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 4th 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
