WWF Survivor Series 1990 (Version II)

Original Airdate: November 22, 1990

From Hartford, Connecticut; Your Hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Roddy Piper

Opening Survivor Series Elimination Match: The Warriors (Ultimate Warrior, Kerry Von Erich, and The Legion of Doom) v The Perfect Team (Mr. Perfect and Demolition): Animal starts with Smash, and immediately spears him down for some mounted punches. The Warriors pinball Smash in their corner, but Animal telegraphs a backdrop, and gets vertical suplexed for two, then ganged up on in the Perfect corner. Whip into the ropes gets reversed, however, and Animal powerslams Smash, then adds an atomic drop before passing out to Kerry. He fails to cut the ring in half though, and Ax gets the tag - only to run into the Iron Claw! Smash saves, but Warrior gets the tag, and a sloppy criss cross (where Ax swings at places Warrior isn't close to being) ends in Warrior hitting a jumping shoulderblock and a splash to eliminate Ax at 3:23. I guess you could cover that up by saying that Ax was disoriented from the Claw, but it still looked stupid. And that was actually Ax's last televised match in the WWF. All the heels run in to take turns getting bodyslammed, but Warrior gets overwhelmed, and Crush clotheslines him down. Smash comes in with a forward-backbreaker to setup a flying kneedrop from Crush for two, but a charge misses, and Warrior clotheslines him. Tags to Hawk and Perfect, and of course that's a match made in heaven with Hawk's power moves and Perfect's inclination for overselling. Cross corner charge misses for Hawk to allow the tag to Smash, and the remaining Demos cut the ring in half, but Smash runs into a jumping shoulderblock, and Hawk adds a fistdrop. Flying clothesline looks to finish, but Crush comes in for the save, which leads to a brawl between the Legion and the Demos - the referee disqualifying all four men at 7:36. Gotta dig that goofy Survivor Series booking! Warrior is elected to get Perfect, but the Perfect one wisely asks for Von Erich instead. And the idiots OBLIGE, too! Kerry manages to send him over the top with the Discus Punch, but quickly misses a charge in the corner, and Perfect blasts him with a swinging kneelift. Von Erich looks terrible here, like he's on a different planet. Perfect-Plex finishes him off at 11:02. Perfect had actually beaten Von Erich for the Intercontinental Title at a TV taping three days prior to this, but it wouldn't air until mid-December (Kerry came to the ring tonight with the belt as the champion). So, in a way, that pinfall basically sets up a match that already happened. Warrior rushes right into a Perfect-Plex as well, but kicks out at two. It takes its toll, however, and Perfect goes to work, hammering the WWF Champion. I just noticed that the back of Warrior's tights say 'the ONLY warrior' on them. Way to be a team player, asshole. Standing dropkick gets two, and a clothesline is worth two. Warrior starts throwing clotheslines as he makes his comeback, however, and a jumping shoulderblock/splash combo ends it at 14:20.
Survivor: Ultimate Warrior
Fun opener, with lots of energy. ** ¾ (Original Rating: * ¼)

Survivor Series Elimination Match: The Dream Team (Dusty Rhodes, Koko B. Ware, and The Hart Foundation) v The Million Dollar Team (Ted DiBiase, The Undertaker, and Rhythm & Blues): This is, of course, Undertaker's debut, as a hyped mystery partner. He starts off with Bret Hart, and immediately takes him down with a chokeslam, then holds onto it on the mat. Tag to Jim Neidhart, and he tries throwing shoulderblocks, but gets bodyslammed. Tag to Koko for a try, but he quickly misses a bodypress, and eats an ugly Tombstone at 1:39. Luckily, he'd get better at that move as time went on. But that one was rough, and he positioned him to fall into the ropes, to boot. He's got the gimmick down right from the get-go, though. Bret comes in for another try, and uses right hands to try chopping him down, but gets totally no-sold. Tags to Rhodes and Greg Valentine, and the Hammer unloads with chops in the corner, but Dusty slugs back, and the Dream Team work Greg over. How ironic. Hart runs into a knee during a cross corner charge to allow the tag to Honky Tonk Man, but he misses a blind tag to Neidhart, and the Anvil puts him away with a front-powerslam at 4:16. Over to Ted, but Jim fights him off with a clothesline, and adds a bodyslam before passing out to Rhodes. Dusty unloads with elbowsmashes in the corner, and a dropkick follows. Tandem-backelbow with Neidhart gets two, and Jim adds a vertical suplex for two, but gets tripped up by Virgil, and Ted clotheslines him at 5:49. Man, we're just flying through this one, aren't we? Ted fails to switch off, however, and the Dream Team continues to work him over, until he manages to rake the eyes, and tag Undertaker. That doesn't go well for Bret, and the heels work him over in the corner, but DiBiase runs into an inverted atomic drop. Tag to Rhodes for more elbows, but he fails to cut the ring in half, and Undertaker comes in with a flying axehandle at 8:26. That was an awkward period, as it looked like they maybe realized they were moving through the eliminations too quickly, and ran into a bit of aimlessness, with multiple tags on both sides that didn't go anywhere. That leaves Bret alone against three men, and he valiantly comes in slugging at Undertaker, but gets no-sold. However, Dusty is fighting with Brother Love (Undertaker's original manager) on his way out of the ring, and that distracts 'Taker - getting counted out at 9:17 as he deals with it! In comes Valentine, but Hart quickly gets him in an inside cradle at 9:57! Big pop for Bret there. That evens the odds again, and Hart sends DiBiase to the outside for a plancha, then rams him into the post and steps! Back in, Hart unloads in the corner, but a cross corner whip gets reversed, and Bret takes his ring rattling chest-first bump for two. DiBiase telegraphs a backdrop to allow Hart a backslide for two, but the Hitman hurts his knee while tripping over Ted during a criss cross - only to end up playing possum, and rolling Ted up for two! That brings Virgil onto the apron, but a double-team backfires, and Bret schoolboys Ted for two! Backbreaker sets up a 2^nd rope pointed elbowdrop for two, but DiBiase rolls through a bodypress for the fucking pin at 13:54.
Survivor: Ted DiBiase
Great job by Bret there at the end, as he really made you feel like he could pull it off, and the near falls were dramatic. That's especially a great effort when you consider that his brother Dean had just passed away the day before. ** ½ (Original Rating: * ¾)

Survivor Series Elimination Match: The Vipers (Jake Roberts, Jimmy Snuka, and The Rockers) v The Visionaries (Rick Martel, Warlord, and Power & Glory): Marty Jannetty starts off with Warlord, and the Rocker sticks and moves on the big Warlord, but misses a dropkick. Tag to Shawn Michaels, and a double-team on Warlord gets two, but Shawn gets tosses into the heel corner, and Martel gets the tag - only to get reversed into a turnbuckle smash. Shawn with a hiptoss and a dropkick to setup a monkeyflip, and he passes to Jake - Martel diving to tag Paul Roma before the snake man can grab him! Make him work for it, Ricky! Jake takes out his frustrations on Roma instead, then passes to Snuka, but the Superfly runs into a bodyslam from Warlord. Tag to Marty, but Warlord is ready with a bearhug, so Jannetty slugs free, and hits a 2^nd rope fist. 2^nd rope flying bodypress, but Warlord counters with a powerslam at 5:03. Couldn't Snuka have done that job? Why get rid of the guy who we actually want to see? The Vipers stick and move at Warlord, but Shawn runs into trouble, and Warlord backdrops him to the heavens. The heels cut the ring in half on Michaels to give Shawn the opportunity to properly showoff his selling, but Rick misses a charge, and Jimmy gets the tag! Snuka destroys Martel in the corner, and hits a backdrop, then a diving double-ax for two. 2^nd rope flying bodypress, but Martel rolls through for the pin at 9:28. Man those flying bodypresses aren't working out too well for the Vipers tonight, are they? Jake rushes in to get next at Martel, but Rick quickly passes to Hercules before Roberts can grab him again. Jake makes do with Hercules, but Herc manages to dodge the DDT, and a cheap shot from Martel puts him down. The Visionaries cut the ring in half on Roberts, but Roma misses a flying fistdrop, and Shawn gets the tag! He blasts Paul with a jumping backelbow, and a vertical suplex sets up a 2^nd rope flying elbowdrop for two. Thank God he didn't try for a bodypress! Atomic drop sets up a dropkick, but Shawn fails to notice a tag to Hercules, and gets pounded before he can finish Paul off. I've never noticed how much Martel and Roma look alike. After Power & Glory ended, they should have teamed up as The Models, or some such. PowerPlex finishes Michaels at 15:40. That leaves Jake all alone against the entire heel side, similar to what happened to him two years prior at the '88 show. And while he held his own that time, he gets utterly destroyed this time around. He manages to catch Warlord with the DDT, but Martel sprays the Arrogance perfume into his eyes, so Jake grabs Damien, and chases Rick out of the ring for the countout at 17:42. I'm not really sure how that works, as Undertaker wasn't the legal man in the previous match when he got counted out chasing Rhodes, but then Martel (also not the legal man) gets chased to the dressing rooms, but only Jake gets counted out.
Survivors: Rick Martel, Warlord, Power & Glory
This is actually the longest match of the night, despite having the fewest guys eliminated. A well paced effort, but kind of dull at the same time. The Rockers (and especially Michaels) were standout performers, though. ** (Original Rating: * ¾)

Survivor Series Elimination Match: The Hulkamaniacs (Hulk Hogan, Tugboat, Big Boss Man, and Jim Duggan) v The Natural Disasters (Earthquake, Dino Bravo, Barbarian, and Haku): Duggan starts with Haku, and quickly dodges a 2^nd rope bodypress to unload a series of clotheslines. Clearly, Haku did not watch the previous matchup. Jim misses an elbowdrop to allow the tag to Dino, and Bravo executes an inverted atomic drop before passing back to Haku. Backelbow knocks Duggan right into a tag to Boss Man, so Haku dropkicks him down for two, but runs into the Boss Man Slam at 3:15. Haku was a replacement for the recently departed Rick Rude, so it's not surprising he did the job first. Boss Man goes to work on Barbarian next, but gets caught up abusing Bobby Heenan, and Barbarian vertical suplexes him. Bodyslam sets up a 2^nd rope elbowdrop, but he takes too long, and Boss Man rolls out of the way. Tag to Duggan for a backdrop, but he fails to cut the ring in half (Duggan? Fail? That's unpossible!), and Earthquake gets the tag. He blitzes Duggan in the corner, and Jimmy Hart pulls down the top rope to send Jim crashing out of the ring - causing Hacksaw to see red, and grab his 2x4 to hit Earthquake with, and get himself disqualified at 6:12. Dumbass. Hogan comes in to beat up the entire heel side by himself, and a bodyslam on Earthquake actually works on the first try! Good for him! Ten-punch count, but Earthquake counters with a scoop-powerslam, and he tags Bravo. Dino hits a pair of elbowdrops, but runs into an inside cradle at 7:59. Dust settles on Boss Man and Earthquake, but Earthquake quickly misses an avalanche. Boss Man tries a flying bodypress, but Earthquake impressively CATCHES HIM, so Hogan shoves them over to allow Boss Man to topple him for two. Cheap shot from Barbarian puts him down (hey, Hogan started it), and Earthquake polishes Boss Man off with an elbowdrop at 9:08. Hulk comes in with a big boot on Earthquake, and the axe bomber sets up another bodyslam, but Earthquake blocks this time. Hulk tries again, but gets toppled for two – only for Earthquake to miss a follow-up splash. Tag to Tugboat, but Hulk just can’t calm down, and pulls Earthquake to the outside – Tugboat following to brawl for a double countout at 11:33. Earthquake rams Hogan into the post on his way out to try and give people the impression that Barbarian actually has a chance, but we all know better than that. He hits a piledriver for two, and a big boot sets up a well executed flying clothesline – triggering the HULK UP!! Fists of Fury! Big Boot! Legdrop! 14:49!
Survivor: Hulk Hogan
The brisk pace and well timed eliminations helped disguise their limitations tremendously here. I mean, those eight guys and zero restholds is practically a small miracle. ** (Original Rating: **)

Survivor Series Elimination Match: The Alliance (Nikolai Volkoff, Tito Santana, and The Bushwhackers) v The Mercenaries (Sgt. Slaughter, Boris Zhukov, and The Orient Express): Piper is just a ball in super patriotic mode on commentary here. The Bushwhackers quickly overwhelm Boris, and Tito puts him away with the jumping forearm at 0:48. Well, that was certainly to the point. In comes Sato to work him over, but a double-team effort with Tanaka backfires, and the Bushwhackers hit the Battering Ram on Sato at 1:46. Tanaka pounds Butch down, but misses a splash, and Tito catches him with the jumping forearm at 2:13 - leaving Slaughter alone with the entire babyface team! Volkoff starts off, and goes to work with some ugly kicks, but gets taken down to elbowdroptown. There were literally more kicks and elbowdrops in the last minute than I think most entire shows see. Slaughter continues to work Volkoff over in dull fashion, and a dropkick hits. Snapmare sets up (what else?) an elbowdrop at 5:25. That chunk was brutal. In come the Bushwhackers for some double-teaming, but Luke misses a flying splash (hey, at least he was TRYING a flying splash, though), and Slaughter finishes him off with a stomachbreaker at 6:30. In comes Butch, but he gets reversed into the corner, and a clothesline ends his night at 6:53. Tito pops Slaughter with a dropkick and a backdrop, and a flying forearm gets two! Monkeyflip is blocked, however, and Slaughter executes a swinging neckbreaker for two. Forward-backbreaker gets two, and a hanging vertical suplex is worth two. Tito tries a headlock, but the referee gets bumped in the process, and isn't around as Santana hits the jumping forearm! That allows General Adnan to come in with an attack, and Slaughter applies the Camel Clutch, but it turns out the referee saw Adnan, and DQ's Slaughter at 10:52. Hey, serves them right for being idiots. I mean, even if the referee was down, Survivor Series matches always have second referee right there.
Survivor: Tito Santana
The last portion with Slaughter and Santana was decent, but the rest was complete junk. ¾* (Original Rating: ½*)

Main Event: Grand Finale Match of Survival: Ultimate Warrior, Hulk Hogan, and Tito Santana v Ted DiBiase, Rick Martel, Warlord, and Power & Glory: Tito starts with Warlord, and does a repeat of the previous match - quickly thumping him with the jumping forearm at 0:28! That brings Paul Roma in to powerslam him, and DiBiase hits a kneedrop on the still worn Tito. Vertical suplex gets two, but Tito manages a clothesline during a criss cross, and he hits a backdrop. Jumping forearm, but DiBiase ducks, and hits a hotshot at 1:51. Hogan blitzes the Million Dollar Man, but telegraphs a backdrop, and gets booted down. Tag to Hercules for a clothesline, and Roma adds a flying tomahawk chop for two. Martel unloads with axehandles, Hercules unloads with turnbuckle smashes, and DiBiase hits a 2^nd rope flying axehandle for two. Series of three fistdrops gets two, but Hogan no-sells the PowerPlex, and murders Roma with a lariat at 5:57. In comes Martel, but Hogan blocks a backdrop, and sends in the Warrior! He unloads on Rick with a flurry of boots in the corner, and a backdrop follows. Pair of bodyslams and a facebuster before passing back to Hulk - Hogan hitting Rick with the big boot before clotheslining him out of the ring for a countout at 7:17, when Martel decides he's had enough. Hey, he doesn't need this. He's a male model, for gosh sakes! DiBiase comes in, but quickly gets slaughtered by Hogan, and finished with the Legdrop at 8:30. Geez Hulk, let Warrior have a turn, brother. Hercules charges right into a powerslam from the Hulkster, and Warrior comes in with a pair of clotheslines before finishing with the jumping shoulderblock/splash combo at 9:07.
Survivors: Ultimate Warrior, Hulk Hogan
Not much to this one, but it was energetic, and a fun way to cap off the night. * ½ (Original Rating: ¼*)

BUExperience: This one is one of those weird shows where the wrestling is really nondescript, but it’s a breeze to watch. I think a lot of that has to do with match length, as everything was really peppy this year, with all but one of the matches clocking in at under fifteen minutes, as opposed to the first three Survivor Series shows, where almost every match fell into the twenty to thirty minute range – sometimes longer. The quicker eliminations kept things moving (there was a notable lock of restholds used throughout), as well as gave a lot of different guys time to shine without overstaying their welcome. A fun show, if not a good one in the traditional sense

**