WWF 1991 Survivor Series

November 27, 1991

From the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, MI

Your hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan

We are shown the replay of Jake Roberts attacking Randy Savage on “Superstars of Wrestling” this past weekend and having his king cobra bite Savage. After that, President Jack Tunney is shown taking responsibility for allowing the snake at ringside and accepts Jake’s explanation at face value that it was an accident. However, Tunney says effective immediately all reptiles are barred from ringside and after meeting with his doctor, Savage will be reinstated at the earliest date possible. That date is “this Tuesday night in Texas.” Also, Jake will not be a participant at the Survivor Series and his team will be involved in a 3 vs. 3 match. There is a lot to digest here. First off, Savage is reinstated. That was the likely scenario all along but now its official. However, we learn that Savage and Jake will finally have a match together and in just six days and its in Texas. We will learn a lot more about that as the show progresses. Jake also is not allowed to have his snake with him at ringside as that gimmick is now over.

“Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase w/ Sensational Sherri & The Mountie w/ Jimmy Hart & The Warlord w/ Harvey Whippleman & Ric Flair w/ Mr. Perfect vs. Bret “The Hitman” Hart & Virgil & British Bulldog & Roddy Piper

Piper and DiBiase start it out but Flair runs in and kicks Piper from behind. Piper catches DiBiase with a clothesline then crotches him on the top rope. Sherri jumps on Piper’s back and gets yanked off and kissed as Piper works over DiBiase’s arm. Piper’s team all take turns working over DiBiase’s arm and that lasts for a while. DiBisae chops Bret after a break then avoids a charge before going to work on the leg. We get a pinfall reversal sequence before Bret uses an arm drag. DiBiase tags Flair after a hip toss but Flair misses an elbow drop. Bret goes to work then tags out as Bulldog slingshots Flair into the corner. Flair hits Bulldog low but is caught with a press slam then Piper tags into the match. Flair begs for mercy in the corner then the two trade chops with Piper winning that battle. Flair bails so Piper heads out to ram his head into the steps. Bulldog and Warlord are in now as Bulldog hits a dropkick. Warlord catches a charging Bulldog with a boot then Mountie tags in and chops away as Jimmy Hart is watching on a monitor backstage because managers are not allowed at ringside. Bret and DiBiase are in now and they collide. Mountie tags in but so does Bulldog as Bulldog runs wild. Flair runs in and chops Bulldog then lures him into the corner. Bulldog comes back with a double clothesline then hits Mountie with a running powerslam but everyone runs in and as that happens, Flair comes off the top with a knee drop and covers for the win (10:55). Piper runs in and goes after everyone but ends up getting beat down. Piper fights back and puts Flair in the figure four until DiBiase breaks it up. DiBiase takes down Piper as Gorilla has already proclaimed this as the greatest Survivor Series he has ever seen. Flair’s team cuts off the ring but Piper is able to make the tag to Virgil. The crowd does not care as Virgil trades strikes with Flair in an awkward sequence. DiBiase is in now but he fails to hit Virgil with a turnbuckle smash and gets destroyed. DiBiase catches Virgil in a powerslam then tags out to the Warlord. Flair beats on Virgil outside of the ring then brings him inside where Warlord locks on the full nelson. However, everyone runs in then Bret comes off the top to hit Warlord with an elbow smash and Piper covers for the win (17:00). Piper nearly puts DiBiase away with a rollup. Virgil clotheslines DiBiase a few times before putting on the Million Dollar Dream. DiBiase runs Virgil into the corner as both men are down. Virgil is neutralized in the corner until he hits a swinging neckbreaker after DiBiase ducked his head. Flair and Piper tag in with Piper going mental. Piper pokes Flair in the eye after getting hit with an inverted atomic drop then the match breaks down. Flair gets dumped then everyone else keeps brawling as the bell rings. The others now fight outside with Flair by himself in the ring and we learn that everyone but Flair was disqualified because he was not fighting in the ring (22:48) ***. After the match, Piper attacks Flair then joins Bret in clearing the ring.

Thoughts: The action was good for the most part, loved Flair and Piper brawling, but man was this finish terrible. Flair, a guy in line for a title shot, won the match in the lamest way possible. He came off like an opportunistic midcarder more so than a main event heel. He won in a way a guy like Miz would win a match today. Having Piper and Bret clear the ring together also came off that Bret was at Piper’s level and they were serious about pushing him as the IC champ. And, the only two pin falls took place due to cheating as they apparently were afraid to have these guys job clean.

Gene Okerlund welcomes Savage to the interview platform. Savage is asked about getting attacked by the king cobra as we are shown still photos. Savage said it was a living hell and he was hallucinating but could hear and see one thing and that was Elizabeth crying. Savage said seeing her cry hurt him worse than anything Jake could have done to him. Savage says that Jake is the real snake and this Tuesday in Texas the madness will be all over Jake like melting butter. Elizabeth comes out to share her happiness over Savage’s reinstatement and will be there this Tuesday in Texas as she predicts victory for her husband. They keep mentioning “This Tuesday in Texas” to the point you expect it to be shown in some capacity.

Col. Mustafa w/ Gen. Adnan & The Berzerker w/ Mr. Fuji & Skinner & Hercules vs. Texas Tornado & El Matador & Hacksaw Jim Duggan & Sgt. Slaughter

Skinner shoves Matador down but Matador fights back. Matador then knocks Skinner outside with a flying forearm as Heenan notes Matador’s aggressiveness since finding his roots. Skinner ducks a second flying forearm attempt that is dubbed a “flying taco” by Heenan. Tornado and Berzerker mix it up now in a terrible sequence then Skinner holds Tornado’s leg from the floor. Tornado is trapped in the opposing corner but escapes and tags Duggan, who pumps up the crowd. Hercules fails to budge Duggan then loses a slugfest. Berzerker grabs Duggan from the apron and swings away until Hercules attacks from behind. Duggan gets beat down as the action is now sloppy and slow. Duggan runs over Mustafa until he runs into a throat thrust. Duggan fights back and hammers away in the corner but is stopped by the ref and that allows Mustafa to attack. Duggan blocks a suplex and hits one of his own as both men are down. Duggan makes the tag as Slaughter stares down Mustafa. Slaughter hits an atomic drop then a clothesline for the pin (7:57). Berzerker runs in as Slaughter beats him down. Berzerker fights back and hits a clothesline then connects with a big boot for two. Slaughter is neutralized in the corner as Duggan leads the crowd into a USA chant. Slaughter ends up crotching Berzerker on the top rope. Duggan is in and kicks Berzerker in the face before clotheslining him outside where Berzeker lands on his feet. Berzerker runs back in and gets backdropped outside. Berzerker fights back then Tornado tags in and fires away. Berzerker escapes and tags out to Hercules while Skinner grabbed Tornado’s tights. Tornado fucks up a leap frog then tags out as Matador puts Hercules away with the flying forearm (12:05). Skinner runs in and goes after Matador. Matador is double-teamed in the corner now but Matador makes a blind tag while up in a back suplex then Slaughter sneaks up behind Skinner for the pin (13:31). Slaughter beats on Berzerker then whips him towards Duggan, who uses a clothesline for the win (14:19) 1/2*. Slaughter waves the American flag in the air.

Thoughts: The point of this match was to establish Slaughter as a babyface. However, he was clearly hurting and the rest of the talent involved besides Matador did poorly. Slaughter’s face turn was not enough to make up for the terrible in-ring action. Mustafa, the team captain, was gone first, and that was for the best while his other teammates had zero heat combined. And Tornado was abysmal in the ring. IIRC, the Coliseum Home Video version of the show had Slaughter’s teammates all patting him on the back and congratulating him while walking backstage.

Okerlund now brings Jake Roberts up to the interview platform. Jake swears he thought his king cobra was de-venomized then thanks Okerlund for calling him a sick man. Okerlund cannot wait for Savage to get revenge this Tuesday in Texas but Jake says you should all blame the WWF and Jack Tunney instead of himself for what happened. Jake said he cannot believe after six years people caught on because what was in the bag is a toy while he is the real snake we should be worried about.

We learn from Gorilla that “This Tuesday in Texas” is now going to be shown on PPV.

Replay of Undertaker attacking Hogan on the “Funeral Parlor.”

WWF World Heavyweight Title Match: The Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer vs. Hulk Hogan (c)

Hogan bails and takes a breather after getting run over and is getting booed by some fans sitting at ringside. Undertaker then chokes Hogan in the corner and gets some cheers then starts using throat thrusts. Undertaker now chokes out Hogan with the ropes. Bearer chokes Hogan out behind the ref’s back then Undertaker hits a slam. Hogan avoids an elbow drop then fires away. Undertaker blocks a slam but Hogan rakes his eyes and hits a clothesline. Hogan rams Undertaker into the corner a few times then Undertaker is clotheslined over the top rope but lands on his feet. Hogan heads out and is decked by Undertaker, who now uses the camera cord to choke Hogan out. The action heads back inside where we get more choking from Undertaker. A fan dressed as Hogan in the front row tries to get the crowd into the match as Undertaker now works an iron claw and that last for a while. Hogan is able to keep his arm up after the third attempt then hulks up. Undertaker cuts off a comeback with a flying clothesline and gets cheered. Hogan then hits a tombstone but Hogan pops up and gets cheered. Hogan fires away and drops Undertaker to one knee then hits a slam but we see that Ric Flair has made his way ringside. Hogan heads up to deck Flair then rolls back inside where he hits Undertaker with a big boot. Bearer grabs Hogan’s leg to prevent him from hitting a leg drop then as the ref is distracted, Undertaker attacks Hogan and gets him up for the tombstone. Flair then slides a chair into the ring and Undertaker uses a tombstone on the chair for the win and the championship (12:40) 1/2*. Gorilla screams about how it took three guys to beat Hogan while Heenan proudly proclaims that Hulkamania is dead. A few agents come out and check on Hogan as Heenan is screaming about Hulkamania being buried tonight. The camera then shows kids in tears throughout the crowd but Hogan eventually gets up and walks slowly to the back.

Thoughts: The first thing you notice is Hogan coming out and looking old. He was noticeably smaller and flabbier than he has ever been in the WWF. Everything about him in this match screamed old and out of touch. Undertaker was the much cooler character and he got some cheers but this match was a stinker. The heat segments on Hogan were incredibly boring and the crowd seemed sick of Hogan in general. I did like the finish though and that was easily the best thing about the match. Hogan was also hospitalized after the show as he reportedly injured himself taking the tombstone. But this match just about signaled the end of the Hulkamania era and it was Hogan’s worst PPV title defense at this point.

Okerlund is backstage and talks about Hogan’s loss. He then waves over Piper as Piper screams about all of the chaos happening in the company.

Sean Mooney is in the locker room with Flair & Perfect. They both gloat over the fact Hulkamania has ended. Flair then screams about Hogan losing and little kids with tears in their eyes as he is now the only real World Heavyweight Champion.

Back to Okerlund as he tells us that Tunney and Hogan are talking before he brings out The Natural Disasters & IRS. Earthquake calls out the LoD as Jimmy Hart complains about this match being 3 vs. 3. I bet the fans in attendance complained about that too. Expecting Savage and Jake, they were told about the two wrestling in a PPV next week.

Mooney is with LoD & Big Bossman as they hype their match.

Tunney is now backstage with Okerlund. He tells us that the referee’s decision is final but he will give Hogan a rematch at This Tuesday in Texas. Tunney will also sit at ringside to ensure a fair outcome. We now have another match for the PPV.

Beverly Brothers w/ The Genius & Nasty Boys w/ Jimmy Hart vs. The Bushwhackers & The Rockers

Both teams play to the crowd. Butch fires away on Knobbs then comes back with a knee lift. The Bushwhackers beat on the Nasty Boys then the Beverly Brothers as they clear the ring. The Rockers take Knobbs out with a double dropkick as Shawn does not appear too thrilled with The Bushwhackers antics. Shawn and Blake trade punches until Blake cheap shots him in the corner. Shawn avoids an elbow drop from Knobbs then tags out. Luke is in but misses an attack then is quickly put away with a flying clothesline from Knobbs (5:20). Shawn gets worked over as the announcers hype up This Tuesday in Texas. Shawn avoids a corner splash from Sags then almost puts him away with a flying body press. The Rockers now work over Sags while Butch pumps up the crowd. Marty is backed into the opposing corner as the announcers continue to talk about This Tuesday in Texas. Marty almost puts Beau away with a super kick then almost hits the ref by accident and checks on him but is ambushed in the process. We get a collision spot then Butch tags and runs wild but ends up getting eliminated with the Shaker Heights Spike (10:14). Marty heads in and fires away on Beau. Marty almost puts Beau away with a hurricarana. Blake tags in and The Rockers work over his arm briefly until Blake uses a headbutt. The Beverly Brothers work over Shawn now then dump him outside so the Nasty Boys can rough him up. Shawn heads back inside then flips out of a side slam attempt and puts Beau away with a backslide (13:54). Blake runs in and gets a nearfall with a powerslam. The announcers accuse Marty of having alligator arms when trying to offer a tag. Shawn runs wild but gets caught coming off of the top rope. Gorilla wonders why Shawn hasnt tagged out then he finally does as Marty takes control of the match. The Nasty Boys are able to cut off the ring until Marty got his knees up on a splash from Knobbs and makes the tag. The match breaks down now but during the melee we see Marty get Sags up for a slam but accidentally hits Shawn in the face as Knobbs rolls up Shawn for the pin (19:42). Shawn flips out and yells at Marty, who said it was an accident. Marty offers a hug but gets shoved then Shawn finally accepts the apology as Heenan says they are both primadonnas. Gorilla keeps yelling about Shawn abandoning Marty, which is moronic since you have to leave after being eliminated. Marty puts up a fight and even hits the Nasty Boys with a plancha but is unable to overcome the man disadvantage as Knobbs reverses a small package to allow Sags to pin Marty for the win (23:06) **.

Thoughts: The action was decent once The Bushwhackers were eliminated but again, the feuds involved had little heat. And this match went on for way too long. The main focus was on the problems between The Rockers with Shawn throwing a shit fit after being eliminated then finally accepting his partner’s apology.

The announcers talk about The Rockers as Heenan said you can read in “WWF Magazine” about how they do not get along.

Natural Disasters w/ Jimmy Hart & IRS vs. Big Bossman & Legion of Doom

Before the match, IRS calls out Bossman for being the biggest tax cheat. Gorilla tells us that Okerlund is still trying to search backstage for The Undertaker as he wants an interview. Earthquake taunts Animal by flexing his biceps then the crowd chants for LoD, prompting Heenan to make jokes about Detroit. IRS and Bossman start things off as IRS cheap shots Bossman in the corner. Bossman slides outside and trips up Bossman then hammers away in the corner. Bossman slides out again then catches IRS with a boot to the face. Earthquake tags and wants someone from LoD so Animal volunteers. Earthquake catches Animal in midair with a backbreaker but misses a splash. Animal takes Earthquake down with a flying shoulder tackle then IRS tags back into the match. Gorilla tells us that we will hear from Hogan, who is backstage with Mooney. The LoD beat on IRS in the corner. Typhoon makes a blind tag and catches IRS after Hawk launched him but Hawk takes them both down with a dropkick. Typhoon tags out after getting beat down in the corner and Hawk hits IRS with a back suplex. Bossman is back in and hammers away while Heenan talks about celebrating Thanksgiving with Flair in Beverly Hills. Bossman stands on IRS’s tie then the ref is tied up with the LoD and that allows IRS to hit Bossman with his briefcase for the pin (6:23). The crowd is behind the LoD but Animal gets beat down by the Disasters. The Disasters & IRS continue to cut off the ring then Typhoon locks on a bearhug. Typhoon then eats boot on a charge as Animal comes back with a clothesline before tagging out. Hawk beats on Typhoon then ducks a briefcase shot by IRS as that hits Typhoon then Hawk covers for the pin to even up the score (9:37). Earthquake yells at IRS and threatens to hit him before leaving with his partner and gets counted out (10:53). Hawk beats on IRS until he runs into the post on a charge in the corner. IRS drops an elbow then tosses Hawk outside where he tosses him into the steps. The crowd chants for LoD then the action heads back inside where IRS uses a chinlock. Hawk escapes then takes IRS down in one really fucked up spot that Gorilla calls as a collision. Hawk blocks a suplex and hits one of his own then Animal runs wild. IRS then ducks outside and heads up the aisle but is met by Bossman. IRS backpedals then yells at Bossman from the apron only to get suplexed back inside by Animal then Hawk hits a flying clothesline for the win (15:21) *3/4.

Thoughts: Without Savage, Jake, or even Sid involved there was little reason to care. The heel side was not over as much as their push and to be honest the crowd was done after Hogan/Undertaker as the last two matches paled in comparison when it came to star power or storylines. And, after a poor show, we did not need to see IRS get beat down for that long at the end. Its not like IRS was over enough to where it became a huge treat for the live crowd and certainly not enough to overcome the fact Jake and Savage were not facing off.

Mooney is in Hogan’s dressing room. Mooney says that Hogan told him he will become the champion once again at This Tuesday in Texas and will do his talking in the ring. According to Dave Meltzer of the “Wrestling Observer Newsletter,” Hogan was supposed to do an interview here but was instead rushed to the hospital.

The announcers hype This Tuesday in Texas.

Okerlund is in the basement of the arena where he sees Bearer & Undertaker. Bearer says that they will hold the funeral services for Hulkamania between now and Thursday. Undertaker then enlightens us what they have in store for Hulkamania as we are shown the camera view from the coffin as Undertaker promises that the burial will take place on Tuesday. The look of the interview was cool as they tried to sell this PPV on a title rematch.

Final Thoughts: The opening match was good but the rest of the show fell flat and was more like a Prime Time PPV special for This Tuesday in Texas, a PPV we literally learned about on this show. I also thought the card showcased a glaring lack of depth the WWF had at the time. Lots of terrible gimmicks and washed-up veterans were featured. And giving us the great Jake/Savage stuff on TV only for the viewer to find out they have to order another show next week to see them face off was a bold move and one that did not end up paying off at the end. Its interesting to see the crowd react to Hogan but this show is nothing you want to see or see again.

Here is my schedule for the next several days:

Wednesday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 11/30/91

Thursday: WWF Madison Square Garden 11/30/91

Friday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 12/1/91

Saturday: Mid-South Wrestling 10/13/83

Sunday: WWF This Tuesday in Texas

Monday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 12/7/91

Tuesday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 12/8/91