It's Wednesday, November 23rd, 1994, the day before Thanksgiving. Star Trek Generations beamed itself into the #1 spot at the box office. Boyz II Men's "I'll Make Love to You" was still number one in the Billboard charts. Donkey Kong Country was released on the Super Nintendo the following Monday and on this day we mourned the loss of wrestler Art Barr. In the world of the WWF however, it was time one again for the annual wrestling tradition, WWF Survivor Series.
This is the eighth annual Survivor Series Pay Per View, emanating out of the Freeman Coliseum from San Antonio, Texas. Attendance was roughly 10,000. A steep drop from 1993's 15,509. So, what's been going on since Summerslam?
Bob Backlund has lost his ever loving mind. Since he snapped after his WWF Championship match against Bret Hart, he's been on a path of destruction. He's locked his Crossface Chicken Wing on a magazine writer, Adam Bomb, Lex Luger, the 1-2-3 Kid and even his former manager Arnold Skaaland. He's not satisfied until he wins back the championship that he claims he never lost. Due to this, Bret Hart accepted Backlund's challenge to a submission match for the WWF Championship. WIth Owen Hart in Bob's corner and Bulldog in Bret's the fate of the championship is in the hands of the one who throws in the towel.
Back at the Royal Rumble in January, it was the Undertaker taking on Yokozuna in a casket match for the WWF Championship. Thanks for a majority of the heels in the WWF, the Undertaker was attacked and stuffed into the casket and gone until August, where he made his return by taking out the phony Undertaker. Now Undertaker has one goal in mind, and that's revenge. Revenge in the form of stuffing Yokozuna in a casket. It's a rematch between the dead man and the supreme sumo. But an added caveat to the match is the special enforcer, Walker Texas Ranger himself, Chuck Norris.
Since September, Jerry Lawler has been embroiled in a feud with Doink and Dink. From Lawler popping Dink's balloons to Dink making Lawler sit on a cream pie, it's been three months of shenanigans and tomfoolery. To gain himself some backup, the King gained the services of a little king named Queasy. Doink upped the ante with Wink. Lawler added Sleazy, Doink added Pink. Finally Lawler added Cheesy to make this a team affair. At Survivor Series, it's the Royal Family dealing with Clowns R Us.
Also in action tonight, The Bad Guys (Razor, Kid, Bulldog and the Headshrinkers) take on the Teamsters (Shawn Michaels, Diesel, Jarrett, Owen and Neidhart). Plus Guts And Glory (Luger, Mabel, Adam Bomb and the Smoking Gunns) face off with the Million Dollar Team (Tatanka, Bundy, Bigelow and the Heavenly Bodies).
We open with some backstage videos of the teams working together. The Teamsters/Bad Guys, Million Dollar Team/Power and Glory, and of course, the Clowns/Kings. It's a definite step up from a Thanksgiving greeting from the Luger family that we got last year. It's Vince McMahon and Gorilla Monsoon on commentary tonight, complete in cowboy garb. Because this is a Pay Per View in Texas, get it?
Opening action is the Teamsters vs the Bad Guys. Some early signs of dissention as Michaels slides in front of Diesel, much to Big Daddy Cool's disgust. You can already tell that the company is ready to strap the rocket on Big Kev. It's almost as if a certain kliq was starting to gain a bit too much power backstage or something?
After both teams square off for a few minutes, it finally boils down to the 1-2-3 Kid and Owen Hart opening. The Kid wants Shawn, but that isn't happening. After even more stalling, it's Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart to start with the Kid. He gets a shoulder block early on, but a second attempt is met with a dropkick by the kid. The Kid's momentum is stopped fast by the Anvil. Tag to Jarrett who hits a hard right hand and rams the Kid face first into the buckle. The Kid reverses a whip to the buckle, but Jarrett gets in a right hand. He taunts around, but gets a kick, sending him outside. Jarrett tries a sunset flip over the ropes, but gets nothing.
Tag to Sione. Jarrett ducks a boot, but is caught in a press slam. Jarrett rakes the eyes and tries some shots to the jaw, only for Sione to get in some strikes of his own. Jarrett goes to the top and hits a flying clothesline. Cover only gets a two. Tag to Owen, who gestures a tag to the Bulldog, who obliges. Both men exchange arm wringers and takedowns. Owen tries a dropkick, but gets catapulted into the Bad Guy team as they beat him down. Bulldog lands a press slam of his own.
Bulldog gets a sunset flip for a two. Owen comes back with a big enziguri. Tag to Anvil as both he and Owen land a double clothesline. Hairpull slam from Anvil. Both he and Owen try a double clothesline again, but Bulldog turns it into some clotheslines of his own. He picks up Anvil for a long suplex. Tag to Fatu who stumbles up the top rope and drops a falling headbutt. He has problems with wearing boots, allowing time for Owen to tag Jarrett. He gets Jarrett in a powerslam and tags in Razor. Jarrett slides into the corner and gets some consultation from Shawn Michaels.
Jarrett gets an arm drag takedown, allowing him time to strut. He follows with some slaps to the back of Razor's head, continuing his cockiness. He locks in a headlock, but Razor gets a big right. He clotheslines Jarrett out of the ring and gets a cheap shot to Diesel. Shawn tries to calm Diesel down as Jarrett gets in the ring. Jarrett gets a shot to the jaw and tries a cross body, only to be dropped with the fallaway slam. Tag to the Kid as we get the Fallaway cross body on Jarrett for two.
Jarrett applies an abdominal stretch, using Michaels for added leverage. the ref sees Jarrett hold the rope, allowing hte Kid to turn it around. Jarrett manages to hiptoss the kid out of the ring. He tries a suplex into the ring, but the Kid manages to turn things around into an enziguri. Fatu and Owen come in. Owen gets a dropkick and covers for two. Owen rams Fatu's head into the buckle.
Oh no, Fatu's gained the Tatanka no-sell powers.
He headbutts Owen and goes for a wishbone, but Shawn makes a save. Owen manages a tag into Diesel, who gets a big clothesline to one half of the Headshrinkers. Jackknife to Fatu gets the three, giving us our first elimination. The 1-2-3 Kid comes in and hits several kicks, almost taking Diesel off his feet. He tries a sunset flip, but gets caught in a choke slam. Diesel drops him with a jackknife for the second elimination in about a minute. Sione comes in and tries his own with some strikes, but gets caught in another Jackknife for the third elimination in under five minutes.
Bulldog brawls with Diesel with hard strikes. Diesel reverses a whip and lands a clothesline to the head, sending him outside where the kid is still outside. Diesel wants to tag Shawn, but he's telling him to keep it up. Bulldog ends up counted out thanks to Jarrett and Owen. Razor gets a roll up for two. he lands some rights, managing to knock Diesel down. He gets a knee to the face followed by a bulldog off the second rope. Cover only gets a two. Diesel hits a big clothesline.
Shawn is still barking orders as Diesel lands more strikes. He drops Razor in the corner with snake eyes.Razor tries to brawl with the heels, but gets another clothesline. Diesel tries another snake eyes, but Razor sends him to the buckle, following with a scoop slam. He sets up the Razor's Edge, but gets back dropped. Razor eats a boot to the face. Shawn is livid that Diesel isn't going for the Jackknife. Diesel finally hits it. Shawn finally enters the ring and tells Diesel to come in the ring. Much to Diesel's chagrin, he picks up Razor to hold him for the Sweet Chin Music...
Razor ducks, causing Shawn to hit the superkick on Diesel! He berates Diesel for getting in the way, which angers Big Daddy Cool. He goes after Shawn as the Teamsters try to stop him. Shawn escapes the ring as Diesel chases after him. He beats down the whole team up the ramp, causing a count out to every single member of the team. Razor Ramon is the sole survivor.
I enjoyed this opener. Very fast and rarely bogged down. It told a good story throughout, having Diesel be completely unstoppable, eliminating three members in under five minutes of being in the ring. Having Shawn Michaels be so arrogant as to not get involved in the match until he knew he had Razor prone, and ultimately be the cause for the team's downfall, which led to an honestly well built face turn for Diesel. It all worked pretty good in what was a hot opener for the Survivor Series.
Todd Pettengill catches up with Shawn Michaels, who already has his bags and is running for his life out of the building. He drags Pettengill to the exit as he calls Diesel an ingrate and a turncoat. As he struggles to get into his car, he tells Diesel to hit the bricks and drives off into the night.
Up next, it's what I've been dreading since the feud started, it's Clowns R Us versus the Royal Family. So the rules to this match is that if Lawler is in, Doink is in. they can't wrestle the little clowns or kings. Lawler grabs the mic and tells the crowd to not chant Burger King. Both teams get in a huddle before Lawler and Doink start, while the Burger King chants rain down. Lawler grabs Doink's leg, but gets hit with an enziguri. After some more consultation with his court, he returns to the ring. Doink grabs Lawler's leg, he tries an enziguri, but misses.
Doink works some arm wringers and bards while the clowns run across Lawler. The little Kings try to retaliate, but they run over Lawler too. Okay, that got a laugh out of me. Lawler gets the arm bar and the kings run across Doink, only to trip over each other. Doink lands some scoop slams as the little clowns cover and Doink tries to count the pin. Pink runs over Lawler's back and mocks the kings.
Lawler tries the cover spot with the kings, but they end up falling on him. Lawler tries an arm bar, but Dink slaps a Burger King crown on his head, causing him to get angered. Doink puts Dink on his shoulders, so Lawler counters, getting on the shoulders of Sleazy, but he collapses. Lawler and Doink try a test of strength while the clowns and kings criss cross. Queasy hands Lawler something that he uses to punch Doink.
He rams Doink into the buckle and lets the kings choke Doink in the ropes. He has them lift their boots to whip Doink into, but gets reversed into them. The clowns chase the kings around some more. Doink gets a slingshot cross body, but Lawler turns it around for the three, eliminating Doink and leaving the little clowns with the rest of the Royal Family.
Queasy goes for an arm bar, but Dink bites him in the butt. When Lawler goes to check, he gets bitten as well. Tags to Wink and Cheesy, who gets grabbed by the beard, allowing Dink to hit an ax handle off the top rope, followed by a monkey flip. Tag back in to Wink who whips Cheesy in the corner, but Cheesy shoves Wink down. Cheesy covers as Lawler keeps the pressure. Three count eliminates Wink.
Pink and Sleazy are in. Pink goes for some acrobatics, but Sleazy trips and falls. Tag to Queasy who lands a body slam. He holds Pink upside down and spins him as Lawler drops Cheesy on Pink for the three, leaving Dink as the last one. But Pink slides under the ring, suggesting that the smaller clowns haven't left this match just yet.
Dink cleans house with the Royal Family. He goes to the top and lands a cross body on Sleazy. Lawler tries to interfere, allowing Sleazy to make the cover for the three and the win. The Clowns hide under the mat as the Royal Family celebrate their win. Lawler however tells his court that they shouldn't celebrate. They should kiss his feet and stay in the corner. Lawler celebrates, but the trio again raise their arms in victory. He kicks them out of the ring to celebrate, but they continue to celebrate. He chases after them, but they turn on him. The clowns also go after Lawler as Lawler tries to retreat. They chase him around and up the ramp...
Only to eat a pie to the face from Doink to end this.
This was nowhere as unbearable as the Four Doinks match of last year, but it still felt like bad comedy for the most part. Although I will admit, a lot of things did work like Lawler getting run over by his own team, and him trying to get on Sleazy's shoulders. Lawler making a fool of himself is a lot less bothersome an issue because he's good at being a comedy heel. It's not like last year where the Headshrinkers and Bam Bam look like goofs jobbing to water balloons and banana peels. The biggest issue however was the match length of over 16 minutes, meaning that the comedy died fast and ultimately it leaves you just waiting for this to end. The in ring was fine and everyone played their part well, it just still felt like a slog to sit through by the end. So i come out of it with more praise than I expected, but it was still pretty bad.
Todd Pettengill is with the new WWF Women's champion. It boils down to Nakano speaking Japanese and Todd doesn't know what she's saying and trying to get her to speak english. Awesome to see her with the title, but this does feel kind of racist.
Up next, it's the WWF Championship on the line. Yes, for the third time this year, the title is smack dab in the middle of the card. It's a Submission match between Bob Backlund and champion Bret Hart. the rules are as follows. Owen Hart will have a towel and Bulldog will have a towel. The only way to win is if the opponent's side throws in a towel. Stu and Helen Hart are also in attendance. Sadly no heel commentator with some amazing barbs. Backlund and Owen come out first to no theme, but plenty of boos. Bret gets a great pop as he and Bulldog arrive to the ring.
Backlund tries a sneak attack, but gets a scoop slam and some arm drags, sending him in retreat to the outside. Owen tries to coach Backlund, who rolls in the ring to eat a headbutt, sending him rolling out to the entrance. Bulldog throws him back in, allowing for a body slam and an elbow to the face. Backlund slides to the apron, but gets met with a bulldog that brings him back to the ring as he gets headlocked. Backlund manages to get a back suplex to break it after a minute.
Bret gets a few strikes and reapplies a headlock. Vince mentions that 79% of the people on the opinion line stated that the Crossface Chicken Wing is teh more effective submission hold. Bret keeps on the headlock for another couple minutes. Backlund manages a drop toe hold and tries to lock the Chicken Wing, only for Bret to turn things around into a headlock. Backlund tries a break, but Bret puts the lock back on. Backlund tries to escape and lock the Chicken Wing, but Bret reverses. Bret tries a Sharpshooter, but Backlund quickly escapes, only to be locked right back in.
Backlund powers out of a headlock, but Bret turns things into an abdominal stretch. Backlund manages to get a hiptoss to escape. He tries a scoop slam, but Bret hits a cross body. Bret stays on Backlund a bit too long expecting a pinfall, but again this can only end on the throw of a towel. Bret gets a body slam and an elbow drop, only for Backlund to roll out of the way. Backlund works the left arm with some wringers and elbows, following with a hard whip to the buckle. Backlund tries a Chicken Wing, but is still unable, but he continues the offense. He tries again with the Chicken Wing, but Bret dodges, however he gets caught in an arm bar.
Bret Kips up but eats an elbow that sends him outside. Owen distracts Bret, giving Backlund a shot at the Chicken Wing, but Bret sees it. When both men get back in the ring, both men hit hard with headbutts, but it's Backlund still in control with a hard arm yank and an elbow to the face. He puts the arm bar back in, grinding his elbow into the shoulder. Bret tries a body slam, but Backlund keeps his pressure on the arm, managing to get in a top wrist lock. Loud "Let's Go Bret" chants as Backlund keeps the pressure.
Bret gets to his feet while Backlund still has the wrist locked. He manages a neckbreaker, but Backlund still keeps the wrist held. That's actually pretty unique a spot. Bret gets a knee to the face, but Backlund kicks him in the face and lands a forearm to the face, keeping up the arm bar. Bret gets back up and tries to get momentum, but Backlund wrenches the arm. Bret gets an inverted atomic drop to finally take Backlund down. A second attempt at the Sharpshooter by Bret is met with Backlund grabbing the ropes and tripping him up. Bret instead goes for the figure four.
Backlund screams in pain as Owen refuses to throw in the towel. He begins to get second thoughts, but Backlund eventually manages to turn aroud the hold. Owen tells Bulldog to throw in the towel but he refuses. Bret turns the hold right back around, but Backlund gets the rope forcing a break. Bret continues to drive knees into the left leg of Backlund and pulls at the hamstring as Backlund hobbles. Bret keeps the damage on the leg as Owen is slowly contemplating the towel.
Bret tries a Sharpshooter but is unable to. Both men get some strikes until Backlund succeeds on a facebuster. He drops Bret with a piledriver as both men are spent on the ground. Backlund locks in the Chicken Wing, but Bret gets into the ropes as Owen yells "Did it Hurt?" Backlund drops Bret with a swinging neckbreaker followed by some more work on the arm. Bret keeps trying to escape, but Backlund stays on the arm with hard whips to the buckle. Backlund tries a charge, but goes shoulder first into the buckle.
Backlund goes for another piledriver, but Bret turns it into a back body drop. However Backlund quickly locks in a sleeper, only for Bret to send him face first into the top buckle, allowing an escape. Both men collide into each other causing them both to crash to the mat. Bret recovers and lands a leg drop and a piledriver of his own followed by a bulldog out of the corner. Russian Leg Sweep (that Vince calls a "neckbreaker") and a backbreaker followed by the patented second rope elbow, connecting this time. Bret tries a sharpshooter, but Backlund grabs the rope. He pulls Backlund off the ropes and locks in a sharpshooter. Owen tries to interfere, but Bulldog gives chase. The ref is distracted as Owen gets a cheap shot on Bret. Bulldog goes for Owen, but gets dropped head first into the steps.
Owen realizes that with Bulldog injured, he can't actually throw the towel. Bret cusses at him as Backlund locks in the Crossface Chicken Wing. Bret tries to escape, trying to trip the leg, but Backlund keeps the hold in. Owen is still concerned on the outside, apologizing the Bret. He keeps trying to revive the Bulldog while Backlund still has the Chicken Wing applied. Bret tries to escape, getting to his feet. Bret tries to reach the ropes, but Backlund gets the legs scissored, putting him back to the mat. Owen is distraught on the outside. Bret is still in the hold for a good five minues while Backlund keeps the hold applied.
Owen apologizes to Stu and Helen, completely blubbering. He tells them to help, to be the ones to throw in the towel. He gets on their knees, pleading to them to do something. He's in full on apology mode. Eventually Helen and Stu come to ringside to grab the towel. Stu grabs the towel from Helen, still refusing to throw it. I guess in his mind, he stretched the boys worse in the dungeon. Bret has been in the hold for at least ten minutes at this point, not willing to quit, but completely unable to get out of the hold. Eventually Helen grabs the towel and throws it. Owen, like the snake grabs the towel and runs off to celebrate.
The winner and new WWF Champion is Bob Backlund. He stares at his hands as he realizes that he did what he set out to do. Reclaim the championship. As Bret is carried off, Backlund celebrates in the ring.
I really enjoyed this Submission match. I will admit it was slow in parts, but considering the stipulation, everything made sense in a storytelling capacity. Bret and Backlund working on specific areas for the majority of the match to make locking in their holds much easier. Lots of great tease spots that really woke the crowd up. And a dramatic ending that, while perhaps went on a bit too long, was some great storytelling.
The real MVP of the match however was Owen, who refused to throw in his towel and when he realized he got rid of the Bulldog and Bret was as good as done for played the sympathy card to coax Stu and Helen into forcing the match to stop, only for Owen to then show his true colors and leave happily, his job done. He may not have been the one to win the title, but he finally managed to get the belt off Bret. The culmination of everything since Wrestlemania finally realized.
So yeah, Bob Backlund is the WWF Champion again, and Bret's reign is over. A reign that suspiciously saw no PPV main events with Bret as champ, but him in the midcard. So, why Bob Backlund of all people? Well, we'll get to why this decision was made when we finish the review.
Todd Pettengill is backstage with Owen who couldn't be more happier about what went down. He mocks his parents for falling into his trap and is especially happy that finally Bret is no longer champion. He calls Bret a cheater, but now he's nothing, down in the gutter, a loser, a nobody. Owen promises to never quit or surrender. Now he's the best there is, the best there was, the best there ever will be.
Up next, it's the Million Dollar Team taking on Guts and Glory in our final Survivor Series tag match of the evening. Bob Backlund is on the hotline. That had to be a fun dollar spent. Luger and Tatanka start the match as Tatanka gets in some cheap shots and follows with clubbing chops. He rams Luger into the buckle (but Luger doesn't have Tatanka's face no-sell powers). However he does no sell the chops. Tatanka lands a suplex and celebrates, but Luger is right back up and gets some strikes of his own and a bulldog followed by several clotheslines taking Tatanka out to the outside.
He tosses Jimmy Del Ray to Bam Bam. Bundy comes in, but Mabel cuts him off at the pass. Mabel is tagged in as is Dr. Tom Pritchard. Mabel gets a shove to Pritchard. Pritchard ducks two clothesline, but gets caught in a slam. However, Mabel misses an elbow drop, allowing a knee drop from Pritchard. Pritchard tries a hard whip, but gets reversed out of the corner and hits a big back body drop, Mabel hits a cross body off the second rope to eliminate Tom Pritchard.
Jimmy Del Ray is in next and tries some running offense to no avail, eventually getting caught in a sidewalk slam. Del Ray tags in King Kong Bundy who jaw jacks Mabel. Both men shove each other and collide, but neither can take the other down, until finally Mabel proves the victor of the shove off. Bam Bam makes the tag and goes for some rights, but Mabel turns it into some of his own. Bam Bam goes for a spin kick, but misses. Mabel however doesn't with his big. Mabel goes to the top buckle, but gets tossed off by Bam Bam. Bam Bam goes up and tries a sunset flip, only to get squashed.
Mabel clotheslines him and Bam Bam out of the ring. Mabel hit his head on the barrier according to Vince and is unable to recover in time as he gets counted out. Bam Bam makes it back in, just to get dropkicked by Billy Gun. Del Ray is back in as Billy keeps up the offense. Billy gets a backslide for two. Tags to Adam Bomb and Bam Bam Bigelow. Bomb gets a drop toe hold and some punches. Bigelow sends him over the ropes, but Adam hits a slingshot clothesline. He hits a couple more clotheslines and a scoop slam. Bundy gets a cheap shot allowing a bulldog from Bigelow. Moonsault from Bam Bam gets the three, eliminating Adam Bomb.
Roll up by Luger only gets two. Tag to Del Ray who lands a superkick to the face of Luger. He lands a knee drop and a choke that only gets a two count. He peppers Luger with some more strikes, keeping Luger cornered. Luger reverses a whip and lands a massive clothesline with the loaded forearm for the three count. Bart is tagged in and gets an atomic drop, body slam, and dropkick to Tatanka for a two count. Tag to Billy as both men hit a double leg sweep.
More double team work by the Smoking Gunns as Billy manages a body slam and a running knee drop. Tag to Bart who covers for two. He gets more strikes to Tatanka in the corner and works on the arm with an arm wringer. Tag to Billy who gets a dropkick as he covers for two. Tag back to Bart who gets a monkey flip as Tatanka lands horribly on his leg. Cover only gets two. Sidewalk slam and a leg drop by the Smoking gunns only gets a two. Another tag as Bart tries a backslide, but tatanka drops him with an End of the Trail for three.
Billy comes right in with a clothesline. He tags in Luger who gets an ax handle to the arm. After a couple more wringers he tags in Billy who continues the work. Billy gets a hiptoss/pin combo for a two count. Luger comes back in with a body slam and an elbow drop. Tag back to Billy who continues the work on the arm. Cover by Billy for two. Tatanka reverses a whip, and manages to catch Billy in a spinebuster. Tag to Bundy who misses an elbow drop. Bundy reverses a whip and gets a splash in the corner followed by an elbow drop for the three, leaving Lex Luger as the last member of the team to the other corner's Bundy, Bigelow and Tatanka.
Luger goes after Tatanka, but gets caught by Bundy who rams Luger in the corner. Tag to Bam Bam who tries a splash in the corner but misses. tag to tatanka who eats a clothesline. Cover for a close two. Luger tries a sunset flip, but Bam Bam gets the tag. He headbutts Luger and followed with a big suplex. Cover for two. Tag to Bundy. Knee drop only gets a two for Bundy. He tags in Tatanka after a boot to Luger's face. He hits several more chops to the back followed by more kicks.
Tag to Bam Bam who keeps the offense on with more punches and stomps. Falling headbutt and a cover for two. Bam Bam is still a bit woozy as he tags in Bundy who gets a knee in the corner. More USA chants as Luger is whipped hard into the buckle. Elbow drop only gets a two count. He throws Luger to the corner and tags Tatanka who hits a powerslam for two. He follows with several elbow drops, and calls for a body slam, but gets caught in a roll up for three, eliminating Tatanka. Bundy immediately gets in and splashes Luger for the three, winning the match for the Million Dollar team. Post-match, Tatanka continues the offense on Luger, landing an End of the Trail. Bigelow drops an elbow and Bundy gets in some cheap shots. Eventually the face team returns to send the corporation in retreat.
This was an okay Survivor Series match. While not as good as the opener, there was nothing completely terrible about it. Logical back and forth eliminations, and a focus on Luger as the biggest star of the face team. Of course once again it's Luger on the losing end this year, completely cementing the end of Luger's top face run as we've seen this year and a focus on not eliminating Bigelow or Bundy since it definitely feels like of the members of the Corporation, they're the two that the company has more interest in for the foreseeable future.
Todd Pettengill is backstage with Mr. Bob Backlund. He says that he's been champion since 1978. He never lost the championship, he just got the belt back. He's gonna scrutinize the people to the fullest. Pasteurize, neutralize and homogenize them back to morality. He'll take on anybody from their generation because he's fighting to bring morality back to their lives, because he feels like god. Another great psycho promo from Mr. Backlund.
It's time for our main event, the Casket Match between the Undertaker and Yokozuna. Introduced first is the "Special Troubleshootin' Referee" Chuck Norris. Besides being a Texas native, Norris of course has had a history of action film and the then recent release of the CBS series "Walker, Texas Ranger". So, to sell Norris' legendary "bad ass" persona, it makes sense to book him as the special attraction of this attraction match.
Paul Bearer is still lugging around the giant spotlight urn, which must have been hell, as the Undertaker arrives to a great reaction. A look of trepidation is in the eyes of Yokozuna as he's still very much afraid of the "double wide, double deep" casket at ringside. Even the mere act of Taker pointing at the casket sends Yoko collapsing to the mat. Yoko reverses a whip and splashes Taker in the corner, which he no-sells. He whips Yoko near the casket, as he stops in fright. When Taker sends him falling on the casket, he gets off it as quick as possible.
Yoko drags Taker out of the ring, but Taker keeps the momentum by ramming Yoko into the steel steps. Yokozuna finally gets back in the ring, but Taker gets some more strikes and the old school forearm off the top rope. Yoko manages to finally regain momentum with a samoan drop, but Taker stands up, only to be knocked back down. But like a dead man do, he gets right back up. Yokozuna headbutts him twice to knock him down.
Yoko tries to roll Taker into the Casket but he fights back. Taker manages to drop Yoko neck first into the ring ropes, sending him falling on his back. Taker tries an elbow, but misses. He sits back up, getting caught into an urinage and a leg drop. Yokozuna drags him to the middle of the ring and rolls taker to the casket. He almost gets him fully in, but Taker grabs the casket lid and gets some strikes. Yoko tumbles in the casket as Taker hits more strikes. Yoko comes back as both men exchange blows. Fuji pulls at Taker's hair and Taker gives chase. He grabs Taker, but is distracted by Cornette, who gets a palm to the face.
Taker comes back in to eat a scoop slam, but Taker sits back up, only to be knocked out of the ring. Yokozuna rams Taker face first into the steps as we cut to a squinty Chuck Norris, reminding us that yes, he's here too. Yokozuna continues his offence with more strikes and chokes. Gorilla refers to Mr. Fuji as a Senpai, but we know he's not Hogan-Senpai. Taker tries to regain offense, but Yoko gets a hard whip to the buckle. Taker tries a clothesline to knock Yoko down, but it doesn't work, so he gets a hairpull slam instead.
Taker hits a big clothesline off the top turnbuckle. With the lid opened, Taker tries to roll Yokozuna towards the casket. However, King Kong Bundy begins to saunter his way to the ring. They focus on Chuck Norris as Bundy looks to be ready to make a meal out of the Texas Ranger. Meanwhile, Bam Bam Bigelow also makes his way to ringside. With everyone distracted, IRS shows up and starts ramming Taker into the buckles and laying strikes. He locks in a sleeper, tossing Taker into the casket. He walks off as Yokozuna regains his senses.
He flops his way to the casket and reaches for the lid, but gets clutched in a choke. Jarrett comes down to ringside to try and get involved...
Taker ducks a clothesline and hits a flying clothesline of his own, followed by a DDT. He boots Yokozuna into the casket. He breaks the Japanese flag (Racist!) tosses it into the casket and closes the lid, winning the match.
It was a much better match than the Rumble honestly. Nothing amazing in terms of in-ring, but for a gimmick match it worked, lasted as long as it needed to and felt like a fitting conclusion to a nearly year long angle involving Undertaker and Yokozuna, while also sliding right into the IRS/Undertaker feud. For a big gimmick match to end the show and send the crowd home happy, it did the trick. It also writes Yokozuna off television, who, much like Taker at the last casket match needed time off due to injuries. We'll see him back soon, but this here is the end of the main event career of Yokozuna.
And that ends the Survivor Series Pay Per View. Overall, a much better show than I had thought it would be going in. There were really no horrible matches as I feel everything did what it needed to, and did it right. The two big Survivor Series matches were both good, though the opener much better as it had more action and its focus was on setting up the rift between Shawn and Diesel, showcasing Diesel as an unstoppable force, and also turning him babyface. The latter match was basic fare and everyone involved had a good showing, hell, even Tatanka.
The clowns/kings match was stupid, but compared to the sheer stupidity of the Four Doinks match from 1993, this was far more fun and far more bearable. Wasn't good, but I wasn't angered after it, let's leave it at that. Undertaker vs Yokozuna was okay as a brawl and a conclusion to the rivalry. But the highlight of the show was easily Bret Hart vs Bob Backlund in the submission match which was just a master class in good wrestling and especially good storytelling.
So, the final rating for Survivor Series is an A-. The comedy match aside, nothing felt like a chore to get through, it did a good job furthering angles, ended feuds and made you interested in what's to come, as a good event like Survivor Series should. I'd say this is a must-watch show as you'll definitely find some enjoyment throughout the event, especially in the Bret Hart vs Bob Backlund match. This event comes highly recommended.
So, now we talk about what happened after Survivor Series. Well, as I mentioned earlier in the review about Backlund winning the championship, why did they give the title to him? Well, that answer was made clear the following Saturday at a house show in Madison Square Garden where he defended his WWF title against Diesel, who was no longer tag champions due to Shawn Michaels vacating the championship. If you ever wanted to know how fast the rocket was being strapped to Kevin Nash, then his championship match with Backlund should be a fine indication.
In a mere eight seconds, Diesel pinned Bob Backlund to win the WWF Championship. The entire reason for Backlund winning the belt was for him to job it to Diesel instead of having Bret do it. Mainly because it would have never gone over as well. Diesel is officially the top face in the comapny, and we've now begun what will be quite the year of the interesting experiment that was the reign of Big Daddy Cool and the definite beginning of the Kliq backstage stranglehold. Oh god, we're really getting close to 1995.
And speaking of 1995, the road now leads directly into a new year as we finish off 1994 with the remaining Raws and begin the road to the Royal Rumble. 30 men, one ring, one title, but who cares about that when some chick from Baywatch is involved? Find out what I mean as we get into the Road to the Rumble.
Bret gets a few strikes and reapplies a headlock. Vince mentions that 79% of the people on the opinion line stated that the Crossface Chicken Wing is teh more effective submission hold. Bret keeps on the headlock for another couple minutes. Backlund manages a drop toe hold and tries to lock the Chicken Wing, only for Bret to turn things around into a headlock. Backlund tries a break, but Bret puts the lock back on. Backlund tries to escape and lock the Chicken Wing, but Bret reverses. Bret tries a Sharpshooter, but Backlund quickly escapes, only to be locked right back in.
Backlund powers out of a headlock, but Bret turns things into an abdominal stretch. Backlund manages to get a hiptoss to escape. He tries a scoop slam, but Bret hits a cross body. Bret stays on Backlund a bit too long expecting a pinfall, but again this can only end on the throw of a towel. Bret gets a body slam and an elbow drop, only for Backlund to roll out of the way. Backlund works the left arm with some wringers and elbows, following with a hard whip to the buckle. Backlund tries a Chicken Wing, but is still unable, but he continues the offense. He tries again with the Chicken Wing, but Bret dodges, however he gets caught in an arm bar.
Bret Kips up but eats an elbow that sends him outside. Owen distracts Bret, giving Backlund a shot at the Chicken Wing, but Bret sees it. When both men get back in the ring, both men hit hard with headbutts, but it's Backlund still in control with a hard arm yank and an elbow to the face. He puts the arm bar back in, grinding his elbow into the shoulder. Bret tries a body slam, but Backlund keeps his pressure on the arm, managing to get in a top wrist lock. Loud "Let's Go Bret" chants as Backlund keeps the pressure.
Bret gets to his feet while Backlund still has the wrist locked. He manages a neckbreaker, but Backlund still keeps the wrist held. That's actually pretty unique a spot. Bret gets a knee to the face, but Backlund kicks him in the face and lands a forearm to the face, keeping up the arm bar. Bret gets back up and tries to get momentum, but Backlund wrenches the arm. Bret gets an inverted atomic drop to finally take Backlund down. A second attempt at the Sharpshooter by Bret is met with Backlund grabbing the ropes and tripping him up. Bret instead goes for the figure four.
Backlund screams in pain as Owen refuses to throw in the towel. He begins to get second thoughts, but Backlund eventually manages to turn aroud the hold. Owen tells Bulldog to throw in the towel but he refuses. Bret turns the hold right back around, but Backlund gets the rope forcing a break. Bret continues to drive knees into the left leg of Backlund and pulls at the hamstring as Backlund hobbles. Bret keeps the damage on the leg as Owen is slowly contemplating the towel.
Bret tries a Sharpshooter but is unable to. Both men get some strikes until Backlund succeeds on a facebuster. He drops Bret with a piledriver as both men are spent on the ground. Backlund locks in the Chicken Wing, but Bret gets into the ropes as Owen yells "Did it Hurt?" Backlund drops Bret with a swinging neckbreaker followed by some more work on the arm. Bret keeps trying to escape, but Backlund stays on the arm with hard whips to the buckle. Backlund tries a charge, but goes shoulder first into the buckle.
Backlund goes for another piledriver, but Bret turns it into a back body drop. However Backlund quickly locks in a sleeper, only for Bret to send him face first into the top buckle, allowing an escape. Both men collide into each other causing them both to crash to the mat. Bret recovers and lands a leg drop and a piledriver of his own followed by a bulldog out of the corner. Russian Leg Sweep (that Vince calls a "neckbreaker") and a backbreaker followed by the patented second rope elbow, connecting this time. Bret tries a sharpshooter, but Backlund grabs the rope. He pulls Backlund off the ropes and locks in a sharpshooter. Owen tries to interfere, but Bulldog gives chase. The ref is distracted as Owen gets a cheap shot on Bret. Bulldog goes for Owen, but gets dropped head first into the steps.
Owen realizes that with Bulldog injured, he can't actually throw the towel. Bret cusses at him as Backlund locks in the Crossface Chicken Wing. Bret tries to escape, trying to trip the leg, but Backlund keeps the hold in. Owen is still concerned on the outside, apologizing the Bret. He keeps trying to revive the Bulldog while Backlund still has the Chicken Wing applied. Bret tries to escape, getting to his feet. Bret tries to reach the ropes, but Backlund gets the legs scissored, putting him back to the mat. Owen is distraught on the outside. Bret is still in the hold for a good five minues while Backlund keeps the hold applied.
Owen apologizes to Stu and Helen, completely blubbering. He tells them to help, to be the ones to throw in the towel. He gets on their knees, pleading to them to do something. He's in full on apology mode. Eventually Helen and Stu come to ringside to grab the towel. Stu grabs the towel from Helen, still refusing to throw it. I guess in his mind, he stretched the boys worse in the dungeon. Bret has been in the hold for at least ten minutes at this point, not willing to quit, but completely unable to get out of the hold. Eventually Helen grabs the towel and throws it. Owen, like the snake grabs the towel and runs off to celebrate.
The winner and new WWF Champion is Bob Backlund. He stares at his hands as he realizes that he did what he set out to do. Reclaim the championship. As Bret is carried off, Backlund celebrates in the ring.
I really enjoyed this Submission match. I will admit it was slow in parts, but considering the stipulation, everything made sense in a storytelling capacity. Bret and Backlund working on specific areas for the majority of the match to make locking in their holds much easier. Lots of great tease spots that really woke the crowd up. And a dramatic ending that, while perhaps went on a bit too long, was some great storytelling.
The real MVP of the match however was Owen, who refused to throw in his towel and when he realized he got rid of the Bulldog and Bret was as good as done for played the sympathy card to coax Stu and Helen into forcing the match to stop, only for Owen to then show his true colors and leave happily, his job done. He may not have been the one to win the title, but he finally managed to get the belt off Bret. The culmination of everything since Wrestlemania finally realized.
So yeah, Bob Backlund is the WWF Champion again, and Bret's reign is over. A reign that suspiciously saw no PPV main events with Bret as champ, but him in the midcard. So, why Bob Backlund of all people? Well, we'll get to why this decision was made when we finish the review.
Todd Pettengill is backstage with Owen who couldn't be more happier about what went down. He mocks his parents for falling into his trap and is especially happy that finally Bret is no longer champion. He calls Bret a cheater, but now he's nothing, down in the gutter, a loser, a nobody. Owen promises to never quit or surrender. Now he's the best there is, the best there was, the best there ever will be.
Up next, it's the Million Dollar Team taking on Guts and Glory in our final Survivor Series tag match of the evening. Bob Backlund is on the hotline. That had to be a fun dollar spent. Luger and Tatanka start the match as Tatanka gets in some cheap shots and follows with clubbing chops. He rams Luger into the buckle (but Luger doesn't have Tatanka's face no-sell powers). However he does no sell the chops. Tatanka lands a suplex and celebrates, but Luger is right back up and gets some strikes of his own and a bulldog followed by several clotheslines taking Tatanka out to the outside.
He tosses Jimmy Del Ray to Bam Bam. Bundy comes in, but Mabel cuts him off at the pass. Mabel is tagged in as is Dr. Tom Pritchard. Mabel gets a shove to Pritchard. Pritchard ducks two clothesline, but gets caught in a slam. However, Mabel misses an elbow drop, allowing a knee drop from Pritchard. Pritchard tries a hard whip, but gets reversed out of the corner and hits a big back body drop, Mabel hits a cross body off the second rope to eliminate Tom Pritchard.
Jimmy Del Ray is in next and tries some running offense to no avail, eventually getting caught in a sidewalk slam. Del Ray tags in King Kong Bundy who jaw jacks Mabel. Both men shove each other and collide, but neither can take the other down, until finally Mabel proves the victor of the shove off. Bam Bam makes the tag and goes for some rights, but Mabel turns it into some of his own. Bam Bam goes for a spin kick, but misses. Mabel however doesn't with his big. Mabel goes to the top buckle, but gets tossed off by Bam Bam. Bam Bam goes up and tries a sunset flip, only to get squashed.
Mabel clotheslines him and Bam Bam out of the ring. Mabel hit his head on the barrier according to Vince and is unable to recover in time as he gets counted out. Bam Bam makes it back in, just to get dropkicked by Billy Gun. Del Ray is back in as Billy keeps up the offense. Billy gets a backslide for two. Tags to Adam Bomb and Bam Bam Bigelow. Bomb gets a drop toe hold and some punches. Bigelow sends him over the ropes, but Adam hits a slingshot clothesline. He hits a couple more clotheslines and a scoop slam. Bundy gets a cheap shot allowing a bulldog from Bigelow. Moonsault from Bam Bam gets the three, eliminating Adam Bomb.
Roll up by Luger only gets two. Tag to Del Ray who lands a superkick to the face of Luger. He lands a knee drop and a choke that only gets a two count. He peppers Luger with some more strikes, keeping Luger cornered. Luger reverses a whip and lands a massive clothesline with the loaded forearm for the three count. Bart is tagged in and gets an atomic drop, body slam, and dropkick to Tatanka for a two count. Tag to Billy as both men hit a double leg sweep.
More double team work by the Smoking Gunns as Billy manages a body slam and a running knee drop. Tag to Bart who covers for two. He gets more strikes to Tatanka in the corner and works on the arm with an arm wringer. Tag to Billy who gets a dropkick as he covers for two. Tag back to Bart who gets a monkey flip as Tatanka lands horribly on his leg. Cover only gets two. Sidewalk slam and a leg drop by the Smoking gunns only gets a two. Another tag as Bart tries a backslide, but tatanka drops him with an End of the Trail for three.
Billy comes right in with a clothesline. He tags in Luger who gets an ax handle to the arm. After a couple more wringers he tags in Billy who continues the work. Billy gets a hiptoss/pin combo for a two count. Luger comes back in with a body slam and an elbow drop. Tag back to Billy who continues the work on the arm. Cover by Billy for two. Tatanka reverses a whip, and manages to catch Billy in a spinebuster. Tag to Bundy who misses an elbow drop. Bundy reverses a whip and gets a splash in the corner followed by an elbow drop for the three, leaving Lex Luger as the last member of the team to the other corner's Bundy, Bigelow and Tatanka.
Luger goes after Tatanka, but gets caught by Bundy who rams Luger in the corner. Tag to Bam Bam who tries a splash in the corner but misses. tag to tatanka who eats a clothesline. Cover for a close two. Luger tries a sunset flip, but Bam Bam gets the tag. He headbutts Luger and followed with a big suplex. Cover for two. Tag to Bundy. Knee drop only gets a two for Bundy. He tags in Tatanka after a boot to Luger's face. He hits several more chops to the back followed by more kicks.
Tag to Bam Bam who keeps the offense on with more punches and stomps. Falling headbutt and a cover for two. Bam Bam is still a bit woozy as he tags in Bundy who gets a knee in the corner. More USA chants as Luger is whipped hard into the buckle. Elbow drop only gets a two count. He throws Luger to the corner and tags Tatanka who hits a powerslam for two. He follows with several elbow drops, and calls for a body slam, but gets caught in a roll up for three, eliminating Tatanka. Bundy immediately gets in and splashes Luger for the three, winning the match for the Million Dollar team. Post-match, Tatanka continues the offense on Luger, landing an End of the Trail. Bigelow drops an elbow and Bundy gets in some cheap shots. Eventually the face team returns to send the corporation in retreat.
This was an okay Survivor Series match. While not as good as the opener, there was nothing completely terrible about it. Logical back and forth eliminations, and a focus on Luger as the biggest star of the face team. Of course once again it's Luger on the losing end this year, completely cementing the end of Luger's top face run as we've seen this year and a focus on not eliminating Bigelow or Bundy since it definitely feels like of the members of the Corporation, they're the two that the company has more interest in for the foreseeable future.
Todd Pettengill is backstage with Mr. Bob Backlund. He says that he's been champion since 1978. He never lost the championship, he just got the belt back. He's gonna scrutinize the people to the fullest. Pasteurize, neutralize and homogenize them back to morality. He'll take on anybody from their generation because he's fighting to bring morality back to their lives, because he feels like god. Another great psycho promo from Mr. Backlund.
Paul Bearer is still lugging around the giant spotlight urn, which must have been hell, as the Undertaker arrives to a great reaction. A look of trepidation is in the eyes of Yokozuna as he's still very much afraid of the "double wide, double deep" casket at ringside. Even the mere act of Taker pointing at the casket sends Yoko collapsing to the mat. Yoko reverses a whip and splashes Taker in the corner, which he no-sells. He whips Yoko near the casket, as he stops in fright. When Taker sends him falling on the casket, he gets off it as quick as possible.
Yoko drags Taker out of the ring, but Taker keeps the momentum by ramming Yoko into the steel steps. Yokozuna finally gets back in the ring, but Taker gets some more strikes and the old school forearm off the top rope. Yoko manages to finally regain momentum with a samoan drop, but Taker stands up, only to be knocked back down. But like a dead man do, he gets right back up. Yokozuna headbutts him twice to knock him down.
Yoko tries to roll Taker into the Casket but he fights back. Taker manages to drop Yoko neck first into the ring ropes, sending him falling on his back. Taker tries an elbow, but misses. He sits back up, getting caught into an urinage and a leg drop. Yokozuna drags him to the middle of the ring and rolls taker to the casket. He almost gets him fully in, but Taker grabs the casket lid and gets some strikes. Yoko tumbles in the casket as Taker hits more strikes. Yoko comes back as both men exchange blows. Fuji pulls at Taker's hair and Taker gives chase. He grabs Taker, but is distracted by Cornette, who gets a palm to the face.
Taker comes back in to eat a scoop slam, but Taker sits back up, only to be knocked out of the ring. Yokozuna rams Taker face first into the steps as we cut to a squinty Chuck Norris, reminding us that yes, he's here too. Yokozuna continues his offence with more strikes and chokes. Gorilla refers to Mr. Fuji as a Senpai, but we know he's not Hogan-Senpai. Taker tries to regain offense, but Yoko gets a hard whip to the buckle. Taker tries a clothesline to knock Yoko down, but it doesn't work, so he gets a hairpull slam instead.
Taker hits a big clothesline off the top turnbuckle. With the lid opened, Taker tries to roll Yokozuna towards the casket. However, King Kong Bundy begins to saunter his way to the ring. They focus on Chuck Norris as Bundy looks to be ready to make a meal out of the Texas Ranger. Meanwhile, Bam Bam Bigelow also makes his way to ringside. With everyone distracted, IRS shows up and starts ramming Taker into the buckles and laying strikes. He locks in a sleeper, tossing Taker into the casket. He walks off as Yokozuna regains his senses.
He flops his way to the casket and reaches for the lid, but gets clutched in a choke. Jarrett comes down to ringside to try and get involved...
But eats a kick from Chuck Norris!
Taker ducks a clothesline and hits a flying clothesline of his own, followed by a DDT. He boots Yokozuna into the casket. He breaks the Japanese flag (Racist!) tosses it into the casket and closes the lid, winning the match.
It was a much better match than the Rumble honestly. Nothing amazing in terms of in-ring, but for a gimmick match it worked, lasted as long as it needed to and felt like a fitting conclusion to a nearly year long angle involving Undertaker and Yokozuna, while also sliding right into the IRS/Undertaker feud. For a big gimmick match to end the show and send the crowd home happy, it did the trick. It also writes Yokozuna off television, who, much like Taker at the last casket match needed time off due to injuries. We'll see him back soon, but this here is the end of the main event career of Yokozuna.
And that ends the Survivor Series Pay Per View. Overall, a much better show than I had thought it would be going in. There were really no horrible matches as I feel everything did what it needed to, and did it right. The two big Survivor Series matches were both good, though the opener much better as it had more action and its focus was on setting up the rift between Shawn and Diesel, showcasing Diesel as an unstoppable force, and also turning him babyface. The latter match was basic fare and everyone involved had a good showing, hell, even Tatanka.
The clowns/kings match was stupid, but compared to the sheer stupidity of the Four Doinks match from 1993, this was far more fun and far more bearable. Wasn't good, but I wasn't angered after it, let's leave it at that. Undertaker vs Yokozuna was okay as a brawl and a conclusion to the rivalry. But the highlight of the show was easily Bret Hart vs Bob Backlund in the submission match which was just a master class in good wrestling and especially good storytelling.
So, the final rating for Survivor Series is an A-. The comedy match aside, nothing felt like a chore to get through, it did a good job furthering angles, ended feuds and made you interested in what's to come, as a good event like Survivor Series should. I'd say this is a must-watch show as you'll definitely find some enjoyment throughout the event, especially in the Bret Hart vs Bob Backlund match. This event comes highly recommended.
So, now we talk about what happened after Survivor Series. Well, as I mentioned earlier in the review about Backlund winning the championship, why did they give the title to him? Well, that answer was made clear the following Saturday at a house show in Madison Square Garden where he defended his WWF title against Diesel, who was no longer tag champions due to Shawn Michaels vacating the championship. If you ever wanted to know how fast the rocket was being strapped to Kevin Nash, then his championship match with Backlund should be a fine indication.
In a mere eight seconds, Diesel pinned Bob Backlund to win the WWF Championship. The entire reason for Backlund winning the belt was for him to job it to Diesel instead of having Bret do it. Mainly because it would have never gone over as well. Diesel is officially the top face in the comapny, and we've now begun what will be quite the year of the interesting experiment that was the reign of Big Daddy Cool and the definite beginning of the Kliq backstage stranglehold. Oh god, we're really getting close to 1995.
And speaking of 1995, the road now leads directly into a new year as we finish off 1994 with the remaining Raws and begin the road to the Royal Rumble. 30 men, one ring, one title, but who cares about that when some chick from Baywatch is involved? Find out what I mean as we get into the Road to the Rumble.
I can almost tell how angry you're gonna be by the end of the WM11 review, especially when it comes to the main event.
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