WWF Survivor Series 1993 (Version II)

Original Airdate: November 24, 1993

From Boston, Massachusetts; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Bobby Heenan

Opening Survivor Series Elimination Match: Razor Ramon, Marty Jannetty, 1-2-3 Kid, and Randy Savage v Irwin R. Schyster, Rick Martel, Diesel, and Adam Bomb: Boy, these teams are really lopsided, aren't they? From both star power and workrate perspectives. Savage is a surprise replacement for Mr. Perfect, who bailed following some bad feelings stemming from getting passed over for the Intercontinental Title. He'd return at WrestleMania, setting up an angle with Lex Luger before bailing on them again. And then return again at Survivor Series '95, this time sticking around just long enough to set up an angle with Hunter Hearst Helmsley before (you guessed it) bailing on them again. Kind of sad that Macho Man wouldn't have even gotten a match on the card, if not for the last minute substitution. Anyway, Ramon (the guy who DID get the Intercontinental belt) starts with Martel, and they trade hammerlocks. Martel tries a 2^nd rope flying bodypress, but Razor rolls through for two, and hits a fallaway slam for two. Atomic drop knocks Martel into the babyface corner for some abuse, and an inverted version sets up a pair of clotheslines, so Rick tags out to Adam. Bomb is immune to Razor's attempts to manhandle him like he did Martel, and the match slows way down as they do a power showdown. Bomb dominates a test-of-strength, but Ramon manages to suplex his way out of it for two, so Martel comes in without a tag - only to accidentally hit Bomb! That leads to the heel team nearly coming to blows (with Savage egging them on), but cooler heads prevail, and we settle on Kid and Bomb. Kid actually tries to work a headlock, but Adam easily powers out of that, so Kid tries a sunset flip, but Bomb powers out of that as well with a two-handed chokeslam. Over to Diesel, and he launches Kid around with ease, and delivers a gutwrench slam. Big boot nearly takes the poor guys head off, but Kid counters a sidewalk slam with a headscissors, and he passes over to Macho! Savage with a flying axehandle, so the other heels all come in, but Randy cleans house! He whips Bomb into Diesel, and a bodyslam sets up the Flying Elbowdrop to end Diesel's night at 10:20. Big pop for Macho there. I'm not saying he needed to be in the main events again, but how could they honestly have felt he didn't have anything to offer besides broadcasting at this point? IRS is in next, but Randy hits him with a bodypress for two, followed by a pair of clotheslines. Over to Razor for a pair of short-shoulderblocks, and he tries grounding the Taxman in an armbar, but Irwin whips him into the ropes for Martel to deliver a cheap shot! Rick tags in and hits a backbreaker, then over to Adam for a backelbow. They cut the ring in half on Ramon (including a really smooth illegal switch by IRS/Martel during a chinlock spot), but Rick telegraphs a backdrop, and eats a kneelift. Over to Savage, and he drives IRS into the corner with a high knee, then drops him throat-first across the top rope. Bodyslam sets up the Flying Elbowdrop, but Macho spots Crush wandering around in the aisle, and he gets distracted. Randy tries going after him, but his teammates block his path, and send him back inside. Savage obliges, but his focus is still on Crush instead of IRS, and Irwin schoolboys him at 16:48. I was certain we were getting a countout there. Jannetty comes in for the first time, working a headlock on IRS (you've had seventeen minutes of rest, and the first thing you do is work a side fucking headlock?), but IRS wants to criss cross, so Marty hiptosses him, and hits a dropkick for two. Tag to Bomb for a side suplex, and Martel comes in to hook an abdominal stretch. IRS must be so jealous right now. Rick misses a charge in the corner to allow the tag to Ramon, and he takes IRS to school with a pair of corner whips to set up a chokeslam! Razor's Edge, and Irwin is done at 20:33. That was pretty definitive. I'm surprised IRS got a pay per view title shot at Ramon after that. Everyone brawls from there, and Martel is about to eat the Edge as well, but IRS sneaks in to whack Ramon with his briefcase - Razor falling out of the ring and getting counted out at 21:43. Ah, and there's the set up for the title match. Their booking was so much more logical/had so much more attention to detail back in the day. Today, IRS would have gotten pinned cleanly, left without incident, and still gotten the title shot anyway. Dust settles on Kid and Martel, and Kid wins a criss cross with an overhead armdrag. He works an armbar, but Rick slugs free, and passes to Bomb. Kid sticks and moves, and a dropkick sends Adam to the outside for a tope - only for Bomb to catch him, and drop his ass with a bodyslam on the floor! Nice! Back in with a slingshot clothesline, and Kid sells the fuck out of a pair of corner whips, but Adam misses the follow-up charge, and Kid schoolboys him for two. Kick combo follows, but it's not enough to allow for the tag, and Martel cuts him off with a gutwrench suplex for two. He looks to follow with a 2^nd rope flying axehandle, but Kid blocks, and a sunset cradle finishes Martel at 26:49. In comes Bomb, but Jannetty flies in with a slingshot sunset flip for the win at 26:59!
Survivors: Marty Jannetty, 1-2-3 Kid
Good opener here, with great pacing, and lots to get the crowd going. *** (Original rating: * ½)

Survivor Series Elimination Match: The Hart Family (Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Bruce Hart, and Keith Hart) v Shawn Michaels and His Knights (Shawn Michaels, Red Knight, Blue Knight, and Black Knight): Ray Combs (then host of Family Feud) acts as the special guest ring announcer, and commentator. This was originally supposed to be Jerry Lawler and his masked Knights taking on the Hart's, but Lawler was dealing with some legal troubles at the time, and so we get Shawn. Which is a real curveball, considering how hot the Hart/Lawler feud was, and the fact that Michaels hadn't even so much as crossed paths with Bret on TV in a year. The Knights are Barry Horowitz, Greg Valentine, and Jeff Gaylord, respectively. Thank God for the masks, because I think the laughter would still be ringing in the rafters of the Boston Garden if Shawn walked out with those three as his backup. Shawn makes a lame attempt to get some heat by mocking the rest of the Hart family (sitting at ringside) before the match, but it's just not the same. He's going to have his work cut out for him here, given that he's basically got to carry the entire heel side by himself, since the Knights are just bodies, and don't have any history with the Hart's either. Shawn and Red try to gang up on Bruce at the bell, but Hart knocks their heads together. Shawn tries whipping Bruce into the heel corner next, but Bruce ends up knocking the Knights off the apron like bowling pins, and Keith tags in. He works Shawn's arm, so Shawn tries a vertical suplex, but Keith counters with a small package for two. Shawn fires back with a bodyslam, but Red misses an elbowdrop upon tagging, and Keith armdrags him. Over to Owen, and a criss cross goes his way with a hiptoss, followed by an overhead armdrag, and a dropkick. Tag to Black, but he runs right into a hiptoss as well, and Owen adds a pair of armdrags. Tags to Bret and Blue, and Bret hits an atomic drop, then adds an inverted version to set up a clothesline for two. Back to Keith for a fireman's carry into an armbar, then over to Bruce for an armbar of his own. A cheap shot from Michaels puts Bruce down, however, and Blue hits a bodyslam before passing to HBK. Shawn with a backbreaker to setup a series of elbowdrops, then over to Red for a 2^nd rope flying axehandle. Red with a butterfly suplex for two, as the heels cut the ring in half on Bruce. He manages to catch Shawn with a clothesline to allow the tag to Bret, and Harts hooks Black in a rollup for two. Inside cradle gets two, and a backbreaker sets up a 2^nd rope pointed elbowdrop for two. Tag to Owen for a spinheel kick, but Blue comes in to break the count, and Roseanne Barr the door! The Hart's whip all the heels into each other from four separate corners, and Owen hits Black with a missile dropkick at 10:49! Bret and Owen wishbone Red, and the Hart's work him over, targeting the knee. Keith applies a figure four, but Shawn is quick to save, and Blue tags in. He hammers Keith on the ropes (see what I did there?), and Shawn comes in illegally with a slingshot splash onto the arm. Blue takes that cue and goes to work on the part, and Shawn tags in for a flying axehandle to the arm. The heels cut the ring in half on Keith in dull fashion, but Shawn misses a rocket launcher, and Bret gets the tag. Red eats a spinebuster to set up the Sharpshooter, and he's history at 18:10. Somebody really missed their mark assigning these guys colors, as Valentine is wearing red boots with his blue outfit, and Horowitz had blue gear underneath his red outfit. Come on, just 'cause they're knights doesn't mean they can't be color coordinated. The heels cut the ring in half on Bret next, which is immediately far better, as his timing and selling are leaps and bounds ahead of Bruce and Keith. Unfortunately, Shawn is already tired out from carrying his entire side for twenty minutes, and does little more than chinlock the Hitman. Blue misses a charge in the corner to allow Bret a 2^nd rope flying clothesline, and Owen gets the tag. Standing dropkick connects, and he unloads a ten-punch on Blue in the corner. Bodyslam sets up a 2^nd rope flying elbowdrop, but Shawn is in to prevent a cover. Bruce cuts him off, and Shawn ends up eating a punch from Stu Hart on the outside - setting up a plancha from Owen! Back in for a flying bodypress on Blue, and Owen finishes him with the Sharpshooter at 23:46. Shawn is all alone now, and I just can't help but picture Lawler's face in my mind. The Hart's pinball Michaels around a bit, but Bruce hits elbow while trying a charge, and Shawn chokes him down. Superkick gets two, but he telegraphs a backdrop, and Bret gets the tag. Shawn goes into oversell mode as the Hitman knocks him around, and a catapult sets up a pointed elbowdrop for two. Russian legsweep gets two, but Shawn goes to the eyes to block a backbreaker, and Bret is blinded. He has the presence of mind to tag Owen, but he's staggering around on the apron, and Owen ends up crashing into him while coming off the ropes - sending Bret bumping into the guardrail, and allowing Shawn to schoolboy him at 27:16! That was a nice sequence there, with excellent timing, and a great bump from Bret. Owen, of course, throws a huge tantrum on his way out, but the rest of the Hart's stay focused on Michaels. Everyone gets a turn to knock him around, and Shawn goes back into oversell mode for Bret, but manages to bail out to avoid the Sharpshooter, and the Hart's win by countout at 30:56.
Survivors: Bret Hart, Bruce Hart, Keith Hart
1993 was not the best year for Shawn Michaels on pay per view, was it? Better than I remembered it being, but still way too long. Bret, Owen, and Shawn are all great, but the other Hart's and the Knights were very mediocre, and this ended up feeling like just a 'match,' rather than a hot blow off. It's a shame too, because I'm sure Lawler would have made this into a classic. Not that he's a better worker than Shawn, but he would have gotten this over in a way Michaels couldn't have, given the back story. What weird dimension are we living in that Shawn, Bret, and Owen going a half hour can't break two-stars? * ½ (Original rating: ¾*)

SMW Tag Team Title Match: The Rock 'n' Roll Express v The Heavenly Bodies: Jim Ross and Gorilla Monsoon (doing commentary for Radio WWF) take over the pay per view broadcast for this match. The Bodies jump them before the bell, but end up getting dumped to the outside, and Ricky Morton hits then both with a tope! The dust settles on Robert Gibson and Jimmy Del Ray to officially start, and a criss cross leads to a reversal sequence that ends in Robert hitting a headscissors. Tag to Morton for a tandem backelbow, but he fails to cut the ring in half, and Tom Prichard gets the tag. Crazy to hear Jim Ross talk about the Rock 'n' Roll/Midnight Express feud on a WWF show in 1993. The Bodies try doubling up, but Morton fights them off, and Gibson comes in for stereo atomic drops to setup the rowboat. The Express cut the ring in half on Tom, as I shock myself by looking up their ages, and realizing Ricky and Robert are both under forty years of age at this point. Crazy. Del Ray comes in to try and save, but the Express clean house again, and the dust settles on Ricky and Tom. Prichard wins a reversal sequence with a sitout powerbomb for two, and a bodyslam sets up an assisted moonsault from Del Ray for two. You know, I couldn't stand the Heavenly Bodies as a kid (pretty much always an automatic channel change), but I've really come to appreciate the team as an adult. They were really out of place in the WWF, but would have been huge in JCP. The Bodies cut the ring in half on Morton with some nice tandem combos, but Ricky counters a powerbomb from Del Ray with a rana, and he catches Prichard with a small package for two. The Bodies try salvaging things with Del Ray hitting a flying moonsault press for two, but Gibson breaks the count, and Morton manages to catch both challengers with a double-DDT! That's enough for the tag, and Roseanne Barr the door! Ricky gets tossed over the top, which Robert thinks is a DQ (as it would be in SMW), but apparently they're wrestling under WWF rules, so it isn't. That's weird, given its for an SMW title. The Express hit Tom with the tandem dropkick, but Jimmy comes off the top with Jim Cornette's tennis racket to break the count, and Gibson gets pinned at 13:20. The Express looked old and beat up here, and their timing was way off throughout, but once the match settled into the Bodies doing their thing in the heat segment, it found its groove. ** ¾ (Original rating: *)

Survivor Series Elimination Match: Bam Bam Bigelow, Bastion Booger, and The Headshrinkers v The Bushwhackers and Men on a Mission: The gag here is that the entire face side are dressed up like Doink the Clown. Hey, I didn't say it was a good gag. Booger starts with Luke, and pounds him down for a splash. He gets distracted looking for a snack, however, and Luke bites his tuchus. Tag to Samu, and he hammers Luke down for a legdrop, followed by a headbutt drop. Mo thinks fast and hits him with a water balloon, however, and Luke schoolboys him at 3:01. Um, yeah. Dust settles on the heels cutting the ring in half on Butch, but Booger gets distracted by the prospects of snacks again, and the Battering Ram sets up a legdrop from Mabel to finish him off at 6:02. Fatu comes in using a turkey carcass as a weapon, so Mo comes in riding around on a scooter to distract him, but Bigelow attacks with an enzuigiri. That allows Fatu an ugly sidewalk slam, but he neglects to cover after hitting a flying splash, and ends up literally slipping on a banana peel at 8:32. That leaves Bigelow alone, and he manages to clear Mo and the Bushwhackers out, but doesn't quite find that same level of success with big Mabel. Mabel misses an avalanche, and Bigelow is able to capitalize with a jumping shoulderblock, but the Bushwhackers go after Luna on the outside, and that allows Mabel at sneak attack - all four faces dog piling on Bigelow for the pin at 10:58. And then afterwards, Doink comes out to pie Bigelow in the face, to put the cherry on top of this farce sundae.
Survivors: Butch, Luke, Mabel, Mo
Terrible, but it wasn't meant to be a workrate classic. Mission accomplished there, I suppose. At least it was short enough. I think it's interesting to note that the WWF ran five pay per view events in 1993, and three featured negative star matches. -*** ½ (Original rating: DUD)

Main Event: Survivor Series Elimination Match: The Foreign Fanatics (Yokozuna, Jacques, Crush, and Ludvig Borga) v The All-Americans (Lex Luger, Undertaker, and The Steiner Brothers): Considering that both Crush and Undertaker were replacements (for Pierre and Tatanka respectively, both selling kayfabe injuries), why not just stick Randy Savage in here, and put Undertaker in the opener? Jacques starts with Scott Steiner, and Jacques wants a handshake, but Scotty doesn't fall for it - instead release overhead suplexing him for two. Both men tag out (Yokozuna and Rick Steiner, respectively), and Yoko pounds him down, but Rick matches blows, and actually manages to knock him out of the ring with some shoulderblocks! Tag to Borga, and he dumps Rick to the outside, but wastes time gloating over it, and Steiner delivers a sloppy flying clothesline for two. 2^nd rope flying bodypress follows, but Borga catches him in a (botched) powerslam on the way down at 5:06. The dust settles on Jacques holding Scott in a side-headlock, but the remaining Steiner powers out with a press-slam right into an incoming Crush - with Crush impressively catching him! Crush suckers Scott into a test-of-strength and immediately takes a cheap shot, but a clothesline misses, and Scotty delivers a tiger bomb for two. Crush responds with a superkick, but here comes Macho Man! He's restrained in the aisle, and Crush taunts him by press-slamming Scott over the top to the floor! Randy doesn't make it to the ring, and Crush continues pounding Steiner in dull fashion. Toehold follows, as Savage makes another attempt to get down the aisle. This one is enough to distract Crush for Scott to dropkick over the top, and he goes after Macho - getting counted out in the process at 11:36! Back in the ring, Scott is still getting pounded by the rest of the Fanatics though, and Jacques delivers a jumping backelbow for two, followed by a piledriver for two. Scott reverses a whip into the ropes and hits a press-slam, however, and Luger gets the tag! He comes in with a bodyslam, setting up a 2^nd rope pointed elbowdrop to finish Jacques at 14:05. I guess he figured if he did some of Bret's signature moves, he'd fool people into thinking he's as good. Lex then looks like a total loser by tagging out to Scott when Borga comes in, despite Borga openly challenging him. Hey, you can copy Bret or copy Lawler, but not both, buddy. Ludvig beats the piss out of Scott, but Steiner vertical superplexes him when Borga goes up - Yokozuna breaking the count at two. Poor Yoko nearly got winded making that save there. Scott responds by trying a Frankensteiner on Yokozuna, but that ends about as well as you'd expect, and Yoko drops a leg at 16:57. That leads to a showdown with Luger, and Yoko is quick to smack him down for a ropechoke. Bodyslam sets up a splash, but Lex rolls out of the way, and starts throwing clotheslines! Yoko blocks before Luger can get him off of his feet, however, and Borga tags in to hammer him. This whole match has been all punch-kick thus far, but at least there hasn't really been any resting. They cut the ring in half on Luger, but Yokozuna misses an avalanche, and Undertaker gets the tag for the first time in the match. He catches Yokozuna with a jumping DDT (drawing a huge pop), so Borga tries a cheap shot - knocking 'Taker into a belly-to-belly suplex from Yoko. Undertaker sits up, so Yokozuna uses a legdrop, then drags him over to the corner for the Banzi Drop! He connects, but a second one misses when Undertaker sits up again, and he follows up with a jumping clothesline! Yoko bails, but Undertaker is on his tail, and we have a double countout at 23:25, to set up their Royal Rumble encounter. Can't blame them, based on the crowd response to this segment. Down to two men, and Borga hits Luger with a legdrop for two, then a sidewalk slam gets two. Hanging vertical suplex is worth two, and a powerslam gets two. Pair of clotheslines for two, but Luger reverses another vertical suplex, and a criss cross ends in a double knockout spot. That allows Mr. Fuji to pass Ludvig the salt bucket, and he clobbers Luger with it behind the referee's back for two. They totally mistimed the cover/count, and the kickout lacked drama. Lex mounts his comeback, and a jumping forearm smash finishes at 27:59.
Survivor: Lex Luger
Pretty weak, as far as main events go. And I actually thought this punchy-kicky multiple-botch shit was the best match of the show the first time around! * (Original rating: ** ¼)

BUExperience: Basically little more than a set up show, with lots of angles for Royal Rumble and WrestleMania either originating or developing here, but little actually settled. Which is a shame too, since Bret and the Hart family finally getting their revenge on Jerry Lawler would have probably been enough to carry that end of things, had real life not intervened.

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