A2Z Analysiz: WWF Survivor Series 1991 (Hulk Hogan, Undertaker)

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sur ser 87-91

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Joe Louis Arena – Detroit, Michigan – November 27, 1991

Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan are on commentary. The show opens with a recap of Jake Roberts attacking Randy Savage with a King Cobra, and Jack Tunney announcing that Savage was reinstated and would face Roberts at Tuesday in Texas. Thus Roberts and Sid are out of their elimination match tonight and it will go on as a six-man tag.

MATCH #1: Survivor Series Elimination Match – Ric Flair, Ted DiBiase, the Mountie & the Warlord vs. Bret Hart, Roddy Piper, Virgil & the British Bulldog

DiBiase is the Million Dollar Champion and has Sensational Sherri with him. Mountie has Jimmy Hart, Warlord has Harvey Wippleman, and Flair has Mr. Perfect. That’s a lot of people on a side, but this year all the managers are not allowed to stay at ringside except Sherri for some reason. Bret is the current Intercontinental Champion. DiBiase and Piper start the match. Piper pulls Sherri into the ring and she climbs on his back and gets kissed for her troubles. The referees make Sherri leave now, so that’s why she was out there. The babyfaces take over on DiBiase and Virgil of all people gets an enormous pop when he tags in. They go back and forth a bit and the crowd comes unglued when Piper and Flair tear into each other. Piper takes it to the floor to continue the beating, so back in the ring Flair tags Warlord. The referee has some trouble controlling all right men at once. Bulldog hits Mountie with a Running Powerslam but DiBiase and Warlord come in to break up the count. When Piper, Bret, and Virgil try to jump in the ring the referee tries to force them back to the apron, allowing Flair to hit a first to the back off the top rope to get the pin on Bulldog at 10:56. The match continues at a pretty fast pace, with momentum shifting multiple times back and forth. Warlord traps Virgil in the Full Nelson, but Piper creates a diversion and Bret hits Warlord with a forearm to the back of the head. Piper then steals the pin at 17:00. They continue going back and forth until Piper comes in and sets off a big brawl amongst all six remaining competitors. Piper knocks Flair to the floor, and as the brawl continues the referee disqualifies everyone in the ring at 22:47, which means that Flair is the sole survivor! That was a terrific match with a bunch of talented guys with a clever and unique finish. I love it.
Rating: ***¾

Before the next match, the newly reinstated Randy Savage comes out to the platform for an interview with Mean Gene Okerlund. Savage is furious with Roberts and promises vengeance when they get to San Antonio in six days. Gene wants to know how Elizabeth feels, so Savage says to ask her, and she’s in the building! She says she’ll be watching her husband get his revenge. That’s the second Survivor Series in a row where Savage got to cut a promo instead of work a match.

MATCH #2: Survivor Series Elimination Match – Sgt. Slaughter, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Texas Tornado & El Matador vs. Col. Mustafa, the Berzerker, Hercules & Skinner

Mustafa is accompanied by Gen. Adnan and Berzerker has Mr. Fuji with him. Hercules is a replacement for Big Bully Busick, while on the other team El Matador is replacing Ricky Steamboat and Sgt. Slaughter is replacing Jim Neidhart. Matador and Skinner start the match. They do some back and forth and then Berzerker and Tornado get tagged in and it gets ugly. Hercules and Hacksaw are the next two to get a shot. Duggan gets worked over by all four members of the team. He comes back with a suplex on Mustafa, and then makes the tag to Slaughter. The Sarge is a house afire, and quickly eliminates Mustafa with a clothesline at 7:58. Somehow one of the top turnbuckle pads has been removed, but Monsoon and Heenan don’t seem at all concerned with it. Duggan dominates Berzerker and gets a few shots in at Skinner and Hercules on the apron too. This match is just ugly as sin. Matador and Hercules get tagged in and Matador hits El Paso del Muerte to eliminate Hercules at 12:06. Skinner and Slaughter get tagged in but Skinner doesn’t know it so Slaughter gets a quick schoolboy rollup for the pin at 13:31. Berzerker is facing quite the odds now. Duggan hits him with the Three Point Stance to get the win at 14:18. For only the second time in history a whole team has survived, but oy that match was rough.
Rating: *¼

Now Jake Roberts gets time for a rebuttal to Savage’s earlier promo. He makes some cryptic remarks and says that Tuesday in Texas is the End of the Beginning for Savage and Elizabeth.

MATCH #3: WWF Championship Match – Hulk Hogan vs. Undertaker

Hogan has been the champion since 3.24.91. He tries to hurt Undertaker early on but has trouble doing it so he takes a powder to regroup instead. Back in the ring Hogan still can’t get untracked and Undertaker looks dominant. Everything Hogan tries Undertaker has an answer for. The battle spills to the floor and Undertaker rams Hogan’s face into the steps. Back in the ring it’s more Undertaker on offense; it’s pretty much been a squash for the first 10 minutes. Finally Hogan fights back but gets taken right down with a clothesline. Undertaker hits the Tombstone but Hogan no-sells it! As Hogan Hulks Up, Ric Flair makes his way down to ringside. Hogan hits a bodyslam and goes for the Legdrop but gets distracted by Flair. He goes outside and decks Flair, and then turns his attention back to Undertaker, hitting a Big Boot. Paul Bearer then distracts Hogan and the referee, allowing Undertaker to punch Hogan in the throat. Flair then slides a chair in the ring and Undertaker Tombstones Hogan on it to get the pin and win his first WWE Championship at 12:44. That was an extended squash, but good for Hogan because it made Undertaker look like a million bucks, even with no-selling the Tombstone and needing a chair to win. It’s wrestling.
Rating: *½

MATCH #4: Survivor Series Elimination Match – The Beverly Brothers & the Nasty Boys vs. the Rockers & the Bushwhackers

The Beverly Brothers are accompanied by the Genius, and the Nasty Boys are joined by Jimmy Hart. Butch and Brian Knobs start the match. Their respective partners get involved pretty quickly and the Bushwhackers take them both out with double clotheslines. The Beverly Brothers try their luck but it doesn’t go well for them either, as they get hit with the Battering Ram. The Rockers add a double dropkick to the Nasty Boys, and the babyfaces appear to be having a good time. Knobs and Luke end up in the ring together and Knobs hits a clothesline off the second rope for the first elimination at 5:20. The teams trade momentum back and forth a bit until Butch gets caught alone in the ring with the Beverly Brothers and they hit a sort-of flapjack to eliminate him at 10:14. Even at a four-on-two disadvantage, the Rockers are able to handle both of the Beverlys for a bit. Beau cuts Michaels off and goes to work on his back. Then from out of nowhere Michaels snags a backslide to eliminate Beau at 13:54! Michaels is worn down though and needs to make a tag. He dropkicks Jerry Sags to the floor and then hits a flying clothesline off the apron. Michaels also finds time to hit Knobs with Sweet Chin Music. He tries to reenter the ring via the top rope but Sags punches him out of the air. Finally Jannetty gets the hot tag and he’s all over everyone. He gets cut off and the heels take control for a bit until the hot tag is made. Michaels is a house afire, and the match soon turns into a pier-six brawl among the remaining five wrestlers. Jannetty picks up Sags for a bodyslam and accidentally swings his legs into Michaels’s face and Knobs rolls him up for the pin at 19:41. Michaels and Jannetty argue about what just went down and the crowd sounds concerned. Jannetty fights valiantly but is facing difficult odds. He wipes out both Nasty Boys with a dive from the top rope to the floor. Back in the ring he gets Sags in a small package but Knobs rolls it over and Sags gets the pin at 23:04. That was okay but went on a little too long. The stuff with the Rockers was very well done. For some reason Gorilla Monsoon has trouble understanding that Michaels was pinned; he thinks Michaels bailed and got counted out.
Rating: **¼

MATCH #5: Survivor Series Elimination Match – The Legion of Doom & Big Boss Man vs. the Natural Disasters & I.R.S.

Jimmy Hart is with the Natural Disasters. Legion of Doom are the current World Tag Team Champions. The default team captains start the match. Boss Man dominates so IRS tags Earthquake and Boss Man tags Animal. They exchange power moves and then make tags to Hawk and IRS. Typhoon comes in and shows off his power too. The captains wind up back in the ring together and Boss Man is dominant. The referee gets distracted and IRS hits Boss Man with his briefcase to eliminate him at 6:24. A few minutes later IRS tries to hit Hawk with the case but he ducks and he hits Typhoon instead! Hawk scores the pin at 9:39. Earthquake is very upset; in fact he’s so upset that he leaves with his partner back to the locker room and gets counted out around 10:48. The tide has turned and now it’s IRS at a disadvantage. The Taxman puts up a good fight, wearing Hawk down in and out of the ring. The hot tag is made and Animal hits a powerslam. The champs hit a double clothesline and IRS starts walking to the back. Unfortunately for him, the Big Boss Man meets him in the aisle and forces him back to the ring! Animal suplexes IRS back in the ring, and Hawk follows with a Top-Rope Clothesline to get the win at 15:22. That’s a curious choice for a main event, but looking at the results of the other matches I can see why they had to go with it. But then why not keep Roberts and Savage involved if you want it to go on top?
Rating: **

I grew up and now I write for Inside Pulse. Oh, and one time I saw a blimp!