PPV review


With the 2009 Survivor Series a few weeks away, I figured I'd slip back in time a few years and watch another edition of the classic November PPV, so here's my review of the 1996 Survivor Series, live from Madison Square Garden in New York City.

We start off with a traditional 4-on-4 Survivor Series elimination matchup, with the team of Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon (making their WWF debuts) and the Godwinns taking on the New Rockers (Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy (Al Snow)) and the WWF Tag Team Champions, the British Bulldog and Owen Hart. Furnas & LaFon were renowned for their work in Japan, and based on this debut, you would have thought that a much bigger push was in store for them here in the WWF. They certainly had the technical ability to put on some great matches, but I don't really think they could get the WWF fans to get behind them. Jannetty was a quick elimination here in his final WWF PPV appearance, followed by both Godwinns. The match stayed 3-on-2 for awhile before LaFon destroyed Cassidy with an inverted superplex that the crowd went absolutely nuts for. It was the kind of move that might not get as much of a pop or reaction today, but it felt fairly innovative and fresh in 1996, especially from a team making their debut. After that, the newcomers eliminated the champs and looked pretty good in the process. A decent opener, and an impressive, if not significant, debut for Furnas & LaFon. Grade: B-

The Undertaker returned after being buried alive to get revenge on Mankind. The psychology in this match was pretty good as Taker focused much of his offense on Mankind's hand to prevent him from effectively applying the Mandible Claw. Mankind's manager Paul Bearer was locked in a cage and suspended above the ring during this match. If Undertaker won, he was supposed to get a chance to beat up on Bearer. Fortunately, the camera and announcers barely focused on Bearer, otherwise this could have been an annoying distraction from the in-ring (and out-of-ring) action. These two did take their battle outside the ring, going into the crowd at one point. Mankind twice went for his diving senton off the ring apron, connecting once with a standing Undertaker, missing and hitting the arena floor on the other. The finish came when Mankind was on top of Undertaker at the turnbuckle, jamming some pointed foreign object into Taker's head. He leaned forward a bit too far and Undertaker was able to reach up, pull Mankind down into position for the Tombstone Piledriver, and connect for the three count. Undertaker was attacked after the match by The Executioner before he was able to get any type of revenge on Paul Bearer. Grade: B. This match was pretty solid, but I don't know if it's one that immediately comes to mind when fans think about matches between these two men.

We got another WWF debut in our next Survivor Series match as Rocky Maivia wrestled in a WWF ring for the first time. I like this Maivia kid, I think he's gonna have a little more productive career that Furnas & LaFon. Having got that out of the way, this match was OK. The face team was Maivia, The Stalker (Barry Windham), Jake "The Snake" Roberts (filling in for an injured Mark Henry), and their captain, "Wildman" Marc Mero. Mero was alright in the ring, but I don't like him and the "Wildman" gimmick was very mid-1990s, and that's not a good thing. Windham looked ridiculous with his walrus mustache, and The Stalker could have been a neat, edgy gimmick if they'd ever really committed to it. Roberts looked pretty rough out there, which was a shame, because they had him completely dominate the heels and clean house when he tagged in, despite his offense looking weaker than any of the other faces. Roberts' best days were long gone by late 1996, but I guess this was nothing compared to how he'd embarrass himself in future years. Both Jerry Lawler (one of Roberts' opponents) and Sunny (who was really fun in a color commentary role during this match) made light of Roberts' alcohol problems, so maybe the weak offense and vacant expression were really just part of his character. Rocky looked decent out there wrestling-wise, although he looked pretty goofy with his floppy hair and colorful ring attire. The heels were led by Hunter Hearst Helmsley. His teammates were Crush, Jerry "The King" Lawler, and Goldust. Nobody's in-ring work in this match really stood out, but it was still interesting. Rocky was the sole survivor, eliminating Goldust. The MSG crowd went crazy, but Maivia was not able to win the fans to his side long-term, which caused the shift in character to a bitter, cocky, and jilted warrior, or more specifically, The Rock. Grade: C+

Bret Hart and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin went at it for a half-hour and told a hell of a story in that ring. The action was back and forth, aerial and mat-based, and all around the ringside area. This was Hart's return after almost an eight month absence. Austin had cut promos taunting Hart and there was so much heat for this match and anticipation from the capactity crowd that they could have run this as the main event, I think. Of course, they already had a pretty good main event lined up, but more on that later. Many people will say that the rematch at WrestleMania 13 four months later would signal the changing of the guard, from Hart's time as the top name in the company to the beginning of the Attitude Era, where Austin, The Rock, and, to a somewhat lesser extent, HHH would be the faces of the company. That is probably true, but it was this match, coming off the heels of Austin's King of the Ring victory, that showcased Austin as both an incredible athlete and performer and a compelling character that the crowd could not possibly be indifferent to. The back and forth quality of the action here, the crispness of the offense, and the fact that there was never really a lull -- there was just a constant sense that everything happening was building to a terrific conclusion -- earns this match top marks. Grade: A+

The final traditional Survivor Series match of the evening is a weird assortment of wrestlers past their prime, wrestlers who never had a prime, and some awful gimmicks. The face team of Flash Funk (making his debut), Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka (looking positively geriatric), Yokozuna (incredibly obese, even by his standards) and Savio Vega squared off against Vader, Faarooq, Fake Razor Ramon and Fake Diesel. The fake Outsiders was such a bad idea for a gimmick. With Hall and Nash in WCW, I guess McMahon thought that the crowd could still accept the same characters with different men portraying them. It worked with Dick York and Dick Sargent, but here, not so much. Jim Ross was the one who brought them to the WWF in a heelish move, which reminds me that Ross was kind of playing the role of a heel announcer during this time and it just made for a real awkward partnership with Vince doing the play-by-play. Now, I love the heel/face announcing duos as much as the next guy, but it just wasn't a good role for JR. Still, you have to love his comment about red and yellow never looking so good in that arena. Hogan had been gone for over three years at that point, guys. Time to let it go. Anyway, if anyone looked good in this match it was Flash Funk, as all the debuting newcomers made pretty decent showings tonight. Of course, Funk would spend most of his WWF career jobbing, so it didn't matter much in the long run. There were a couple of eliminations in this match, but then both sides started brawling in the ring, Savio Vega, who had been eliminated, returned to ringside with a steel chair, and the refs had no choice but to call for a double-DQ. I don't think Yokozuna ever even tagged into the match. At this point, he really shouldn't have been being used at all. This was his last WWF PPV match, maybe even his last WWF match, I'm not sure. Fake Diesel was, of course, Glen Jacobs, who'd had a few bad gimmicks before, like Black Knight and Dr. Isaac Yankem. He was just under a year away from another gimmick, a burned and scarred monster in red and black, claiming to be the Undertaker's brother. I think that one worked out a bit better than Fake Diesel. Grade: D+

The main event saw Shawn Michaels defending the WWF Championship he'd held since WrestleMania XII against Sycho Sid. Going into the match, Sid was the heel and HBK the face, but you wouldn't know it from the bizarre reactions of the crowd. For a while, both men were being cheered almost evenly, but by the end of the match, it was a decidedly pro-Sid crowd. I guess New York crowds have no patience for preening sexy boys. Anyway, off the top of my head, this was Sid's best match ever. I'm struggling to think of another one I would put in the same league as this one. Maybe the match where Sid lost the belt back to Michaels, or the Souled Out match for the WCW Championship against Chris Benoit. Of course, it helps to have a guy like Michaels who can sell your offense like you really are the monster you're pretending to be. Some have criticized the heart attack angle at the end with Jose Lothario as a bit tasteless, but this is wrestling. We've seen that angle (and much worse) a few times before. Nothing to get worked up about. It gave WWF a chance to move the belt but keep Michaels looking strong in defeat. They did a good job of effectively playing up the big guy vs. little guy aspect of the match, while still using some sequences where HBK stood toe-to-toe with the much larger Sycho Sid. Some of the psychology in this match was very strong, as it really made it seem like Sid had scouted The Heartbreak Kid. Michaels skinned the cat, Sid was ready and immediately clotheslined him over the top. Michaels kipped up and was immediately viciously clotheslined. He went for Sweet Chin Music but Sid caught HBK's foot. Little details like those do so much to let the fans take the wrestlers seriously. Grade: A

All in all, a PPV very worth your time. The middle Survivor Series match is nothing special, but it's historically important for being The Rock's debut. The last Survivor Series match was pretty bad, but it has kind of a car wreck feel to it that might make it worth it to you just to slow down and watch it once. Everything else is solid, including two excellent singles matches.

P.S. Check my profile for other PPV reviews I've done. Check them out and let me know what you think.

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