Griffin Kaye
The following will look back upon 1991’s Survivor Series event and see the fall of Hulkamania, which—unlike the fall of the collapse of the Berlin Wall that same year—was only to be temporary…
The 1991 Survivor Series, the fifth event in Survivor Series history, was unique in that it featured the first singles match in the Pay-Per-View’s history. Although not the main event, the WWF championship match between titleholder Hulk Hogan and challenger The Undertaker was certainly the flagship match of the show. Four other matches, all multi-man affairs, also took place—even if far less memorable.
See previous Survivor Series reviews
Show Open
Gorilla wastes no time in exasperatingly taking us straight back to footage from the previous edition of Superstars, where Jake Roberts sequestered Randy Savage before unleashing his king cobra upon him. It remains one of the WWF’s greatest segments—and with good reason.
Jack Tunney then makes an announcement, so you know it must be a big deal. He says he is immediately reinstating Randy Savage…at the upcoming This Tuesday In Texas event, not Survivor Series. Thank you for your money, folks! Jake Roberts is removed from his main event match, as is Sid, making the main event a three-on-three encounter instead.
‘The Snake’ says he takes responsibility for the incident and apparently, that makes everything hunky-dory in regards to his position in the company. I guess the WWF has no corporate oversight. In general, Tunney came across as a bit of an incompetent fool in this segment.
Back at ringside, Bobby Heenan predicts The Undertaker will provide the audience with “the biggest funeral in wrestling history”, whilst Monsoon calls him Hogan’s greatest threat to date for the title belt.
Ric Flair (w/Mr Perfect), The Mountie (w/Jimmy Hart), Ted DiBiase (w/”Sensational” Sherri) & The Warlord (w/Harvey Wippleman) vs. Roddy Piper, Bret Hart, The British Bulldog, & Virgil
Dibiase, The Mountie, and The Warlord all arrive to ‘The Million Dollar Man’s’ theme, with Sherri dazzling in a glitzy gold number. Team captain Flair makes his entrance with Mr Perfect, who is wearing his finest, blindingly 90s, multi-colour tracksuit, dressed like Stewie Griffin. ‘The Nature Boy’ holds up a WWF tag belt that is blurred out and put over as if it were the forbidden WCW “big goldy” belt. The faces are led out by their captain, Roddy Piper.
The match starts with Piper and DiBiase but before they can lock up, Flair sneaks a shot. Some pantomime wrestling for a while, with Sherri interfering and suffering a kiss from Piper as a result. All four faces take a while working over Ted, ending with Bret as the legal man. Bulldog briefly comes in and he is built like a brick shizzlehouse; stout, plump, and absolutely jacked.
The team captains fight for the first time as the rowdy Scotsman takes on “The Real World’s Champion”, sending him into a Flair flop on the outside. The hosses briefly collide as Bulldog faces down The Warlord. Fun fact: the two wrestled each other at all five 1991 PPV events.
There is confusion over the legal man as Bulldog has The Mountie pinned after the running powerslam. A diving top rope blow from Flair is enough to eliminate the Bulldog—the first elimination after over 10 minutes of action.
The heels do a number on “The Hot Rod” until he gets Flair in a figure-four of his own. However, this comeback sequence is brief. During a Boston crab from The Mountie, Virgil is tagged in. Funny spot where Mountie cowers from Virgil, urging for a tag but no one does so—yes, DiBiase, Flair, and The Warlord are unwilling to square off with Virgil.
The Warlord applies his full Nelson finisher but a commotion allows Bret to hit a diving blow to the back of the head. It is enough to make the burly bruiser stare at the lights for three seconds as he is pinned by illegal man Piper but the rules seem fairly lax on that one.
After working over Virgil for a long stretch, Piper and Flair again brawl, causing a raucous as all men exchange blows in the ring. Flair is knocked off the top rope and thrown out of the ring as the others continue to fight.
Due to the uncontrollable schmoz, the ref calls for the bell as it is announced all men in the ring are disqualified, except Ric Flair who was then outside of the ring. The faces send the heels packing after the bell.
WINNER: Ric Flair (sole survivor)
The match was adequate. A stacked match in terms of star power, in-ring acumen, and characters, it really should have been more. The match never felt like it got out of second or third gear, and was not aided by some bizarre booking choices.
I understand that the finish helps protect those who cannot take a loss such as Piper, Intercontinental champion Bret, and Million Dollar champion DiBiase, but it was such a cop-out for such a lengthy match. Nobody was much better off from this match’s occurrence. The 22-minute encounter was also plagued by the two eliminations falling into the notorious ‘Survivor Series’ trope of wrestlers being beaten by moves that would struggle to incapacitate in a regular bout.
RATING: ***
Randy Savage Interview
Out comes the reinstated “Macho Man”. OSW Review fans might be asking “What Bar” is he?”, to which the answer is a Cadbury’s Creme Egg.
He claims hearing Elizabeth’s cries was worse than the physical pain he felt. Elizabeth herself cuts a subpar promo in her thick southern accent and there is a whole lot of shilling for the upcoming This Tuesday in Texas event.
The Berzerker (w/Mr Fuji), Colonel Mustafa (w/General Adnan), Hercules & Skinner vs. Jim Duggan, Sgt. Slaughter, The Texas Tornado & Tito Santana
The heels arrive first to Mustafa’s theme. Not only is this team loaded with gimmicks but it has got the greatest collection of facial hair I have ever seen (Big Bully Busick was originally in the line-up, which would have further improved their facial hair game; he’s replaced by Hercules who wields a handlebar moustache).
All the faces, except Slaughter, get separate entrances. Heenan alludes to Slaughter being a substitute for an injured Jim Neidhart (Ricky Steamboat was also originally planned for the Survivor Series match). We should remember that just earlier this year, the foreign menace Slaughter was main eventing against Hogan for the world title; he’s now sharing a ring with The Berzerker and Skinner.
Less than a minute in and Santana clocks Skinner with his flying forearm, although he is able to flee to the outside. The Berzerker whiffs some big spots when legal. The heels take out Duggan in the corner as Bobby Heenan remarks: “That’s the way people from the Middle East operate, they wait for their chance, they move in slow, they strike, they get out, do their job, and they’re done.”
Slaughter, with the wispy hair of a monk, hits former tag partner and long-time rival Mustafa with an atomic drop and clothesline, which is able to put down the former Iron Sheik, a former WWF champion.
USA chants break out as Slaughter stays surprisingly resilient, able to survive being thrown into the exposed turnbuckle numerous times. Slaughter kicks Berzerker in the legs, causing him to perform the splits or “one of those Rockette moves” according to Gorilla.
Tornado, the most dynamic performer in the match, even if his in-ring time is brief, dodges a Hercules attack and tags in Santana who eliminates Herc with a flying downward forearm smash. Santana gets a blind tag and Slaughter school boys Skinner. The only heel left is Berzerker, who is quite easily dispatched with a Duggan three-point stance, as the faces all stand tall.
WINNER: Jim Duggan, Sgt. Slaughter, Texas Tornado, Tito Santana (clean sweep)
A thoroughly mid-card match filled with gimmicks galore, it was a very by-the-numbers throwaway affair. Most of the in-ring time featured Slaughter, rather than the more capable Santana or Tornado. It was a somewhat entertaining watch thanks to The Berzerker and it might be a lot of fun for young children but there was absolutely no substance to this encounter whatsoever. At least all involved got a payday.
RATING: *½
Jake Roberts Interview
Roberts, dressed in cowboy boots and an extremely bold sweater, talks to “Mean” Gene.
Okerlund calls Roberts a “sick man.” Roberts states that he is surprised no one had banned his snake earlier, even though he is “the snake you should worry about.” He delivers a direct threat to Miss Elizabeth when Roberts faces Savage at the next PPV, This Tuesday In Texas.
Hulk Hogan (c) vs. The Undertaker (w/Paul Bearer)—WWF Championship
Billed as “The Gravest Challenge” in a nice bit of wordplay, footage is shown from Superstars where The Undertaker beats down Hogan and rips off his chain after a distraction by Ric Flair. A great visual as, armed with chairs, babyfaces Piper and Savage stare down ‘Taker, who stands over a prone Hogan. It is heavily pushed that Survivor Series will be Hogan’s biggest test yet.
A lot of sizing up in the early going, with Hogan being the first to be knocked down and scurrying out of the ring. From then forward, ‘Taker dominates with a series of attacks targeting the neck, such as chokes.
The crowd goes electric for a missed elbow but Hogan fails to knock down “The Dead Man” and a suplex is reversed. The zombified challenger is knocked to the outside but lands on his feet, unmoved. ‘Taker applies a long clawhold to the champion as he rolls his eyes. Another comeback is cut out by a jumping clothesline.
A tombstone is hit but Hogan is up three seconds later. Talk about a burial!
Hogan knocks his opponent to one knee before slamming him as Flair comes to ringside. Bearer seems to miss his cue as Hogan has to sell a distraction. Bearer grabs his foot again as he goes for the atomic legdrop.
With Bearer distracting the referee, ‘Taker hits Hogan with a tombstone onto a chair provided by Ric Flair. Despite Hogan’s head not coming into contact with the same universe as what he was supposed to land on, it is enough to keep him down as ‘Taker—a year on from his debut—wins the WWF title! It is Hogan’s first-ever singles PPV loss.
WINNER: The Undertaker—New Champion!
Post-match, Gorilla shrieks about the result as Heenan lauds a new era as Hulkamania seems dead. Agents such as Tony Garea, Pat Patterson, and Rene Goulet check on Hogan, who struggles to move. In a very tasteless move, the commentators bring up how Hogan visited a real-life paraplegic football player and ponder if Hogan has also been paralysed.
Another one-dimensional match, it was nonetheless an entertaining pantomime, about the best that could be done given how limited The Undertaker’s gimmick makes his performances. More style than substance really. A big negative is how long Hogan took post-match, sapping all of the attention out of the new champion and putting it onto sympathy for himself; ‘Taker’s win was further hampered by Gorilla Monsoon commenting on how it took three men to beat Hogan, putting over Hulk but not Undertaker in the slightest.
RATING: **
Roddy Piper, Ric Flair, Main Event, Jack Tunney Interviews
Piper is interviewed, with the wide-eyed Scotsman shouting hysterically. He, like others, takes the shine off ‘Taker, calling him an “Addams Family reject.” He is off-the-walls, seemingly taking a potshot at Jack Tunney before stating Flair and ‘Taker’s title coup is the equivalent of David Duke taking the presidency—yes, really.
Sean Mooney interviews Ric Flair and Mr Perfect. Flair now claims that he is the sole world champion and communicates his feeling of glory over the end of Hulkamania.
Moving on, Gene interviews the heel team of The Natural Disasters and I.R.S., who will main event the card. A shouty Earthquake promises massive aftershocks after his team prevails over tag champions The Legion of Doom. Jimmy Hart shrieks that Roberts was not at fault and I.R.S. predicts Jack Tunney will be audited.
The faces, interviewed by Mooney, are all bursting with anticipation. Animal yells whilst The Big Boss Man tells Irwin R. Schyster will serve hard times—likely not for tax crimes though, I bet. Hawk says that will leave the heels reduced to a pair of sweat socks before chastising Mooney for nearly cutting him off mid-catchphrase.
Jack Tunney is interviewed by Gene about the result of the previous match. Although the result cannot be overturned, Tunney books a rematch for as soon as possible, to take place at This Tuesday In Texas. This whole PPV is just a shill for next week’s PPV, especially since Monsoon goes into a hard sell immediately afterwards.
The Beverly Brothers (Beau & Blake, w/The Genius) & The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs & Jerry Sags, w/Jimmy Hart) vs. The Bushwhackers (Butch & Luke) & The Rockers (Marty Jannetty & Shawn Michaels)
In the opening, The Bushwhackers send both teams packing, followed by dropkicks by both Rockers. Just seconds earlier, Jannetty had entered then exited the ring, being premature to the spot perhaps.
Out of nowhere, Knobbs hits a sloppy diving clothesline and eliminates one of the Bushwhackers, even though his shoulder is clearly up. The commentators have no idea which Bushwhacker it is and Gorilla asks “is that Butch?”; it was Luke.
Some drunk legend with a beer in each hand takes up the shot at one point. In the ring, Jannetty is worn down until Luke is tagged in and unleashes some fury upon The Beverlys. A spontaneous Shaker Heights finisher keeps down the remaining Kiwi.
Two to four down, Jannetty fights back with a monkey flip and hurricanrana. The Beverlys hit an impressive leap frog senton manoeuvre which would later be popularised by The World’s Greatest Tag Team. Heenan makes a ‘topical’ reference to The Angels, just a short 29 years earlier. Beau is suddenly outed after an impressive Michaels counter out of a side suplex into a backslide.
On commentary, the relationship between The Rockers is brought up as it is implied the two are not cooperating as effectively as possible, with Marty not tagging in and Michaels not attempting to tag. Marty does eventually get the hot tag, performing an impressive flipping sit-out pinfall move on Blake.
After the Nastys wear down Marty, Shawn comes back in with a head of steam. During a brawl, Marty lifts Sags, who bashes Michaels in the face, leaving him prone to elimination. Michaels is heated and yells at Jannetty, sowing the seeds for the famous break-up the next year.
Fighting three-one down, Jannetty wipes out The Nastys with a top rope splash. When the referee (Danny Davis, by the way) is ejecting Blake, Knobbs rolls Marty’s inside cradle over so Sags is pinning. The referee counts the three, an odd decision considering Sags was most definitely not the legal man.
WINNER: Blake Beverly, Brian Knobbs & Jerry Sags
The match was competent and told an engaging story, even if nothing to write home about. It is surprising, perhaps, that a match featuring three teams I have little interest in and only one team who won the tag titles perhaps had the best in-ring encounter of the night, even if in need of a slight trim.
The Rockers were far and away the most entertaining, wowing the fans a few times with their agile move-set. Designed to push the Nasty Boys, it did a good job of portraying them as cartoonish, cackling villains, able to pick up the scraps at the end to glide to victory. If nothing else, it was a great start to the slow road to The Rockers split angle.
RATING: ***
Irwin R. Schyster & The Natural Disasters (Earthquake & Typhoon, w/Jimmy Hart) vs. Big Boss Man & The Legion Of Doom (Animal & Hawk)
The three-on-three main event is next. With Sid Justice injured, Jake Roberts was shuffled into the Randy Savage angle, necessitating his kayfabe removal from this match.
Heenan portrays babyface Boss Man as corrupt, stating “this guy would take a bribe faster than you can bribe him.” Boss Man sadly does not come out with his own set of spiked shoulder pads on.
A rough-looking Boss Man starts off and, in a bit of a blow, the fans chant for LOD. Heenan claims the best part about Detroit is that he can get on a plane tomorrow morning and leave, which is great. BBM wallops I.R.S. around, meanwhile, displaying his astounding fluidity and pace. There is a slightly botched but well-recovered spot where Hawk throws I.R.S. at Typhoon, who catches him, only to go down after a dropkick to the taxman. In the corner, Boss Man hits some comedy rapid punches.
After standing on I.R.S.’s tie, an outside fracas between LOD and The Disasters allows Schyster to thwack Boss Man with his briefcase, incapacitating him for the three. Using illegal tactics, the heels work as a team to decimate Animal until he knocks down Typhoon with a clothesline.
Hawk evades a briefcase shot from I.R.S., which instead hits the former Tugboat, who is pinned. Earthquake, enraged at Schyster’s rogue misfire, checks on and then walks out with his tag partner. Counted out as a result, it is a rather touching bit of solidarity for a heel.
Left alone, Schyster avoids a Hawk corner charge, causing him to smash into the post. Awkward spot as I.R.S. seems to go for his ‘Write-Off’ finisher but the two bump into each other and clunkily crumple to the mat. Animal is in and hits a series of power moves, including a stiff-looking double clothesline with Hawk. Rotunda tries to run away but is cut off by Boss Man; Heenan complains and Monsoon tells him to submit his complaint in writing.
A suplex to the inside by Animal followed by a diving lariat signals victory for The Legion of Doom.
WINNERS: Animal, Hawk
In no way did this match feel like a main event. I guess it makes sense that the WWF wanted to send fans home happy with some babyfaces triumphing, but Hogan/Undertaker would have been far more effective.
This was a perfectly serviceable match in which all were protected without too many BS finishes, which is what I expected; The Legion of Doom looked like absolute killers, The Natural Disasters still looked strong, and both Boss Man and I.R.S. were willing to put over others. Little more to say beyond that it was more house show main event than PPV main event.
RATING: ***
Undertaker & Paul Bearer Interview
Okerlund has finally located ‘Taker in some unknown part of the arena. Bearer announces Hulkamania has died. ‘Taker promises a burial on Tuesday. Overall, the promo was fairly needless as it told us very little we could not have already inferred.
Conclusion
If I were in the business of grading, this event would get a C-.
Beyond the mid-card world title change, the event is almost entirely forgettable. Most matches were average or subpar, with little of consequence. Ironically, despite being one of the biggest PPVs of the year, it seemed that the most important storyline development would take place in less than a week’s time at the This Tuesday In Texas event. Survivor Series 1991 was merely a shill for This Tuesday In Texas.
One of the big questions is: “who came out best from this event?” The most obvious answer is The Undertaker. Yet, he needed help from Bearer and Flair, did not main event, was buried somewhat on commentary, had his spotlight stolen by Hogan, and his moment cut short by the announcement of an upcoming rematch. Elsewhere, Hogan had his first major singles loss in years, Flair won by the virtue of an incompetent referee, and The Legion of Doom were over but never going to break the WWF’s tag team glass ceiling.
It is hard to denote positives and negatives on this show as it was not a range of good and bad but more of a moderately consistent set of average matches. When you are running one of your big shows of the year, one of the very last things you want is for it to be ‘mid’—and that’s a rather damning indictment on the quality of this event.
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