The Best of Times, The Worst of Times // Survivor Series

Consider this dear reader: Survivor Series- the second major PPV concept created by Vince McMahon- has been a thing for 30 years now. It’s so old it should by this stage of its existence have a career, be in a long term relationship and at least be thinking about kids. Basically, Survivor Series is a full-blown grown-up, wrestling with the realities of adult life, ready to put a misspent youth behind it. But let’s not consign said youth to the dungeons of the past just yet: its formative years offered much to celebrate as well as some seedy and unfortunate nights it would probably rather forget. So here it is: the best and the worst of Survivor Series. But rather than starting with the matches, let us begin with something for which this event is synonymous: debut performances.

Best debut: The Undertaker (1990)

As was aforementioned, the Survivor Series is an event renowned for a big debut: The Rock, Kurt Angle, Sting and eh, Steve Blackman but none was bigger than that of the Deadman himself. Accompanied by Brother Love and serving as the surprise member of the Million Dollar Team, he made an instant impact, eliminating Hall of Famers Koko B. Ware and Dusty Rhodes before exiting the match himself via count out. In many respects this was the perfect setting to bring in the Undertaker: alongside colourful acts such as The Honky Tonk Man and Messers Ware and Rhodes, his direct, calculated ring style and fearsome look was greatly enhanced and his status as the antidote to the cute, cuddly characters of the era was confirmed. Yes, he was cartoony but in his own distinct manner. This was no Adam West; this was 1980s Frank Miller Batman: cool, cold, iconic.

Honourable mention: Sting (2014)

Worst debut: Chuck Norris (1994)

Okay, I’m cheating a bit here but let’s go with it. Technically his role as ringside enforcer in the Undertaker vs Yozozuna Casket match was a debut for Chuck Norris in the WWF so it kind of counts. Now, Chuck Norris wasn’t as cool in 1994 as he is now: these were the days of the long forgotten Walker, Texas Ranger; there had yet to be any Chuck Norris facts; he hadn’t yet been immortalised in Dodgeball. However, he was still enough of a straight to video action movie badass that I expected high drama of the violent variety. Surely he would kick someone’s face off, maybe fire a bazooka at the casket? Sadly no: while Double J did eat a kick from Norris, his face remained intact. And while Norris was distracted at ringside, IRS interfered in the match anyway. Poor show, Mr Norris, poor show.

Honourable mention: The Gobbledy Gooker (1990)

Best traditional elimination match: Team Eric Bischoff vs Team Steve Austin (2003)

10 men competed here: Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, Christian, Scott Steiner and Mark Henry representing GM Bischoff and Shawn Michaels, The Dudleys, RVD and Booker T fighting for Sheriff Austin (that’s right, he was a sheriff back then). However, whilst all worked hard, this was ultimately a one man show: The Heartbreak Kid delivered a GOAT worthy performance, selling to a level seldom seen today, masterfully teasing comebacks that built the audience’s expectations before finally succumbing to the rising star Orton. I recommend that you fire up your Network if you haven’t seen this for a few years: an undoubted classic.

Honourable mention: Team Cena vs Team Authority (2014)

Worst traditional elimination match: The Royal Family vs Clowns R Us (1994)

When I started to love wrestling, I was already an 11 year old. Essentially, I was getting into WWF at the point most of my friends were starting to outgrow it. That fact didn’t bother me but I was determined to get my dad to accept wrestling as a credible pastime; this was an uphill battle. He didn’t see it as a sport: more of a pantomime. 

On one family jaunt to Blackpool, seeking a respite from the lights and sugar charged children, he slipped into a pub one afternoon. Knowing full well that WWF Wrestling Challenge would be on Sky Sports at that exact time, I asked him to check a result for me (a title match between Bret vs Owen if memory serves). What he reported when he returned from the pub was not the result of a Hart family athletic showcase that fostered an undying love of the graps game: now, he told a tale of three little clowns running around and falling over in the ring while a big clown squirted water in the face of a hapless interviewer. I could hear the disgust in his voice. With this Doink the Clown monstrosity, I had lost him forever.

A couple of weeks later, this angle culminated in a match in San Antonio, Texas. Doink and Jerry Lawler did some bad wrestling and then 6 little people did some even worse wrestling. Forget my dad, this abomination nearly put me off wrestling for life.

Honourable mention: The Four Doinks vs Bam Bam Bigelow. Bastion Booger and the Headshrinkers.

Best non-elimination match: Bret Hart vs Diesel for the WWF championship (1995)

Legend has it that Bret Hart was frustrated that this match didn’t get the credit it deserved: from Vince McMahon, from Dave Meltzer, from everyone really. It is one of only two great matches Kevin Nash would enjoy in the WWF/E and credit must go to the Hit-Man here: from his (at the time) innovative commentary table bump to the ingenious finish- playing possum to hit an inside cradle- this match had the audience leaping out of their seats in astonishment. This praise may be a bit late for Bret but better late than never: this was WWF story-telling at its finest and a slice of action worthy of inclusion on a greatest hits list.

Honourable mention: Undertaker vs Batista for the World Title in Hell in a Cell (2007)

Worst non-elimination match: Randy Orton vs Big Show for the WWF championship (2013)

I honestly don’t know why they bothered with this match. The build-up was more focused on Big Show’s interactions with Hunter and Steph, undermining Orton in front of a crowd already pining for Daniel Bryan. Inevitably the Universe got bored and turned on the contest; usually, that annoys me but given this listless action, it was kind of understandable.  Orton, as he sometimes does with vocal crowds, got flustered, Show lacked the baby face chops to steady the ship and the sloppy finish capped this mess off fittingly. A boring match to end a dull feud on a painfully average PPV: this was WWE story telling at its worst.

Honourable mention: Big Boss Man vs Nailz (1992)

Best overall event: Survivor Series 1995

I debated this one intensely and my final pick may well split the room but I really love Survivor Series 1995. I’ve already laid bare my love of the main event but the show has a bit of everything: it has decent work rate, most notably in the opening exchanges between 1-2-3 Kid and Marty Jannetty and Hakushi; it has Japanese women’s wrestling playing to the sounds of a highly confused Vince McMahon; it has the Wild Card match in which faces and heels team together (a novel concept for the era);and it has a first rate Bill Clinton impersonator who gets the line of the night (after Bill is made to jump by some pyro, Todd Pettengill comments he seems nervy: Clinton shoots back “you would too if you lived in my neighbourhood”). Possibly my favourite thing about this show is also the worst match on the card: to tussle with King Mabel’s hodgepodge of royalty themed heels, Undertaker forms the weirdest Survivor Series team of all time: Henry Godwinn, Savio Vega, Fatu. Mark Callaway basically rounded up his drinking buddies (brilliantly named the Bone Street Krew) and went to war as the most diverse collection of gimmicks ever assembled in one squad. And they won with a clean sweep. I bet the beers tasted good that night.   

Honourable mentions: Survivor Series 1988/ Survivor Series 2002

Worst overall event: Survivor Series 1999

An oft-forgotten truth of the Attitude era is that while the weekly TV shows were excellent, the PPVs could really suck. And this one sucked something powerful. It is best remembered for two things (and when one of the Survivor Series teams was British Bulldog and the Mean Street Posse you can be forgiven for wanting to forget the remainder). The first, is the debut of Kurt Angle who wrestled a match that was, by design, dull. His initial gimmick was to bore the crowd through a combo of technical wrestling and morality (never of which were too common in late 90s WWF) and whilst his evolution was swift and exciting, some of his early weeks were trying, most notably this one. That, however, was not the low point of the show. That dubious distinction belonged to an ill-judged angle, an unadvertised main event and a hot-shot title change.  

The hit and run on Stone Cold was poor on first viewing: it took the industry’s biggest star out of a heavily hyped match up and in did so in a rather lacklustre fashion: we’d all seen Austin get into mischief with cars dozens of times by this point so it lost points for imagination. On second viewing, with the knowledge that the driver was Rikishi, working on instruction from Triple H, well, let’s just say I was glad I’d given up on trying getting my old man into this. To confound matters further, the Fed injected a lukewarm Big Show into the mix and ended up putting the title on him: his win, on the back of a bizarre storyline about his dead father, was supposedly meant to be a joyous moment: the subdued pop that followed the pin spoke to an audience that had come to see Austin and were left with a teary giant.

Honourable mentions: Survivor Series 1993/ Survivor Series 2013

Article by Sean Taylor-Richardson (@GrownManCenaFan)

Blu-Ray Review: WWE The Kliq Rules

WWE's The Kliq Rules is out on Monday in the UK on DVD and Blu-Ray from www.wwedvd.co.uk and all other good home video stores. The main feature is an over 1 hour documentary looking at the infamous backstage group known as The Kliq and their history in both WWE and WCW. The documentary is supplemented with 23 full matches (4 of which are Blu-Ray exclusive) featuring all five members of The Kliq, as well as Chris Jericho, The Rock, Owen Hart, Sting, Davey Boy Smith and more.

Disc One

Documentary

     At just over an hour, the main feature feels especially brief when looking at a group who's influence spread over a number of decades and two separate companies. Whilst all the major points (the groups formation, Curtain Call, etc.) are covered, often times it feels like the documentary is only scratching the surface of the groups influence behind the scenes, that an extra half hour or even an hour, would have allowed for. 


Whilst the documentary fell short of my expectations, it's safe to say that it is a very easy watch, with a number of interesting interviewees giving a good insight into the Kliq's backstage power (with Shane Douglas, Rick Steiner and a new Eric Bischoff interview amongst the usual suspects). The documentary also covers ground that you may not expect it to go into, such as the BSK (another backstage group at the time, that included The Undertaker and Yokozuna) and interviews with the two guys who filmed the Curtain Call, which is where the most interesting moments come from. The frank talk of Scott Hall's problems with alcohol and drugs produce some poignant moments, and it's interesting to see how each of his friends reacted to his struggles during this period. Outside of the main story there's some laugh out loud moments throughout, perhaps unintentional, like Jim Ross explaining what a marionette is, whilst doing his own little impression.

The feature acts as a good in for anyone less familiar with the group, and it's good to see a number of things legitimised by appearing in a WWE release, however a lot of the stories have been covered in a number of releases by independent companies, as well as a number of autobiographies by this point.

Matches

After the famous moment of The Kid defeating Razor Ramon on Monday Night RAW, the rematch (Monday Night RAW, June 1993) is enjoyable for the most part, but features a weird finish that left me scratching my head as to who I was supposed to be supporting. There's no such problems as Ramon continues to be the focus in a match with Diesel (Monday Night RAW, November 1993) with the contest having a simplistic but strong face vs. heel format, although it's hurt by another TV finish. Shawn Michaels makes his first appearance, opposite 1-2-3 Kid (Monday Night RAW, December 1993), in a sound TV bout that offers a different style to what had gone before it, although once again falls foul of a disappointing finish. 


Kid and Ramon team up to take on The Quebecers for the WWF Tag Team Championships (Monday Night RAW, February 1994) goes a little too long for me, but does have a number of notable moments, including Quebecers manager Johnny Polo taking a Razor's Edge on the outside. It's interesting to note here how strong Kid and Ramon are put over the then Tag Team Champions, with Jacques and Pierre made to look like complete chumps for lengthy sections of the match. The Ladder match over the Intercontinental Championship between Michaels (with Diesel) and Ramon (WrestleMania X, March 1994) should need no description, it's truly one of the all-time classic WrestleMania bouts that you should be going out of your way to watch if you've still to see it. Whilst it's appeared on a handful of other sets over the years (and of course it's on the WWE Network) it's inclusion again here is warranted thanks to it allowing for a satisfying conclusion to the Ramon-Michaels feud that the early part of this set follows. 

An Intercontinental Championship bout between Ramon and Diesel (with Michaels) (WWF Superstars, April 1994) is a pretty dull bout that bucks the trend by being saved by an exciting finish. The inclusion of a tag team match pitting Michaels & Diesel against Ramon and Kid (WWF Action Zone, October 1994) provides one of the best matches on the entire set, in what may be considered an uncovered gem. With Action Zone currently not available on the WWE Network, this bout which is full of drama and great sequences is perhaps one of the best reasons to get your hands on this set. 


A Survivor Series match that see's The Bad Guys (Ramon, Kid, The British Bulldog & The Headshrinkers) takes on The Teamsters (Michaels, Ramon, Owen Hart, Jim Neidhart & Jeff Jarrett) (WWF Survivor Series, November 1994) is a welcome addition for the mere fact that it allows for a few other faces to appear on the set, therefore freshening things up. The match itself isn't one of the greatest Survivor Series bout that you'll ever see, but it's pretty watchable throughout until the finish and features a significant moment in the career of Big Daddy Cool. Hunter Hearst Helmsley's first match on the set is opposite Ramon (WWF Monday Night Raw, January 1996) isn't much of a match, with the focus on Ramon's feud with Kid, but it is the only televised match between the two Kliq members and therefore deserves to be included here. Ramon and Kid's feud continues in a Crybaby Match (WWF In Your House: Rage In A Cage, February 1996) and whilst the gimmick lame, the pair do put together a decent encounter that features a hot crowd. 

Disc Two

Matches

A No Holds Barred bout over the WWF World Heavyweight Championship with Shawn Michaels (WWF In Your House 7: Good Friends, Better Enemies, April 1996) is perhaps the best match of Diesel's career. A truly physical epic encounter, this is unlike anything before it on the set, bringing a brutality that would see WWF eventually take a new direction over the coming years. Michaels continues to prove why he's considered on of the best in the history of the industry with a smashing TV bout with Hunter Hearst Helmsley (WWF Monday Night RAW, May 1996) and whilst the bout is shaky at points in it's presentation of Helmsley, there is a number of special sequences between the two. A foreshadowing of things to come between the two, not long before the formation of D-Generation X, this is a welcome addition to the set. 


Having the full fan recording of the Curtain Call incident is a very nice touch, with the reaction of the crowd throughout being particularly interesting. Moving to WCW and the first matches entrance made me absolute hate Michael Buffer, what ever he was being paid was too much. The bout see's Scott Hall (fka Razor Ramon) and Kevin Nash (fka Diesel) (accompanied by Hulk Hogan) taking on The Steiner Brothers (WCW Monday NITRO, January 1998) in a awful tag team match, with plenty of interference and perhaps ONE good move all match. Things get worse as Nash and Hall face off (WCW Halloween Havoc, October 1998) as the match focuses on Hall's alcohol problem, seriously. 

Praise the sweet lord we're back in the WWF, but oh dear...it's an X-Pac (fka 1-2-3 Kid) match. The bout with Triple H (WWF Backlash, April 1999) actually has some promising moments with some pleasing storytelling, but goes way, way too long and has a pretty wank finish. Skipping a few years, we have a bout full of star power, Hall, Nash and X-Pac team to take on Hulk Hogan, The Rock and Kane (WWE Smackdown!, March 2003) in a match that happened on that day. If anyone needed convincing of the Kliq's influence in WWE then Kevin Nash's 2003 main event run with Triple H is that evidence, their Judgment Day bout is included here, and is played out in front of a crowd that certainly couldn't give a fuck about Kevin Nash. 


The set finishes up with a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match as D-Generation X (Triple H & Michaels) have one last hurrah, opposite Jeri-Show, with a very appreciative crowd on hand. Whilst the match doesn't reach the heights of TLC bout before it, it's still a pleasant watch with a handful of decent spots, although it is hurt by the botchy conclusion.

Blu-Ray Exclusives

Scott Hall teams with Syxx (Kid or X-Pac) to take on Harlem Heat (WCW Monday NITRO, July 1997), and describing the match as not terrible is perhaps the best thing I can say about it. Kevin Nash takes on The Rock (WWF Smackdown!, March 2002) in another not terrible match, but there's nothing particular special about this encounter either, other than it's clear that The Rock is considered a bigger star by both the fans and the company. Nash is back in a Sledgehammer Ladder match with Triple H (WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs, December 2011) in a clash that is better than it had any right to be. There's some quality storytelling here and a handful of brutal spots, that go further than their terrible 2011 feud deserved.


The exclusive finish up with Triple H taking on Sting (WWE WrestleMania 31, March 2015) as all of The Kliq (alongside the New Age Outlaws and Hulk Hogan) are on hand for a true celebration of a long gone era. This isn't a good match, but what it is is a true spectacle and thoroughly entertaining from start to finish.  

Finally...

Obviously, a set like this live and dies on the strength of it's documentary features and whilst I feel that a new fan will find plenty of interesting information here, it's brevity may mean that someone who has followed the behind-the-scenes of the business since the time of The Kliq will perhaps find it lacking slightly, especially with the wealth of information that can be found elsewhere (Shoot interviews, autobiographies etc.). 

The presentation of the matches is done very well over the first disc here, allowing for a story to unfold between Ramon, Diesel, Michaels and Kid across the number of years that it played out, with highlights including Michaels and Ramon's Ladder match and the terrific tag bout from Action Zone. Onto the second disc and as soon the four start working together less frequently things aren't as enjoyable to binge watch, with the set jumping a few years a number of times. Whilst anything from WCW should be avoided like the plague, Michaels and Diesel's No Holds Barred match and Michaels and Helmsley's bout from Monday Night RAW are both quality viewing. 

There is plenty to enjoy here, from underrated gems of matches to some interesting stories during the documentary, I'd recommend this set to anyone looking to discover more about the backstage workings of WWE, especially between 1993 and 1997, as well as anyone looking to fill up their library with matches from that period. Of course, any big fan of Shawn Michaels ring work will love this also.