Smith, Jim Neidhart, Doug Furnas, and Phil Lafon (Team Canada) def. Vader, Steve Blackman, Marc Mero, and Goldust (Team USA) (11/9/97, Montreal, PQ)
Survivor: Smith
Team Canada, it should be noted, featured only one actual Canadian in Lafon. On the night where Bret Hart would be excommunicated from WWE canon, it seemed appropriate that a hastily-assembled team of America haters would be on display. The match was merely a backdrop to begin a feud with Vader and the increasingly-erratic Goldust, who walked out without ever tagging in, but the match was an exciting wrestling exhibition when Vader, Mero, Smith, Furnas and Lafon were involved. Having a pro-Canuck team in an enthusiastic Canadian setting provided a hot crowd as well, even if the match was overshadowed at night’s end by…..well, you know.

17. Ted Dibiase, Rhythm & Blues, and a Mystery Partner (The Million Dollar Team) def. Dusty Rhodes, Koko B Ware, and The Hart Foundation (The Dream Team) (11/22/90, Hartford, CT)
Survivor: Dibiase
Assuming that Honky and Neidhart are future Hall of Famers, as well as the mystery partner, you have eight Hall of Famers in one match. Impressive, no? Anyway, you probably know by now that said mystery partner is The Undertaker, making his WWE debut in grand fashion by obliterating Ware and Rhodes before taking a countout loss to save his mystique. Hart lost his brother Dean the day before to kidney failure, and Roddy Piper (on commentary) declared “The Hitman” had dedicated the match to him. Foreshadowing his eventual singles push, Hart came back from three on one to tussle with Dibiase at the end, losing when the Million Dollar Man rolled through his cross body.

16. Randy Savage, Jake Roberts, Brutus Beefcake, Ricky Steamboat, and Hacksaw Jim Duggan def. Honky Tonk Man, Ron Bass, Harley Race, Hercules, and Danny Davis (11/26/87, Richfield, OH)
Survivors: Savage, Roberts, Steamboat
The first Survivor Series match ever had one of the more intriguing stories ever seen at the event. Honky, Intercontinental Champion for six months running and an unlikely champion at that, was versed by five challengers, all of whom capable of beating him for the gold, if not for Honky’s perpetual luck and knack for cheating. Honky’s teammates weren’t able to go the distance, as Honky found himself stuck with the three men he had feuded with through 1987, and they all still held a grudge. After trying his best to hang with Savage and his cohorts, Honky took a walk for the countout loss. By the way, wouldn’t YOU have loved to see Savage and Steamboat as a semi-regular team? Me too.

15. Randy Savage, Hulk Hogan, Koko B Ware, Hercules, and Hillbilly Jim def. Big Bossman, Akeem, Ted Dibiase, Haku, and The Red Rooster (11/24/88, Richfield, OH)
Survivors: Savage, Hogan
Koko and Rooster main evented a WWE PPV not called “Royal Rumble” or “Irony-Mania”. The Towers were positioned as holdover threats to Savage and Hogan before the “Mega Powers Exploding” months later. Hogan being handcuffed late in the match while Savage had to try and fend off Bossman and Akeem provided some tension to a well-worked, albeit predictable, affair. The sad part was Dibiase, the hottest heel when the year started, reduced to working a nothing angle with former “slave” Hercules, and then floating around with nothing to do for months until he was handed the Jake Roberts feud. Other than such quibbles, it was a fine main event to the Series’ second incarnation.

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14. The Ultimate Warrior, Jim Neidhart, and The Rockers (The Ultimate Warriors) def. Andre the Giant, Haku, Arn Anderson, and Bobby Heenan (The Heenan Family) (11/23/89, Chicago, IL)
Survivor: Warrior
I love when you look back at old matches like this and realize that WWE and Vince McMahon were giving experimental runs to those deemed to have “future prospects.” This particular match was the closer for the 1989 Survivor Series, and Warrior was given a chance to shine as the final act, foreshadowing his World Title run the following year. In addition, Shawn Michaels lasted quite a while in the match for a 24-year-old tag team wrestler, getting to pin Haku before succumbing to Anderson’s spinebuster. Surely with Marty Jannetty eliminated, the match became something of a singles audition for the future Heartbreak Kid. For those wondering why Heenan was in the match, check Tully Blanchard’s drug test results for an explanation.

13. Kofi Kingston, Christian, Mark Henry, MVP, and R-Truth def. Randy Orton, CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Ted Dibiase, and William Regal (11/22/09, Washington, DC)
Survivor: Kingston
Quite the anachronism in 2011, Orton pinned Henry within the first minute, Orton and Punk worked in tandem, eventual main eventer R-Truth bit the dust early, and Orton Punk were both reviled villains to Christian’s virtuous good guy routine. But rather than expose the fallacies of WWE’s breakneck booking change, let’s look at the upside: Kingston was made with this one, withstanding seven minutes of Punk and Orton breaking him down, to score what should have been a career-boosting victory. Instead, he blew the finish weeks later in a triple threat involving Orton, and Orton had an on-camera freakout that got Kofi punished, but not Randino. Weird.

12. Razor Ramon, 123 Kid, Davey Boy Smith, and The Headshrinkers (The Bad Guys) def. Shawn Michaels, Diesel, Owen Hart, Jim Neidhart, and Jeff Jarrett (The Teamsters) (11/23/94, San Antonio, TX)
Survivor: Ramon
You can be made in a loss, and Diesel was a made man after this performance. After lots of early action in which everyone but Michaels got involved, Diesel said “enough of this” and went on a rampage. Fatu bit the dust with a Jackknife, followed by Kid, then Sionne, and then the Bulldog took a count out loss. With Razor remaining, against 5 on 1 odds, a loss seemed inevitable when Michaels FINALLY tagged in and accidentally superkicked Diesel. In a silly finish, all five heels were counted out when Diesel angrily stalked Michaels. Razor became the only sole survivor in history to never eliminate anyone and, three days later, Diesel beat Bob Backlund to become WWE Champion.

11. Andre the Giant, King Kong Bundy, Rick Rude, One Man Gang, and Butch Reed def. Hulk Hogan, Bam Bam Bigelow, Paul Orndorff, Don Muraco, and Ken Patera (11/26/87, Richfield, OH)
Survivor: Andre
Sorry, Jim Crockett Promotions. When cable providers had to choose between airing Starrcade ’87 and the inaugural Survivor Series, with the lure of Hulk and Andre in the main event, facing off eight months after WrestleMania III, WWE won out in spades. After the sides whittled down to a three on two, Hogan and Andre finally locked horns, but the Hulkster was counted out after Bundy and Gang kept him from re-entering the ring. Bigelow managed to eliminate Bundy and Gang and would have defied the odds Cena-style but, well, it was Andre. The Frenchman flattened Bammer for the final fall, giving himself a just cause to petition a rematch against Hogan for the WWE title. And that’s a fascinating story in itself.

10. Doug Furnas, Phil Lafon, and The Godwinns def. Owen Hart, Davey Boy Smith, and The New Rockers (11/17/96, New York, NY)
Survivors: Furnas, Lafon
After a cup of coffee in ECW in the fall of 1996, Furnas and Lafon debuted in the opening match of Survivor Series 1996, and what a debut it was. Once Marty Jannetty busted his ankle prior to being eliminated, and then both Godwinns went, WWE was in store for action that they’d never seen before. Leif Cassidy (known better as Al Snow) took a header with modified reverse superplex from Lafon, and the well-traveled veterans were made to hold off Hart and Smith, then WWE Tag Team Champions. Bulldog was cradled for elimination, and Furnas planted Owen with an absolutely vicious release German suplex to give Furnas and Lafon the win with a crazy standing ovation from the Garden crowd.

9. The Rock, The Undertaker, Kane, Chris Jericho, and Big Show vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, Rob Van Dam, Booker T, and Shane McMahon (11/19/01, Greensboro, NC)
Survivor: Rock
It was an abrupt end to what should have been a money-maker for WWE. The WCW/ECW Invasion had sputtered to a poorly-booked finish, but at least we got a great finale out of it. With the future of the company at stake, and the losing side being forced to disband for good, drama built over the forty-five minute coda. Once down to just Rock and Austin, after Jericho attempted to selfishly maim his own partner, the two icons of the Attitude era put on a dramatic finish, ending with Angle proving to be a mole, as he clocked Austin with a title belt. One Rock Bottom later, and the Alliance was dead, leaving Stephanie to scream like a banshee in tears backstage.

8. The Powers of Pain, Hart Foundation, The Rockers, The British Bulldogs, and The Young Stallions def. Demolition, The Brainbusters, Los Conquistadors, The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers, and The Bolsheviks (11/24/88, Richfield, OH)
Survivors: Powers of Pain
When was the last time WWE had ten teams, REAL teams, under lock and key like this? This would be the second time a match with ten teams would take place (I do believe this spoils a later entry), and it was full of great action and well-told stories. The climax was an inexplicable story turn in which Mr. Fuji intentionally caused Demolition, the World Tag Team Champions, mind you, to be counted out, just so he could manage the Powers of Pain for some reason. In other fascinating notes, the Conquistadors, perennial jobbers, lasted over forty minutes, and the Rougeaus were eliminated early due to a very tense real-life feud with Dynamite Kid.

7. Randy Orton, Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, and Maven def. Triple H, Batista, Edge, and Gene Snitsky (11/14/04, Cleveland, OH)
Survivor: Orton
Kicking off one of the greatest five-month story arcs ever seen in WWE history (I’m serious), Orton led his team to victory in a match where the winning side got to run Raw for one month while Eric Bischoff took a long vacation. In the end, it would lead to Batista realizing he could beat Triple H and thus slowly turned on him before brutalizing him for the World Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania 21. Sadly, though, this match didn’t make Orton the top babyface star that Vince McMahon was hoping for, but lord knows they’d try again year after year. Highlight of the match is Maven busting Snitsky open with a stiff right hand, and Gene getting his revenge with a chair shot that just about killed the Shop-At-Home star.

6. Ric Flair, Ted Dibiase, The Warlord, and The Mountie def. Rowdy Roddy Piper, Bret Hart, Davey Boy Smith, and Virgil (11/27/91, Detroit, MI)
Survivor: Flair
What a great beginning, what a lousy finish. Talk about your impressive lists of talent for one match, with the exception of Warlord, who at least provided a musclehead to throw people around and create “ooooh” moments with. Even Virgil in 1991 had hit a nice stride. Smith and Warlord are both eliminated after a Flair cheapshot causes Bulldog to go, and then Hart duplicates the act on Warlord, allowing Piper to pin the big man. The match then ends in a bizarre multi-man count out, with Flair being the only man to beat the count back inside, thus cheaply becoming the sole survivor. It was a shame, because the match was turning into something AWESOME, aided by a white-hot crowd. What a pity.

5. Skip, Rad Radford, Tom Pritchard, and 123 Kid (The Bodydonnas) def. Marty Jannetty, Barry Horowitz, Hakushi, and Bob Holly (The Underdogs) (11/19/95, Landover, MD)
Survivor: Kid
Imagine in 2011 if they put the likes of Daniel Bryan and other barely-seen, improperly-used talents in one twenty minute match and told them “go nuts.” In this opening match to the 1995 show, fast-paced athletes like Hakushi, Jannetty, and Kid wowed the crowd in spectacular fashion with action that Vince McMahon wasn’t exactly used to putting on. Let’s just say Vince bellowed “WHATAMANEUVER” a lot. After Jannetty finished Skip off with a top rope powerbomb (unheard of in WWE at the time), Kid used help from new stablemate Psycho Sid to finish Jannetty, continuing his remolding into one of Ted Dibiase’s corporate players.

4. Batista, Rey Mysterio, Randy Orton, Bobby Lashley, and JBL (Team Smackdown) def. Shawn Michaels, Kane, Big Show, Carlito, and Chris Masters (Team Raw) (11/27/05, Detroit, MI)
Survivor: Orton
The in-ring action for this one was superb, as you had wrestlers who didn’t even LIKE each other railing off creative double teams for the greater good of brand supremacy (you know, when the brand extension WASN’T a bastardized concept meant to make people care about a draft from year to year….). But as fun and different as the in-ring action was, the action at the commentary desks was even better, as Michael Cole and Tazz sniped with Joey Styles (remember him?), Jerry Lawler, and Jonathan Coachman for the entire match in between calling moves. For once, it seemed like Vince McMahon stepped away from the headset and just let their barbs come naturally, and it was FUN. In the end, Michaels took out Mysterio and JBL, but the RKO got him moments later. Then The Undertaker returned. Great stuff.

3. Razor Ramon, Macho Man Randy Savage, Marty Jannetty, and 123 Kid def. IRS, Diesel, Rick Martel, and Adam Bomb (11/24/93, Boston, MA)
Survivors: Jannetty, Kid
A major substitution took place before the card, as Savage was called in to pinch hit for Mr. Perfect, who either bowed out due to recurring back problems or alcoholic issues, depending on which source you believe. Regardless, the action was raucous for the first fifteen to twenty minutes, with Diesel, Savage, IRS, and Razor, the four bigger players involved, being eliminated. Once down to the monstrous Bomb and wily Martel against two smaller competitors, it seemed that Kid and Jannetty had little chance. This was especially true after Bomb gave Kid a sickening slam on the concrete after a plancha gone bad. However, after a half hour of action, Kid and Jannetty ended the contest with matching sunset flips on both men to become unlikely survivors.

2. Strike Force, Young Stallions, Killer Bees, British Bulldogs, and the Fabulous Rougeau Brothers def. Hart Foundation, Demolition, The Islanders, The New Dream Team, and The Bolsheviks (11/26/87, Richfield, OH)
Survivors: Stallions, Bees
The original twenty-man elimination contest features WWE talents at their most innovative. In a match with Bret Hart, Dynamite Kid, Davey Boy Smith, Tito Santana, and others, this should not be a surprise. Hard to say what was better: Haku nearly decapitating Dynamite with the savate kick, or Paul Roma saving Jim Powers with a top rope sunset flip on Valentine to eliminate him. This match has literally everything: crisp finishing sequences, top-notch wrestling, good swerves (Strike Force, the champs, were eliminated not fifteen minutes into the forty minute match), and a nice underdog finish, as Jim Brunzell pinned Bret Hart, allowing the Bees and Stallions to outsmart the brawnier Islanders en route to victory. If you love tag team wrestling, hunt down a copy of this event, because this match will be your Graceland.

1. Chris Jericho, Christian, Randy Orton, Mark Henry, and Scott Steiner (Team Bischoff) def. Shawn Michaels, Booker T, Rob Van Dam, and The Dudley Boyz (Team Austin) (11/16/03, Dallas, TX)
Survivor: Orton
If Austin’s team were to be victorious, he, as co-GM of Raw, would be allowed to use martial law to keep order on the show (i.e. beat people up). However, if Bischoff’s team won, Austin was out as co-GM. The match began innocuously enough, with Henry, Booker, Steiner, and RVD going, and then Michaels hit a gusher outside the ring, with blood spilling everywhere. Seriously, it looked like he was going to die any second. Jericho and Christian finished off the future Team 3D, and Austin’s hopes were now pinned on a crimson-soaked zombie. Oh, the drama! A fluke Sweet Chin Music took Christian out, and a cradled reversal of the Walls doomed Jericho. Michaels heroically hung in there against a fresh Orton, and the ref was soon knocked out. Austin and Bischoff interjected themselves, and Austin chased Bischoff to the entrance set and thrashed him good, but Batista then jumped the rail, pancaked Michaels with the Batista Bomb, and the ref came around to count Orton’s pinfall, leaving a stunned Austin in the aisleway. Had Austin been gone for more than four months after this, and not returned as the “Sheriff”, it’d have meant a lot more. Instead, it was just a great match, one in which the drama and story meant more than any chain-wrestling sequence could ever mean.

Justin Henry is a freelance writer whose work appears on many websites. He provides wrestling, NFL, and other sports/pop culture columns for CamelClutchBlog.com, as well as several wrestling columns a week for Wrestlechat.net and WrestleCrap.com. Justin can be found here on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/notoriousjrh and Twitter- http://www.twitter.com/cynicjrh.

WWE: Survivor Series Anthology, Vol. 1 – 1987-1991

WWE Attitude Era DVD

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After a quarter century of WWE Survivor Series matches, wherein teams of 4, 5, or even 10, try to outdo one another in the name of survival bragging rights, certain teams have stood out above the fray as being the most powerful and memorable. Here’s 20 of the all-time greats, with no real critera in place, except the gut feeling of “how awesome were they?”

20. Triple H’s Team (2004)
Members: Triple H, Batista, Edge, Gene Snitsky
Result: Lost (Opposing Survivor: Randy Orton)
Why They Were Great: “The Game” was the reigning World Heavyweight Champion, and as such, he didn’t entirely trust his teammates. That’s because the winning team for this particular match got to each run Raw for one week during Eric Bischoff’s impending vacation.

While Helmsley was an established main eventer, Batista and Edge were each on the cusp of greatness. “The Animal” was still HHH’s enforcer, but would soon break out as WWE’s new babyface sensation. Edge would also seep into the main event scene as the sleazy “Rated R Superstar”, while Snitsky…well, he was having his greatest run as a pre-natal assassin, one damn proud of his vocation.

19. Owen Hart’s Team (1996)
Members: Owen Hart, British Bulldog, The New Rockers
Result: Lost (Opposing Survivors: Doug Furnas and Phil Lafon)
Why They Were Great: For the most part, this was just a hastily thrown together team that had but one purpose: make Furnas and Lafon look like the world-beaters they could be.

But as far as “workrate” battles go, Hart, Bulldog, and Leif Cassidy (Marty Jannetty was gone early) made proficient tackling dummies for Furnas’ suplexes and Lafon’s strikes. Cassidy was floored by an insane inverted superplex from the Frenchman, and Furnas nearly decapitated Owen with a throwing German suplex, giving two new faces the best WWE debut you could ask for.

18. The Royals (1995)
Members: King Mabel, Jerry Lawler, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, and Isaac Yankem DDS
Result: Lost (Opposing Survivors: The Undertaker, Fatu, Savio Vega, Henry Godwinn)
Why They Were Great: Another “patsy” team whose only objective was to get killed by The Undertaker one by one until Mabel, who crushed The Dead Man’s eye socket weeks earlier, ran away in terror after becoming his team’s last hope.

What was most impressive of this team was its lasting power. In the Attitude Era, Helmsley and Yankem would be rechristened Triple H and Kane, and become among the era’s biggest stars. Lawler and Mabel (then Viscera) would stick around as well. Amazingly, all four men would be in WWE in 2008, the year of Big Vis’ final release. Perhaps no other team has had the longevity of the Royals.

17. Team Miz (2009)
Members: The Miz, Sheamus, Drew McIntyre, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger
Result: Won (Survivors: Miz, Sheamus, McIntyre)
Why They Were Great: I admit to being a fan of teams that feature a host of breakout stars before they broke out; the ‘before they were stars’ squads. Miz’s team was comprised of himself (then-United States Champion), and four men who, outside of some developmental false starts, had really all debuted in the past year.

Miz, Sheamus, Swagger, and Ziggler would all be World Champions within the next year and a half (Sheamus the following month), while McIntyre would go on to become Intercontinental Champion for over five months. The team they beat was, appropriately, built from stars that had seen good runs already (John Morrison, Matt Hardy, Finlay, Shelton Benjamin, and Evan Bourne), so “putting over” the new class made sense.

16. The Heenan Family (1989)
Members: Andre the Giant, Bobby Heenan, Haku, Arn Anderson
Result: Lost (Opposing Survivor: The Ultimate Warrior)
Why They Were Great: Perhaps no other team would be as deserving as the moniker of Dos Equis’ Most Interesting Team in the World. There isn’t a single boring personality on display here; no wasted space.

If the four men were to collectively write a book about their life’s experiences, what would be the best section: Andre’s drinking stories and Hollywood run-ins, Arn’s days of partying with the Horsemen and other wild characters in Atlanta, Haku’s tales of maiming idiots who dare test his toughness, or Heenan’s take on the sport, laced with his one-of-a-kind spit-take-inducing humor?

15. Hardy Boyz/Dudley Boyz (2000)
Members: Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, Bubba Ray Dudley, D-Von Dudley
Result: Won (Sole Survivor: Jeff Hardy)
Why They Were Great: WWE had two undeniably-great tag team runs: the latter half of the 1980s, and the early 2000s. In the second example, the Hardyz and the Dudleyz represented two-thirds of the division’s most renowned pairings, thanks to their participation in several breakthrough ladder, table, and ladder/table/chair matches.

At this respective ‘peak’ of their tag team careers, the quartet faced off with the other representative of their pantheon, Edge and Christian, as well as Right to Censor members Bull Buchanan and The Goodfather. The current TNA World Champion found himself remaining with Christian and Goodfather, overcoming interference from Val Venis to eliminate the former pimp, and survived.

14. Team Austin (2003)
Members: Shawn Michaels, Rob Van Dam, Booker T, The Dudley Boyz
Result: Lost (Opposing Survivor: Randy Orton)
Why They Were Great: Had this team existed in 1998, its cultural impact would have been even greater than it is here. Between Attitude pioneer Michaels, crowd-favorite Booker, and ECW cornerstones RVD and the Dudleyz, Stone Cold Steve Austin had five fine representatives for an elimination match with high stakes.

In what would end up being, in this author’s opinion, the greatest elimination match in Survivor Series history, Austin’s group waged war with a fivesome selected by Eric Bischoff. In the end, a hopelessly-bloody Michaels eliminated Christian and Chris Jericho, and then nearly ousted Orton before Batista (not in the match) illegally attacked him. Orton scored the pin, and Austin, as a result, was fired (albeit temporarily).

13. Team SmackDown (2005)
Members: Batista, Rey Mysterio, JBL, Randy Orton, Bobby Lashley
Result: Won (Sole Survivor: Orton)
Why They Were Great: It was the only elimination match at the underrated 2005 event, but it was one of the most fun ones of its kind. Smackdown’s group faced a team of five representing Raw; one which had a little less star power (Shawn Michaels, Big Show, Kane….then Carlito and Chris Masters). The end result was a wildly fun match, where even the sniping commentary between the two tables helped steal the show.

As for SmackDown’s team, talk about some impressive star power. Raw had the disadvantage of some of its stars taking part in other matches (John Cena vs. Kurt Angle, Triple H vs. Ric Flair), so Smackdown had the quality advantage. Batista was World Champion at the time, JBL and Orton were part of the main event scene, and Mysterio, after Eddie Guerrero’s passing, was on the verge of being a main eventer himself.

12. The Radicalz (2000)
Members: Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, Eddie Guerrero, Perry Saturn
Result: Won (Survivors: Benoit, Saturn)
Why They Were Great: The foursome represented one particularly rusty nail pounded into the coffin of WCW. Their collective release from the company 10 months earlier not only cost WCW its backbone of hard work and crisp wrestling, but added that backbone of hard work and crisp wrestling to WWE, fortifying perhaps their most impressive roster ever.

Although the fate of the group as a whole has changed the opinions of certain members (only Malenko has made it largely unscathed), in their collective prime, The Radicalz represented wrestling’s in-ring elite. WWE made them even better by shading them in with personality, whether it was Benoit as a ruthless competitor, Guerrero as a comical womanizer, or Malenko as a stoic ladies man. As for Saturn, well…what do you know about Moppy?

11. Team Piper (1991)
Members: Rowdy Roddy Piper, Bret Hart, Davey Boy Smith, Virgil
Result: Lost (Opposing Survivor: Ric Flair)
Why They Were Great: Admittedly, the quality of Survivor Series had dipped from previous years, as evidenced by a putrid contest between teams captained by Hacksaw Jim Duggan and Colonel Mustafa, as well as a drag-asstic four-team match notable only for planting the seed of Shawn Michaels’ heel turn. This match, however, saved the show, along with Undertaker’s first World Title win.

The team, Virgil included, largely represented WWE’s babyface upper midcard of the time period, as Bret was Intercontinental Champion, Bulldog was a capable competitor, Virgil had his best run, and Piper always had that star quality. Even their opponents were a damn fine team, making them entry 11b on this list: Ric Flair, Ted Dibiase, The Mountie, and The Warlord. Shame the match ended with a cheap disqualification.

10. The Teamsters (1994)
Members: Shawn Michaels, Diesel, Owen Hart, Jim Neidhart, Jeff Jarrett
Result: Lost (Opposing Survivor: Razor Ramon)
Why They Were Great: Speaking of cheap endings, after Ramon’s four partners were eliminated by Diesel, “The Bad Guy” became the first wrestler to be his team’s sole survivor without eliminating a single opponent. That’s because a miscue between Michaels and Diesel led to all five villains being counted out in the most unique Survivor finish to date.

But what a roster The Teamsters boasted. Michaels and Diesel were then-Tag Team Champions, and just months away from co-headlining WrestleMania against each other. Owen was wrapping up a feud with brother Bret, and Jarrett was on his way to becoming Intercontinental Champion. One has to wonder where the “Teamsters” name came from. It wasn’t as if they were a union threatening to shirk their duties or anything.

9. The Alliance (2001)
Members: Stone Cold Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, Booker T, Rob Van Dam, Shane McMahon
Result: Lost (Opposing Survivor: The Rock)
Why They Were Great: Despite representing a storyline that would infuriate smarks and marks alike with its dullness and lack of drama, given its magnitude, the WCW/ECW hybrid group was reduced to basically Booker and Van Dam in starring roles, with the infusion of established WWE icons that “jumped ship”, thus killing the specialness of the invasion.

But still, on paper, The Alliance was very well represented. Austin was WWE Champion, Angle was his fiercest rival at the time (revealed to be a mole at the match’s conclusion), Booker and RVD saw significant time on Raw and Smackdown as the standouts of the 2001 acquisitions, and even Shane had credibility as a bump machine that freely got his ass whipped against the likes of Angle and Rock that year.

8. Team Powers of Pain (1988)
Members: Powers of Pain, Hart Foundation, Rockers, British Bulldogs, Young Stallions
Result: Won (Survivors: Powers of Pain)
Why They Were Great: Here’s a good argument for the proliferation of tag teams and a solid division: in 1988, there were ten tag teams that competed in this one match, and none of them had names like “(Blank) and (Blank)”. They were all legit duos, many of them over with the crowd, but most importantly, they ended up creating stars.

On this one team, you had Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, and Davey Boy Smith, who would all help carry the company during its darkest times in the mid-90s. Out of these tandems came the stars of the future, and working tags only made them better rounded performers. Factor in Dynamite Kid and Marty Jannetty, and that’s some pretty impressive technicians on one team.

7. Edge and Christian/The Hardy Boyz (1999)
Members: Edge, Christian, Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy
Result: Lost (Opposing Survivor: Hardcore Holly)
Why They Were Great: As I said in the previous example, tag teams round out performers and create better wrestlers out of them. You’ll find no better example of this in the Attitude Era and beyond than the men who made the tag team ladder match famous. All four men would go on to hold some form of a World Title, or top brand title, in their careers.

Coming together out of respect, this foursome absolutely made themselves with both their daredevil antics, and their youthful vibrance. Edge and Christian would turn heel shortly thereafter, and complete their personas with their self-deluded “gnarly dude” act, while the Hardyz would ride their life-on-the-edge bend to equal stardom.

6. Team DX (2006)
Members: Shawn Michaels, Triple H, CM Punk, The Hardy Boyz
Result: Won (Entire Team Survived)
Why They Were Great: If I could have the collective sum of all five men’s merchandise sales throughout their five WWE careers, I’d never have to work again. Also, I could buy TNA and make Repo Man champion, just to amuse myself. Talk about your collection of diverse, while altogether similar talent that each won over scores of fans.

Even WWE must’ve known the lure of Punk and the Hardyz; usually Shawn and Hunter would’ve remained standing on their own against Edge and Randy Orton’s team. Yet there’s the Straight Edge Superstar and Cameron, NC’s most famous brothers, helping rid Gregory Helms and Johnny Nitro. Shawn Michaels’ elimination of Mike Knox ranks as the funniest moment in the history of the event.

5: The All-Americans (1993)
Members: Lex Luger, The Undertaker, Steiner Brothers
Result: Won (Sole Survivor: Luger)
Why They Were Great: The team reads like the upper midcard of a WCW show in early 1990, but things changed with the former (and future) Turner talents under WWE’s banner. To battle a cliched team of evil foreigners (from horrid places like Japan, Canada, Finland, and Hawaii), Luger amassed a team of two collegiate athletes and a zombie mortician.

But jokes aside, given the limitations of WWE’s roster at the time, this was a pretty impressive team. Undertaker replaced Tatanka, who was injured by Yokozuna and Ludvig Borga, but it was done for the better, in my eyes. Luger/Taker/Steiners was kind of a poor man’s equivalent of Hogan/Andre/US Express 1985, but at least this team was aided by Taker’s super-sweet Colonies jacket. LET FREEDOM RING.

4. Team WWF (2001)
Members: The Rock, Chris Jericho, The Undertaker, Kane, Big Show
Result: Won (Sole Survivor: Rock)
Why They Were Great: It made sense for Vince McMahon to program the best possible group against The Alliance with the futures of both warring sides on the line. After all, when the opposing team featues Austin, Angle, Van Dam, and Booker for a killer blowoff, you need all the star power you can get as a counter punch.

On this team are five men who will all, most assuredly, be in WWE’s Hall of Fame, provided they don’t do anything irreversible to their loved ones. The match also had the benefit of furthering the budding rivalry between Rock and Jericho, which provided us with a number of awesome matches between two of the era’s most charismatic stars. The benefit of less Survivor matches is more star-studded teams.

3. The Hulkamaniacs (1989)
Members: Hulk Hogan, Jake Roberts, Demolition
Result: Won (Sole Survivor: Hogan)
Why They Were Great: For the most part, each team in 1989 had some weak links that would prevent them from making this list. Yeah, Roddy’s Rowdies had Piper and Jimmy Snuka, but the Bushwackers are grounds for disqualifcation. The 4X4′s boasted Jim Duggan and Bret Hart, but Ronnie Garvin and his upside-down toilet brush hairdo (credit: Bobby Heenan) were a dealbreaker.

Not the case with Hogan’s team. Jake Roberts was at his peak as a babyface, feuding with Ted Dibiase after the Million Dollar Man injured his neck. Demolition were the WWE Tag Team Champions on their last great run, and Hogan was the company’s lead dog. He would finish off Zeus here, and in a cage match shortly thereafter, before putting on one of his finest performances ever against the Ultimate Warrior months later.

2. Team Savage (1987)
Members: Macho Man Randy Savage, Ricky Steamboat, Jake Roberts, Brutus Beefcake, Hacksaw Jim Duggan
Result: Won (Survivors: Savage, Steamboat, Roberts)
Why They Were Great: If WWE had a midcard this sustained and deep today, you’d hear far less complaints from know-it-all fans. Savage and Steamboat on the same team is always a win, but factor in Roberts, Beefcake, and Duggan in their physical primes (as well as arguable peak of fanhood), and you can understand the high ranking.

Amazingly, Savage would feud with each of his teammates in high-profile fashion at some point. His legendary issue with Steamboat is a given, but he also feuded with Roberts in 1991 in one of WWE’s raciest stories ever. Macho Man would also battle Duggan in 1989 over the “crown”, and Beefcake was was Hogan’s ally in the post-Mega Powers explosion.

1. The Warriors (1990)
Members: The Ultimate Warrior, Kerry Von Erich, Legion of Doom
Result: Won (Sole Survivor: Warrior)
Why They Were Great: Here’s a case where the team name befit all of the members: Ultimate Warrior, Modern Day Warrior, and Road Warriors. Had Von Erich not been a worn-down shell of his once Greek God self, this team would have been flawless from head to toe. As it is, it’s still the greatest Survivor Series team of all time.

Just the combination of Warrior, at his peak as WWE Champion, and the LOD, the most popular tag team ever, is enough to warrant a top spot. Fans of all ages appreciated the three face-painted gladiators that ripped opponents to shreds with ease. Factor in Von Erich as Intercontinental Champion, and you get a team that has no lack of prestige.

Justin Henry is a freelance writer whose work appears on many websites. He provides wrestling, NFL, and other sports/pop culture columns for CamelClutchBlog.com, as well as several wrestling columns a week for Wrestlechat.net and WrestleCrap.com. Justin can be found here on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/notoriousjrh and Twitter- http://www.twitter.com/cynicjrh.

WWE: Survivor Series Anthology, Vol. 1 – 1987-1991

WWE Attitude Era DVD

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Thursday, November 24th, 1988 – Richfield, Ohio – Richfield Coliseum – Welcome everyone to the recap of the second annual World Wrestling Federation Thanksgiving pay-per-view tradition, Survivor Series! Like mentioned in other recap blogs, I decided to review all these Survivor Series because I never sat down and watched all them before, so I thought if I do, why not write a review on them?

So we’re here at Survivor Series 1988. 1988 was a big year for the World Wrestling Federation – in Febuary, the Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase paid off the Hebner twin brothers to screw WWF Champion Hulk Hogan out of the WWF title on a Saturday Night’s Main Event taping. When this happened, Andre the Giant (the man who defeated Hogan for the title) gave the Million Dollar Man the title. This was unacceptable to then WWF president Jack Tuney, so he had the title be put up in a 14-man tournament, taking place at WrestleMania IV. In the finals, Macho Man Randy Savage defeated the Million Dollar Man to win the title. Since then, Hogan and Savage teamed up to take on the team of DiBiase and Andre.

The show opens up with awesome 80’s graphics and Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse “the Body” Ventura open the show. Ventura is wearing pilgrim getup. No surprise.

The Ultimate Warrior (WWF Intercontinental Champion), Brutus “the Barber” Beefcake, Sam Houston, the Blue Blazer, and Jim Brunzell versus the Honky Tonk Man, Danny Davis, Greg “the Hammer” Valentine, “Outlaw” Ron Bass, and Bad News Brown

I’m very happy that both teams for this match came out to the captain’s theme song. The Warrior’s team came out in cheers and Honky’s team came out to boos. Classic!

Valentine and Beefcake open the match and open the card! Monsoon reminded me right away on calling Beekcake “Bruti.” Valentine tagged in Davis right away and Davis got eliminated in record time to the Sleeper Hold.

Seeing the Blue Blazer makes me miss Owen Hart. That man died way too soon.

Monsoon keeps saying butt load of times that Survivor Series is a “hot” item and everyone’s wanting to watch it (if not come to it live).

One thing I wish current superstars would learn from the superstars from back then were how scarry the guys looked back then. Granted I was only five months old when this pay-per-view happened, I still wouldn’t mess with 1988 Bad News Brown. I still wouldn’t mess with 2012 Bad News Brown.

Bad News eliminated Brunzell with the Ghetto Blaster.

Bad News Brown eliminated himself via walk-out (which lead to a count-out) when Valentine accidently hit him. Ventura and Monsoon mentioned that Bad News doesn’t team up with people and isn’t a team player. This was a great way to build up a heel when he pulled a whippy move by walking out.

Ron Bass eliminated Sam Houston via a power slam. Simple moves equal simple finishes in the ‘80s, the “simple days.”

Poor Blue Blazer’s legs turned blue when Greg Valentine eliminated him with the Figure Four Leg Lock (giving three-on-two advantage heels)! Wooo! Then Beefcake went in to attack Valentine and it was mentioned by the announcers that those men were tag team partners about a year before. Thanks for the history lesson gentlemen!

Honky was about to hit Beefcake with his awesome finisher, the Shake, Rattle, and Roll, and Beefcake countered and Bass was tagged in to take out Beefcake. Bass did some damage and Warrior started to shake his ropes. Honky was tagged back in and Beefcake started to “Barber-Up” and slapped on the Sleeper to Honky. Both men got out of the ring and Beefcake slapped on the Sleeper again and got both men eliminated via count-out. Dumby Beefcake.

Bass and Valentine double-teamed the Warrior until the ref kicked one of them out.

Bass was eliminated by a double axe smash by the Warrior. Twenty second later, Valentine was eliminated the same way. This was a great way to put over the Intercontinental Champion.

Sole Survivor: the Ultimate Warrior!

Demolition (WWF Tag Team Champions), Los Conquistadores, the Brain Busters, the Rougeau Brothers, and Bolsheviks versus the Powers of Pain, the Rockers, the British Bulldogs, the Hart Foundation, and the Young Stallions

I love seeing the five team versus five team Survivor Series matches! A whole lot of man in these Survivor Series matches!

Like the first match, each team came out to the captain’s theme song. I feel like each team is more unified than each team coming out to their own theme song (like what happens nowadays).

One of the Conquistadores and the Davey Boy starts out the match.

I believe I mentioned it in the 1987 Survivor Series blog that I think it’s sad that the tag team division nowadays looks really bad looking at the Tag Team Survivor Series matches in the first few years of the Series PPVs.

One thing I enjoy about this Series match is that there are a lot of quick tags between the teams. I guess that’s what happens when you have twenty men who want to try to show off their in-ring skill on one of the biggest shows of the year when there are a lot of eyes on them.

The Rougeau brothers were eliminated by the Harts when Bret small packaged Raymond. This was a great way to get over the “Excellence of Execution” nickname over.

Ventura said that the Brain Busters could keep up with the Hart Foundation hold-for-hold. I wish the Four Horsemen would have come over from the NWA to the WWF back in 1989. They would have gone over huge in the WWF and made a lot more money (in my opinion) then they could of in the NWA. The Brain Busters easily could have feuded with the Hart Foundation, Flair could of feuded with Savage and Hogan, etc. the

Monsoon told us that Axe and the Warlord was the match-up of this match that we wanted to see. Really? And what is a Warlord? Someone who loves to be in a war?

After a powerslam that Anvil gave to Tully, there was a nasty rash under Anvil’s arm. Gross! I wouldn’t want to wrestle him if I seen that before the match. I wonder how he got that! I wonder why he didn’t bandage that up.

Jim Powers got eliminated by Boris Zhukov with a reverse cross body.

After Powers got eliminated the match slowed down a lot since the start.

Boris got eliminated after Jennetty pinned him with a sunset flip! Go Rockers! Go rock the night away with all the pretty ladies! You guys will be main eventers sometime in the future…maybe. I have a feeling that one of you will become a main eventer some day, and it isn’t who we all think.

Out of the two Survivor Series matches so far on the card, I have to say this match is better than the Warrior/Honky match. It might be due to this match is getting more time than the other match, or it could be that there are better wrestlers in this match. It also could be these men’s styles are more to what I’m interested it, which could be the case. Either way, I highly suggest YouTubing this match.

I always find it odd to see odd seeing grown men wearing hot pink tights.

There was a swerve when Bret Hart hit Tully with a German Suplex and Tully’s shoulder was up but Bret’s shoulders were down. In essence, he pinned himself. I can be a jerk and say it’s because he’s Canadian, but I live maybe four hours away from the Canada/Minnesota border, so I won’t go there. I’m pretty Canadian to those darn Texans.

The Brain Busters and the Rockers got double disqualified. Dumbies. Bobby Hennen (the Busters’ manager) was pretty upset that his team got eliminated by being stupid. Sorry Brain!

The Bulldogs were eliminated when Dynimate Kid got eliminated by a clothesline from Smash. That close line was sloppy and makes John “Bradshaw” Layfield’s Close line from Hell look like the Sweet Chin Music!

Fuji was on the apron and the ref was counting at him to get him down. That didn’t work. When Smash went to the ropes, Fuji opened the ropes, making his man get counted-out. Fuji was stunned because of it and Axe got in his face, confronting him on why did he make his team get eliminated. Fuji turned on his team and nailed Axe with his cane. Axe body slammed Fuji on the floor outside the ring. The Powers of Pain went out and helped Fuji up and helped him over to their corner. Was this suppose to be a double-turn?

In the end, the Powers of Pain won.

Sole Survivors: The Powers of Pain.

Demolition came back and they pounded the Powers of Pain. Fuji yelled at the Powers of Pain to get out and walked out with them. Yes, this was a double-turn. I remembered seeing this when I watched this originally two years ago with a old roommate when he pointed that out to me. Dave Meltzer from the Wrestling Observer mentioned this past week on a call-in edition of his podcast that this was one of the crappiest double-turns that he can recall. That’s saying something, in my opinion.

Sean Mooney interviewed Bad News Brown backstage. Bad News said that everyone wants to be the first to defeat him and he isn’t willing to give anyone that satisfaction. He also called the card “Survival Series.” He also said that he should be challenging Randy Savage for the WWF title and he has defeated everyone that came in front of him. Bad News Brown made his intentions clear on why he feels like he should be the number one contender for Macho Man’s title.

“Mean” Gene Okerlund was backstage with Mr. Fuji and the Powers of Pain. Fuji said he made Demolition and the rest of what he said I couldn’t understand.

The announcers discuss the next two Survivor Series matches. The interviews must be a bathroom break for the card.

“Mean” Gene is back with Andre’s team. I enjoyed this interview. Every guy who talked put over their partners. Also, there are two Minnesotans wrestling and a Minnesotan manager. I like this heavy-Minnesotan team! I surely hope they win!

Sean Mooney was backstage with the Mega Powers’ team. The bird is going crazy! The bird must be on the booger sugar! These men seem to have a shorter time to talk than Andre’s team. Could it be due to Hogan needing a lot of time? Hogan feels sorry for the opposing team because they’ll lose. Hogan always calls Ted DiBiase the “Multi-Million Dollar Man.” I never understand why. Isn’t it implied that he has more than one million dollars by his nickname?

Jake “the Snake” Roberts, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Ken Patera, “El Matador” Tito Santana, and Scott Casey versus Andre the Giant, Dino Bravo, “the King” Harley Race, Mr. Perfect, and “Ravishing” Rick Rude

Rick Rude can say that he was able to team up with Andre the Giant on the first two Survivor Series (and it’s sad that both men aren’t with us anymore; I’m happy they both are in “Wrestlers Heaven”).

It’s really odd to see Mr. Perfect in plain black tights, black knee pads, and white boots. He was very heelish to wear black tights and knee pads and white boots.

Patera got eliminated by the Rude Awakening and the announcers said that “no one gets up from that!” I’m happy that they also put over the simple finishers, making it seem real to the fans watching at home that if they get hit with the Rude Awakening by the Ravishing One, they won’t get up right away.

When Santana hit Perfect with a small package, I’m surprised that Ventura didn’t make another racist joke against Santana. Especially when Ventura’s another guy hailing from the great state of Minnesota. I wish I could take a trip there sometime….

Race hit Santana with a piledriver and tried to pin him but didn’t hook the leg, which let Santana kick out. It got Race in trouble because he got high crossed and got eliminated.

Andre came in right away to take out Santana. Its four-on-three, advantage heels. It’s really looking good for the heels. Andre sat on Santana’s chest to get the victory.

Duggan made a mad-dash in to attack Andre and Andre got tied up in the ropes (which is his spot at the end of his professional wrestling run) and both Duggan and Roberts took advantage of Andre being tied up.

Andre looks like he’s in real bad shape when he’s out on the apron. If it wasn’t for the ropes, I’m not sure if he’d be able to stand on his own. I feel bad for that guy and give him props for wrestling when he isn’t doing well.

Duggan got himself eliminated when he grabbed his 2×4 and nailed Bravo with it. This was a stupid choice for leaving Roberts by himself against four heels. Duggan should have given it more thought.

Rude got DDTed and eliminated by Roberts. When the count was being made, Andre came in to attack Roberts right away.

Andre got himself eliminated by choking Roberts to the five-count, which left him weak to get eliminated right away.

Sole Survivors: Mr. Perfect and Dino Bravo.

“Mean” Gene’s backstage with the Big Boss Man’s team and the Boss Man was huge back then! He looked a lot better later in his career when he was smaller. He was always agile for being a big man and that’s a great thing for him.

Big Boss Man, Akeem, “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase, King Haku, and the Red Rooster versus Hulk Hogan, “Macho Man” Randy Savage (WWF Champion), Koko B. Ware, Hercules, and Hillbilly Jim

It was odd for me to see Ted DiBiase to walk out to Slick’s theme song (the manager to Akeem and the Boss Man at the time).

To no surprise, the Mega Powers team had to come out to two themes. The four men to Macho’s theme and Hogan to his own theme song. What a selfish jerk!

I think it’s sad that the WWE had to block out the letters “WWF” and the scratched WWF symbol, enough that Koko’s booty was blurred for the match cause he had “WWF” on his butt. That’s kind of awkward for him.

I’m surprised, when Hogan came in to face the Rooster, there really wasn’t any crowd reaction. Hogan hit him with the Big Boot, tagged in Macho (who got a big reaction), and Savage hit the Big Elbow to eliminate the Rooster.

Poor Hillbilly Jim got splashed by Akeem and eliminated. I guess Jim never had any pigs or cows that splashed him on the farm. If he did, he’d be able to counter that and out-smart Akeem.

Koko tried to splash Akeem into the corner and got batted face-first into the turnbuckle and Boss Man got tagged in and hit the Boss Man Slam onto him and pinned him for the first elimination from the Mega Powers team.

Hogan came in to go toe-to-toe with the Boss Man and the crowd goes wild for their encounter. Hogan would go on to bite Boss Man, hit him with a Big Boot, body slam him, and try to shoulder block him twice and got spinbustered. Oh Hogan, you should have used your smarts.

Akeem came in to soften Hogan some more.

Hogan would get beat up from the four opposing members and would be hit with a small Hulk-Up and let Hercules go against the Million Dollar Man. The Herc would also hit DiBiase with a knee lift (but not a Million Dollar knee lift). He’d go on and get pinned, leaving the Mega Powers to go four-on-two.

With that, Savage ran in and school-boyed DiBiase, causing him to be eliminiated.

Hogan got nailed by the Boss Man Slam and Boss Man wasn’t to smart and didn’t cover Hogan. The announcers even were questioning that choice. Boss Man went to the top rope and went off and Hogan rolled out of the way.

Hogan got handcuffed to the bottom rope on the outside, leaving Savage by himself. With this, Boss Man got counted out, which gave him apple opportunity to hit Hogan with his nightstick. We all know Hogan is a criminal and needed to get beat-up! Shortly after, Akeem got himself disqualified. What dumb big men!

Macho went and tried to tag Hogan but he wasn’t there! It’s all because the Boss Man handcuffed him! If Haku was smart, he’d defeat Savage and easily win and Hogan would have to be counted out! With Macho being a few fries short of a combo meal, I’m sure this would “push” Macho off into the deep end.

Slick and Bobby Heneen got nailed and Elizabeth got the keys to the handcuffs and Hogan went to his corner and was cheering Savage to get a tag. Hogan got it when Haku nailed Savage into Hogan for the tag.

When Hogan got in, he hit the Big Boot, hit the body slam, hit the Big Leg Drop, and got the victory. That easy. Poor Macho got beat up when the story was being told that Hogan was getting out of the handcuffs by his wife! What a jerk Hogan is!

Hogan would go on posing when Elizabeth is checking on Savage, making sure he’s okay.

Sole Survivors: Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage.

Hogan picked Elizabeth up in celebration and we all could tell that Savage had “that eye” towards Hogan. Like said in the 1987 review, Hogan has to end the pay-per-view and make it about him and his posing. Who cares about anyone else. He’s a jerk and no wonder why nobody liked to team with him.

Philosopher’s Corner: The tag team Survivor Series match was the highlight of the night and if you wanted to see the Mega Powers lead towards their explosion, their main event Survivor Series match is a must-see. I have to say the 1987 Survivor Series was a lot better than this year’s but the 1988 Survivor Series is light years better than the last few years Survivor Series, hands down.

So if you want to watch this Survivor Series for the historical aspect of it, go right ahead. But looking at it as a whole, its okay if you pass this Survivor Series for another one. It was nice to see a select few wrestlers that I mentioned when they came on the screen, but other than that, it really didn’t matter to me much. They were either on the 87 Survivor Series or the 89 Series. But anyways, thanks for reading and stay classy!

Eric Darsie is known as a ‘common-man’ among his peers, at least he thinks so. He works hard with his hands in the heart of Minnesota and on his free time, he thugs and a bugs with his family and friends. Whenever he doesn’t do that, he’s found to be writing. Now more of a rare thing, he’s gems could be found here. If you would like to see more of Eric’s work outside of the professional world, check him out at http://vintagedarsie.wordpress.com/, http://www.writerscafe.org/Darsie/writing/, and on Twitter @IAmDarsie.

WWE: Survivor Series Anthology, Vol. 1 – 1987-1991

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