I'm a Bobby Heenan Guy's Official Classic Reviews Thread

Survivor Series 1987

Your Hosts-Gorilla Monson and Jesse Ventura

Team Macho Man- Randy Savage, Jake Roberts,Ricky Steamboat, Brutus Beefcake and Jim Duggan vs Team Honky-  Honky Tonk Man,Ron Bass, Danny Davis,Harley Race and Hercules- The big feud here is Savage/HTM as they got started a few months earlier after Honky proclaimed himself to be ''the greatest IC champ of all time''' which ticked off Savage. GREAT heel heat for Honky as during this time the fans were dying for him to get his tail kicked.Our 1st elimination comes near 5 minutes in after both Duggan and Race brawl on the floor and are both counted out. They were feuding also during this time so no surprise they went with that outcome to kick us off here. Few minutes go by and our next elimination is Ron Bass who takes a high knee from Brut-I. Beefcake was wayyyyyyyy over here as he was still in the infancy of his barber character. Brut-I is the next to go after Honky hits em with Shake,Rattle and Roll. Little prelude to their feud just a few months later over the IC belt. Danny Davis is the next to go after a little stretch after he gets nailed with a Jake DDT. I like how they kept him in the match longer considering he went from a crooked ref to wrestler. Another guy who played a great heel during these days. Herc is the next to go after Savage hits em with his signature flying elbow drop. We are down to Savage,Jake and Steamboat against lone man HTM. Will he finally get his due??!! No as he bails out of the match to give the babyfaces the win. Great match here to start of this classic event on the right foot. The crowd here delivered here big time as well. They were HOT all match. Honky would go on as IC Champ until the following Summer in a very memorable run.

Team Moolah- Fabulous Moolah,Jumping Bomb Angels,Velvet McIntyre and Rockin Robin vs Team Sherri- Sensational Sherri,Glamour Girls,Donna Christianello and Dawn Marie- Moolah as a babyface is an odd sight. Sherri is the Women's champ here as she won it from Moolah the previous Summer. During this time as well we had Women tag champs as The Glamour Girls were the champs. The division didn't last long with it being defunct by 1988.Donna is the 1st to go just a few minutes in after Velvet McIntyre rolls her up. Dawn Marie is next to go from the sister of Jake Roberts Rockin Robin after she hits her with a running crossbody. 2 quick eliminations right off the bat here. The heel side gotta pick it up! The babyface captain Moolah is the next to go after a double clothesline from the Glamour Girls.  The heel captain Sherri follows suit a few minutes later after Velvet pins here with a victory roll. The announcers were putting over Velvet on commentary as a future challenger for the belt but nothing really came of it. Velvet's run ends next as she receives an electric chair from Leilani Kai. We are down to the Glamor Girls vs the Jumping Bomb Angels which was the big feud in the division at the time. This is where the match really picks up as JBA are just amazing to watch with the moves they were pulling off. Kai is the next to go after one of the JBAs hits her with a flying clothesline. Judy Martin is goes soon after after she runs into Jimmy Hart on the apron and is pinned after a top rope clothesline. The first half of this match is nothing to write home about but man once the Angels came in it really picked up. The Angels would win the belts in January at the Rumble but not long after that the belts were retired.

Team Strike Force- Strike Force, British Bulldogs,Killer Bees, Rougeau Brothers and Young Stallions vs Team Hart Foundation- Harts, Demolition, Bolsheviks, Islanders and the Dream Team-Strike Force are the champs here after they beat the Harts not long before this event. We get off to a quick start as Zhukov from the Russians is axed after Tito hits em with his flying forearm. Jacques is the next to go after a stretch after Ax hits em with a flying crossbody. The Rougeaus were long need for a change by this point which would come by the following Summer. Demo is gone next after Smash shoves the ref. You could tell they were grooming Demo for a title run with them making em look strong here by just taking a DQ and not a pin or submission. The Harts get revenge with the next elimination as Bret nails Tito behind the refs back allowing Neidhart to make the pin. The Harts would not hold tag gold again until the Summer of 90. We get the longest stretch of the match without elimination  when Dynamite Kid takes the fall after Haku hits em with his side kick. We got the Harts,Dream Team, and Islanders against the Bees and Stallions. The babyfaces rally by eliminating the Hammer after Paul Roma sunset flips him from the top. The Harts are next after another stretch when Bret is pinned by Jim Brunzell after a roll up. The heels are now at a disadvantage. The babyfaces win at near the 40 minute mark when Tama is pinned after Brian Blair sunset flips him after doing the ol' mask switcheroo. Long match like the 88 match but still a classic. Again all solid teams with great in ring action= must see. Great stuff here.

Intermission time as we get a video package on The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase who just joined the company the previous Summer after leaving the UWF. It's just vignettes of him humiliating humanoids over money. A young RVD is in one of the clips. Good stuff here to kick of a memorable character.

Honky Tonk Man is interviewed on the podium next just to stall time. Just filler here.

Team Andre- Andre the Giant, King Kong Bundy, Rick Rude, One Man Gang, and Butch Reed vs Team Hogan- Hulk Hogan, Ken Patera, Bam Bigelow, Paul Orndorff and Don Muraco- I LOVED the build to this one as prior to this event on TV the main hype on this match was how both Andre/Hogan haven't been in the ring together since WM III. The fans were clamoring to see em back in the ring so for them to build this for 8 months is impressive to say the least. Reed is the 1st to go not long into the match after Hogan hits em with signature leg drop. Team Andre would get revenge after a stretch when OMG would eliminate Patera after a flying clothesline. Patera as a babyface did nothing for me. After the feud with the Heenan Family he would pretty much be a jobber until leaving in late 88. Orndorff is the next to go after his rival at the time Rick Rude rolls him up after a distraction from Bundy. Orndorff would lead the company shortly after this and briefly retire but would ultimately return to wrestling in the early 90s. Here though was his farewell as far as his WWF career is concerned. Rude is next not long after that after Muraco powerslams em for the elimination. Muraco like Patera was terrible in the face role I thought. Some quick elimination all in a roll here as Muraco is next after OMG eliminates em with his 747 splash. It's looking good now for Team Andre as Hogan is gone next after he's counted out after Bundy and Gang prevent him from reentering the ring. No surprise they kept Hogan strong here. We're down to Andre,OMG and Bundy against lone man Bigelow. The Asbury Park native rallies to first eliminates Bundy with a slingshot splash. Minutes later he gets OMG after he misses a splash. Can we see a comeback in the making??!!

No as Andre comes in and quickly disposes Bam Bam after hitting a butterfly suplex. Immediately after Hogan comes out and clears the ring of the Giant. Solid main event here. It was mostly hype for Andre vs Hogan but still I thought it was a very strong match to end the show. We would finally get the rematch in February which would lead to the title being put up in a tourney at WM IV.

Final Thoughts- This is still my favorite SSeries of all time. All matches are solid, Again Jesse/Gorilla are gold on commentary and we get a great video package on Ted DiBiase. What more could you ask for? Verdict- HIGHLY Recommended

Next time on the Classic Reviews we'll head to the Hartford Civic Center for SSeries 1990!

Until next time...Stay Classic Humanoids