Survivor Series 96' kicks off with a (somewhat) old-fashioned Survivors match - Owen Hart and the British Bulldog (Tag Team Champions at the time) with The New Rockers (Marty Jannetty and Al "Leif Cassidy" Snow) vs. relative newcomers Doug Furnas and Phil Lafon and The Godwinns. I wasn't expecting much out of this match as the New Rockers were a lame tandem of two guys that had zero chemistry - even though, separately, they both had plenty of talent - and the Godwinns were two generally boring hosses. Furnas and Lafon coming in had been treated like a big deal on commentary as they had quite a rep from their work in Japan. Somehow this match works, though, as everyone, even the Godwinns, had their work boots on and the crowd was surprisingly hot. I guess it helps when you've got Owen Hart in there, who really shined throughout, and the very capable Furnas, Lafon, Bulldog, and Al Snow all trying to show that they could go to. The finish also put Furnas and Lafon over as a team that might be able to topple Bulldog and Owen, a desperately needed shot-in-the-arm to an otherwise very, very stale tag team scene (the Road Warriors would make their big return just a few months after this in February 97'). Not an all-time great opener, but better than it might appear on paper. (3/5)
One of the strengths of this card is the variety as, instead of another Survivors match, we get a PPV Main Event-Worthy match as The Undertaker takes on Mankind with Paul Bearer hung over the ring (and the stipulation that Taker will get time alone with Bearer if he can defeat Mankind). At the previous month's In Your House: Buried Alive show, The Undertaker had been "buried alive" following a match against Mankind that I don't think I've seen since I was in high school and would make his return at this show. This is one of the less well-known Taker/Mankind matches compared to their Boiler Room Brawl match from August's SummerSlam show and obviously the King of the Ring Hell in a Cell match they'd have in 98', but there's a reason for that - its just not very memorable. That isn't to say anyone is working lazily - especially Mankind, who takes quite a few heinous bumps on the floor - but this just isn't a match that I'd consider "must see." Still, if this was the type of effort they were putting out on the house show circuit, its amazing that Taker went on to compete for another 20 years and Mankind isn't in a wheelchair today because this is a physical contest. After Undertaker gets the win with a crowd-pleasing Tombstone, he tries to get his hands on Bearer but the Executioner shows up and attacks him. The Executioner was Terry Gordy in a mask, getting the gig as a favor to Michael "Dok Hendrix" Hayes, if I'm not mistaken. It was a terrible gimmick, which didn't help things, but I think Gordy was also more than a couple years past his prime and never exactly a guy who worked a style that was going to get over in the WWE in 1996. Another slightly-above match that also gets some love for featuring the Undertaker coming down to the ring dressed like a weird S&M Batman. (3/5)
Time for another Survivors match - this one pitting Hunter Hearst Helmsley (not yet Triple H), Jerry "The King" Lawler, Goldust, and Crush vs. "Wildman" Marc Mero, The Stalker (Barry Windham), Rocky Miavia (not yet The Rock), and Jake "The Snake" Roberts (who was a surprise addition when Mark Henry was pulled from the match for some reason or other). This one isn't as good as the opener, but it might be a slightly funner watch just because of the ridiculousness of some of the characters, Sunny and JR's banter on commentary (which gets borderline cringe-inducing), seeing Dustin and Barry get a few moments together, and, of course, this being The Rock's debut match. That being said, the action isn't great - Helmsley, Goldust, and Mero are basically wasted while Jake Roberts and Barry Windham are at career low-points. This is the first match of the night that could be respectfully considered below-average and, in some eyes, an absolute stinker - but credit to Vince for making this watchable thanks to the train wreck commentary. (1.5/5)
The next match is an all-time classic - Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart in a straight-up wrestling match. Their WrestleMania 13 match is widely considered the best match they ever had together and arguably within the top 5 WWE matches ever, but had that match never occurred, its possible this match would be in the conversation instead. Its just that good, its greatest flaw really just coming from Vince McMahon's wishy-washy commentary which, as Bret has pointed out, often contradicts the clear heel/face dynamic that he and Austin were delivering in the ring by giving Austin a bit too much praise and Hart not enough (it doesn't help that Jim Ross was a dyed-in-the-wool Stone Cold supporter was also just coming out of a pseudo-heel role after debuting the Fake Razor Ramon and Fake Diesel a few weeks prior and the fact that NYC crowds in the 90s tended to side with the heels anyway). Before the bell rings, Austin gives the Hitman two birds (which gets a huge reaction) before they start exchanging holds. The storytelling and logic of this match is just amazing as Austin doesn't come into this match looking to just brawl with Bret - he wants to beat him by out-wrestling him. Austin hits his old Stun Gun finisher, which is brilliantly called-back later on in the match by the Hitman. The quality exchanges continue, eventually leading to a trading of right hands before Bret takes one of his trademark chest-first bumps into the corner. In other Bret matches, this would often signal the start of the "heat" segment as Bret would go into full selling mode for typically bigger "monsters" like Bigelow or Kama or whoever, but here, Bret doesn't die and counters a superplex attempt and then delivers an elbow. Again, this is a nod to a spot that will happen later in this match - another clever little tease that also allows Bret to deliver some signature offense at a point in the match he wouldn't normally use it (the elbow usually coming much closer to the Sharpshooter). To the outside they go and we get an awesome moment when Bret tackles Austin over the guardrail. I love that, at this point, Bret has been baited by Austin into wrestling a more reckless style than he'd ever really shown before, ultimately falling into Austin's trap a bit as the Rattlesnake takes over and ends up laying Hart out on the Spanish Announce Table and hitting him with an elbow drop of his own. I'm not sure if Hart was supposed to go through the table, but I doubt it (as going through tables had not become the trope it would become for another couple years). As other reviewers have noted, the way this match transforms from a wrestling contest to a wild brawl is beautiful. Back in the ring, Austin applies an abdominal stretch - which does seem a little weak considering how aggressive their exchanges were outside in the ring - but its also saved a bit by Austin going for the ropes, getting caught, and then flipping off Tim White. It also gives Hart the opportunity needed to tackle Austin again and rain down on him with fists of fire! The crowd absolutely LOVES seeing this sort of intensity out of Bret and even JR and Vince have to admit that Bret is taking the fight to Austin now. We get the call-back Stun Gun from Bret and then a piledriver (not yet outlawed). Bret hits a backbreaker but none of this keeps Austin down for a 3 count. I love some of Bret's pinfall attempts here as they're really inventive and unorthodox, the Hitman now trying any trick he can to get Austin's shoulders on the mat. After one such pin attempt, both guys stagger to their feet and Austin hits a Stone Cold Stunner - which, even just a few months later, would've been a MEGA pop, but was not 100% over yet - and, fearful that Bret might reach the ropes, pulls Bret back into the center of the ring and therefor only gets 2.5. That little detail is one of many in this match that keep Austin looking great but also make it clear that Bret is better than ever (something that Vince doesn't get over enough on his commentary). Austin is now the one who seems to be running out of ideas, attempting a Cloverleaf and then sending Bret into the corner (which causes the Hitman to slide ribs-first into the post). Of all the variations of "wrestler-goes-into-the-post," why isn't this one more imitated? I love how, at this point, whenever you may think these guys are out of gas or are going into a would-be finishing sequence, they pull out just one more creative sequence. Austin then busts out a bow-and-arrow and then we finally get a Sharpshooter tease, but Bret just can't really lock it in. Great struggle and registering of the fatigue as Bret attempts a sleeper, only to eat a Stunner-like jawbreaker! Now its Austin's turn to attempt his own sleeper, the Million Dollar Dream, only for Bret to kick off the top turnbuckle and roll back onto Austin's shoulders for a 3 count (with Austin noticeably kicking out at 3.1). The only thing hurting this match is the commentary and even that can't really take away from it being an out-and-out classic battle. (5/5)
The next match is a bit of a mess, but sorta fun (as much as a match featuring a problematic accused murderer can be) - Vader, The Fake Deisel, The Fake Razor Ramon, and Farooq (now in his Nation of Domination gimmick) vs. Yokozuna, Savio Vega, Flash Funk (making his debut), and a "mystery opponent" revealed to be Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka. What's "off" about this kitchen sink of a match is that its unclear what exactly the goal was for even putting it on - a question that basically gets answered by the finish, which exposes this match was essentially designed to just fill time and cool the crowd between the Hart/Austin bout and the main event. Flash Funk is making his debut, but doesn't really get all that much time to shine because he's put in the ring with Vader, who the company was already cooling on but won't actually let get pinned or made to look like too much of a pushover. There's a similar half-measure done with Farooq, who is either debuting his new gimmick here or had only been doing the Nation of Domination thing for a couple weeks, and desperately needed to be put over strong after his awful debut (and the need to immediately write out his rival, Ahmed Johnson, in the summer due to injury). Meanwhile, Glen Jacobs, as Fake Diesel, is actually in insanely good shape, gets one of the matches' only two eliminations, and is talked up on commentary - so much that it almost makes one forget that his gimmick was DOA and that the sooner he dropped it, the better. Then you've got Jimmy Snuka (who'd been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame the night before I'm not mistaken) making a one-night-return at age 53 - which, in today's WWE, would've met a World Championship run. Regardless, Snuka looks terrible and its crazy to think that, after taking a short time off, he'd actually wrestle multiple times in WCW *and* WWE along with the indies over the next decade. Its also a bit crazy to think that Snuka, who does not look good, is still not the worst-looking wrestler here as Yokozuna had ballooned to well above 600 pounds and, if I'm not mistaken, would not appear on WWE TV again. The best thing that can be said about this match, which ends with everyone getting DQ'd because, after Fake Razor Ramon gets pinned, Fake Diesel goes after Snuka with a chair, is that only goes 10 minutes (which prevents it from ever getting boring). (2/5)
Main event time - Psycho Sid challenging Shawn Michaels for the WWE Championship. I wrote out a lengthy review of this but somehow it got lost, so I'll try my best to recap my feelings in abbreviated form: Sid was coming into this match as the heel, but Michaels, despite putting on some good matches in his tenure as WWE Champion, was an unlikable babyface. Unlike Hogan (the hero) or Bret (the workhorse underdog), Michaels was the preening, arrogant Heartbreak Kid. To the "smart fans" and nascent IWC, Michaels was regarded as an entertaining worker, but one deserving of an ass-kicking due to his backstage reputation which, even then, had rubbed those "in the know" the wrong way. To soften his image, Vince enlisted Michaels' real-life mentor Jose Lothario - but their on-screen chemistry was non-existent and, when they make their entrance together here, it almost seems like Michaels is bothered to even be having the old man around. Onto the match itself...Is this Sid's best match? I know some fans like to point to his Starrcade title match against Chris Benoit and I found plenty of enjoyment in his tag with Vader against Bulldog and Sting at one of the Beach Blast shows in the 90s, but this might take the top spot for me. Part of the fun is seeing Sid actually bask in the fan adoration that was never really there for him at any other point in his career. I'm not sure if Shawn, expecting Austin and Bret to steal the show, worked with Sid beforehand to map out a match well past the average length of a Sid match, but whatever the case, there are some good sequences throughout this match and Shawn is in full pinball mode. Sid isn't a guy with a deep reservoir of holds, but I love the cut-offs and simple counters he performs to prevent Shawn from ever really getting the upperhand. The finish is poorly executed and overbooked, but its also crowd-pleasing and at least interesting. After getting backed up into a corner, Sid grabs a camera and looks to be wanting to smash it into Shawn - which doesn't quite make sense as Sid had been holding his own throughout the match but, then again, he's also "Psycho" - but instead turns and clocks Jose Lothario with it. Lothario stumbles off the apron and, as the story would later go, suffers a heart attack on the outside of the ring. Shawn exits the ring to check on him, but takes his sweet ass time doing so and his acting is the type of stuff that should've got him nominated for a Razzie or two. Sid ends up getting Shawn back in the ring and delivering a powerbomb to get the W, which got a huge ovation from the NYC crowd. This isn't as good as Hart/Austin - few matches in history are - but I'd still consider a "should watch" for any fan of this era of wrestling, Sid, or even someone curious about why Shawn Michaels was getting serious heat in 96'. (4/5)
Survivor Series 96' is most known for the Sid championship win and the Hart/Austin classic and those events alone make it a show worth checking out in parts, but what isn't really talked about is how watchable some of the rest of the show is. The opener features some quality technical wrestling and a good showcase for Owen, the Undertaker comes to the ring dressed as Batman, there are a number of interesting debuts and revamped characters worth checking out (The Rock, Flash Funk, and Faarooq) as well as noteworthy finalish late career appearances for Jake Roberts, Yokozuna, and Jimmy Snuka. Despite a not-so impressive Kwang Score of 2.92-out-of-5, I'd still consider give this a...
FINAL RATING - Watch It
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