This is the most famous wrestling show outside of some WrestleManias, right? At least within the wrestling business, this is the show that has been analyzed and discussed even 25 years later for being important for a plethora of reasons. It’s the end of Bret Hart in WWF, the start of Mr. McMahon, the peeling back of the curtain that was never before seen, the final victory in the real life feud for Shawn Michaels, the birth of the Attitude Era, etc. I could go on and on, but instead, I will look at the entire show, as I am wont to do, and see if it’s actually something that should be remembered past the main event and its behind the scenes infamy.
I do this at the start of a new review period and at the height of my personal and professional life being incredibly busy and difficult,. I’ve missed far too many weeks and I don’t want to do that anymore. So, I’m trying to shorten up my notes and focus on the jokes and analysis as opposed to more of an actual recap of moves and events. I’m going to be playing with the format for a little while until I land on something that works well. Until then, let’s get to it!
PAY PER VIEW NUMBER 145: WWF SURVIVOR SERIES 1997-GANG RULZ
Written on 2/27/23
ALL THE OPENING STUFF: WrestleMania XII highlights, Bret Hart’s frustrations, plenty of bleeps and Bret’s ultimate turn are shown before Shawn’s turn. All of our heroes have turned against us, but there’s oddly no voiceover to say it in big words like usual. This is full-on DX era HBK now. Nothing says Gang Rulz like Milton Bradley! Montreal is loud and there are so many signs (some of which have been blurred). Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler are on their own and so natural together immediately. Jacques Sr is joining the French team and the ring announcer is also speaking French.
MATCH NUMBER ONE: SURVIVOR SERIES ELIMINATION MATCH- The New Blackjacks and The Headbangers vs The Godwinns and the New Age Outlaws
BEFORE THE BELL: How the fuck are the Blackjacks faces? The main story to this match is Thrasher getting busted open by a boombox shot from Billy Gunn three weeks prior. The heel team awkwardly comes out to the Godwinns’ song, but Road Dogg gets all the mic time and calls his opponents “Steers and Queers.” WOW. Despite that, these two are naturals together as well. Billy is still a total bitchcake with his cutout hat and Texas shirt.
THOUGHTS AND OBSERVATIONS
-For the first few minutes, the only thing I could notice was Barry Windham’s poor physique, his obnoxious green boots and the fact that he’s still employed.
-King notices that the Outlaws are avoiding being tagged in and also feels weird calling him “Bad Ass” Billy Gunn now. A couple of quick eliminations happen: Henry Godwinn is eliminated at 3:52 by a Bradshaw cradle and Barry Windham is eliminated at 5:14 by a Phineas Godwinn clothesline.
-The crowd is hot despite this being heatless on paper. I give them a compliment and they immediately ruin it with a homophobic slur chant towards Billy tagging in. He counters that and a “Billy’s Gay” chant well because Mosh is eliminated at 8:41 with a belly-to-back facebuster.
-The match grinds to a halt with a long section of Thrasher and PIG chain wrestling. Phineas Godwinn is eliminated at 12:39 by a Stage Dive. After a flurry, Bradshaw is eliminated at 13:48 by a roll up and he continues that flurry after the bell. He’s sloppy, but effective.
-Our current MVP is Road Dogg based on his selling and our current LVP is Billy Gunn with an awfully bitchcake-like whiff on the final move of the match.
WINNERS: The New Age Outlaws survive, last eliminating Thrasher at 15:27 after a top rope leg drop
FINAL WORD: The crowd was nice enough, but that was rough city. Why the hell did they show a full angle of the botched leg drop on the replay?!?!
MATCH NUMBER TWO: SURVIVOR SERIES ELIMINATION MATCH- The Truth Commission vs The Disciples of Apocalypse
BEFORE THE BELL: A sign reading “The Undertaker is not a homo” is the only thing noticeable about the Truth Commission’s entrance. The Interrogator gets all the shine, but look at Don Callis working a match 25 years ago! The faces get a side entrance and bum rush the ring.
THOUGHTS AND OBSERVATIONS
-Interrogator takes the MVP lead very quickly with some stiff selling and moving. He barely hits his finish, the sidewalk slam, to eliminate Chainz in 1:18.
-Recon is Bull Buchananan in case you cared. Don Callis, AKA, Jackyll hits one knees and celebrates. Thus, Jackyl is eliminated at 2:52 with another sidewalk slam. At least this has been quick so far. Sniper also appears to be bad and Jackyl joins commentary.
-Recon is eliminated at 5:19 after a Killer Bees spot and clothesline from the Harris Twins. This is torture. Every move is messier than Bruce Bogtrotter eating the big cake (this starts the Matilda reference challenge and we aren’t limited to three anymore)! Skull is eliminated at 6:29 thanks to Sniper.
-Legit LOL moment for me: Crush is fixing his hair and doesn’t hold his hand out when 8-Ball wants the tag. Cool biker shit! 8-Ball is eliminated at 8:50 by a sidewalk slam (surprise) and he was almost dropped. Sniper is eliminated at 9:47 by a tilt-a-whirl slam by Crush. Thankfully, they were told to go home and this is over.
WINNERS: The Interrogator survives, last eliminating Crush at 10:00 after a sidewalk slam
FINAL WORD: That was the worst Survivor Series elimination match up to this point in time.
FILLING TIME: Fans are asked about the main event and I’m surprised that so many people pick Shawn and how much French is on this show. Kevin Kelly and AOL talk to a stoic Stone Cold in the dressing room and he brushes off questions about his neck. Some BS party is also shown.
MATCH NUMBER THREE: SURVIVOR SERIES ELIMINATION MATCH- Team USA (Vader, Steve Blackman, Goldust and Marc Mero) w/Sable vs Team Canada (British Bulldog, Doug Furnas, Phil Lafon and Jim Neidhart)
BEFORE THE BELL: The recap shows Blackman’s debut as a fan coming to help Vader and getting protected by Vader in a four-on-one attack, then bailed out of jail by him. This match on paper is WILD-Mero is back and he’s bland as fuck, Goldust doesn’t give a fuck and the Can-Am boys are suddenly back in the fold. Michael Cole interviews the USA team and Vader can barely get his words out before claiming it’s “America time.” The camera focuses on the message on Goldust’s head and then Blackman’s boring promo. The whole group walks out to the Patriot’s theme. Sable is the only one getting a pop (almost literally if you know what I mean). Team Canada is also interviewed and Doug Furnas cuts a really good 30 second promo. There are so many maple leafs in the crowd and these four, THESE FOUR, get a massive reaction.
THOUGHTS AND OBSERVATIONS
-Bulldog wipes his ass with Mero’s USA cap and whips it at Sable effortlessly before mocking Blackman’s karate stuff. That puts him in the MVP driver seat and it might be his last good moment in WWF ever.
-It’s nice seeing Lafon getting good reactions. Blackman is not billed as a trained wrestler and gets “new guy sucks” chants. Everyone is tense and nervous around him because he can probably really kill all of them. Steve Blackman is eliminated at 5:48 by countout during a skirmish.
-Jim Neidhart is eliminated at 7:32 by a Vader Bomb. Sting is in the front row! It could be him; you never know! Phil Lafon is eliminated at 9:08 from a second rope splash. That’s good because he was approaching LVP levels of botchiness in this. Speaking of which, there’s a totally fucked standing moonsault off the top rope by Mero when Furnas leans the wrong one.
-Marco Mero is eliminated at 11:58 by a Doug Furnas roll up counter. Lawler wants Sable to stay, so that horniness has begun. Goldust refuses to tag in with his “Freedom” cast and JR is all over him about it. Furnas hits an awesome overhead belly-to-belly on Vader, who tags Goldust with a slap to the face. Goldust is eliminated at 16:58 by countout when he walks out of the match.
-Vader valiantly fights both remaining men. Doug Furnas is eliminated at 17:34 after a Vader Bomb. The Mastodon gets up and turns right into the cheating heel to be cheered into victory.
WINNERS: British Bulldog survives, last eliminating Vader at 17:48 with a ring bell shot
FINAL WORD: There sure were doing a lot with a little here. This was watchable, but mostly insane.
FILLING TIME: JR and King are funny about a Super Soaker commercial and talk to the winner on the phone. Lawler joins the MVP list by hilariously complaining that she picks Steve Austin to accompany her.
MATCH NUMBER FOUR: Mankind vs Kane w/Paul Bearer
BEFORE THE BELL: Kane’s path of carnage and his brother’s refusal to fight him are recapped. The monster no sells an UNPROTECTED chair shot from Dude Love and destroys him with a chokeslam on the ramp. Ahmed Johnson and Flash Funk are part of Kane’s wonderfully presented path of destruction. Mankind returns to avenge that “young kid Dude” and KOs Kane with a metal shot to the head, but he sits right up. He cuts an MVP-worthy promo about running through brick walls and calling Paul a pebble. I’m glad there is no more Dude. He gets a good pop for his entrance, but Kane’s whole aura and deal during this OG era is so terrifying and cool. He’s already over. He’s jumped in the aisle and nothing affects him, so he throws Foley into the steel steps on the back of his head twice. NOW the bell rings.
THOUGHTS AND OBSERVATIONS
-The red lights for Kane’s entrance stay on, so Bray Wyatt is not the only victim. Kane is the living embodiment of the Chokey (one more to hit the minimum). This is straight domination including a Boss Man Slam and forward whip into the steps. A Stun Gun counter give Mankind a temporary advantage.
-Kane no sells an UNPROTECTED chair shot to the head and a piledriver. Bearer eats the Mandible Claw and he makes a hilarious face. Kane sits up and chokeslams Mankind off the apron through the Spanish announce table. DUMB. Tito Santana is hurt in the fall.
-Mankind battles back with a DDT on the floor and an elbow off the apron, but he ends up press slammed from the top rope to the floor complete with a splat and “ECW” chants. He crawls back into the ring and finally gets finished with authority.
WINNER: Kane in 9:30 with the Tombstone
FINAL WORD: That’s how you keep your monster heel chugging along: killing a madman who will let you do it.
FILLING TIME: Somebody overordered WWF dog tags because they keep doing this giveaway deal with your cable bill. It’s limited to 3,000 people. Sure…Michael Cole talks to Sgt. Slaughter and Vince McMahon (already displaying a different tone). He’s asked who will win the main event, pauses and smiles before saying he doesn’t know. Yeah, I think the whole thing is a work now, too.
MATCH NUMBER FIVE: SURVIVOR SERIES ELIMINATION MATCH- The Nation of Domination (Faarooq, Rocky Maivia, Kama Mustafa and D-Lo Brown) vs Ahmed Johnson, Ken Shamrock and the Legion of Doom
BEFORE THE BELL: The heel entrance gets early silence, but Rocky’s mannerisms are on point. He’s jacked and tan, baby. Dok Hendrix interviews the faces (with LOD now as tag champs) and the only notable things about it is Hawk talking about criminality and drawing in blood after Ken’s short and sweet promo. Shamrock gets a great ovation, Ahmed Johnson is SOAKING WET and LOD still get a Road Warriors pop despite not having their spikes. It’s the first time they seem really old.
THOUGHTS AND OBSERVATIONS
-The crowd is all over Rocky and he sells it great. Hawk is eliminated at 2:16 by the Rock Bottom after a fast, sloppy start and some help from Kama’s kick. He always gets his shit in and managed to kick out at 3.1, by the way. If it were a few more seconds, he would be an LVP candidate.
-Ahmed gets whipped and he has more braces and shit on him than Matilda has books in the library (and the challenge is done). Faarooq is eliminated at 4:39 after a Dominator is blocked and he is hit with the Pearl River Plunge. Ahmed is taking over on the LVP front by falling and dawdling around, no selling punches after a Frog Splash.
-Ahmed Johnson is eliminated at 6:18 when Faarooq holds his legs down and Rocky pins him. That’s a mercy elimination-he was so gassed trying to do anything else.
-There’s a WEIRD reverb noise that causes King to make fun of Kevin Dunn, so he just moved up the MVP ladder. Kama Mustafa is eliminated at 10:53 by an Animal roll up. This leads to Rocky punching Shamrock in the dick and building more heat.
-This match has so many dropkicks. The future Outlaws come down wearing face paint and the spikes they stole from the current tag champs. Animal is eliminated at 15:00 by countout when he gets powder in the eyes from Billy and Jesse.
-JR puts over Shamrock by mentioning he tapped out Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels in the past two weeks. WOW. He fights off a double team and D-Lo Brown is eliminated at 17:10 by tapping to the Ankle Lock. Rocky hits a chair to the back, but Ken kicks out.
-Maivia is a definitive MVP threat with his fire, having figured out the floatover DDT and just owning the crowd. He also hits his first People’s Elbow. He smells like his first SNL hosting performance-he has IT and he’s going places. Just like that, Ken snaps and it’s all over.
WINNERS: Ken Shamrock survives, last eliminating Rocky Maivia at 20:34 with the Ankle Lock
FINAL WORD: That was the best Survivor Series elimination match on the show by a mile and the final two killed it. There was a lot of bells and whistles to get there, though.
FILLING TIME: The attendance record is given and a commercial for the DX PPV airs, debuting the iconic theme.
MATCH NUMBER SIX: IC TITLE MATCH- Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Owen Hart (Champ) w/Team Canada
BEFORE THE BELL: Austin’s toughness all the way back to the 1996 King of the Ring is recapped, then he shoots an arrow into a photo of Owen on a deer’s ass. Things get serious with his injury and vow for payback. He definitely seems legitimately angry. The glass breaks audibly, but only partially in actuality at the entrance, so he just shoulders the rest down. The crowd is more receptive to him now because even they can’t deny him in Canada. He still jaws at people and invites them to fight in the ring. Owen and the entire Team Canada from earlier enter. The champ is proud of his “Owen 3:16” shirt. Neidhart eats a Stunner before the bell and Owen takes advantage before the bell.
THOUGHTS AND OBSERVATIONS
-A piledriver is blocked early and Team Canada leaves. Owen tries to follow, but gets chased and beaten up on the floor. A lot of punches and cord chokes might be the new norm for Austin matches.
-Owen does the tilt-a-whirl prelude to the piledriver, but it doesn’t happen and we are done just like that.
WINNER: Stone Cold Steve Austin wins the title in 4:03 with the Stunner
FINAL WORD: Wow, that was a glorified squash. It’s necessary and befitting the story. Sort of like Matilda defeating the Trunchbull (told you we weren’t limited anymore!)
FILLING TIME: Lafon and Furnas run down and get Stunned for their trouble. The crowd loves him, so this formula is definitely sticking around. Then, the badass Attitude video showing wrestler badassery and background plays. The era has begun. Shawn Michaels had a dozen concussions!!!
MATCH NUMBER SEVEN: WWF TITLE MATCH- Shawn Michaels vs Bret Hart (Champ)
BEFORE THE BELL: The opening video is shown again and this has a big fight feel with the mood music. DX (still with Rick Rude) walk Shawn from the locker room, but let him enter on his own. A drink and flag get thrown at him. There’s an ominous sign: “why wait, leave now Bret!” HBK puts the flag in his crotch and picks his nose with it before humping it. Oh boy. There are blatantly homophobic signs about Shawn everywhere. Now, we follow Bret with Davey, Anvil and his kid holding a flag. He receives a massive ovation as you’d expect. JR says the smart money says you’ll never see this match again. King calls out their egos. Bret hands Earl Hebner the belt and Shawn attacks, but loses the fight right away. There’s no bell, just a wild fight into an almost riotous crowd. Vince and his crew come out to help and Ross calls out the speculation that this could be Hart’s last match in the WWF. It’s interesting seeing Shawn call spots to Bret including a suplex on the floor. Pat Patterson naturally gets knocked down. Refs are getting decked like crazy and Vince is right there in the shot the whole way. After 7:34 of brawling, Earl rings the bell the less famous time.
THOUGHTS AND OBSERVATIONS
-The energy in the building is insane as Shawn hits the flying forearm, the kip up and more choking with flags. He jaws with fans in the front row and throws Bret to the floor in front of them before even more brawling on the floor.
-I remember this being a letdown at the time because it wasn’t the match that I was expecting or wanting, but it really works in retrospect. The crowd is rapturous when the Figure Four on the ring post is locked in. Shawn sells it so well. Legs remain the focus with a regular Figure Four in the ring.
-Look at George Napolitano in an Austin 3:16 shirt taking pictures at ringside. Bret stats his usual sequence and Shawn pulls Earl in front of an axe handle attempt. After an eye rake, it just happens. No build up or anything. You’ve seen it 100 times, but it never stops getting fascinating.
WINNER: Shawn Michaels wins the title in 12:20 with the Sharpshooter
FINAL WORD: This is the most famous wrestling match ever to wrestling fans, right? It’s a wild ride and it’s more interesting for the behind-the-scenes angle. In a way, it’s ruined booking ever since because people have been trying to recapture this lightning in a bottle by manufacturing it. It’s still pretty riveting on camera, too.
BEFORE WE GO: Bret’s face is the focus and he spits at Vince. Shawn is mad and JR is trying to figure out what happened. Triple H gives this away with his demeanor right away. He’s not the guy nor does anything surprising. Shawn does a very brief celebration going through the entrance and JR just signs off. We can’t linger here.
THE LAST IMAGE: The Survivor Series logo
THE WRAP UP
FINAL MVP of PPV: Rocky Maivia is officially circling this award and Jerry Lawler was great all night, but there’s nobody better to get a new project over than Mankind. Not only did he cut a great promo and make Kane look like a killer, he slid into a character he hadn’t done in a few months seamlessly.
FINAL LVP of PPV: Like Randy the Ram, Ahmed Johnson is a broken-down piece of meat. He’s never been less important than he is right now. It won’t get better.
MY FAVORITE MATCH: Shawn Michaels vs Bret Hart
MY LEAST FAVORITE MATCH: The Truth Commission vs DOA
FINAL THOUGHTS: I feel like this show is similar to WrestleMania II both on paper and critically in that it isn’t very good to most people. However, I am captivated in both the good and bad of it all. There’s so much in motion here. It’s a train wreck at times, but the second half of the show is all good and very important. Plus, it has the most impactful moment for our eventual timeline. From that alone, MULLET RECOMMENDS
NEXT TIME: While WWF is making headlines, WCW is making some poor ring crew put up three rings again for World War 3.