Your Fondest Survivor Series Memory (87-99)

[Liam O'Rourke]

For the next two weeks on the podcast we'll be looking at the history of the Survivor Series PPV, analysing its struggle for identity and relevance from the beginning, going show by show, and as always we're looking for your thoughts on the former Thanksgiving Eve Tradition.

QUESTION - What is your favourite Survivor Series memory between 1987 and 1999?

It can be a great match, moment, promo, anything - the more detail the better. As usual, the best contributions will be read on the show and you'll be credited accordingly, so whaddya think?

 

EDIT - The show discussing Survivor Series from 1987 to 1999 and your fondest memories is now online and available to listen to at the following link: http://squaredcirclegazette.podbean.com/mf/web/8t4upi/SCGRadio59-HistoryoftheSurvivorSeriesPart1.mp3

[NorthSeaTiger]

For me, it the Hogan Team Vs DiBiase Team from SS '89. The pop that Jake Roberts got, followed by Demolition, then by The Hulkster were all insane. Each pop got louder as their music hit and I wondered at the time if the crowd could get any louder! Decent match too. Although I hated Hebner grabbing Zeus like that and then DQing him. He really was an attention seeking twat. Also love the Perfect Team vs Warriors from the following year. Loads of colour, characters and fueds within one match.

[tiger_rick]

I have really fond memories of the early Survivor Series and still love watching them but they're not particularly memorable. Until 1991 nothing of any real consequence happened. Even after that it was often one of the weaker shows each year.

 

With that in mind I'd have to go for The Rock's turn at Survivor Series 1998. That whole tournament was brilliant and intertwined the whole McMahon/Taker/Kane/Foley/Austin story that had ran throughout the summer. It had several moments of triumph or shock that kept you guessing and then just when it appeared the feel good ending was on the horizon - they pulled the rug out from under you. Everyone wanted to love The Rock at that point but they had a longer term view and committed to it.

 

It's amazing that they've not done anything similar since. And it's sad that they don't take chances like this these days. And that there are no stories with this depth. They peeled back the layers that night.

[JakeRobertsParoleOfficer]

 

Will always love that 88 SS that had that 10 man tag team match!- SS 88 was my 3rd wwf tape i for and i didnt have sky so literally to to this point id only sern wm3, bulldogs vhs and then this! Barbarian in paeticular was a beast in this and athletic as hell.

 

Special props to that SS89 as well. That spike piledriver on Hogan was sold like theyd killed him!

[DraxSpago]

Diesel turning face at Survivor Series '94 was my favourite moment as a kid, there's nothing wrong with a turn being predictable if it 1. Makes sense and 2. The crowd want it, if THAT Diesel had had the belt for a year instead of happy smiling blue eye Diesel he might have had a better run

 

Looking back, and it's more interesting than a great moment or event, is the crowd at Survivor Series '99. The show took place in the middle of their greatest era and yet to watch that show in isolation you'd think absolutely no one was over, the match with Too Cool in springs to mind as being wrestled in front of a completely silent crowd

 

Mental to think all anyone had to do throughout the first half of 2000 was walk down the ramp and they'd go mental regardless of who it was

[W35ty]

The opening to 1994 with the team talks backstage.

[Really Big Shoe]

Another for Survivor Series 1988. The whole tag team Survivor Series match they had with Demo, Bulldogs, Brainbusters, Powers of Pain, Hart Foundation et al. On the UK coliseum VHS they edit it abit but that match is in full IIRC. What memory stands out for me is the double turn - Fuji siding with the Powers and Demo going 'face. Think they only did those big tag team Survivor Series matches on the 1st & 2nd annual events too but it's one match they should have kept on with (but that would have depended on the strength of the tag team division of the time as back then it was stacked with great teams). 

[Supremo]

I have fond memories of Shawn vs. Sid at Survivor Series 96. I was twelve at the time, arguably old enough to know better, but I remember being fucking furious that Sid hit Jose Lothario with that camera, then won the belt from Shawn.

 

I don't think it was shown live at the time, was it? Maybe on a week's delay and screened at prime time? I remember being almost too angry to go to bed afterwards, such was the injustice I'd just seen. Ah, to be young.

 

Also, I feel like I've said this a thousand times, but Survivor Series 1998 is one of the greatest shows of the Attitude Era.

[WWFChilli]

I had one in mind, but I think that's Air_Raids story to tell later, so I say The Survivor Series 1989 VHS intro. Ohhhhh yeah, this bad boy. Jim Johnsons 'take a seat ladies sex sax' brings us shots of Chicago looking bloody freezing, and some genuinely interesting backstage footage of the WWF, that I found fascinating. Then as it is the Thanksgiving tradition, a roll call of what the lads are thankful for. The beauty of this, all the color, the gimmicks. I found out Piper ain't no Ricky Rude, the Genius is the world's smartest man, Jim Duggan has a proper bong eye and the Warrior talks a heaving bag of balls.

 

Then... THEN, as if that was already great, the classic logo whooshes on the screen, and the Vinman himself pipes up, reeling off the lads in teams with team names, and absolutely throwing his throat doing it. You can practically hear him react to whichever female ref is sucking him off as he records it, 'Hercules... AND THE EARTHQUAKEEEE.' Bliss.

 

Everything, I mean absolutely everything about this is the winner. A fun little thing I noticed was that nearly all the Hasbro figures of anyone on this event matches the gear worn on this show. I love that, throw in a fun show to boot and you have a classic. Every fan knows that intro and more than likely can rattle off parts of it. Plus Big Jim totally scored some broads with that sax. One of my fondest things in wrestling ever, it literally defines what the WWF was, perfect.

[The Clint]

Another shout for Survivor Series 98 here. It was an awesome PPV the night was full of twists during the tournament. Going into the event I was certain Austin was going to win. I have to be honest I never seen The Rock heel turn coming as they only turned him babyface in September of that year. There was also a nice heel turn from Shane that night too.

 

A question for Liam. When are you going to do the Oct-Dec 97 Monday Night War timeline?

[quote the raven]

 

As a kid this was stupidly exciting, i remember thinking how great it would be to live in the states, get a day of school, eat loads of crap then sit down and watch live.

[Otto Dem Wanz]

I’ve been beaten to the punch with this shout but I’ll echo the fond memories of 1998. Except Wrestlemania’s 14 and 17, I’d struggle to name any PPV I enjoy more from start to finish than this.

 

From the very first video package proclaiming each man will do "whatever it takes" to be the man through the sub plots that have Austin being foiled by the McMahons, Undertaker and Kane's blood feud and Foley being manipulated by Vince, the story arc is beautifully constructed. As so rarely is the case in wrestling (where stories are often rushed, illogical or simply intelligence-insulting) this event feels like a well-crafted film – it uses the time it has effectively, the story is layered and involves interesting characters who the audience feel strongly about.

 

The match quality isn’t great (although the main event develops into a barn burner towards the end) but it hardly matters as you’re so engrossed with the way the destiny of the WWF title seems to twist and turn throughout the night. The announcers, wrestlers and other on-screen personalities make the title feel like the most important thing in the world, its such an easy thing to do but adds so much to the whole scenario. By the end you feel genuinely gutted for Foley and pure disgust towards Rock which is incredible considering how much the fans were in Rock's corner (get on the bloke wearing the chef's outfit that has "I SMELL WHAT THE ROCK IS COOKING" emblazoned on it) all the way until the very end of the show. JR's "they screwed us all" call hammers it all home. 

 

The whole thing is a riveting ride even despite the worst chair shot in the world from Gerald Brisco. It’s a top 5 PPV of all time, and my own personal favourite Survivor Series. This is the best example of an "authority" heel faction angle they've ever done, it spawned a white-hot babyface and a red-hot heel and ensured reactions for another white-hot babyface for months and months to come. Its success here might even be the reason we see similar angles recreated nearly 20 years later to not nearly the same impact.

 

I'll finish on this thought, if you want to measure of how good this whole thing was, just listen to the roar of the crowd when Rock loses the belt to Foley on that Raw a month or so later. Brilliant.

_____________

 

I'm also going to mention Undertakers WWF title win in 1991. It's historic; I believe it’s the first time of note that a crowd actively cheers a Hogan defeat, despite the ming in the front row dressed as Hulk trying to rouse the crowd he doesn’t get far, and there’s even a “Paul Bearer Rocks” sign in to add to the many yellow foam headstones in the crowd. Taker was over as a face even as a heel in the early 90’s when that sort of thing hardly ever happened and shows how much appeal the man and the character had from the start. 

 

It also should have been the set up to Hogan vs Flair at Wrestlemania 8, but obviously they couldn't agree on who would lose so it never got there. 

 

I also love Heenan's call after the finish: "HULKAMANIA IS DEAD, IT IS DEAD, LONG LIVE THE UNDERTAKER!".

 

Damn right.

[air_raid]

I had one in mind, but I think that's Air_Raids story to tell later

 

Ask and you shall receive. At least.... I think this is the one you meant.

 

I've trimmed the original post down a bit so it's hopefully completely to do with why THIS match and its story is awesome, and without all the background as to why Hitman is the best wrestler, nay human being of all time.

 

 

The Dream Team VS The Million $ Team

(Dusty Rhodes, The Hart Foundation & Koko B Ware VS Ted DiBiase, Rhythm & Blues & a mystery partner)

 

The second time I ever saw the Hart Foundation wrestle was on the 4th Annual Survivor Series tape. The match seemed to take on extra meaning for Bret when Roddy Piper on commentary poignantly told us that his brother Dean had passed away the day before, and expressed his admiration for Hart's professionalism, and that he had dedicated the match to Dean. The Dream Team really had their backs to the wall from the outset with the debut of the then-terrifying and enigmatic Undertaker, and as the match wore on they ended up down to three-on-Bret after Undertaker pinned the American Dream himself. Obviously at that point, Bret's goose seemed cooked.

 

Suddenly the odds were reduced when Undertaker got himself counted out, deciding that it would be fun to beat Dusty's fat ass all the way up the aisle, and who could blame him for that. Hitman was still severely disadvantaged having taken a bit of a kicking from Valentine, but he caught a quick one by reversing the Hammer's attempt at the Figure 4 into an excellently executed small package to further reduce the arrears.

 

 

 

 

That still left Bret, who had taken a fair amount of abuse from Valentine, Taker and Honky, against the wily veteran DiBiase who was relatively fresh. Remember, this isn't five time WWF Champion Bret Hart, the "best there is, the best there was, the best there ever will be." This is Bret Hart of the Hart Foundation, one half of the tag team champions. He was never going to beat a top player like the Million Dollar Man, was he?

 

Right from the off Bret was like a man possessed, rocking Ted with an atomic drop that sent him spilling to the floor and then a pescado - the first time I'd ever seen a wrestler dive over the top rope to the floor. It impressed the hell out of Piper too. DiBiase had his moments, but for the bulk of this fast-paced closing stretch, it was 80% Bret. We had a pendulum backbreaker and a second rope elbow, and my God, Bret started to convince me he could do it.

 

When he snatched this backslide out of the corner, I thought he had the bugger. He didn't have that lethal killing blow like a DDT or a Rude Awakening, but he could do it with wrestling. He could catch his opponent with technique, like Mr Perfect did with the Perfect-Plex. I thought he had him here.

 

 

 

 

After that, Bret played possum feigning an injury - a moment of ingenuity I had never seen - and wrapped up DiBiase with an O'Connor roll and again, I thought he had him. He'd outsmarted the evil bastard. I thought he had him, but he didn't.

 

 

 

 

Then suddenly, Virgil grabbed ahold of Bret, and I feared the worst. The bodyguard would be the undoing of Bret, as he had been of Neidhart earlier in the match, and Jake the Snake at WrestleMania. Bret evaded the knee strike from DiBiase and grabbed a snug schoolboy. THIS WAS IT! They had toyed with my emotions perfectly - I knew this was it. From the jaws of defeat Hitman had snatched victory....

 

 

 

 

... but it wasn't to be. DiBiase kicked out, and in the very next spot, an exhausted Hitman went for a crossbody, which Ted rolled through and hooked a leg, locking fingers tightly, from which Bret could not escape.

 

 

 

 

Bret's instant reaction at the time was to visibly exclaim "Fuck." Which as a child, I didn't notice, but as an adult, I really have come to appreciate. It's not audible, so nobody need get too offended, but the astute adult viewer will have spotted it, and it makes it seem a little more realistic because, well... you would feel like that, wouldn't you?

 

I was crushed. Bret had won me over as a hero in showing spirit when the odds where against him and then pushing such an established technician and sometimes-main eventer to the brink, but in the end it was a bridge too far. It was obviously an important lesson that not all stories have a happy ending, but I felt awful. Not just because the guy I wanted to win didn't, and that the underdog didn't quite prevail, but I felt bad FOR BRET, despite him being "just a character in the wrestling."

 

 

Fuck.

 

 

In hindsight, Bret came out of the match looking a lot stronger in defeat. This was a match that proved, certainly to me, that he had the fire and (subtle) charisma to make people care and get behind him on his own two feet. He was the master at that, was Bret. He knew the real value in the match was that it doesn't matter if you win or lose, just how good you each look. It was Hulk Hogan (ironically enough) that put it best : "It doesn't matter whether you win or whether you lose ; the only thing that matters is what kind of winner you are, or what kind of loser you are."

 

Bret Hart : the courageous loser. Brought a lump to my throat.

 

[JakeRobertsParoleOfficer]

I loved that Hart vs Dibiase ending. He really made that ending, made that whole thing looked real (and you actually bought - this is escapism at its best).

 

Looking back obviously had no idea what Bret would become but the cynic in me does now think did Bret basically ignore the whole family 'death' thing, because he was going to get a high profile showcase at SS?????, as i'm sure Vince would have let him off,  and whilst id argue Bret made that ending he wasn't being positioned as a singles then, nor was he going to go on and be in the finalists at the end, ultimately could he not have been substituted? 

[Max Power]

I don't think you can have a full discussion on this subject without mentioning the 1997 one - even though it's not neccessarily a highlight.

 

Back on topic, I'll give a nod to Diesel/Bret from 1995. The ending to that really stands out in my eyes, firstly Bret going through the table and then Nash after getting rolled up for the pin screaming "FUCKING MOTHERFUCKER" when all eyes were on him. He then went nuts and in one night developed into the character he should have been all year. Probably the first sprinkle of 'Attitude'.

 

Also Liam, stop fucking about and crack on with the Monday Night War Timeline please.