WWE Survivor Series 1990 Review
The fourth Survivor Series brought with it some change in the format of the show. While they copied 1989 with the five 4 on 4 matches, they also added a final match where the survivors from the first five matches will then face off in another elimination match called the Grand Finale. The twist meant that the elimination matches would be shorter because they had to fit the last match in.
As for the main event picture, The Ultimate was the WWE Champion after he beat Hulk Hogan for the coveted piece of gold earlier in the year at WrestleMania 6. Warrior was the Intercontinental Champion a year earlier, but he also main evented the 1989 Survivor Series. It showed that WWE management got behind him in 1990 although as we found out, his run at the top was brief compared to Hogan.
The show also marked the debut of The Undertaker and the Gobbledy Gooker. At least one of them was relevant. The Undertaker actually debuted at a Superstars taping a few days before this as “Kane The Undertaker” but this is always considered his real debut.
Here’s a poster and the VHS from the event.
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WWE Survivor Series
Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut
November 22, 1990
The show began with Vince McMahon giving us a rundown of the five tag team matches. Like they did in 1989, all of the teams have names. It ended with Vince yelling: “It’s The Survivor Series!”
The announce team for the show is Gorilla Monsoon and Roddy Piper. It was Monsoon and Jesse Ventura in the previous three years. Piper was just okay as an announcer. He wasn’t at the level of Bobby Heenan or Ventura. There’s a shot of the egg that will be unhatched later. Oh no. Piper did a promo against Saddam Hussein that was intense.
Analysis: Ventura was fired by WWE in August 1990, so I assume it would have been him in that spot if he was still around.
The Perfect Team entered first with Mr. Perfect joined by three members of Demolition. There were three members of Demolition because Ax was pretty old, so they brought in Crush to liven up the group. They were also back with Mr. Fuji even though he turned on them two years earlier.
The Ultimate Warriors team was backstage getting interviewed by Gene Okerlund. Warrior is with Texas Tornado and the Legion of Doom. Lots of yelling in this promo as if Warrior and Hawk had a bet to see who could yell louder.
Survivor Series Elimination Match: The Perfect Team (Mr. Perfect and Demolition – Ax, Smash and Crush – w/Bobby Heenan and Mr. Fuji) vs. The Ultimate Warriors (The Ultimate Warrior, The Legion of Doom – Hawk and Animal – and The Texas Tornado)
Pre-Match Notes: Ultimate Warrior was the WWE Champion and captain of the face time while Perfect was the captain of the heel time. The reason Warrior was in the opener is because the survivors from the matches get to be in the main event. Texas Tornado was the Intercontinental Champion at the time even though he lost the title to Perfect in a taped match a few days earlier (it aired the next month).
Animal pounded away on Smash early on. The heels worked on Animal for a bit, then he nailed a body slam and atomic drop. His partners joined in as well. Tornado was in there with Ax and Tornado applied the Claw on him, but Smash made the save. Warrior with two shoulder tackles knocked down Ax. Big splash from Warrior eliminated Ax.
Ax eliminated by Ultimate Warrior
All three heels went after Warrior, he tried to fight them off, but Crush nailed him with a clothesline. The crowd was chanting “Weasel” as an insult to Heenan. Warrior got a boot up against Crush and nailed a clothesline. Hawk overpowered Perfect with a two-handed choke followed by a clothesline. Hawk missed a shoulder tackle in the corner because Perfect moved. Crush hit a weak-looking backbreaker on Hawk as the heels tried to isolate against him. Piper freaked out about the littlest things like punches by the faces. Flying shoulder tackle by Hawk on Smash. Another clothesline by Hawk. He went up top and hit a clothesline for two as Crush made the save. The Demolition members Smash and Crush brawled with Hawk and Animal. The ref was pushed out of the way, so the ref disqualified all four guys.
Hawk, Animal, Smash & Crush eliminated by disqualification
Analysis: It added heat to their feud, but eliminating four guys in one moment like that is pretty lame. As a side note, there’s Shane McMahon (as Shane Stevens) working as the outside-the-ring official for the second year in a row.
The match is down to Warrior and Tornado against Perfect. Tornado brawled with Perfect with Tornado hitting a spin punch and Perfect bumped over the top to the floor. Warrior sent Perfect’s head into Heenan on the floor and tossed Heenan over the steel barricade for good measure. Perfect avoided a corner charge, so Tornado hit the ring post and Perfect capitalized with a knee lift. Perfect sent Tornado face first into an exposed turnbuckle. Perfect capitalized with the Perfect Plex to pin him.
Texas Tornado eliminated by Mr. Perfect
It’s Warrior vs. Perfect. Warrior charged in and he hit the exposed turnbuckle. Perfect hit the Perfect Plex, but Warrior kicked out at two. That was a big deal because guys didn’t kick out of finishing moves very often. Dropkick by Perfect “right in the kisser” (a favorite line of Monsoon) gets two. Perfect nailed a clothesline as the crowd tried to fire up Warrior. Comeback time by Warrior with some punches, then three clotheslines with Perfect selling by flipping around. Warrior hit the flying shoulder tackle and the running splash for the win. The match went 14:20.
Mr. Perfect eliminated by Ultimate Warrior
Survivor: The Ultimate Warrior
Analysis: ** It was just an okay match. There were a few interesting moments towards the end of the match, but nothing too out of the ordinary. Best spot was when Warrior kicked out of the Perfect Plex as a believable nearfall. The eliminations made sense for the most part because LOD was in a tag feud with Demolition and Perfect was feuding with Tornado. It was a good choice for an opener because Warrior was the WWE Champion at the time and as popular as ever.
The Million Dollar Team led by Ted Dibiase were interviewed by Sean Mooney backstage. Dibiase teased the arrival of the fourth man on his team.
The face team led by Dusty Rhodes made their entrance. Piper noted that Bret Hart’s brother Dean died one day earlier.
The heels made their entrance. Greg Valentine looked so out of place in that Rhythm & Blues team with Honky Tonk Man. He just wasn’t a strong personality.
Dibiase entered and introduced his fourth team member. He’s led to the ring by his manager Brother Love, he’s 320 pounds from Death Valley – it’s The Undertaker. Piper: “Look at the size of that ham-hock!” Undertaker walked to the ring with Love behind him.
Analysis: The Undertaker? He’s kind of a big deal. I remember being scared of him the first time I saw him in person about a year after this. I was still a kid. The dude looked scary. He was scary here too.
Survivor Series Elimination Match: The Million Dollar Team (Ted Dibiase, The Undertaker and Rhythm and Blues – Honky Tonk Man and Greg Valentine – w/Virgil, Jimmy Hart and Brother Love) vs. The Dream Team (Dusty Rhodes, Koko B. Ware and The Hart Foundation – Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart)
Pre-Match Notes: Dibiase’s team were the heels and Rhodes’ team were the faces. The Hart Foundation were the Tag Team Champions at the time of the match.
Undertaker started with Hart. Undertaker took him down with a one-handed choke. Neidhart went for a shoulder tackle on Undertaker, but he couldn’t move him so Undertaker scooped him up and slammed him. Koko charged in, Undertaker avoided it and sent Koko throat first into the middle ropes. Undertaker picked him up and hit a Tombstone that looked nasty. He pinned Koko to eliminate him.
Koko B Ware eliminated by The Undertaker
Analysis: Funny how Undertaker hit the move with his back to the hard camera. I’m assuming that was a mistake because WWE wants people to face cameras for spots like that.
Valentine tagged in against Rhodes, who was no longer wearing the polka dots by this point. Hart tagged in and Valentine nailed a knee to the face. Honky Tonk Man was in there against Hart for a bit. He celebrated and taunted a lot. Neidhart nailed a powerslam on Honky and pinned him.
Honky Tonk Man eliminated by Jim Neidhart
Rhodes tagged in against Dibiase with the crowd firing up because they had a rivalry at the time. Rhodes with a dropkick and Anvil tagged in with a suplex for two. Virgil grabbed the leg of Neidhart, Dibiase hit a clothesline and that was it.
Jim Neidhart eliminated by Ted Dibiase
Analysis: A simple move like a clothesline eliminates a big guy like Neidhart? I didn’t like that.
Dibiase worked on Rhodes for a bit and then tagged in Undertaker. Punch to the face by Undertaker. Intense choking by Undertaker on Hart. Dibiase back in there led to Hart nailing an atomic drop. Undertaker back in against Rhodes with punches and a running kick. Undertaker went up, he walked across the top rope a bit and hit a double axehandle to eliminate Rhodes.
Dusty Rhodes eliminated by The Undertaker
Undertaker dumped Rhodes over the top to the floor. Hart was left alone against three guys. He took it to Undertaker with some punches. Love stomped on Rhodes, which led to Rhodes going after him. Undertaker went after Rhodes up the aisle. Undertaker pounded on Rhodes and choked him. They brawled all the way to the back.
The Undertaker eliminated by countout
Analysis: They announced it as Undertaker being eliminated by countout even though he wasn’t the legal man in the ring. I guess it was either going to be an Undertaker dominant win or eliminate him without pinning him, so that’s what they accomplished with that booking.
As we head back to the match, Valentine wanted the Figure Four Leglock on Hart, but Hart turned it into a small package and pinned him.
Greg Valentine eliminated by Bret Hart
Hart sent Dibiase over the top with an atomic drop. Slingshot dive over the top to the floor by Hart took out Dibiase on the floor. Hart sent Dibiase into the steel steps. Back in the ring, Dibiase whipped Hart into the turnbuckle leading to Hart’s awesome sternum bump in the corner. Hart came back with a backslide for two. Hart tripped over Dibiase and held his knee as if he hurt it. Then he showed that he was playing possum, so he got a two count. Virgil held Hart on the apron, Hart moved and Dibiase ended up knocking Virgil off the apron. Hart got another rollup for two. Backbreaker by Hart followed by an elbow drop off the middle ropes gets two. Cross body block by Hart, but Dibiase rolls through and hooks him for the successful pinfall. The match went 13:54.
Bret Hart eliminated by Ted Dibiase
Survivor: Ted Dibiase
Analysis: *** The last few minutes by Hart and Dibiase was really good with Hart coming so close to winning multiple times. Too bad most of the match was a stinker. Hart didn’t win, but he put on a great performance in defeat. His team with Neidhart was nearly over and Hart’s ascension as a singles wrestler took place in 1991. He ended up main eventing this show two years later. It’s also a historically important match because of The Undertaker’s debut.
The team led by Jake Roberts was interviewed by Mean Gene. They were in a shower for some reason. That match is next.
Survivor Series Elimination Match: The Visionaries (Rick Martel, The Warlord and Power and Glory – Hercules and Paul Roma – w/Slick) vs. The Vipers (Jake Roberts, Jimmy Snuka and The Rockers – Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty)
Pre-Match Notes: Martel’s team were the heels and Roberts was leading the faces.
Warlord looks like the most steroid-looking wrestler of all time. He was big in other years, but he’s even bigger here. Piper was going crazy for some basic tag team moves from the Rockers and he called them the team of the 1990s. It didn’t work out that way. The faces were in control early, then Martel was in there and he bailed to the floor to avoid Roberts. Warlord nailed a body slam on Snuka, but Snuka came back with a dropkick. Jannetty nailed a double ax off the middle rope. Then he went for another attack off the middle rope, but Warlord caught him in a powerslam and eliminated him. Good move.
Marty Jannetty eliminated by The Warlord
Michaels hit a hurricanrana on Warlord and then brought in Roberts, who hit a clothesline on Warlord. When Michaels tried to pin Warlord, Warlord did a power kickout that sent Michaels out of the ring. The heels worked on Michaels a bit with Warlord hitting a back body drop and Hercules tagged in with a clothesline. Martel with a hard whip into the corner as Michaels did a flip bump in the corner. Martel missed a corner charge due to Michaels moving and there’s the tag to Snuka. Hard chops by Snuka, then a back body drop and a running forearm smash gets two. Snuka went for a cross body block, but Martel rolled through and grabbed the tights for the leverage pin.
Jimmy Snuka eliminated by Rick Martel
Roberts went after Martel, but Martel left the ring again as it’s 4 on 2 for the heels. Hercules avoided a DDT from Roberts as the announcers talked about how Roberts was dealing with a bad left eye due to his issues with Martel. Clothesline by Martel on Roberts while Martel was on the apron. Roma missed a fist drop off the top rope and Michaels tagged in with a flying back elbow on Roma. Suplex by Michaels followed by an elbow drop off the middle ropes for two. Hercules tagged in, Michaels didn’t know it and Hercules elbowed him in the head. Piper kept calling Michaels “The Rocker” or “Rocker” during the match. Did he not know his name? I don’t know. He was always crazy. Hercules with a gorilla press slam on Michaels. Hercules hit a Superplex while Roma hit a top rope splash for their Powerplex double team move. Michaels was eliminated.
Shawn Michaels eliminated by Paul Roma
Analysis: Good performance by Michaels with some great bumps all match long. Who knew that two years later he would be main eventing this event? Obviously, he went on to have one of the best careers in WWE history.
Roberts was left alone with the crowd cheering for him. Warlord gave Roberts a bearhug. Roberts hit a DDT on Warlord, but the referee was distracted by the other guys on the heel team on the floor. Martel went to spray the Arrogance perfume in Jake’s eyes, but Jake blocked it with his hand. When the ref turned back around, Jake had Damien the snake with him. Roberts had the snake out and he chased after Martel. The referee counted Roberts out. That ended the match at the 17:42 mark.
Jake Roberts eliminated by countout
Survivors: Rick Martel, The Warlord, Hercules & Paul Roma
Analysis: ** A basic elimination match with the faces failing to do anything. It was the first time that all the team members on a team lasted until the end. It was also a boring match where I kept waiting for something exciting to happen, but it didn’t happen the entire time. I thought Michaels was the best part of the match with the way he oversold some of the most basic moves in wrestling.
Hulk Hogan was with his team consisting of Big Boss Man, Tugboat and Jim Duggan and they were interviewed by Sean Mooney. Hogan dedicated the match to the men and women fighting in the Middle East. “Saddam Hussein, what are you gonna do when our team of survivors run wild on you?”
Analysis: The Gulf War was a major story this year, so no surprise that Hogan used it in his promo.
Survivor Series Elimination Match: The Natural Disasters (Earthquake, Haku, Dino Bravo and The Barbarian w/Jimmy Hart and Bobby Heenan) vs. The Hulkamaniacs (Hulk Hogan, Jim Duggan, Big Boss Man and Tugboat)
Pre-Match Notes: Hogan was leading the faces. Earthquake and Bravo were main rivals for Hogan at this point. I forgot how cheesy Boss Man’s theme song was. Cheesy in a good way. Rick Rude was supposed to be on the heel team, but he left the company before the event. He was storyline suspended, so Haku replaced him.
Duggan hit some clotheslines on Haku early on. Bravo nailed an atomic drop on Duggan. Haku with a back elbow on Duggan and then Boss Man tagged in. Haku nailed a dropkick on Boss Man, but then Boss Man came back with the Boss Man Slam to eliminate Haku just three minutes into the match.
Haku eliminated by Big Boss Man
Boot to the face by Boss Man on Barbarian and a punch. Heenan was on the apron, so Boss Man sent Heenan into the ring post. Barbarian came back with a suplex. Barbarian missed an elbow off the middle rope, so Boss Man tagged Duggan in. Back body drop by Duggan on Barbarian. Bravo went after Duggan, Earthquake tagged in and hit a double clothesline with Boss Man. Duggan went to slam Earthquake, but that didn’t happen. Duggan ran the ropes, Hart pulled down the top rope and Duggan landed on the floor. Duggan chased Hart around the ring, then grabbed the 2×4 piece of wood and Hart went into the ring. Duggan hit Earthquake with the 2×4 leading to him being disqualified.
Jim Duggan eliminated by disqualification
Analysis: Good ol’ Hacksaw doing something stupid to get eliminated. One of the stupidest faces in wrestling history even though he always had a good connection with the crowd.
Hogan was in for his team as he punched all three heels. Slam for Bravo, slam for Barbarian, eye rake for Earthquake and Hogan slammed Earthquake to a big ovation. Corner clothesline by Hogan on Quake followed by punches in the corner, but Earthquake came back with a powerslam. Bravo was in there, he got in a couple of elbow drops and kicks, but Hogan did an inside cradle to pin him.
Dino Bravo eliminated by Hulk Hogan
Boss Man tagged in against Earthquake with a nearfall thanks to an assist from Hogan. Barbarian hit a knee to the back of Boss Man. Earthquake hit two elbow drops to Boss Man and eliminated him.
Big Boss Man eliminated by Earthquake
It’s down to 2-2 with Hogan hitting a clothesline on Earthquake. Hogan went for a slam, but Earthquake fell on top. Quake missed an elbow drop as Hogan moved. Tugboat tagged in with two shoulder tackles on Earthquake. Hogan brought Earthquake out of the ring. Tugboat followed Earthquake and they brawled on the floor. The referee rang the bell to eliminate both big dudes.
Earthquake and Tugboat eliminated by countout
Analysis: They protected the two fattest guys in the match by not pinning them. That’s what that elimination was all about. They went on to become tag team partners as well.
It’s Hogan vs. Barbarian and if you think Barbarian has any chance to survive then you probably weren’t watching in 1990. Hogan was selling pain as Barbarian punched him a few times. Barbarian nailed a piledriver for a two count. Double clothesline spot. Barbarian was back to his feet and hit a top rope clothesline for two. Hulking Up time for Hogan with the finger wag, the block punch, three punches, big boot, and the leg drop finished it after 14:49 of action.
The Barbarian eliminated by Hulk Hogan
Survivor: Hulk Hogan
Analysis: *3/4 It was a boring match with a few decent moments. The crowd was into it because of Hogan’s presence, but there wasn’t a lot of drama since it was obvious how the match was going to end. I liked the way that Earthquake was booked in an impressive manner because they lacked strong heels. Other than that, I wasn’t that interested in this match.
Post match, Hogan punched Heenan. He sent Heenan into the corner and Heenan took a bump over the top to the floor. Hogan posed with a huge Hulk Rules sign, wiped his sweat on it and threw it back to the fans.
Hogan moves on to the main event with Ultimate Warrior against five heels. One match after this.
The great “Macho King” Randy Savage was interviewed on the stage by Mean Gene Okerlund. He was a heel at this point in his career, but still cheered by some because of how great he was. Savage talked about how was going after Ultimate Warrior so that he can become the next World Heavyweight Champion. Savage claimed he was the greatest superstar to step into the ring and said don’t bet against him.
Analysis: Savage failed to take the World Title from Warrior, so he screwed him out of the title at the 1991 Royal Rumble and Sgt. Slaughter won it. Warrior had that incredible Career Match against Savage at WrestleMania 7, which led to Savage retiring for most of 1991 before coming back as a face. Great booking.
Prior to the next match, Sgt. Slaughter was interviewed talking about how he salutes Iraq. He mocked American soldiers in the Middle East that didn’t have a good turkey dinner liked he did. Monsoon called him a despicable piece of garbage.
Survivor Series Elimination Match: The Mercenaries (Sgt. Slaughter, Boris Zhukov and The Orient Express – Sato and Tanaka – w/Mr. Fuji and General Adnan) vs. The Alliance (Nikolai Volkoff, Tito Santana and The Bushwhackers – Luke and Butch)
Pre-match notes: Slaughter’s leading the heels while Volkoff is a new American hero after being anti-American for many years. Slaughter turned heel prior to this as an Iraqi sympathizer leading to the biggest push of his career. There’s a lack of star power in this match. It’s sorely lacking in big names.
Santana hit Zhukov with the flying forearm to eliminate him in under one minute.
Boris Zhukov eliminated by Tito Santana
Tanaka tagged in and hit Sato with a kick by accident because Santana moved. Butch with running shoulder tackles on Tanaka. Bushwhackers did their battering ram move on Sato and pinned him.
Sato eliminated by Butch
Analysis: Sato wasn’t the legal man, but nobody seemed to care.
Tanaka nailed Butch with a move that we didn’t see because the camera wasn’t on him. Tanaka missed a splash. Santana tagged in and hit a flying forearm to eliminate Tanaka.
Tanaka eliminated by Tito Santana
It’s Sgt. Slaughter left alone against four guys. Slaughter hit a clothesline on Volkoff followed by four elbow drops. Piper was ripping on Slaughter a lot on commentary. Slow pace by Slaughter led to a dropkick by him, which is a rare move for him. Elbow drop by Slaughter pinned Volkoff.
Nikolai Volkoff eliminated by Sgt. Slaughter
Analysis: One of the worst eliminations I’ve ever seen in a Survivor Series match in terms of the effort in the moves. I almost fell asleep watching that sequence and I’m not even tired.
Bushwhackers hit a double body slam on Slaughter followed by a double clothesline. Luke with a back elbow on Slaughter. Luke went up top, he went for a splash and Slaughter got the knees up. Gutbuster by Slaughter (knee to the ribs) eliminated Luke.
Luke eliminated by Sgt. Slaughter
Butch went after Slaughter with punches. Slaughter sent him into the turnbuckle and then nailed a clothesline to pin him.
Butch eliminated by Sgt. Slaughter
Analysis: That’s three straight eliminations for Slaughter. Earlier I mentioned he won the WWE Title at the Royal Rumble two months after this. That’s why he was booked so strongly there.
Santana with a back body drop on Slaughter. Santana went up top and hit a flying forearm smash to knock him down. Slaughter blocked a monkey flip attempt as Santana landed hard on his back. Neckbreaker by Slaughter gets two. Backbreaker by Slaughter gets two. Slaughter sent Santana into the ropes, but the ref Danny Davis got bumped. Santana nailed the flying forearm smash. Adnan went into the ring and hit Santana in the back with the Iraqi flag. Slaughter put the Camel Clutch on Santana and it looked like Slaughter won the match, but the referee ended up disqualifying Slaughter because of Adnan using the flag as a weapon. Santana survives at the 10:52 mark.
Sgt. Slaughter eliminated by disqualification
Survivor: Tito Santana
Analysis: 1/2* What an awful match. Probably the worst Survivor Series tag match I’ve seen. I gave it half a star because at least they put in some effort to keep it above DUD level, but it was a boring match. Slaughter lost because they likely didn’t want to put him in the main event match with Hogan and Warrior to save his confrontations with them for future events. The best thing about this match is that it was the shortest elimination match to date.
The five remaining heels left did a promo about the main event. It was Ted Dibiase, Rick Martel, Hercules, Paul Romo and Warlord. Dibiase said they will be the survivors.
The Gobbledy Gooker Arrives
There was a big egg by the entrance area. Mean Gene Okerlund tried to guide us through this. The egg hatched. It’s the dreaded Gobbledy Gooker, which was a man in a turkey costume. Piper: “I love it!” No. No you don’t. It was Hector Guerrero, the older brother of Eddie. Gene had a good line saying that Gooker had a pair of legs like his mother-in-law. We found out the name is the Gobbledy Gooker. They went into the ring and started dancing. I am hitting fast forward. I can’t live through this again.
Analysis: One of the worst segments in history. It was a waste of time that bombed big time. Whoever thought this was a good idea should be punched in the head…repeatedly. Seriously. What the fuck? What a disaster.
Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior and Tito Santana were interviewed by Sean Mooney. Hogan said even though it’s 3 on 5 those other guys must deal with the millions of Hulkamaniacs. Santana said this is what it’s all about and they will survive the grand finale. Warrior ranted about the opponents while not making sense like usual.
The official name for the main event is the Grand Finale Match of Survival. The five heels entered first. Hogan entered first for the faces, then Tito Santana and the WWE Champion Ultimate Warrior was out there last for his team.
Grand Finale Match of Survival: Ted Dibiase, Rick Martel, The Warlord and Power and Glory – Hercules and Paul Roma – w/Virgil and Slick vs. Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior and Tito Santana
Pre-match notes: It’s 5 on 3 for the heels, so the story is about if the faces can overcome them. Gee, I wonder.
Warlord punched Santana, Hogan punched Warlord and Santana nailed a flying forearm on Warlord or at least he tried to. It didn’t even connect, but Santana still pinned Warlord.
The Warlord eliminated by Tito Santana
Roma nailed a powerslam on Santana. Dibiase was in there with Santana. There was some nice offense from Santana, but then Dibiase avoided a forearm smash. Dibiase with a stun gun into the ropes and that was enough to eliminate Santana.
Tito Santana eliminated by Ted Dibiase
Hogan and Warrior were left for the faces against four heels. The heels worked on Hogan for a bit with Hercules hitting a soft clothesline. More quick tags for the heels as they worked on Hogan. Double ax for Dibiase off the middle ropes. Hercules set up Hogan on the top rope for a superplex and he hit it. Roman nailed the top rope splash, but Hogan kicked out. That’s their finisher. Hogan nailed Roma with a hard clothesline to eliminate him.
Paul Roma eliminated by Hulk Hogan
Warrior got the tag and went after Martel with a back body drop. Two body slams by Warrior and he brought Hogan back in. Boot to the face by Hogan to Martel and then a clothesline that sent Martel to the floor. Martel walked away.
Rick Martel eliminated by countout
Analysis: Martel was a cowardly heel, so walking away fit his character.
It’s Hogan and Warrior against Dibiase and Hercules. Corner clothesline by Hogan on Dibiase. Boot to the face by Hogan to Dibiase followed by the leg drop into the pin to eliminate him.
Ted Dibiase eliminated by Hulk Hogan
Hogan slammed Hercules and tagged in Warrior. Warrior nailed two clotheslines, the running shoulder block and the splash on Hercules to eliminate him. That’s it at the 9:07 mark.
Hercules eliminated by Ultimate Warrior
Survivors: Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan
Post match, Hogan and Warrior tossed Slick out of the ring for good measure.
Analysis: *1/4 It was a predictable match as expected. It was also boring. I would have liked to see some tension between Hogan and Warrior since they had big egos as top guys, but they weren’t set for another match, so that’s why they worked well together. It was also clear that WWE must have been losing faith in Warrior because Hogan worked 80% of the match while Warrior only got the final elimination.
Warrior and Hogan celebrated the win. The crowd was going wild as Monsoon called them the two greatest professional athletes in the world today. The announcers plugged the 1991 Royal Rumble and that was it.
The show had a run time of 2 hours and 21 minutes.
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FINAL THOUGHTS
– This was the only time WWE did the “Grand Finale Match of Survival” to end the show. I liked the concept behind it although the matches were poor most of the night. I’m not sure why it was the last one, so I looked up the PPV buyrate numbers.
Survivor Series 1987: 325,000 buys.
Survivor Series 1988: 310,000
Survivor Series 1989: 385,000
Survivor Series 1990: 400,000
Survivor Series 1991: 300,000
Look at those numbers. Even though this show sucked, it did a bigger buyrate than any other Survivor Series in the first five years. I think the idea of the grand finale likely helped, yet they never did it again. I don’t know why other than the change in the format of the show because the next year they started doing single matches instead of just elimination matches.
– Warrior and Hogan were clearly the biggest stars with nobody else coming close to their level. It was a show to build them up as we headed into the WrestleMania seasons. Warrior dropped the WWE Title to Sgt. Slaughter two months after this show and then Hogan won the WWE Title from Slaughter at WrestleMania 7.
– The Undertaker’s debut was memorable and is something every fan should check out because it’s historically important. He was protected by not getting pinned or being forced to submit. It was cool to see how everybody reacted to him because it made him look like a major star right away.
– The Gobbledy Gooker segment was one of the worst moments in the history of pro wrestling. I wish we could forget it, but it’s one of those things that lives on forever because of how awful it was.
– I wasn’t a fan of Piper on commentary. This show could have used Ventura or Heenan to bicker with Monsoon because Piper was a face and I missed that aspect of commentary.
Show rating (out of 10): 4
Terrible show. Do not watch this show if you think you missed anything important. Other than seeing early Undertaker, it’s a forgettable show. (Note: My original rating was a 3 out of 10, but that was probably too harsh. I’ll be nicer and go with a 4 out of 10.)
OPINIONS
Best Match: The Million Dollar Team vs. The Dream Team
Worst Match: The Mercenaries vs. The Alliance
Most Memorable Moment: The debut of The Undertaker. I’ll always remember how scary looking he was from the first time we saw him.
FIVE STARS
1. Ted Dibiase
2. Bret Hart
3. Ultimate Warrior
4. Hulk Hogan
5. The Undertaker
That’s all for me. Check out the full list of my WWE PPV Review archive right here. Thanks for reading.
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My contact info is below.
John Canton
Email mrjohncanton@gmail.com
Twitter @johnreport