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THE CYNICAL VIEW LOOKS AT THE SURVIVOR SERIES

The Cynical View
Survivor Series Memories
By Michael Campbell



Welcome back to my dungeon, “The Cynical View”. With WWE’s big annual PPV, Survivor Series on the immediate horizon, I thought I’d look back at some of my favourite Survivor Series moments and matches.

For myself, Survivor Series has always been one of the highlights of the calendar year. However, for quite a period, the company ignored the format that made this event, back in the late 80’s, and early 90’s, so special, the traditional Survivor Series Elimination match. This format was always truly unique, and offered fans the opportunity to see something that they would rarely have the chance to see anywhere else. The possibilities, even in today’s situation, with the product being spread out over so many shows, are almost limitless, offering the potential for a dynamic different to that of any other WWE show or PPV. Sporadically however, the WWE have brought that format back, and over the past few years, we’ve been treated to two or three bouts per Survivor Series show, in that vein. It’s a welcome return, and I for one, would love to see even MORE emphasis on these matches. They really should be the focal point, and dominate any Survivor Series Shows. In fact, I would drop any world title matches from the card, to really underline the importance of the elimination matches, and highlight them as the draw, by featuring the champion. Aside from that, the matches are great tools for elevating guys, and offering a wider spectrum of future feuds and rivalries. Plus, it allows a break from tradition, and enables championships to benefit from the value of having four or five guys on the other side, possibly all desiring the strap themselves. In effect, it puts over the importance of the title, and when it is then defended, it’s value has been of course, raised.

I’m rambling. The point is, the Traditional Elimination match is a great thing, that should be the main event, and the main focus of the Survivor Series PPV. There, done. That said, as I take a trip through my ten personal favourite Survivor Series moments, I should point out that many of these are from matches that eschewed the Elimination format. Without further ado…


10: 2002: World Title Match: Elimination Chamber
Triple H© vs. Chris Jericho vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Booker T vs. Kane vs. Shawn Michaels
Although not exactly, a “traditional” SS match, the format of this came pretty close, and at least offered something different, and much needed to the Raw title scene in late 2002. Entering into this one, many felt that it may be Rob Van Dam’s opportunity to shine, and reclaim the momentum he had lost in the wake of his PPV loss to HHH at the Unforgiven show in September. That wasn’t to be the case. The major flaw of this match wasn’t in fact Shawn Michael’s eventual win, but the way in which the fresh faces were used. Booker T, and RVD were the first two eliminated in this, but once you get past that, it’s actually a highly entertaining bout.
Uber-Heel, HHH dominates proceedings here, with his colossal ego completely forcing itself all over the Television. That said, it really is a Herculean effort that he puts forth. The competitors enter individually, at 5minute intervals, and of course, Hunter was the one to start out, with Van Dam. It really doesn’t come to life though until Jericho is the next to enter. During this time however, RVD attempts a frog splash on The Game, but lands short, with his knee crashing onto Hunter’s throat. At this point, Trips was injured legitimately, and restricted his movement for the rest of the match, which he still insisted on working to the end. Admirable, but if really would have been more interesting to have him eliminated early, which would give the crowd something different without him looking bad. Shortly after the injury, Van Dam is eliminated, which badly deflates the Madison Square Garden crowd.
The rest of the bout is carried by Chris Jericho, who really was a hugely important player at this stage in the WWE, capable of delivering no matter what capacity he was placed in. Here he teams with Hunter, adding the needed heat and sympathy against baby face Shawn Michaels, and he really is the extra ingredient that makes HBK’s victory an effective feel good moment. It works, and perhaps it shouldn’t have, perhaps a flat Michaels’ victory would have sent a better message to the WWE about their main event scene, but one can’t take HBK’s achievement in returning, as good as this, away from him.
Great match, deeply flawed, in it’s short-sighted booking, but a nice insight into the WWE’s priorities at the time, and aside from that, a satisfyingly, “big” match.

9: 1991: Team Piper vs. Team Flair
Roddy Piper, Bret Hart, Virgil, and The British Bulldog vs. Ric Flair, Ted Dibiase, The Warlord & The Mountie
This is one in a whole slew of Elimination matches, which the Survivor Series has played host to, where the top baby faces were not necessarily involved, but the best workers were, leading to the finest match of the evening (even though it was the opening bout).
Interestingly, this one plays up on numerous rivalries at once. Piper and Flair, and Piper and The Million Dollar man were long term rivals. Bret had a problem with The Mountie, and would go on to lose the IC belt to him (curiously though, the Mountie would drop it to Piper, who dropped it to Bret, who then dropped it to Davey, all of home were in this match… hmm… useless trivia…). The Bulldog was to have a mini-feud of sorts with Flair, but was also at odds with the Warlord, while Dibiase had feuded with pretty much all of the faces at this point.
Anyway, this was a good tag match, that featured few eliminations, as only Bulldog, and the Warlord were actually pinned. The others were, in novelty fashion, all disqualified for excessive, illegal brawling, which in a nice twist, left only Ric Flair, as he was the legal man, and now, the sole survivor. This was a great way of getting him even more heat (as if he needed it). It was a tad disappointing however, that Piper slapped him about afterwards, as the WWE was completely obsessed with every single moment having a feel-good ending. Bah. Bret and Flair were the MVP’s of the match, although Davey also was a big part of the early going before his unfortunate exit (if not for his physical condition, I probably would have kept Bulldog in, and eliminated the ropey Virgil). Still, a good, heated, star-laden match-up, that while featuring less actual wrestling than you would perhaps imagine, and still a complete treat.

8: 2003: Team Angle vs. Team Lesnar
Kurt Angle, John Cena, Chris Benoit, Hardcore Holly & Bradshaw vs. Brock Lesnar, The Big Show, Matt Morgan, A-Train & Nathan Jones
This was one hell of a shock. Any match which features, Bradshaw, Hardcore Holly, Matt Morgan, and Nathan Jones is a somewhat doubtful line-up for anyone expecting quality wrestling. But, that’s exactly what punters got with this one. I guess it did feature Benoit, Angle, and Brock Lesnar, in the hottest run of his career, but the bad easily outweighed the good, at least on paper.
Nevertheless, this was compelling from bell to-bell. Going into this, the main point of interest was probably the inclusion of John Cena on the squad of baby faces. Fresh of his heel run, and disappointing loss to The Undertaker, he had been enjoying ongoing issues on television with both Benoit and Eddie Guerrero. But he was garnering such great reactions, the fans were turning him to the side of goodness. Hence here, he was the reluctant accomplice of Benoit, In a team led by former WWE Champion, Kurt Angle.
This contained everything I love about Survivor Series matches. Naturally, the main feud here was that of Lesnar/Angle, the title rivals. Big Show was clearly earmarked for a run with Cena, while Cena himself had the issue of whether or not he could work alongside his team-mates. Right off the blocks, it was Bob Holly who had this problem, getting himself disqualified. Rapid eliminations cleared out A-Train, and Bradshaw, which left the good guys down to 3 on 4. From here, Angle was given the chance to shine, eliminating both Morgan and Jones, before stunningly, being ousted himself. This was the shocker, as Angle was the main baby face focus of Smackdown, and having him dispatched in this way was a brave, surprising step, which one only has to hear the crowd reaction to realise. From here, it looked impossible for Cena/Benoit, two baby faces, one freshly turned, and the other never pushed as a top star, to defeat two absolute monster heels.
But they did, and again, it was fascinating. Benoit first made Lesnar submit, in one of the most memorable moments on WWE PPV of 2003, before they combined to defeat the Big Show. Throughout this, it was truly gutsy, refreshing booking, and the moment that really kick-started Chris Benoit into his Wrestlemania XX moment. It also did more for Cena than his entire feud with Taker, whilst keeping Angle, Show, and Lesnar himself, all looking strong. In other words, this was a rare case of perfect booking.

7. 1997: WWE Title Match Bret Hart© vs. Shawn Michaels
I’m going to choose to ignore the “Screw-job”, aspect of this match, in relation to this article. See, while that is indeed one of the most important, memorable incidents in the history of professional wrestling, it’s also such for all the wrong reasons. Instead, I’d rather recall the fact that, under extremely high-strung circumstances, Bret and Shawn assembled a bloody fantastic scrap.
Think back to 1997 WWE, when things were just kicking into a higher gear. Prior to this, the overall, in-ring product was somewhat patchy and stale, with only the work of Hart, Michaels, Austin, Foley, and The Undertaker, really delivering truly great stuff. And even with that in mind, it was very, very rare, to see a super-stiff, heated, vicious brawl like this one, especially delivered by two men so renowned for their skill rather than their violence. Thus, what we get here, is a match unlike any the two have given us before. Obviously, it’s all the juicier, given the finish, and the ominous presence of Vince McMahon throughout. This is a match you really can’t go wrong with, furious, believable action, legitimate hatred, real back-story, an emotional crowd, and for better or worse, the most shocking ending to a match in professional wrestling history.

6. 1992: WWE Title Match Bret Hart© vs. Shawn Michaels
I see this match as a turning point in WWE history. Defending the World title in a match that also included the Intercontinental champion, Bret Hart introduced PPV audiences to a completely different type of WWE main event.
Yes, it wasn’t the first time we’d seen two technically gifted superstars headline a PPV in the WWE. But look at the others. Bret/Davey Boy, from Summerslam, was for the IC title, and headlined because it was in Davey’s backyard. Savage/Flair at WM was not the final match on the card (that honor was sabotaged by Hulk Hogan). Randy Savage against Ted Dibiase at WM IV, was a bout that concluded a tournament, and therefore, wasn’t in any way relied on to pull the viewers.
This was really, the first time we saw two guys, with this level of workrate, in this spot on the card, going at it for half an hour. And it was bloody fantastic. Slower-paced, but no less involving than their vicious 97 match, and less meaty and flabby than their (also great) Iron Man Match, this is something of a forgotten treasure. This has a whole array of really fine mat-wrestling, combined with highspots, that the fans did genuinely respond to, because in Bret Hart, they had a wrestler who worked that style, who was truly likeable and believable in his role. Also, really crucially, the finish to the bout was clean, and definitive, a true rarity in the day. It was also a nice, unpredictable ending, that stands up today. There is no faulting this match. While not a “five star (ahem) classic”, its still exciting, historic stuff, and that’s all one can ask for.



5. 1987: Team Moolah vs. Team Sherri
The Fabulous Moolah, Rockin’ Robin, Velvet McIntyre, Noriyoi Tateno & Itsuki Yamazaki vs. Sensational Sherri, Lailani Kai, Judy Martin, Dawn Marie, & Donna Christanello
I tend to be really critical about the WWE Women’s division, and with good reason. And while it was hardly fantastic back in 1987, this bout shows the potential that it had. Looking back, I was always surprised by how good this one was, standing as a really valid part of the Survivor Series, and not being the weak link, in what was a stacked supershow. It’s pretty certain that today’s ladies, placed in the same circumstance, would provide only a colossal flop, which is really sad, and can, and should be resolved (no TNA’s Women’s battle royal didn’t really make Women’s wrestling look credible).
The faces start out with a quick tempo, and eliminations come early for Dawn Marie, and Christanello. The Jumping Bomb Angels are absolutely fantastic here, and the fans really respond to them. Basically, their work is on par with any of the guys from the Federation at the time, which really is saying something. They dazzle with springboard arm-drags, and underhook suplexes, as the heels bump around for them. The excitement level dies however, every time Rockin’ Robin is in the squared circle, as she, and Moolah, at an advanced age, really aren’t anywhere near the Bomb Angels’ standards. Moolah actually is booed during some of more cringe worthy moments, and the fans seem somewhat relieved when she is eliminated. Sherri too, as Women’s champion, looks incredibly awkward at times. But these moments are few and far between, as the Bomb Angels work the majority of the match, and everyone elses weaknesses are somewhat masked.
It comes down to McIntyre and the Angels, versus Sherri and the Glamour Girls. As seems to be the norm with Survivor Series Matches, once the teams are trimmed down, we enter into a heat segment for the bad guys. The crowd pretty much stay with it, even though at one point, the time keeper stupidly rings the bell for a three count that simply doesn’t exist. The grapplers win the crowd back with McIntyre hitting a giant swing on Sherri, that attains an insanely loud pop, which is louder still when she pins the Women’s champ. The two tag teams here work really well together, and deliver an exciting few final minutes, but McIntyre is no slouch either. She gets eliminated following an innovative electric chair, leaving just the duos. This is clearly the best portion of the encounter, which sees the Japanese girls take the win following a sequence that includes a great top-rope knee-drop, and a clothesline from the same place. The faces get a huge reaction for their efforts. Hilariously, at one point, the Glamour Girls’ manager, Jimmy Hart, hops up onto the apron, and is dispatched, in the process taking the most astonishingly ridiculous bump you will ever see!
You only have to see the crowd responding, increasingly during this, to the angels, to know how good they were. The pop for their victory is something few today, (including exactly zero of the WWE’s female workers) have ever received.


4. 1992: Randy Savage & Mr Perfect vs. Ric Flair & Razor Ramon
The main reason for the inclusion of this one (and so high on the list) is that when I was a kid, Mr Perfect was my favourite wrestler. I loved Davey Boy, Bret, HBK, Macho Man, Tito, and a whole bunch of others, but Perfect was my favourite, even as a bad guy. But here, I got to see my favourite, finally on the side of the angels, as they say, and kicking off what I saw as the shackles, of being Ric Flair’s manager (Christ I hated Ric Flair at that age…hated him, but you knew, when he was on TV, it was important, it was an important moment). Not only that, but he was the frickin’’ Macho Man’s tag partner! This was clearly one of the biggest possible Dream Teams I could ever have imagined. Forget about Hogan/Warrior, and that crap, this was the business.
The match itself, was great, but not flawless, but in fairness, Perfect was rusty (he hadn’t wrestled since Summerslam 91 and was rushed back before time here), and Scott Hall was involved. A still-green Scott Hall, no less. But it was hugely entertaining, and devoted enough time to really tell a solid, traditional tag team story, that really put over Perfect, while not messing with his character. Disqualification finish aside (the WWE were notorious for this sort of ramshackle finish in anticipated matches in those days, and this one was a stinker) it was immensely great, and the fans treated it as such.
The eventual fallout of this, was that Flair had a tremendous rivalry over the following months with Perfect, one which never quite reached the climax it should have done, at Wrestlemania.
Although this was probably the highlight of the 92 Series, it was nearly overtaken by Yokozuna vs. Virgil. Yes that’s right. Purely for the moment when Virgil attempts a roll-up, but falls victim to Yoko simply falling on him. On his face. Ouch.

3. 1998: The Rock wins the WWE title tournament
Ironic, isn’t it, that one of my five favourite moments of Survivor Series history, is one that was a shocking, and now-obvious re-run of the Montreal Screwjob. But back in 1998, it wasn’t. It was a stroke of genius.
The entire show revolved around a huge supposed 16man tournament to crown a new WWE Champion. I think pretty much everyone expected it to come down to Austin, and Mankind, then playing a misguided heel. Instead, Austin was eliminated in the Semis, and both Undertaker and Kane went out, leaving The Rock as the other man. At that point, following his post Summerslam face turn, The Rock was the hottest commodity they had, behind Stone Cold. Thus, although his push suffered a little initially, thanks to a horrendous feud with the useless Mark Henry, he did arrive here as a hugely popular figure. That’s what made the swerve of his joining Vince McMahon’s Corporation so stunning. The match was set-up so that Foley, who was playing a confused heel version of Mankind, manipulated by the Corporation, looked set to be booked through an easy route, to supposed victory, with many of us assuming, losing in the end, for the feel good baby face moment. But it wasn’t to be. He won, but he won as a despicable cheat, and it was glorious.
The one problem I have with this match, the only one, is Austin’s appearance at the end, Stunnering the New Champion, The Rock AND the screwed-over baby face, Mick Foley. In my view, when someone wins the belt, that should close the show. If not, then the baby face who was just screwed should get his heat back, not someone that wasn’t in the match. But, it’s also something that fans at the time ate up, but for me, it was a big problem with Austin throughout 98/99.

2. 1989: The Rude Brood vs. Roddy’s Pipers
Rick Rude, Mr Perfect & The Rouqeau’s vs. Roddy Piper, The Bushwhackers, & Jimmy Snuka
Yes, that is one incredible line-up, on the heel side, one which even as a kid, I was much more partial to. The main attraction of this match, has to to be, seeing Perfect and Rude together in a team. Almost indescribably awesome. To drive that point home, we get a great pre-match interview, where Rude and Perfect come across perfectly, whereas the face promo see’s the whole lot of them appear to be absolute idiots. Still, it didn’t affect their popularity here, even though the heels were clearly much cooler, especially with Rude’s tights, which depicted all four members of his team. Oh yes.
Regardless, everyone here was incredibly over with the fans, and the atmosphere was fantastic. Close to the beginning, the faces worked a funny spot, where each face bit Mr. Perfect. Nice. The Rougeaus, were of course, pretty much the jobbers of the piece, with Jaques going out first, thanks to Snuka. There’s an interesting moment early on as well, where Perfect and Rude tease some dissension, which had it played out, could have been interesting. But to be honest, as great as I would have found that, I don’t think the majority of then-federation fans would have agreed.
As the match comes down to Piper’s entire team, against just Perfect and Rude, it really establishes those two as super-heels. They really were awesome throughout this, although it was actually Perfect who worked the majority of the match, doing what he does best, putting over the good guys, and grabbing a cunning, quick pinfall on Butch. Things are eventually evened out, with Rude saying cheerio to Luke (thankfully), before commencing a beat-down segment on Snuka. Good action, that really builds up Piper’s tag. Piper takes Rude to the outside, with the notion that as they were feuding at the time, they’re both incontrollable hot at each other. Predictably, this causes a double-count-out. From there, it’s all about Perfect, as he absolutely makes veteran Superfly Snuka, having several minutes of surprisingly great action, including a series of near-falls. Eventually, Perfect was to get the clean win with the Perfectplex.
The only downside for me, is that after the match, Snuka snapped, and beat on Perfect’s manager, the Genuis. Personally, I hate when that sort of rubbish occurs post-match, purely for cheap pops. Otherwise, this was great action, that highlighted two great superstars who are sadly, no longer with us.

1. 1987: Tag Team Survivor Series Elimination Match
British Bulldogs, Rougeaus, Young Stallions, Killer Bees, Strike Force vs. Demolition, Hart Foundation, The Dream Team, The Islanders & The Bolsheviks
This is what it’s all about, right? Just look at that for a tag team division. That is indeed, a sparkling collective, and for me, seeing this for the first time, was a rare treat to see a bunch of guys, who all aiming for the same gold, were rarely seen as being able to cooperate.
Before the match we were treated to those demented 80’s backstage interview, with all the members on each team being interviewed together, prior to their entrances. It’s utterly insane to see ten cartoon characters howling in a room together at once, but great fun. And that’s the secret to why I love this one, it’s such a big, well-rounded spectacle. Kinda like Awesome Kong.
The Bolsheviks were eliminated quickly, helping establish the then champions, Strike Force, as being the energetic, exciting young team of the pack. In fact, establishing things couldn’t be easier, as the formula here is so simple, but effective. The heels pound the faces, who fire up, make tags, then make a mistake, and so on…
If there’s on big criticism, it’s the WWE issue of not giving everyone a chance to really shine. The Rougeaus looked like tossers here, although they did garner big pops, for the one move Jaques did land, and the cross body he missed, and then they two, were gone. Amazingly, it’s also actually over ten minutes, before Greg Valentine enters the ring. Meanwhile, Dynamite Kid, is on the other hand, a frequent figure in the early going, tagging in, and looking every bit the star, as the crowd responded with enthusiasm. Demolition were eliminated thanks to a Disqualification, which was a clever way of them not looking bad, and this led to Bret and Dynamite being in the ring against each other, which was one of the highlights of this, as you would expect. At this point, the match had achieved that rare goal in these outings, it was surprising and unpredictable. What’s also really notable, is how over Strike Force were, despite being the most bland, bread-and-butter baby faces you could possible imagine. The fans were absolutely stunned when they were eliminated by the Hart Foundation after 15 minutes or so. But it was simply great booking, to further that particular feud, and helped the Foundation look like a mega-team.
It ends up coming down to The Young Stallions, and the Killer Bees (who in fairness, are barely in the ring until here) against the odds of The Hart Foundation, The Dream Team, and The Islanders. The crowd go nuts when Valentine is eliminated by a top-rope sunset flip, which leads into a long finale, between the remaining four teams. Paul Roma worked especially hard here, gaining audience sympathy for sustaining a long beat down. The Bees, amazingly, got the pin on Bret, to eliminate the Foundation, after around 25minutes, which the crowd loved, and just before the 35 minute mark, shoved another feather on their caps, with a fine pinfall over the Islanders. Great stuff. Yes, Brian Blair was not the legal man when he got the pin (he put on the Bees mask, and illegally sunset flipped his opponent…), but it was such a scramble of a finish, it barely matters. The good guys here were completely established as the underdogs throughout this, and the WWE made a concentrated effort to push the guys here, who weren’t top of the division. But because the bout went so long, if prevented most of the guys from looking ridiculous (aside from the Rougeaus, who would turn heel anyway), and did not derail their momentum, instead, they were presented with more motivation behind future feuds.

There you have it. My favourite moments. I’m sure If I were to do this list next year, it would change once more, according to my mood, because really, Survivor Series has given us dozens of great matches. Hopefully it continues to do so. Before I go, I feel the need to point out just how awful last year’s event was. It was atrocious. The most interesting bout, Team RKO vs. Team DX was in execution, a horrendous, rushed, demolition of the heel team, for the benefit of no-one but Degeneration-X (and accidentally, CM Punk mind). A shocking display of the power Hunter and Shawn Michaels have backstage, this was a waste of some phenomenal talents, and an example of what not to do on this show. Aside from that, the show was a complete and utter waste of time, and the only memorable moment, was the disgusting burial of Lita, in her final match for the company. Someone needed to step in and prevent the humiliation she endured.

Fingers crossed then, that this year’s show (which again features the minor inclusion of the elimination matches) isn’t the same distasteful, counterproductive nonsense that we witnessed last year. I sadly, struggle to see how it won’t be, as on the tenth anniversary of the “Screwjob”, there’s little reason to believe that Vince will be able to resist the temptation to once more drag us through those murky Montreal waters.

Thanks for reading this nonsense. If you have any comments/questions/queries/or anything to say, get in touch at bazilalfonso@hotmail.com, whether you agree/disagree/hate me, or whatever if may be, I welcome all correspondence. Thanks again!