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Post by The Brain on Dec 9, 2018 15:39:22 GMT -5
I'm glad you finally got around to reviewing a SMW show. It's a shame the promotion only lasted 4 years. Great wrestling and booking that made sense. On a side note, I'm surprised you said Russo was the right choice to be head of creative in the late 90s. Wrestling hasn't been wrestling since the attitude era. WCW was kicking WWF's a$$ in ratings. Vince needed some drastic changes if he wanted to turn his company around. Russo was the guy who pitched a more edgy product and in the end it worked.
I'm a big Cornette fan but him as head of creative just wouldn't have worked during that time period.
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Post by The Brain on Dec 10, 2018 15:55:59 GMT -5
Currently revisiting SSeries 88 for my upcoming review and man I can watch the tag team elimination match any day of the week. Nothing beats the classic teams of the 80s.
I miss good tag wrestling so much.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 10, 2018 23:13:15 GMT -5
It's too bad the Midnight Express didn't have at least a brief run in the WWF in the late 80s. They would have had awesome matches with those teams.
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robbutler01
Main Eventer
Joined on: Feb 10, 2013 15:10:27 GMT -5
Posts: 1,282
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Post by robbutler01 on Dec 11, 2018 8:25:13 GMT -5
Currently revisiting SSeries 88 for my upcoming review and man I can watch the tag team elimination match any day of the week. Nothing beats the classic teams of the 80s. I miss good tag wrestling so much. Well said. Great team that were in it to be a team and win tag gold, not to fill in time until they were spilt up for now reason. oh and not jobbing out "monster" teams for no reason other than shock value. Im thankful every day that I grew up in the golden era and got to see the greats compete Would have loved to see Doom and the Midnights in the WWF of the late 80-'s/early 90s too |
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Post by The Brain on Dec 11, 2018 11:16:06 GMT -5
Coming soon... 
Who will survive??!!
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Post by mikey1974 on Dec 11, 2018 19:48:10 GMT -5
Currently revisiting SSeries 88 for my upcoming review and man I can watch the tag team elimination match any day of the week. Nothing beats the classic teams of the 80s. I miss good tag wrestling so much. That was such a great match! The days when you legit had 10 top tag teams that you could throw in a match. And the double turn at the end - NO ONE saw Fuji turning on Demolition coming. |
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Post by The Brain on Dec 12, 2018 7:59:40 GMT -5
Currently revisiting SSeries 88 for my upcoming review and man I can watch the tag team elimination match any day of the week. Nothing beats the classic teams of the 80s. I miss good tag wrestling so much. That was such a great match! The days when you legit had 10 top tag teams that you could throw in a match. And the double turn at the end - NO ONE saw Fuji turning on Demolition coming.Yeah the turn came outta nowhere since they was no sign of problems between em leading up to the event on TV. To say the crowd was confused would be understatement of the year. |
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nibs92
Main Eventer
Joined on: May 29, 2008 5:47:21 GMT -5
Posts: 2,357
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Post by nibs92 on Dec 12, 2018 15:59:49 GMT -5
That was such a great match! The days when you legit had 10 top tag teams that you could throw in a match. And the double turn at the end - NO ONE saw Fuji turning on Demolition coming.Yeah the turn came outta nowhere since they was no sign of problems between em leading up to the event on TV. To say the crowd was confused would be understatement of the year. I remember reading that the crowd initially thought Fuji had turned face. Don’t remember much about the crowd reaction to it but what a top quality match! Also I believe The Rougeau’s were eliminated early in the match so they could leave before the bulldogs got to the dressing room, due to the issues between the two teams. Man I miss the Kayfabe breaking magazines of the 90’s |
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Post by The Brain on Dec 12, 2018 16:09:16 GMT -5
Yeah the turn came outta nowhere since they was no sign of problems between em leading up to the event on TV. To say the crowd was confused would be understatement of the year. I remember reading that the crowd initially thought Fuji had turned face. Don’t remember much about the crowd reaction to it but what a top quality match! Also I believe The Rougeau’s were eliminated early in the match so they could leave before the bulldogs got to the dressing room, due to the issues between the two teams. Man I miss the Kayfabe breaking magazines of the 90’s When Fuji tripped up Smash in the ropes you heard the ringside fans laughing at Smash and when Fuji helped POP put away The Conquistadores they were cheering so yeah they definitely thought Fuji turned. Thank God they didn't go the babyface Fuji route.
And yeah I can definitely see that Rougeau elimination thing being true. We all know the bad blood those two teams had behind the scenes.
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nibs92
Main Eventer
Joined on: May 29, 2008 5:47:21 GMT -5
Posts: 2,357
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Post by nibs92 on Dec 12, 2018 16:19:16 GMT -5
I remember reading that the crowd initially thought Fuji had turned face. Don’t remember much about the crowd reaction to it but what a top quality match! Also I believe The Rougeau’s were eliminated early in the match so they could leave before the bulldogs got to the dressing room, due to the issues between the two teams. Man I miss the Kayfabe breaking magazines of the 90’s When Fuji tripped up Smash in the ropes you heard the ringside fans laughing at Smash and when Fuji helped POP put away The Conquistadores they were cheering so yeah they definitely thought Fuji turned. Thank God they didn't go the babyface Fuji route.
And yeah I can definitely see that Rougeau elimination thing being true. We all know the bad blood those two teams had behind the scenes.
Not sure if you’ve read the ring of hell book but covers the Dynamite - Jacques brawl and aftermath. Was pretty messed up! Two great competitors though. |
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Post by The Brain on Dec 12, 2018 16:28:02 GMT -5
When Fuji tripped up Smash in the ropes you heard the ringside fans laughing at Smash and when Fuji helped POP put away The Conquistadores they were cheering so yeah they definitely thought Fuji turned. Thank God they didn't go the babyface Fuji route.
And yeah I can definitely see that Rougeau elimination thing being true. We all know the bad blood those two teams had behind the scenes.
Not sure if you’ve read the ring of hell book but covers the Dynamite - Jacques brawl and aftermath. Was pretty messed up! Two great competitors though. Never read it but I did the see the shoot Jacques did a few years back in a barbershop setting of all places lol. |
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Post by The Brain on Dec 13, 2018 14:45:42 GMT -5
I'll have SSeries 88 up by tomorrow humanoids.
In other news I've been thinking about creating a sister thread to this one. It wont be review related but you can bet it will have great old school discussion. I wanna try and get this section boomin' again so if you humanoids have any ideas just throw em my way.
Like the ol' saying goes...''You ain't seen nothing yet''!!
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nibs92
Main Eventer
Joined on: May 29, 2008 5:47:21 GMT -5
Posts: 2,357
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Post by nibs92 on Dec 13, 2018 18:48:21 GMT -5
I'll have SSeries 88 up by tomorrow humanoids. In other news I've been thinking about creating a sister thread to this one. It wont be review related but you can bet it will have great old school discussion. I wanna try and get this section boomin' again so if you humanoids have any ideas just throw em my way. Like the ol' saying goes...''You ain't seen nothing yet''!! Sounds good man, Will be interested to see the sister thread. |
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Post by Hulkster2001 on Dec 14, 2018 9:49:45 GMT -5
Not sure if you’ve read the ring of hell book but covers the Dynamite - Jacques brawl and aftermath. Was pretty messed up! Two great competitors though. Never read it but I did the see the shoot Jacques did a few years back in a barbershop setting of all places lol.Was Brutus there as well?  |
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Post by The Brain on Dec 14, 2018 14:38:07 GMT -5
Survivor Series 1988 
Your Hosts- Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse ''The Body''Ventura
Team Honky- Honky Tonk Man,Greg Valentine,Ron Bass, 'Dangerous'' Danny Davis and Bad News Brown vs Team Warrior- Ultimate Warrior,Brutus Beefcake, Jim Brunzell, Blue Blazer and Sam Houston- The crowd goes nuts for Warrior here as his mega push to the top continues. We get an elimination about a minute in when Beefcake locks in the sleeper on Danny Davis. Davis would pretty much be done by early 89 and would return to being a ref right after WM V. Hey Tunney I thought he was banned for life??!! Next up on the elimination list is Brunzell who takes a BNB ''Ghetto Blaster''. Brown always hit that move perfectly. Not long after that Valentine accidently hits Brown which ticks him off to the point where he takes a walk and abandons his team. He'd do the same thing the following year!! Not to self: Never have BNB as your tag partner in a SSeries match. Next up to go is Sam Houston as he eats a powerslam from Ron Bass. Gotta love Ventura on commentary ripping on Houston in classic heel fashion. One of the best of all time to ever grace the booth in my book. The Blazer is next as he tries to attempt a move off the top but is pushed off by Honky Tonk allowing The Hammer to lock in the figure four. We get a double elimination next as both Beefcake and Honky are counted out when Beefcake has him locked in the sleeper on the floor. It's down to Warrior against Valentine and Bass humanoids!! Warrior rallies for the win after pinning Bass with a double axe handle and just seconds later does the same to The Hammer. A former great IC Champ getting pinned with an axe handle? Give me a break!! Weak ending aside this was the right way to get the crowd off to a hot start.
Team Demolition- Demolition, Bolsheviks,Brain Busters,Fabulous Rougeaus,and The Conquistadores vs Team Powers of Pain- Powers of Pain,Hart Foundation, British Bulldogs, Rockers and Young Stallions- Man just look at all these classic teams. Never again will we see depth in this division like these days. Rules here is when one of the team members get eliminated that particular team is done. 1st up is Jacques Rougeau after getting small packaged by Bret Hart. We then go pretty much a full 10 minutes without an elimination until Jimmy Powers is eliminated when Boris Zhukov reverses a crossbody from the top. The Bolsheviks wouldn't last much longer after that as Marty Jannetty sunset flips Boris to send them to the shower. We would go another good 10 minutes before the next as this match is just a gem every time I watch it. Harts get eliminated next as Bret suplexes Tully Blanchard but Tully raises his arm up so pretty much Bret pinned himself. Rockers and Busters are next as they're both DQed for brawling in the ring. They were having a mini feud at the time so it makes sense they went this route. Bulldogs are next as Smash catches Dynamite with a clothesline after he misses his signature flying headbutt. We are down to Demo/Conquistadores and POP. This is really looking good for manager Mr. Fuji... but wait!! He trips up Smash as he runs the ropes!! What's going on here??! The crowd here are cheering this but still sound confused as hell. Demolition are counted out soon after. POP then helps up Fuji after moments before he was slammed by Axe on the floor. Gorilla''Something stinks here!!'' POP finish off the Conquistadores and are your soul survivors. In more confusion Demo return post match and clear POP from the ring to boos while POP still gets cheered leaving. Confusing ending aside this match is a must see for classic tag wrestling fans like myself. You had 10 different tag teams all with different personalities. Good stuff here and without a doubt match of the night.
Intermission time as we get interviews with BNB,/Fuji/POP, Team Andre and Team Mega Powers. Again good stuff here as I love these classic backstage interviews they used to do.
Team Snake- Jake Roberts,Jim Duggan,Ken Patera,Scott Casey and Tito Santana vs Team Andre- Andre The Giant,Curt Hennis,Rick Rude, Dino Bravo and Harley Race- It's so sad that 4 of the five heels have all passed away over the years. Patera is first to go as he gets eliminated by Rude after his signature Rude Awakening. No shocker there as Patera pretty much left the company before the year ended. Casey is next not long after by Bravo after his signature side suplex. Side note here Casey who was a jobber in the company replaced B. Brian Blair after he left the company right before the event (that jabroni!)The babyfaces finally get on the board when Tito Santana hits Harley Race with his flying forearm. Andre stops their momentum when he eliminates Tito after sitting on em. OUCH!! Duggan is the next to go as he gets DQed for using his trusty 2x4 on the heels. Team Andre still has 4 while Jake is the lone man on his team. Jake rallies early on and eliminates Rude by hitting his signature DDT. Great end to a feud that started right after WM IV. Andre is DQed next for choking Jake way past the 5 count. Jake is pretty much done though as Hennig quickly pins em to give the match to him and Bravo. Good match here although it was a little long. Great story told though in the end with Jake with the whole can he pull a miracle comeback so points there.
Team Twin Towers- Akeem/Big Boss Man,Ted DiBiase, King Haku and Red Rooster vs Team Mega Powers- Hulk Hogan,Randy Savage, Hercules,Koko B. Ware and Hillbilly Jim- I can see Herc being on the team since he just turned face but Koko and Hillbilly??!! Talk about random. Rooster is 1st to go after a signature Randy Savage elbow drop. Hillbilly is next after a big splash by Akeem. Air Africa!! Few moments later is Koko after he eats a Boss Man slam. Herc and DiBiase go at it next.they just started a feud prior to this with the whole slave stuff. Herc is eliminated after Dibiase rolls him up thanks to distraction from Virgil. As Dibiase is taunting Herc, Savage comes up from behind with a roll up to eliminate him. It's down to the Mega Powers against The Twin Towers and Haku. We get to the big point of the match as Slick taunts Liz at ringside which bring over Hogan but then he gets beaten down by the Towers. He is then handcuffed to the rope. While this is happening Boss Man is counted out. Gotta pay attention! Akeem hits the showers not long after they double team Savage in the ring causing a DQ. Randy savage is in bad shape as Haku is lone man now on the heel side. Hogan is freed and gets the hot tag which leads to the Hulk up,Big boot and leg drop for the win. Mega Powers are your soul survivors!! Last 10 minutes aside, this match wasn't that good. Big reason being there was no way Hogan and Savage weren't going to win this in the end. Post match they celebrate with Hogan hugging Liz much to the dismay of Savage who's face tells the whole story. Great build again here as you can clearly see the big heel turn coming from savage. That would happen of course in February on the Main Event.
Final Thoughts- This show still holds up 30 years later. Definitely a must watch for fans of the era and I cant stress enough how awesome the tag team elimination match is.Verdict- Recommended
Next time on the Classic Reviews we'll head to the Boston Garden for SSeries 93!!
Until next time...Stay Classic Humanoids
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nibs92
Main Eventer
Joined on: May 29, 2008 5:47:21 GMT -5
Posts: 2,357
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Post by nibs92 on Dec 14, 2018 19:22:23 GMT -5
Great event!
I started watching American Wrestling in 92 (I did watch the original WOS wrestling in the mid 80’s but not a patch on their American counterparts). When I first saw this event the Warriors last two pins using the double axe handle really stood out for me. I took it as the evolution of wrestling that it would have been a big move in 88 but come the early 90’s, it was part of every wrestlers arsenal. Same in the tag match with smash pinning dynamite with a clothes line. I’d compare it to the DDT that was a devastating move delivered by Jake but a standard move in the late 90’s when the Rock used it.
I bought this on vhs and the tag match was shown first, in its entirety, followed by a heavily edited Warrior match, heavily edited Andre match and the main event shown in full. I guess this was the actual running order.
If I were involved in picking matches for a best of survivor series dvd, the tag match would always make the grade. You’re right about the depth of the division, this match must have been the peak of tag wrestling. I much prefer established teams, with similar costumes and unique collective personalities to the “let’s stick these two wrestlers together as creative has nothing for them individually” (Hollywood Blondes aside). I’m pretty sure McMahon explained the death of the division as it’s easier to market a singles wrestler than a team.
I have a weird fascination with jobbers and really wanted the conquistadors to be the sole survivors . Still an impressive feat being the last heel team in the match - especially with the talent involved in the match. Really enjoyed Bret being outsmarted by Tully for the pin. I wasn’t familiar with the Brain Busters at the time but could see they were an entertaining team from this match. I couldn’t stop laughing when Tully got tagged in to face one of the powers of pain and walks camply over and tags in Volkoff.
The Andre match was great too. I’d root for any team that contains Mr Perfect &Rick Rude. Great to see them get the win here. This match had one of my biggest bugbears- the cheating face! Hacksaw, much like Hogan, would blatantly break the rules but still be cheered for it. Always annoyed me as a kid. Always agreed with Ventura calling them out for it.
The main event was great as well. Slick was a riot teasing Hogan and Liz with the keys to the handcuffs. Akeem and Haku were another two favourites of mine. As per usual, you could rely on Haku to put in a fantastic performance. And the seeds of the mega powers exploding were sown here. Story telling at its finest.
I must find a couple of hours over the festive period to watch this again
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Post by MKSavage on Dec 15, 2018 0:31:21 GMT -5
Great event! I started watching American Wrestling in 92 (I did watch the original WOS wrestling in the mid 80’s but not a patch on their American counterparts). When I first saw this event the Warriors last two pins using the double axe handle really stood out for me. I took it as the evolution of wrestling that it would have been a big move in 88 but come the early 90’s, it was part of every wrestlers arsenal. Same in the tag match with smash pinning dynamite with a clothes line. I’d compare it to the DDT that was a devastating move delivered by Jake but a standard move in the late 90’s when the Rock used it. I bought this on vhs and the tag match was shown first, in its entirety, followed by a heavily edited Warrior match, heavily edited Andre match and the main event shown in full. I guess this was the actual running order. If I were involved in picking matches for a best of survivor series dvd, the tag match would always make the grade. You’re right about the depth of the division, this match must have been the peak of tag wrestling. I much prefer established teams, with similar costumes and unique collective personalities to the “let’s stick these two wrestlers together as creative has nothing for them individually” (Hollywood Blondes aside). I’m pretty sure McMahon explained the death of the division as it’s easier to market a singles wrestler than a team. I have a weird fascination with jobbers and really wanted the conquistadors to be the sole survivors . Still an impressive feat being the last heel team in the match - especially with the talent involved in the match. Really enjoyed Bret being outsmarted by Tully for the pin. I wasn’t familiar with the Brain Busters at the time but could see they were an entertaining team from this match. I couldn’t stop laughing when Tully got tagged in to face one of the powers of pain and walks camply over and tags in Volkoff. The Andre match was great too. I’d root for any team that contains Mr Perfect &Rick Rude. Great to see them get the win here. This match had one of my biggest bugbears- the cheating face! Hacksaw, much like Hogan, would blatantly break the rules but still be cheered for it. Always annoyed me as a kid. Always agreed with Ventura calling them out for it. The main event was great as well. Slick was a riot teasing Hogan and Liz with the keys to the handcuffs. Akeem and Haku were another two favourites of mine. As per usual, you could rely on Haku to put in a fantastic performance. And the seeds of the mega powers exploding were sown here. Story telling at its finest. I must find a couple of hours over the festive period to watch this again Classic. Tully was so underrated as a performer. |
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Post by The Brain on Dec 15, 2018 19:44:03 GMT -5
Revisiting SSeries 93 and I've said it in the past but man Bobby Heenan is on FIRE for his last WWF PPV. His commentary alone makes this a must watch.
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Post by The Brain on Dec 17, 2018 12:09:11 GMT -5
Coming soon... 
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Deleted
Joined on: Nov 29, 2024 19:51:00 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2018 12:33:44 GMT -5
Coming soon...
This was the only bad match out of the 4. |
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