Category: Sports (TV & Videos)

SUMMARY:              RUNNING TIME: 20:28 Min.

From the Rosemont Horizon in suburban Chicago, IL, on November 23, 1989, this four-on-four elimination tag match would conclude the WWF/WWE’s 3^rd Annual Survivor Series. 

Captaining his self-named quartet is WWF Intercontinental Champion The Ultimate Warrior, who has recruited The Hart Foundation’s Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart and The Rockers: Marty Jannetty & Shawn Michaels.    

Led by André the Giant, the Heenan Family consists of: Haku, the Brain Busters’ Arn Anderson, and, as a supposed last-minute substitute, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan himself.  Despite Tully Blanchard’s image being advertised during the show, it is later conveyed to viewers that he had angrily left Heenan’s stable earlier that same night.    

Providing the match commentary are “Gorilla” Monsoon and Jesse “The Body” Ventura. 

Notes:  Unlike what is implied on-screen, Blanchard had been quietly released by the WWF in early November 1989.  Having given the same previous notice as Blanchard, Anderson left the WWF almost immediately thereafter.

REVIEW:

With Hulk Hogan’s main event scheduled before intermission, this Ultimate Warrior showcase ending the show is better than expected. 

Upon André’s instant exit (copying his 1989 I-C Title house show series flopping for the Warrior), this match’s enjoyment falls upon Anderson, Haku, and the Rockers.  Their combined workhorse sweat goes far compensating for Blanchard’s regrettable absence.  To a lesser degree, the same applies to Neidhart and even a game Heenan (his pratfalls are still impressive), as far as shielding the Warrior’s limited stamina.

While Anderson & Haku concoct a formidable makeshift tag team (far surpassing Haku & André’s Colossal Connection), the ultra-athletic Rockers reciprocate as high-caliber adversaries.  Also, the Neidhart-Anderson match-up is fun to watch, as far as imagining the classic tag title feud that the Hart Foundation should have had with the Brain Busters.  Despite lacking Sting’s talent, even the Warrior, in short bursts, looks good keeping up with his fellow performers.   

Inevitably, the match’s worst sequence comes at the end pitting the mighty Intercontinental Champ against a befuddled Heenan.  Even if their lame 1988 ‘weasel suit’ matches were pitched as pure comedy relief, the concept was still barely watchable.  This rehash is no different, as Jesse Ventura’s scripted assessment acknowledges that the Warrior’s gleeful bulldozing of the conniving manager is unimpressive and hardly heroic. 

Echoing Heenan’s traditional ‘heat’ with fans, the supposedly humorous finish was what the WWF thought its audience wanted.  Unfortunately, for viewers, the match’s MVP (Anderson – with plenty of welcome help from Michaels and Haku) had already exited ringside.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                      6 Stars

SUMMARY:                   RUNNING TIME: 21:27 Min.

On November 23, 1989, from the Rosemont Horizon, in suburban Chicago, IL, this eight-man elimination tag match was the second-to-last of five such matches at the 3^rd Annual Survivor Series. 

Captaining “The Rude Brood” (aka “Rude’s Brood”) is ex-WWF Intercontinental Champion “Ravishing” Rick Rude.  Oozing almost as much conceit as Rude are his partners: “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig (with associate “The Genius” Lanny Poffo), and, with their manager Jimmy Hart, The Fabulous Rougeaus: brothers Raymond & Jacques Rougeau.  Conspicuously absent is Rude’s own manager, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, but this matter is later explained prior to the event’s concluding bout. 

Leading his wacky “Roddy’s Rowdies” is “Rowdy” Roddy Piper.  Piper’s quartet consists of: his former mid-80s nemesis, “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka, and The Bushwhackers: Butch Miller & Luke Williams. 

The match commentators are “Gorilla” Monsoon and Jesse “The Body” Ventura.

Notes: Rude’s team justifies its nickname in their pre-match promo, not to mention their post-match gloating.  In contrast, the Piper team’s own pre-match promo (with “Mean” Gene Okerlund) is hilariously lowbrow.    

REVIEW:

Featuring lots of cartoonish fake biting, this showdown effectively scores comedy relief in the first half before giving way to solid wrestling down the stretch.  The Piper vs. Rude feud (as does Piper vs. Hennig) packs star power, but this match is subsequently stolen by Snuka & Hennig’s high-caliber showdown. 

Suffice to say, this sleeper bout where Piper’s roughhousing brutes counter the Rude squad’s finesse provides a welcome treat. 

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                              7 Stars

SUMMARY:                 RUNNING TIME: 23:25 Min.

On November 23, 1989, from the Rosemont Horizon, in suburban Chicago, IL, this eight-man elimination tag match was the second of five such bouts at the 3^rd Annual Survivor Series. 

On one side is “Macho King” Randy Savage, and his “King’s Court” consisting of: Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, Dino Bravo, and newcomer John Tenta as the “Canadian Earthquake.”  Adding nefarious star power at ringside are “Sensational Queen” Sherri and Jimmy Hart to make it practically a 6-on-4 handicap. 

Wielding actual 4×4’s for comic effect, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan leads his squad consisting of: Hercules, “Rugged” Ronnie Garvin, and The Hart Foundation’s Bret” Hitman” Hart into battle.  The match commentators are “Gorilla” Monsoon and Jesse “The Body” Ventura.

Note: Tenta replaced “Stalker” Barry Windham in this bout due to the latter’s departure from the WWF. 

REVIEW:

Though reminiscent of the André/Rick Rude team’s squashing of Duggan & Jake Roberts’ squad the year before, this eight-man slugfest still packs solid entertainment.  Its overall plotting makes sense watching Garvin, Hart, and Duggan face long odds against the villains’ superior numbers (and enormous size) after Hercules’ relatively fast exit. 

If anything, the electrifying sequences pitting Hart vs. Savage (seeing two future multi-time WWF World Heavyweight Champions against one another) is easily this showdown’s best asset. Lastly, the crowd-pleasing finish gives Duggan a welcome shot at some payback, even if it’s a case of too little far too late.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                  6½ Stars

SUMMARY:                RUNNING TIME: 17:50 Min.

From the Richfield Coliseum, in Richfield Ohio, on November 24, 1988, this five-on-five elimination tag match was the lead-off for the WWF/WWE’s 2^nd Annual Survivor Series. 

On one side are the co-captains: WWF Intercontinental Champion The Ultimate Warrior and Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake, along with young second-generation talents, Owen Hart (as the masked Blue Blazer) and Sam Houston.  Joining their squad is the ex-Killer Bee, “Jumping” Jim Brunzell, who replaced Don “The Rock” Muraco upon his departure from the company the previous month. 

Their conniving opposition consists of The Honky Tonk Man (whom the Warrior had recently dethroned as I-C Champion at SummerSlam ’88) co-captaining with “Outlaw” Ron Bass.  Correlating Bass and Honky Tonk’s storylines is that Bass had supposedly injured Beefcake to deprive him of his coveted SummerSlam I-C title shot at Honky. 

Joining this nefarious duo are Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, “Dangerous” Danny Davis (in one of his last matches before he resumed refereeing), and the ever-volatile “Bad News” Brown.  At ringside is the megaphone-wielding Jimmy “Mouth of the South” Hart, on behalf of Honky, Davis, and Valentine. 

Providing match commentary are “Gorilla” Monsoon and Jesse “The Body” Ventura.

Notes: As far as déjà vu, Bass, Davis, & Honky Tonk had previously tagged together at the first Survivor Series (in the Richfield Coliseum, no less) against “Macho Man” Randy Savage’s squad of Intercontinental Title challengers.  Beefcake and Honky Tonk, coincidentally, opposed one another three consecutive years at the Survivor Series (1987-89). 

REVIEW:

Considering all four matches at the first Survivor Series delivered dynamite entertainment, this middling 1988 opener falls far short of continuing such expectations.  Starting with Davis, maybe there was a lingering injury or another backstage motive to warrant his weak and super-fast exit.  Either way, it becomes an omen for Honky Tonk’s lethargic team.  Watching Valentine and Bass later flop in rapid succession like human dominoes provides an exclamation point on going through the motions.

As fun as it might have been to watch him to bulldoze Honky’s crew, Muraco’s absence likely protected his in-ring reputation.  If Brunzell was inserted into this match’s script as is, it is disappointing to see the former Killer Bee dumped like an expendable jobber.  One might surmise that it was also delayed payment for the Bees’ impressive Survivor Series showing the year before. 

Still, Houston, and to a lesser degree, the flashy Owen Hart, get a valuable opportunity playing off wily villains Valentine, Honky Tonk, and Bass before the predictable happens.  As for Beefcake’s contributions, he and Honky cancel each other out with nothing fans haven’t seen before. 

The most intriguing scenario: seeing Brown menace the Intercontinental Champ or even Beefcake fails to materialize.  Scripting Brown to shockingly prevail (much like he did at WrestleMania IV) would have been smart storytelling for one big reason.  It would then have made sense why he is later shown belligerently demanding a title shot at World Champion Randy Savage.  Instead, by resorting to the same cliché twice (if one also counts 1989), Brown’s dubious walkouts at Survivor Series waste his sinister main event potential. 

Lastly, grouping the Warrior with other rising young talents, like Hart and Houston, sounds good in theory.  The problem is that, unsurprisingly, both cruiserweights demonstrate why they are more skilled in-ring performers than the Warrior.  The Intercontinental Champ’s cartoonish presence single-handedly dispatching the final baddies with such ease reveals how little thought the WWF gave to this match’s potential repercussions. In other words, any suspense impacting the Intercontinental Title scene heading into 1989 is squandered. 

Proving worse than the squash-fest pitting Jake Roberts/Hacksaw Jim Duggan’s squad vs. André the Giant/Rick Rude’s team, this 1988 opener wastes good mid-card talent.  It is a shame that fans are stuck with such a forgettable slugfest.    

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                  3½ Stars

SUMMARY:             RUNNING TIME: 14:20 Min.

On November 22, 1990, from the Hartford Civic Center, on the WWF/WWE’s home turf of Hartford, CT, this eight-man elimination tag match opened the 4^th Annual Survivor Series.  Unlike any Survivor Series before or since, the added stipulation of the show’s five elimination tag matches is that the winners would then face off in a ‘Final Survivors’ main event.

On one side, WWF World Champion The Ultimate Warrior has recruited his real-life friend, WWF Intercontinental Champion Kerry “The Texas Tornado” Von Erich, and the Road Warriors (aka Hawk and Animal – The Legion of Doom).  Their opposition would be ex-Intercontinental Champion “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig and Demolition: Ax, Smash, and Brian “Crush” Adams. 

Potentially adding some extra spark at ringside are Bobby “The Brain” Heenan and Mr. Fuji as the nefarious managers.  The match commentators are “Gorilla” Monsoon and “Rowdy” Roddy Piper.

Notes: In lieu of World Title defenses, at the time, the Warrior had been regularly teaming up with The Legion of Doom in six-man bouts bullzdozing Demolition at house shows. Though not yet acknowledged by syndicated WWF TV programs, Hennig had already dethroned Von Erich to regain the I-C Championship.

REVIEW:

First, one ought to consider this big ‘dream’ what-if:  Had this bout occurred in 1988 or 1989, fans would have enjoyed The Road Warriors (still in their NWA prime), a very watchable Von Erich – whether it be his World Class Championship Wrestling promotion or even the middling AWA, and a rising Warrior, who never improved his in-ring performance much.  The villains facing them could have been Hennig peaking as the WWF’s best performer, perhaps either “Ravishing” Rick Rude” or “Macho King” Randy Savage – both in their WWF primes, and preferably The Powers of Pain (Barbarian and the Warlord) in place of the overrated Demolition (Ax & Smash). It’s the kind of main event firepower to justify Hulk Hogan seething in jealousy.

Reality for the Warrior’s ‘Dream Team’ would become much different over the course of a mere year. or two. Having shifted to the high-profile WWF, the Warriors and Von Erich too often opted to coast on their considerable star power, and this match would prove no different.  Disappointingly, none of them were allowed to outshine the flashy WWF World Champ, given the formulaic script setting up the show’s main event. 

The flip side is that Hennig’s team, without either Rude (who had left the WWF weeks before) or an available Savage, stood no chance.  Stuck with the sluggish Demolition (in Ax & Smash’s last WWF appearance together), plus a still-inexperienced Brian Adams, Hennig was evidently expected to deliver the goods on his own … literally. 

Case in point: while the initial minutes of this match are relatively good, the WWF opts for a cop-out forcing a solo Hennig to face both WWF singles champions.  It is no surprise that Hennig is assigned the night’s most thankless task – still, he acquits himself well enough.  The problem is the ultra-predictable winner fans are then stuck with. 

Notes: The Warrior team’s inane pre-match promo relies solely on badly-scripted (or maybe ad-libbed) threats and clichés.  Garishly resembling a human candy cane that night, Savage lucked out scoring an interview segment vs. participating in such a lackluster effort. With Ax departing the WWF, Smash & Crush’s dull incarnation of Demolition later ended in 1991.    

Exuding the roster’s lazy attitude that night, this 1990 Survivor Series opener is forgettable.  At best, it’s a rushed C-level performance.  The sole A-game this entire show offered would be then-WWF World Tag Team Champion Bret Hart’s mini-classic vs. Ted DiBiase (and, by extension, Virgil).  

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                          3 Stars