Survivor Series 91' is a show near-if-not-dear to my heart. I don't 100% remember if my brothers and I were able to convince my parents to order the previous year's show on PPV or if we caught WrestleMania VII live (or if we just rented it a hundred times that year from the video store at Cedar Center), but I do know with 100% certainty that we watched Survivor Series 91' on pay-per-view. We had no choice. It was Hulk Hogan's Gravest Challenge and the Hulkster needed his legion of Hulkamaniacs in his corner now more than ever before.
The actual buyrate shows that many, many Hulkamaniacs opted to not make the purchase. Maybe out of fear that they would end up witnessing the death of Hulkamania? Sure. That sounds right.
It couldn't possibly be because, by the fall of 91', the WWE was in a downturn that they wouldn't recover from until the rise of Steve Austin a half-decade or so later.
This show, despite being built around the macabre concept of the literal death of Hulkamania, can thus be seen as actually Vince's true final attempt to save Hulkamania. In the Undertaker, who had gone undefeated (more or less) for the past year, Vince had built up a new monster unlike any before - more cartoonish, yes, but also more sinister - and Vince further broke from tradition by promoting a WWE Championship match on the card, something that had never done before at a Survivor Series show (and only once at a SummerSlam).
What might've been Vince's biggest error in the build-up to this show was that he inexplicably pulled the co-main event off the card just a week before the show, opting to run the legendary angle of Jake Roberts siccing his snake, Damien, onto Randy Savage on TV and kayfabe suspending Roberts and forbidding Savage from competing. Savage and Roberts' 1-on-1 bout would end up being the top draw for This Tuesday in Texas, a companion PPV held less than a week after Survivor Series 91', but it was a costly gamble that, in hindsight, seems like a very bad one too.
Consider the buyrates. Survivor Series 91' did a weak 300k purchases, down 100k from the previous year's show, but still in the same ballpark as the previous years and 50k more than what the 92' buyrate would be. The under-promoted This Tuesday in Texas PPV? A measly 100-150k purchases based on estimates (these numbers were never officially released)...at a discounted price of $13 (compared to the $30 that Survivor Series cost). So, there is a chance that, say, 25-50k fans who might have purchased Survivor Series at full price were turned off by Savage and Roberts (a mega-hot feud at the time) not wrestling on the show and thus decided to skip Survivor Series and spend half the money to get the match they cared about more. In a sense, they skipped the turkey and went right for the pie. Or maybe that 300k was really the "ceiling" for a non-WrestleMania show at this time? Its not like the Royal Rumble that followed, arguably one of the greatest wrestling pay-per-views of all time, did that much better...
Anyway, enough history, let's get to the action...
The show begins with an absolutely loaded Survivors Match - Ric Flair, Ted DiBiase, The Mountie, and The Warlord taking on Roddy Piper, Intercontinental Champion Bret Hart, Virgil (who was still very over with the live crowd), and Davey Boy Smith. Flair had debuted just a couple months before this show and was claiming to be the real World's Champion (he comes to the ring with a blurred-out championship belt) and was already in a heated feud with Roddy Piper. Bret was feuding with The Mountie (and would drop the Intercontinental Title to him not too long after this event), Virgil and Ted DiBiase had faced off at WrestleMania VII and then again at SummerSlam so they had plenty of history to draw on, and Davey Boy Smith and the Warlord had also wrestled at the previous Mania and then again at SummerSlam in a six-man. With all these intertwining feuds, the crowd is red hot no matter who is in the ring, though I could see the argument that having Flair make his WWE PPV debut in the opening match featuring seven other wrestlers might not have been the best way to spotlight him as the company's new top heel. Onto the action - this one is loaded with it. Lots of signature spots and crowd-pleasing fun here with Sherri (who was now managing DiBiase) getting involved early and getting kissed by Piper. Hart gets some shine early on, head-bumping Flair and causing him to do his signature flop (which looks like it confuses the Hitman a little despite it being a quintessential part of the Nature Boy's act). Piper comes in and goes right after Flair, garnering another huge crowd response. Bulldog comes in and press slams him for another big pop before he's able to tag in Warlord. Warlord and Bulldog squaring off always got a reaction (at least until they were forced to actually, y'know, wrestle and not just trade power spots) and a multi-man match is the perfect place for it. The Mountie comes in a few minutes later and the Bulldog catches him with a powerslam for a should-be pin, but when everyone jumps into the ring, Flair strikes him with a knee off the rope and the Bulldog gets pinned. Piper takes over the faces but gets beaten down and has to tag in Virgil, who gets his spotlight moment against Ted DiBiase. There's continued confusion once Warlord comes back in and applies a full nelson to Virgil, gets struck in the back by Bret, and then pinned by Piper (despite Roddy not being the legal man). This would irk me if it wasn't a somewhat subtle presage of the eventual finish as the commentators note that the referee has really lost control in the ring. Virgil ends up applying the Million Dollar Hold (sleeper) on DiBiase for yet another big pop from the Detroit crowd, Flair and Piper go at it once again, and before you know it, Bret and the Mountie are also in the ring. The action is so out of control that the referee calls for the bell and disqualifies everyone who wasn't the legal man (so everyone except Flair and Piper, I believe) and refused to leave the ring during the melee (which means Piper gets the heave-ho too!). This makes Flair the sole survivor, which pleases Bobby Heenan to no end. I rarely see this match listed as one of the best Survivors matches ever (or even of the 80s or 90s), but the crowd is red hot for it, the star power is there, and you get lots of "moments" in here. On the negative side, the finish is an undeniable cop-out intended to keep everyone strong (except Bulldog and Warlord, I guess). I'd still consider this above-average, especially compared to some of the weak Survivors matches that happened on previous shows. (3.5/5)
Randy Savage comes out for an interview and gets joined by Miss Elizabeth, who says she will be in Texas on Tuesday for This Tuesday in Texas too.
Sgt. Slaughter, Jim Duggan, Texas Tornado, and Tito Santana take on Col. Mustafa (Iron Sheik), The Berzerker, Skinner, and Hercules next. Not much good to say about this match aside from The Berzerker's performance, which is incredible. His bumping is stupendous and he comes across as a legit wildman, even if the gimmick is one-note and Bruiser-lite. Hercules looks incredibly jacked here, roided up to the point he looks almost inhuman. Texas Tornado doesn't get much time in the ring - in fact, I'm not sure he ever gets tagged into what amounts to a squash match for the faces. Total filler, but one point awarded for the Norseman. (1/5)
Jake Roberts comes out for an interview next to plug This Tuesday in Texas yet again. It doesn't make sense that Roberts and Savage are in the same building and that Savage lets Roberts talk shit without attacking him.
After a video recapping the build-up, it's time for the WWE Championship match - Hulk Hogan defending against The Undertaker. As I wrote about in the intro, Hogan had conquered every monster and villain the WWE had on its roster by this point and, while they hadn't faced each other since Hogan "passed the torch" to him at WrestleMania VI, Hogan had also taken back the top guy spot from the Ultimate Warrior. But the cracks in Hogan's act were showing and, even during this match, there's a small portion of the audience that audibly cheers The Undertaker. In terms of action, you get what you get with this. Is it as good as the matches Hogan against Savage and Warrior a few years prior? Nope, but then again, few matches are. This is Hogan-by-the-numbers against an Undertaker that was still 100% in "Wrestling Zombie" mode, showing no weakness, no vulnerability, but also no real offense or any of the surprising agility that would later become his trademark. So while you may not get much in terms of innovative offense or impressive feats of athleticism, what you do get is sports-entertainment with a heavy emphasis on the latter half of that duo. From the start, Hogan is raring to go, toppling the casket that the Deadman and Bearer brought to ringside, and the vast majority of the crowd is in his corner, rooting him on from the start and never letting up for long. We get some choking and some failed shoulder tackles from Hogan and then Taker hits the Tombstone Piledriver...but Hogan no sells it to a huge pop and goes into his Hulking Up routine. Hogan has all the momentum but here comes the screwjob as Bearer distracts and Flair makes his way down the aisle. Its not clear what Flair was coming for - to steal the belt? - but Hogan goes after him on the outside of the ring anyway. Hogan gets back in the ring, Bearer trips him up when he attempts his patented leg drop, and the referee turns to scold him, which allows Taker to recover and get Hogan up for another Tombstone. This time, though, Flair slides a chair into the ring and Taker delivers the Tombstone onto the chair! Taker makes the cover and the crowd actually pops for the title change, probably just because it was such a shocking moment. I'd consider this above-average just because of the elements on display - a hot crowd, Hogan and Undertaker playing their respective characters to a T, the screwy-but-shocking finish, Heenan and Monsoon's commentary - adding up to be more than the sum of their parts. (3/5)
Backstage, Roddy Piper cuts a promo and then Flair and Perfect get on the mic too. Flair's promo is great, maybe one of the best ones he cut during this WWE run. After hearing from the Natural Disasters and Jack Tunney, who announces a rematch for the title at This Tuesday in Texas, its time to head back to the ring for...
The Bushwhackers and The Rockers vs. The Beverly Brothers and The Nasty Boys in a Survivors Match. This one starts out slow but eventually builds to a really hot ending. I wish they'd have shaved a couple minutes off the front-end as The Bushwhackers aren't very fun to watch and the Nasty Boys weren't too great either. Fortunately, Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty are around to deliver all the fast-paced action, innovative-for-the-time offense that one might want, with Michaels working especially hard as the face-in-peril for a stretch. When the match becomes The Rockers vs. The Nasty Boys and The Beverlys, the crowd is woken back up and Michaels steals the match, flying off the apron and taking spectacular bumps. When he makes the hot tag to Jannetty, Marty gets some great offense in, but the Rockers can't turn the tide. Shawn is eventually eliminated and blames Marty for it, the Rockers' split being teased but not yet delivered. Michaels walks out and Gorilla mistakenly notes that he wasn't actually eliminated even though he was. Jannetty now has to fend for himself and while he puts up a valiant effort, including a visual pin on one of the Nasties that the ref misses, he eventually falls prey to the numbers game. This match went 20+ minutes, but could've been really, really good if they had condensed it down to 15 or 16. Most reviews that I read hated this match, but I thought Shawn did enough to save it and get the Rockers' storyline across. (2.5/5)
Main event time - The Natural Disasters and IRS vs. The Legion of Doom and The Big Bossman. Imagine thinking you're going to get Jake Roberts and Randy Savage at the top of the card, at the peak of their feud, and getting this instead? Having this match close out the show feels like a "house show" move as I'm guessing Vince didn't want to end the show with Hogan losing the title without having time to also plug Tuesday in Texas for the hundredth time. Bossman and IRS start things off before Quake and Hawk come in. As long as Tenta or Bossman are in the ring, I'm guessing this will be watchable as IRS, Typhoon, and the Road Warriors are generally incapable of doing anything that will surprise or impress me. Of course, Bossman gets eliminated first, which means its up to the Legion of Doom, who are very over with the live crowd. The Disasters team up on Animal in the corner. Tenta continues to pound him before tagging in IRS. Ottman comes in and applies a bear hug before shoving him into the corner. Animal is able to hit a clothesline and then tag in Hawk. With the ref trying to keep Animal in his corner, Earthquake tosses the briefcase to IRS, but IRS strikes Typhoon! Hawk makes the cover and it's 2-2. Not only that, Quake is PISSED and LEAVES with Typhoon! I guess that counts as a face turn? IRS is now left with the Road Warriors, but what should be 2-3 more minutes of action is dragged out a bit as Rotunda actually gains the upperhand and beats down on Hawk a bit. IRS applies a headlock, nearly putting Hawk (and me) to sleep. When Hawk mounts a comeback, IRS heads to the back...but is stopped by Bossman. Ugh. This match is dragging for no good reason and doesn't even end with a Doomsday Device (probably because IRS was wise enough not to agree to take it.) This went on too long after the Disasters left and the match wasn't very good before they left either. (0.5/5)
Backstage, Sean Mooney plugs This Tuesday in Texas again. We then cut back to the announcer's table where Monsoon and Heenan plug it as well before sending things to Gene Okerlund, who has found the Undertaker and Paul Bearer in the "bowels of Joe Louis Arena." The Undertaker says that Hulkamania died tonight and Tuesday will be the burial. Okay.
With a Kwang Score of 2-out-of-5, Survivor Series 91' is a below average show salvaged by featuring a handful of great and legendary moments, including Hogan's unexpected title loss, Flair winning the opening contest, and some enjoyable promos out of Savage, Jake Roberts, the Nature Boy, and the Hulkster. With Roddy Piper, Bret Hart, the Road Warriors, and Bossman all featured too, the star power is enough to lift this from being unwatchable, though if you're looking for a show from this era that is actually worth watching, skip ahead to the 92' Rumble, which has all the same stars and Sid and the best commentator work of all-time from Bobby Heenan.
FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver
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