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 2nd 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
