From
Opening Survivor Series Elimination Match: The Teamsters (Shawn Michaels, Diesel, Owen Hart, Jeff Jarrett, and Jim Neidhart) v The Bad Guys (Razor Ramon, Davey Boy Smith, 1-2-3 Kid, and The New Headshrinkers): I like how Davey had a transition period between the long tights and the short ones with medium length ones. It's like he couldn't fully commit. After some debate, Neidhart starts with Kid, and he knocks the little guy around, but runs into a dropkick. Kid tries a shoulderblock during a criss cross, but that ends predictably badly, and Jarrett tags in. He dominates Kid, but wastes time gloating, and Kid sends him to the outside with a kick. Tag to Sione for a press-slam on Jarrett, but Jeff rakes his eyes to buy time, and tries a headlock. I always forget Barbarian came back to the WWF during this period. He feels really out of place in this era. Jarrett comes off the top with a flying clothesline for two, and tags are made to Smith and Hart. That leads to a reversal sequence, ending in Bulldog sending Owen into the Bad Guys' corner with a catapult, then executing a press-slam. Sunset flip gets two, so Owen throws a leg-feed enzuigiri, and passes over to Neidhart. That whack Bulldog with a tandem clothesline, but a second try at it is ducked, and Davey returns fire with a double-clothesline. He drops Neidhart with a hanging vertical suplex, then passes over to Fatu for a flying headbutt! Fatu has trouble with his footwear (this was during an angle where Lou Albano was trying to civilize the team), and Jim gets away long enough to tag. Fatu manages to take down the incoming Jarrett with a powerslam ahead of tagging to Ramon, and they feel each other out for a bit. Jarrett controls, but makes the mistake of messing up Razor's hair, and he gets decked over the top for being a fool. Back in, Razor tries a side suplex, but Jarrett back flips onto his feet to block. He leaps with a bodypress, but Ramon catches him in a fallaway slam, then tags Kid - Razor fallaway slamming Kid into Jarrett for two! Kid tries to keep it going, but quickly runs into a boot, and Double J slaps on an abdominal stretch. He gets caught using the ropes, however, allowing Kid to reverse, but Jeff hiptosses him over the top to escape. He tries a suplex back in, but Kid slips free, and leg-feed kicks him. Tags to Owen and Fatu, and Hart throws a spinheel kick for two, but makes the mistake of trying a turnbuckle smash on a Samoan. Fatu goes to work, but misses a blind tag to Diesel, and Big Daddy Cool takes his head off with a clothesline, then Jackknifes him at 13:30. Kid runs in with a dropkick on Diesel, then comes off the top with a flying sunset flip, but the big man won't go down for him, and he drops Kid with a two-handed chokeslam, then sends him to bed with a Jackknife at 14:13. In comes Sione, out goes Sione at 14:44. Bulldog is next, and he manages to get some blows in on Big Daddy Cool, but runs into a big boot. That puts Smith on the outside, and Diesel wants a break, but Shawn refuses to tag in - telling the big man to get the job done. Meanwhile, Owen and Neidhart are pounding Bulldog on the outside, and he's counted out at 15:02. Shawn still doesn't want to tag in, however, and as Diesel squabbles with him about it, Ramon sneaks in with a schoolboy for two. He slugs away at big Diesel, and a 2nd rope flying bulldog gets him two. He adds some short-shoulderblocks, but Diesel counters with a short-clothesline, followed by the snake-eyes. He shoves Razor into the Teamster corner for some abuse, but another snake-eyes is blocked, and the Bad Guy bodyslams the seven footer. Razor's Edge (yeah, right), but Diesel counters with a backdrop, as Shawn barks orders at him. Diesel with a big boot, and Shawn is now angrily demanding the Jackknife. Diesel obliges, but before he can pin, now all of a sudden Michaels wants to tag into the match for the first time. Diesel again obliges, but even following that set up, Shawn still doesn't want to work too hard - instead instructing Diesel to stay in and pick Ramon up for the superkick. Diesel reluctantly agrees, but Razor ends up ducking it, and Michaels blasts his own partner - the third time that has happened in recent months. Diesel loses it, and decides to go after HBK, chasing him to the back, and beating up his entire protesting team in the process - all the Teamsters counted out at 21:40!
Survivor: Razor Ramon
This was good action, with very little resting, and a big angle weaved in. And I know a lot of people hate that finish, but I felt it worked in context, and it got over. *** ¼ (Original rating: *** ¼)
Survivor Series Elimination Match: Clowns R' Us (Doink the Clown, Dink, Wink, and Pink) v The Royal Family (Jerry Lawler, Sleazy, Queasy, and Cheesy): Think if Lawler had missed THIS Survivor Series, it would still be eating away at fans all these years later, like the '93 version? Doink and Lawler start, and the Clown hits a leg-feed enzuigiri - sending Jerry crying to his teammates. Lawler then tries his own leg-feed enzuigiri, but Doink ducks it, and the poor King wipes out. Next up, we get a spot where Doink takes the King down in a cross-armbreaker, and all of his teammates run in over Jerry's stomach. That draws Lawler's teammates in, but they end up running over Jerry as they go after the clowns! Lawler then tries the same spot, but while the little heels run over Doink, he trips them up! Doink with a trio of bodyslams, and each of the little clowns run in to try making pin attempts. Lawler follows with his own, less successful version. And so on it goes, with them running through all the classic midget match spots, and playing it for laughs. Lawler eventually gets good and tired of being made to look like a fool, and decides to start cheating, and he pins Doink with a handful of tights at 10:35. Now, since mixing is illegal here, that means Lawler is regulated to the apron. In theory, at least, as he still comes in at every opportunity. The Clowns dominate the little kings, but with Jerry's help, Cheesy puts Wink away at 13:08. Pink is next to go, as Lawler slams Cheesy onto him at 14:29. That leaves Dink all alone, and I feel like this match is missing a good heel commentator right about now. Like,
Survivors: Jerry Lawler, Sleazy, Queasy, Cheesy
Afterwards, Lawler berates his own teammates, since he feels he did all the work, and they don't deserve to have their hands raised. He's a jerk... but he's not wrong. That, of course, leads to Doink the his guys coming back out, and Lawler ends up with a pie in the face as the big gag. Just your basic comedy match. It was dumb, but inoffensive, and the crowd seemed to enjoy it, so you can't really say it bombed like the four-Doink match from last year. Besides, if you're going to do this kind of match, no one better than Lawler to get it over. DUD (Original rating: ¼*)
Main Event: WWF Title Towel Match: Bret Hart v Bob Backlund: Bret has Davey Boy Smith as his towel man, and Bob has Owen Hart. Bob tries charging Bret while the lights are still down from the entrances, but Backlund's blindingly white skin makes him easy enough to see coming, and Bret bodyslams him. Hart with a hiptoss and an armdrag to send Backlund to the outside, where Owen is happy to help him in. Headbutt knocks Backlund back to the out, so Smith aggressively rolls him in, and Bret grounds his challenger in a headlock. Bob uses a side suplex to escape, so Bret snaps off a pair of pointed elbowdrops, and a European uppercut sets up a legdrop. Hart grabs a chinlock, but Bob wrestles free, so Bret throws a shoulderblock, then takes it back to the mat for another headlock. Backlund tries countering it into a cradle, but pinfalls mean nothing here, so that goes nowhere. Bob forces another criss cross, and this time manages to take Bret down with a drop-toehold, but gets countered right back to the side-headlock. Bret continues to totally dominate him on the mat, so Backlund goes for the Crossface Chickenwing, but Hart is ready with a belly-to-belly suplex to block. You know they did a marvelous job of building up that finisher because the crowd visibly freaks out at even a slight tease of it. Hart tries the Sharpshooter, but Backlund blocks, so Bret grabs an abdominal stretch instead. And, for once, Gorilla is actually pleased with how the hold is applied! That's kind of fitting, seeing as this turned out to be the last pay per view Monsoon ever called. Bret with a bodyslam to set up a 2nd rope flying elbowdrop, but Backlund rolls out of the way, and he starts ripping at the arm and shoulder. Bob pounds the parts, but Bret manages to stay in the ropes to avoid the Chickenwing. I remember also totally freaking out when I watched this as a kid on pay per view in 1994, and Hart is doing a tremendous job of building drama around the hold here. Bret tries a reversal out of a wristlock, but Backlund pops him in the jaw, and Bret ends up on the outside. He gets into a brief confrontation with Owen out there, but has to stay alert, as Backlund is on him with another Chickenwing attempt. Back in, Bob applies an armbar, so Bret tries a bodyslam to escape, but Backlund holds on. Hart tries a swinging neckbreaker then, and that manages a break, but Bob reapplies the hold before Bret can mount a comeback. Bret uses an inverted atomic drop to escape again, and this time is able to try for the Sharpshooter, but Backlund is in the ropes before that gets anywhere. Bret drags him away and manages to apply a figure four instead, but Owen won't even consider throwing in the towel. Bob reverses the hold, but Davey isn't throwing it in. Bret reverses back, but Bob is in the ropes this time, and the referee forces a break. Bret is up first, and he stays on the leg, but Bob is in the ropes to avoid the Sharpshooter again. Hart gets annoyed, and starts throwing rights, but Bob cuts him off with a facebuster, then adds a piledriver. That's enough to daze Bret for Backlund to try the Chickenwing again, but Hart still has it together enough to fall into the ropes before Bob can apply it. Bob keeps coming with a swinging neckbreaker, but Bret keeps himself close to the ropes at all times. Backlund with a pair of cross corner whips, but Hart backdrops out of another piledriver attempt, so Bob tries a sleeper instead. Bret drops him into the turnbuckle to escape, and delivers a piledriver of his own, followed by a bulldog. Russian legsweep connects, and a backbreaker sets up a 2nd rope pointed elbowdrop. It's weird watching that sequence without any covers in-between. Sharpshooter is successfully applied, but here comes Owen with a bulldog to break it up! And speaking of 'bulldogs,' Bulldog then chases Owen around ringside for what he did, but trips over, and takes a nasty spill into the steps - getting knocked out cold! Meanwhile, Backlund capitalizes on it all by getting the Chickenwing applied, and though Bret fights hard to maintain a vertical base, he's eventually forced to the mat in the hold. As Bret fights the hold, Owen is having a crisis at ringside - looking upset as he sees what's happened to Davey, and actively cheering Bret to escape the hold! The Hitman has no escape, however, and Bob has got the hold well applied. Owen, now practically crying, starts begging his parents (seated at ringside) to throw in the towel for Bret to end this, since Bulldog is still out cold. If you're so concerned, go ahead and throw Backlund's towel in to end the match. Sure, it's a dick move, but you love your brother, don't you? Helen wants to throw it in, but old Stu isn't falling for it, and refuses. Owen is now openly crying and begging (including throwing in lines about 'having Christmas together again,' to really guilt them), and Helen finally has enough - ripping the towel out of Stu's hands, and throwing it in at 34:44. And, of course, Owen then immediately starts celebrating. Stu knew. Stu knew. Top notch drama here, as Bret did an amazing job of getting the danger of Backlund's finish over throughout, and his selling in the final sequence was stellar (as was Owen's performance). The match itself is quite slow though, and certainly not something everyone will like. The Superstars match that featured Backlund's heel turn was actually much better. *** (Original rating: *** ¼)
Survivor Series Elimination Match: Guts and Glory (Lex Luger, Adam Bomb, Mabel, and The Smoking Gunns) v The Million Dollar Team (Tatanka, Bam Bam Bigelow, King Kong Bundy, and The Heavenly Bodies): Luger starts with Tatanka, and gets hammered with tomahawk chops as the bell sounds. Lex had the chance to sneak up on Tatanka there, but instead allowed him to turn around before engaging, and now he's paying the price. Lex no-sells a vertical suplex, however, and he drops Tatanka with a bulldog, then sends him to the outside with a flurry of clotheslines. The other heels run in, so Luger cleans house, and we get a big stare down between Mabel and Bundy. Dust settles on Mabel and Tom Prichard, and the big man slams him around with ease, before killing him with a 2nd rope flying bodypress at 3:59. Jimmy Del Ray comes in to avenge the loss for his partner, but Mabel ignores a dropkick, and executes a scrapbuster. Jimmy wisely abandons that plan in favor of tagging out to Bundy, but a power-showdown is won by Mabel. Tag to Bam Bam, but he loses his own exchange with Mabel, and the big(ger) man hits a spinheel kick. He actually goes to the top rope from there, but Bigelow slams him off, and tries a flying sunset flip, but Mabel counters with a sit-down splash! Clothesline sends both guys to the outside, but Mabel fails to beat the count in along with Bigelow at 7:12. That was a weak elimination. Dust settles on Billy Gunn with
Survivors: Bam Bam Bigelow, King Kong Bundy
This one overstayed its welcome, and dragged a lot in the second half, but solid enough overall. ** ¼ (Original rating: ***)
Main Event: Casket Match: Undertaker v Yokozuna: Chuck Norris acts as the special guest enforcer for this one, to prevent another gang up like at the Royal Rumble. Something tells me Yoko's entourage has lost a lot of their clout since then, anyway. Like, who would be lining up to get on his good side now, months after he'd lost the WWF Title, and been demoted deep into the midcard? Yoko is so terrified of the casket that he literally falls on his ass at the bell. Undertaker hammers him, and they spill to the outside, where Yokozuna eats steps. Well, he's likely finished off all the other food in the building before the match, so onto the lesser known food groups, I guess. Back in, 'Taker hits the ropewalk forearm, but runs into a Samoan drop as they criss cross. Yoko adds a legdrop, and he tries for the casket, but Undertaker fights him off. Yoko responds with a uranage and another legdrop, but 'Taker avoids getting closed in the casket, and pulls Yoko into it with him. Mr. Fuji lends an assist, and both guys end up fighting on the floor. Inside, Yoko works him over in super slow, super dull fashion. Undertaker manages a mat-slam, and he goes up with a flying clothesline, which cues the reinforcements. King Kong Bundy and Bam Bam Bigelow are first, but while they distract Norris on the outside, Irwin R. Schyster runs in through the crowd! He latches onto Undertaker with a sleeper, and dumps him into the casket, but fails to, you know, close the lid - instead leaving it for Yoko to do, while he hightails it back into the crowd. Yokozuna slowly recovers and tries to close the lid, but Undertaker grabs a chokehold to put a stop to it, so Jeff Jarrett comes out. Norris disposes of him with a kick, however, and Undertaker finishes up at 15:36. I'll say it, the Rumble match was better. These two had some very real chemistry together in late '93/early '94, but whatever they had then was pretty much gone here. This was like watching paint dry. And not even regular paint. Some kind of extra slow drying paint. -* (Original rating: -½*)
BUExperience: I dunno. I gave this one a pretty positive write up in the first BUExperience five years ago, and I remember counting down the days until I could watch it again on home video as a kid, but not anymore. The opener and the WWF Title match are both good, which combined take up a solid third of the show – which is not nothing. And there is certainly some historical significance with Backlund’s title win, and Diesel’s face turn, but overall, I wouldn’t really bother with this one anymore.
*
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.