What the World Was Watching: Survivor Series 1992

Vince McMahon and Bobby Heenan are in the booth, live from Richfield, Ohio. According to thehistoryofwwe.com, 18,000 fans attended the event, which drew a buyrate of 1.40 (250,000 buys). That continued a decline in pay-per-view buys for the WWF as the previous year’s show had a buyrate of 2.20 (300,000 buys).

Opening Contest: The Headshrinkers (w/Afa) (6-0) beat High Energy (17-2-1) when Fatu pins Owen Hart after a splash off the top rope at 7:39:

Afa might be a savage but he knows that Thanksgiving gives him a chance to eat turkey, so he nibbles on a leg at ringside during the match. He takes a break to smash a stick across Koko B. Ware’s back when Ware runs the ropes and that puts the Headshrinkers in control. The Headshrinkers have looked good in squashes but in a longer match they struggle to keep things interesting when they must beat on Ware for several minutes. A Samu blind charge allows Owen to get the hot tag. Owen, who looks more mobile than the recent television taping, looks good fighting his opponents two-on-one but he runs into a Samu powerslam and Fatu finishes with the top rope splash. Ware looked foolish for the ending as he did not try to run-in and save Owen. This is the second big loss for High Energy this month as they now sit squarely behind the Natural Disasters and Nasty Boys in the babyface tag team rankings. Rating: **

Sean Mooney explains the rules of a nightstick match before interviewing Nailz. Nailz gives a good promo about sitting in jail for 2,478 days and wishing vengeance on the Big Bossman. He tells the Bossman that he is a good climber who will get the nightstick and break the Bossman’s legs.

Gene Okerlund interviews the Big Bossman, who denies that Nailz is innocent. The Bossman promises that Nailz will suffer hard time and rushes toward the ring.

Nightstick Match: The Big Bossman (22-3-2) pins Nailz (18-0) after the Bossman Slam at 5:44:

It was smart for the Bossman to rush the ring because by the time he gets there Nailz is trying to climb and get the nightstick. Nailz does a few more moves than usual, like a backbreaker, but still relies a lot on chokes. After a few aborted attempts at climbing to retrieve the nightstick, the Bossman gets it after a double clothesline spot. He hits Nailz a few times as the crowd goes wild. Nailz gets the object after hitting the Bossman in the gut but a big swing at the head misses and the Bossman counters with the Bossman Slam. Instead of making everything about the nightstick, a no disqualification match may have played to the strength of the characters more. While the Bossman winning made the crowd happy, it was puzzling booking if Nailz is supposed to be the next big opponent for the Undertaker. Rating: *½

After the match, the Bossman hits Nailz with the nightstick and stands triumphant in the ring.

Okerlund talks to Ric Flair and Razor Ramon. Flair says that Mr. Perfect only walked with greatness because he allowed it to happen. Ramon adds that he will carve up whatever is left of Perfect.

Tatanka (39-0) beats Rick Martel (28-6-3) after the Papoose to Go at 11:05:

Martel brings the eagle feathers to the ring from his sailing cap as this feud settles the battle over them. It is a disappointing contest because most of the attention is on the clown, who appears in the aisle and makes balloon animals. There is a fan facing the hard camera that has a poster that says “Don’t trust the clown!” With those extracurriculars, Martel phones it in by relying on front facelocks for much of his offense. Martel survives a blind charge that sends him shoulder-first into the ring post and he works the back after tossing Tatanka to the arena floor. Tatanka goes on the war path after blocking a Martel double axe handle off the second rope and rolls to a win shortly thereafter. Rating: *½

After winning, Tatanka retrieves the eagle feathers from the corner. Meanwhile, the clown hands his balloon concoctions to kids in the crowd and pops them, showing that he is a heel.

Mooney interviews Randy Savage and Mr. Perfect. Perfect argues that Ric Flair wants to be like him, Razor Ramon stinks, and Bobby Heenan has kept him on the sidelines so he would not challenge Flair. Savage echoes those words even though he says that he does not trust Perfect.

Randy Savage & Mr. Perfect defeat Ric Flair & Razor Ramon via disqualification at 16:26:

Fans were surprised to see this match placed in the middle of the show because most of the pay-per-view’s advertising billed this as the main event. Thankfully for the WWF, Flair’s inner ear injury healed itself in Louisville, Kentucky on October 28 so he could wrestle. Flair and Ramon win the battle of team coordination as they both wear purple tights versus a lack of color matching for Savage and Perfect. Savage is placed in peril when Ramon attacks him from the apron and Perfect starts walking out. It is fun to see kids in the aisle get on Perfect’s case and demand he return to the apron and Perfect reluctantly complies. Perfect breaks up a pin when Ramon hits Savage with a chokeslam and receives the hot tag when Savage throws Flair off the top rope. When all hell breaks loose, Flair lays Savage out with a chair on the arena floor and then referee Earl Hebner gets bumped by Perfect when Perfect runs the ropes. Referee Joey Marella runs to the ring as Perfect backdrops out of a Razor’s Edge effort and gives Ramon a Perfectplex but Flair breaks it up at two. Perfect gives Flair the move and Ramon breaks that up when Hebner resumes his duties. Whether because of Ramon’s pin breakup or because Flair and Ramon remain in the ring and one of them does not leave, the heels get disqualified. Not getting a conclusive finish of some sort was disappointing but this was still a good match before that. Rating: ***

After the bell, Flair puts Perfect in the figure-four leglock until Savage recovers and keeps Ramon from hitting Perfect with a chair. Savage drops Ramon’s neck across the top rope and Perfect gets the chair to escape the figure-four and wallops the heels, forcing them to flee. Savage and Perfect also give each other a thumbs up and shake hands.

Okerlund catches up with Flair and Ramon. Flair warns Perfect that he and Ramon are going to take him out next time. Ramon says that he has been double crossed before and Perfect should ask that person how it turned out if he can find them.

Yokozuna (w/Mr. Fuji) (4-0) pins Virgil (23-7) with a sit-down splash off the second rope at 3:34:

There are some new quirks to Yokozuna’s entrance as geishas present him with flowers in the ring. Fuji has also abandoned his Oddjob-like outfit that longtime WWF fans are familiar with for a yukata. Virgil never knocks the former sumo wrestler off his feet. Again, Yokozuna’s big spots get a reaction and there is a funny bit where Virgil tries to do a schoolboy roll up and Yokozuna sits on him to block. After that things are academic as Yokozuna gets a pay-per-view win in only his fifth match. Rating: *¼

Mooney interviews Randy Savage and Mr. Perfect. Perfect randomly picks turkeys off the floor for Ric Flair, Razor Ramon, and Heenan in what is one of the most random interview props of all time. Heenan has a small turkey because Perfect says it reminds him of how Heenan is a weasel.

Tag Team Elimination Match: The Natural Disasters & the Nasty Boys defeat Money Incorporated & the Beverly Brothers (w/Jimmy Hart & the Genius) when Jerry Sags pins IRS with a roll up to make the Nasties the survivors at 16:04:

Other Eliminations: Earthquake pins Beau Beverly after the Earthquake Splash to eliminate the Beverly Brothers at 9:27; IRS pins Typhoon to eliminate the Natural Disasters at 15:56

Before the match IRS tells fans that if they “want to survive” they need to pay their taxes. The Nasties get a bigger reaction than the Disasters, so that bodes well for their new program with Money Incorporated. Since the rules say that a team is eliminated when one of its members is pinned that keeps a lot of the action in neutral. All four teams get a chance to shine but nothing spectacular occurs and the crowd is burned out. All hell breaks loose after a double KO bit between Blake Beverly and Sags, leading to Beau trying to do an ill-advised crucifix to Typhoon, getting Samoan dropped, and then pinned after an Earthquake Splash. Based on their history, many fans would expect Money Incorporated to run away but they fight back and do a rest hold fest on Earthquake until a Ted DiBiase dive off the second rope eats boot. Typhoon gets a hot tag and hits the Tidal Wave on IRS but DiBiase breaks it up. The Nasty Boys knock DiBiase out of the ring with a double clothesline but as the referee gets the Nasties to their corner, DiBiase trips Typhoon and IRS eliminates the former tag team champions. However, IRS celebrates after this accomplishment and Jerry Sags runs in and rolls the tax man up for a weak, abrupt win. There was not bad wrestling here but the crowd did not react to much of it. Rating: **

Mr. Perfect, Randy Savage, and Tatanka are shown talking to fans on the Survivor Series Hotline.

A video package recaps the Undertaker-Kamala feud.

Coffin Match: The Undertaker (w/Paul Bearer) (29-0) defeats Kamala (w/Harvey Wippleman & Kim Chee) (20-4) after hitting him with the urn at 5:28:

McMahon argues that Wippleman and Kim Chee are guilty of managerial malpractice for booking Kamala in a match of this type. Heenan responds that they did it for money. Bearer wheels a massive casket to ringside that the Undertaker has designed. Kamala is not happy to see it and wants to run when the Undertaker removes the lid, but Kim Chee keeps him from exiting the ring. When Kamala goes on the offensive he hits the Undertaker with everything he can on the floor, whether it is a chair, the ring steps, or Kim Chee’s hat. It takes three slams to keep the Undertaker down and Kamala performs three splashes. Bearer hops on the apron but Kim Chee trips him. The urn flies into the ring and Kim Chee wants Kamala to use the urn. However, Kamala does not want to touch it. The Undertaker has no such qualms and waffles his opponent for the win. That is a finish better suited for a heel but this match had to work around the Undertaker’s injuries that ruled out a good portion of his offense. Rating: ½*

After the pin, the Undertaker rolls Kamala into the coffin and nails it shut. Kamala said later in shoot interviews that he hated being in it as the Undertaker sealed it. This ends the feud between these two and while it did not do much for Kamala, it substantially raised the Undertaker’s stock.

Mooney talk with Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels, who denies that he is responsible for Sensational Sherri’s injuries. He repeats his algebraic equation of how he beat the man who beat Bret Hart so that makes him better than Bret.

Okerlund interviews WWF Champion Bret Hart and puts over his recent run of title defenses. Bret says that Michaels is a great athlete who will be a great Intercontinental champion but he is not excellent enough to win the WWF title tonight.

WWF Championship Match: Bret Hart (Champion) (36-2-1) defeats Shawn Michaels (32-1-1) via submission to the Sharpshooter at 26:39:

Michaels has had a meteoric rise in 1992 since he was in a throwaway elimination bout at last year’s show. The match is different from previous WWF title defenses on pay-per-view during the Hulkamania era as it goes past 20 minutes and is a mat-based match. Bret outwrestles Michaels for the first ten minutes until a blind charge sends him shoulder-first into the ring post. Michaels wears Bret down with a long chinlock and two front facelocks, leading Bret to rally after floating over a Michael blind charge and slingshotting his opponent into the ring post. The moves of doom rack up near-falls, capped by a superplex for two. Referee Earl Hebner gets sandwiched in the corner when Michaels rams to escape a sleeper but that appears to be accidental as Hebner remains standing. After slamming Bret on the floor, the battle spills back into the ring and Michaels blasts Bret with a superkick but opts to go for the Teardrop Suplex instead of covering. Bret goes to the eyes to break but Michaels hits the move as a counter moments later, only to have the champion kick out at two. Bret crotches himself on the ropes during a charge, causing a desperate Michaels to attempt a dropkick off the second rope. However, Bret backs up, Michaels crashes into the canvas, and Bret locks in the Sharpshooter to win a hard-fought title defense. Rating: ****

After the match, Santa Claus comes to the ring and snow falls in the ring like Edward Scissorhands.

The Last Word: Even though there were some late adjustments to the card, this turned out to be a good show. The two main matches delivered, solidifying Mr. Perfect as a top babyface and putting over the in-ring talent of Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. The other booking built up new acts like the Headshrinkers, Yokozuna, and Tatanka. While the tag team match was used to sell the show, the WWF is all-in on Bret as its champion, giving him the last match and allowing him and Michaels to work a longer bout than most WWF fans were accustomed to.

Up Next: WWF Superstars for November 28!

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