I'm talking the best elimination match not a singles or tag team match. This is my top three.
3) Dusty Rhodes/Koko B Ware/Hart Foundation vs. Million Dollar Man/Undertaker/Rhythm And Blues (1990 I think)
I know you are thinking WTF -- this match has Koko Freakin Beware in it. Well, it was Taker's debut and also had Bret vs. three where he showed flashes of his greatness. It alos had a great ending sequence between Bret and Dibiase.
2) Hardys/Edge/Christian vs. Hollys/Too Hot (1998)
This match has been virtually forgotten, but it was a really good match and the commentary was hilarious as Stone Cold had just been run over and Lawler spent the whole match trying to focus JR on the match instead of Stone Cold and when he finally did Lawler was like "you don't even care at all about Stone Cold do you?!" Great stuff here as these guys were all working their asses off.
1) Rock/Jericho/Kane/Undertaker/Big Show vs. Austin/Angle/Booker T/RVD/Shane McMahon (2001)
I am glad they used this match to decide the Invasion. The promos ( by this I mean those vignettes) leading up to it were great and I think the tension came through pretty well. Definately the most important Survivor Series type match ever, even though all the Alliance people ended up coming back anyways.
Honorable Mention:
Hogan/Jake "The Snake"/Demolition vs. Million Dollar Man/Zeus/Powers of Pain (1989)
Hey I was a kid, I couldn't see how any of these guys could get eliminated in this match.
Piper/British Bulldog/Virgil/Bret Hart vs. Ric Flair/Million Dollar Man/Warlord/Mountie (1991?)
This was on its way to greatness before the copout ending where everyone got DQ'd save Flair
1987 Tag Team Survivor Series Match with Demoltion, Harts, Bolsheviks, Dream Team, Islanders against Strike Force, Bulldogs, Young Stallions, Rougeaus, and Killer Bees.
That match was like non-stop action for 30+ minutes with tons of history between the teams.
Alundra Blayze & three joshi wrestlers whose name elude me VS Bertha Faye, Aja Kong & two other joshis.
You laugh, but this match had some uber stiff wrestling from the Japanese contingent and I swear I was legit scared of Aja Kong after viewing this match. The only lady missing in there was Bull Nakano.
That ladies' tag match from 1987 that involved the Jumping Bomb Angels. Talk about ahead of their time.
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The first (and only... i think) grand final match of survival when Hogan/Ultimate Warrior an TITO SANTANA ended up against I think the entire Martel team (Visionaries) and Dibiase. I couldn't believe Tito made it through and to top it off he eliminates the first guy in seconds. I marked SO HARD. Great stuff!
Marty Jannetty, Hakushi, Barry Horowitz & Bob Holly against Bodydonna Skip, Rad Radford, Dr. Tom Pritchard & The 1-2-3 Kid-Hey even though these guys were opening match JTTS, 6 of the 8 put on a hell of a show. Real good pace, and lots innovative stuff for the time.
Flair, Warlord, Million Dollar Man & The Mountie vs. Piper, Bret Hart, Virgil, Davey Boy- I still watch this one alot, An excellent match, with tons of heat, hot tags, a great pace, Once again 6 of 8. Besides the horrible ending, and 3 minute period where Warlord was beating the shit out of Virgil, this was a 5 star classic.
My Personal Fav Savage, Roberts, Duggan, Beefcake, Steamboat vs. Honky Tonk, Danny Daivs, Ron Bass, Harley Race and Hercules- It is where my wrestling jounery began, so yeah, a sentimental choice.
If not for the horrible ending, the Team Flair vs. Team Piper match would be the hands-down winner. That match just had so much heat and so much star power that it could have gone an hour and I don't think anyone would have minded. Too bad they spent so much time trying to sell the Tuesday in Texas PPV. Unfortunately, Survivor Series matches have traditionally featured so many cheap eliminations that it's hard to find a real classic among them. The 2001 WWE vs. Alliance match also has to be up there for the fact that they did such a great job making that match, hell even that show, have such a feel of importance (even though we all knew the outcome) and for the fact that everyone who was eliminated was pinned - no cheap countouts, no contrived disqualifications.
I liked the ''wild card'' match at SSeries 95. HBK//Bulldog/Sid/Ahmed vs. Yoko/Owen/Dean/Razor. I think that was it. I know this is just elimination but i have to mention Bret/Diesel from the same show and Bret/Austin the following year. Great matches. I just saw the montreal Bret/Shawn match back on DVD and the tention is amazing cause you know what's gonna happen. Amazing.
Not to pile on, but, another one from SS91 I liked was Rockers/Bushwakers vs. Beverlys/Nasty's. The action wasn't the greatest, if you can believe that, but the whole physcology with the Rockers made that good.
I was always fond of the first Survivor Series Main Event, mostly because Hulk Hogan got eliminated and Andre went on to win after (if I remember correctly) a big elimination spree by Bam Bam Bigelow. As a kid, I could never stand Hogan. (And so this doesn't degenerate into Hogan bashing and Hogan bashing bashing, I like him a lot more now than I did back then.)
The first (only?) Tag Team Survivor Series was neat too, just to see 10 men standing on each side. Weren't the rules such that if someone got eliminated, their tag team partner had to go as well? Are there even 20 tag teams in the WWE now?
Singles match: Surprised not to see more love for Austin/Bret from 1996. Perfect technical match, and a well-booked ending.
Tag-team match: The Heavenly Bodies vs. The Rock 'n' Roll Express from 1993. A shame that the fans really didn't know what to make of it.
I did like the Alundra vs. Bertha joshi match, but thought the other matches that happened over the next month on RAW were more enjoyable. A little part of me is convinced that Alundra's WCW departure was greatly hastened after Chapparita Asari was busted open hardway by Aja Kong.
But my pick for elimination matches was the opener in 1991 - Mountie/Dibiase/Warlord/Flair vs. Piper/Virgil/Hart/Bulldog. "Reverse charge" blooper notwithstanding.
Submission match, bret vs. bob 99, ic title, jericho vs. chyna 2000, kane vs. jericho 2002, elimination chamber ...doesn't look to impressive, but those matches have a place in my heart, *feels it right here*
It wasn't 10 tag teams involved, it was five on each side. Twenty guys total.
The teams were:
FACES The British Bulldogs, Hart Foundation, The Rockers, Italian Stallions, Powers of Pain
HEELS Demolition, The Conquistadors (1 and 2), The Fabulous Rougeaus, and the Bolsheviks.
This was the match where Mr. Fuji turned on Demolition and began managing the Powers of Pain. The match went 42 minutes or more. And it had an unexpected turn that the crowd just loved.
If there's one thing about Survivor Series, it's the likelihood of a well-done face/heel turn.
It wasn't just the match where Mr. Fuji turned on Demolition ... it was the match where finally -- FINALLY -- Los Conquistadors were allowed to shine. Heretofore a scrub JTTS team, they outlasted quite a few of the others by simply getting their ass kicked and taking it like a champ. Definitely the WWF zenith for Los Conquistadors. I daresay their resurrection in the Edge/Christian vs. the Hardys feud doesn't take place without this match.
I don't remember the exact year or team matchup, but there was a 5-on-5 matchup which featured the 123 Kid taking some hideous bumps-getting tossed around like a rag doll by both Diesel and Adam Bomb. And then, I think the Kid and Jannetty won it for their team!
Originally posted by The GoonI don't remember the exact year or team matchup, but there was a 5-on-5 matchup which featured the 123 Kid taking some hideous bumps-getting tossed around like a rag doll by both Diesel and Adam Bomb. And then, I think the Kid and Jannetty won it for their team!
I think you got 93 and 94 wobberjobbed. 93 had Ramon, Kid, Jennetty, Savage beating Diesel, IRS, Adam Bomb, and Martel. Ramon survived.
94 was Ramon, Davey Boy, 123 Kid, and The New Headshirnkers against Diesel, HBK, Jarrett, Neidhart and I think IRS but it might have been Owen. Ramon soul survied that as well.
Originally posted by The GoonI don't remember the exact year or team matchup, but there was a 5-on-5 matchup which featured the 123 Kid taking some hideous bumps-getting tossed around like a rag doll by both Diesel and Adam Bomb. And then, I think the Kid and Jannetty won it for their team!
I think you got 93 and 94 wobberjobbed. 93 had Ramon, Kid, Jennetty, Savage beating Diesel, IRS, Adam Bomb, and Martel. Ramon survived.
94 was Ramon, Davey Boy, 123 Kid, and The New Headshirnkers against Diesel, HBK, Jarrett, Neidhart and I think IRS but it might have been Owen. Ramon soul survied that as well.
No, he's right. Kid and Jannetty won for their team in 1993...
# Marty Jannetty, Randy Savage, Razor Ramon, & The 1-2-3 Kid beat Irwin R. Schyster, Diesel, Rick Martel, & Adam Bomb (26:58) in an "elimination" match. Jannetty & The 1-2-3 Kid were the survivors.
* Savage pinned Diesel (10:20). * Schyster pinned Savage (16:47). * Ramon pinned Schyster (20:32). * Razor Ramon was counted out (20:42). * Kid pinned Martel (25:49). * Jannetty pinned Bomb (26:58).
Ah...thanks for the confirmation, CRZ. I remember that match because it was so odd that you had guys large in status and in size and these two punks end up winning the match. And man, did the Kid get pummelled.
I think it was also around this time that I remember the strange angle of Marty Jannetty approaching Razor Ramon and symbolically giving him a leather jacket because they both had an issue with Shawn Michaels.
Originally posted by The GoonAh...thanks for the confirmation, CRZ. I remember that match because it was so odd that you had guys large in status and in size and these two punks end up winning the match. And man, did the Kid get pummelled.
I think it was also around this time that I remember the strange angle of Marty Jannetty approaching Razor Ramon and symbolically giving him a leather jacket because they both had an issue with Shawn Michaels.
Make that with a freshly heel turned 1-2-3 Kid, along with tag partner Sid.
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It's actually not a bad argument... and I certainly hadn't thought of that before. Mind you, I don't think anyone in WWE had thought Lita's storyline through that thoroughly, either.