WWF Survivor Series 1988 Review feat. Team Mega-Powers vs. Team Twin Towers

WWF Survivor Series 1988

WWF Survivor Series 1988 was the second annual event of this, erm, series, and it continued the formula that had worked so well the year beforehand. Held on Thanksgiving Night, this card featured multiple five-on-five elimination tag team matches, as well as a huge ten-on-ten bout comprising the top tandems of the Golden Age. What’s more, the subtle aftermath to the main event would be a step towards setting up the headline clash for WrestleMania V.

A note: as with 1987, I am not going to go through each bout in great detail because three of them are rather long and the content of almost every bout stood out primarily for key moments and eliminations, hence my recaps of these lengthy contests appearing to be rather brief. Besides, if you really want to see how many times Outlaw Ron Bass clobbered Brutus Beefcake, you can check out the WWE Network link at the end of this article.

WHAT HAPPENED AT THE PREVIOUS TV SHOWS? READ OUR PRE-PPV REVIEWS OF SUPERSTARS & WRESTLING CHALLENGE!

Survivor Series Elimination Match
The Ultimate Warrior, Brutus Beefcake, The Blue Blazer, Jim Brunzell & Sam Houston vs. The Honky Tonk Man, Outlaw Ron Bass, Greg Valentine, Bad News Brown & Dangerous Danny Davis

This was during the era where the WWF talent pool was enormous, which meant that house show opening match talent would make it onto PPVs, with Sam Houston and one half of The Killer Bees, as well as former referee Danny Davis, being an example here. Still, Warrior and Beefcake flew the flag on the babyface side, while Honky and Valentine gave credibility to the heel ranks. Brown was also a dangerous force, and Bass was in the midst of a feud with Brutus, having cut his head open back in the summer.

WHAT HAPPENED AT THE PREVIOUS EDITION? READ OUR WWF SURVIVOR SERIES 1987 REVIEW!

By the standards of the time, this was a decent opener; at least, it was if you’ve watched the full version, as the original VHS version of this event only provides a heavily-truncated presentation of this bout (the same would apply for the third match on the card as well). Beefcake submitted Davis early, before Brown pinned Brunzell; Bad News then walked out on his team following a misunderstanding, an action he would repeat one year later. Bass pinned Houston, Valentine submitted Blazer and then Beefcake and Honky fought to a double countout. This left rising star and reigning Intercontinental Champion The Ultimate Warrior alone with Bass and Valentine, but he was not about to fall victim to the odds. Indeed, Warrior managed to overcome both men, pinning Ron and then Greg within 20 seconds of one another, to be the sole Survivor. It’s strange to think that Warrior opened Survivors 1988, closed Survivors 1989, and then opened and closed Survivors 1990.

WHAT HAPPENED AT THE PREVIOUS PPV? READ OUR WWF SUMMERSLAM 1988 REVIEW!

Survivor Series Tag Team Elimination Match
The Powers Of Pain, The British Bulldogs, The Hart Foundation, The Rockers & The Young Stallions vs. Demolition, The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers, The Brain Busters, The Bolsheviks & The Conquistadors

Next up, we had one of my all-time favourite Survivor Series battles. Having five guys battle another five guys was cool enough in the late 1980s, but having five tag teams square off in one colossal tussle (bonus point if you get that reference) was truly something to behold. And we didn’t just have any tag teams: reigning WWF Tag Team Champions Demolition, The Hart Foundation, The Rockers and The Brain Busters are amongst the greatest combos in history, and the supporting cast was not too shabby either. The fact that each team had a specifically-identifiable attire, move set and personality only added to the unique feel of this contest, as every squad was different. Given that other teams were in the company at the time, it’s not exaggerating to say that, with the exception of the Hardy Boyz-Dudley Boyz-Edge & Christian feud in the early 2000s, this was the peak of the WWF/WWE tag team division, and I would argue that this match specifically marks that peak.

For over 40 minutes, twenty man battled until all five duos on one side were eliminated, but there was some fun to be had along the way. Bret Hart pinned Raymond Rougeau early on (I should mention that if one half of a team was defeated, the other half also had to head back to the locker room, otherwise this match would have lasted around three hours). Boris Zukhov bested Jim Powers, before Marty Jannetty got rid of Boris himself. As we neared the half-hour mark, Bret was dumped out by Tully Blanchard, and this quickly led to a mass brawl that saw The Rockers and The Brain Busters all disqualified. Smash then toppled The Dynamite Kid, which marked the end of his WWF tenure as The Bulldogs would leave the company (Davey Boy Smith returned as a solo act in 1990, though the banged-up Dynamite never did).

WHAT HAPPENED AT THE FIRST EDITION? READ OUR WWF SURVIVOR SERIES 1987 REVIEW!

Then, we come to the really big moment: as Smash ran to the ropes, his manager Mr. Fuji inexplicably held the ropes open, causing Smash to crash (hah!) to the floor. Somehow, this simple bump caused him to be counted out, while Ax chastised Fuji for making such a clear mistake. Fuji professed his innocence, but then tried to strike Ax with his signature cane. The relatively miniscule Fuji should have known better than to mess with the face-painted bad-asses, as this only angered the champions, leading to Ax slamming Fuji on the floor. This marked a babyface turn for Demolition as they headed to the dressing room, but more hijinks were to come. In another surprise, The Barbarian and The Warlord of The Powers Of Pain helped Fuji to his feet and essentially turned heel, meaning we got a double-turn, or perhaps a quadruple-turn (though Fat Tony’s mobster pal insists that eight people turned here). The POP quickly polished off The Conquistadores, who somehow made it to the end (this would be like Kaientai reaching the final stage of an Attitude Era clash of ten tag teams).

The match itself was highly enjoyable, and one of the top five best Survivors elimination bouts of all-time. But then you throw in the angles, the intriguing back-story (The Rougeaus apparently left the arena immediately after being eliminated to avoid a backstage fight with The Bulldogs based on prior incidents) and the big turns at the end of the match, and you’re left with a tremendous example of why this period of WWF/WWE history is known as The Golden Age, between all of the madcap goings-on and the wide variety of colourful characters involved. Demolition would feud with The Powers Of Pain heading into 1989, culminating in a handicap match at WrestleMania V which also fittingly involved Fuji as a participant.

Survivor Series Elimination Match
Jake Roberts, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Tito Santana, Ken Patera & Scott Casey vs. Andre The Giant, Rick Rude, Mr. Perfect, Harley Race & Dino Bravo

In our third outing, Jake Roberts (who was arguably at the peak of his popularity here) led a babyface army into battle against one captained by Andre The Giant, who Roberts was in the process of starting a feud with based on The Giant’s phobia of snakes. This was a bit of a downgrade for Andre following his main event adventures but, to be fair, he had been in a rivalry with Hulk Hogan for so long that, despite the success of their storyline, it was time for a change. What’s more, Jake also had unfinished business with Rick Rude (they clashed for most of 1988), and Duggan had also gotten into it with Andre. I should note that Scott Casey stands out like a sore thumb, but not only was he a replacement, he was actually a third-choice combatant: The Junkyard Dog left the WWF, so he was replaced by B. Brian Blair (the other Killer Bee), but then he buzzed off as well, leaving Casey (who never appeared on any other PPVs) to step up and compete here. Bizarre. (By the way, this was the other match to be heavily shortened on VHS, so the highlight I am about to mention are the only parts we got to see on the original video.)

Ken Patera was the first to hit the showers courtesy of a Rude Awakening, before Bravo dumped out Casey, giving the heels a 5-on-3 advantage. Tito Santana got rid of the King himself, Harley Race, which must have been jarring to the eight-time NWA World Champion that he was the first guy on his team to be dispatched of. Andre eliminated Santana, before Duggan got himself disqualified for using his 2×4 (this would be the cause of virtually every elimination Duggan ever took at a Survivor Series event). Jake was now facing tremendous odds, but he gave it his best shot; firstly, he finally resolved his feud with Rude by decisively eliminating him, and then he led Andre into a situation where The Giant repeatedly choked him, resulting in him also being DQ’d. Mind you, Jake was now spent, which allowed Perfect to get the cheap pin ensuring survival for himself and Bravo (why the hell did Dino get to survive too?). Post-match, Jake retrieved Damien and chased the heels away; Roberts and Andre would eventually settle their feud in a somewhat disputed fashion at WrestleMania.

WHAT HAPPENED AT THE LATEST EDITION? READ OUR WWE SURVIVOR SERIES 2019 REVIEW!

Survivor Series Elimination Match
Macho Man Randy Savage, Hulk Hogan, Koko B. Ware, Hercules & Hillbilly Jim vs. Ted DiBiase, Big Boss Man, Akeem, Haku & The Red Rooster

The main event saw The Mega-Powers lead a babyface troupe against a side boasting The Twin Towers, The Million Dollar Man, the ever-dangerous Haku … and The Red Rooster. Say what you will about the logic of a guy playing a human rooster, but at least if he was a babyface, one could comprehend the marketing potential. With him as a heel, though, who in the world would be threatened by a guy impersonating a chicken? I’ve heard that the idea was for “Rooster” to essentially be a euphemism for “cock of the walk”, meaning someone who is arrogant, but couldn’t that have been achieved without him being called a Rooster? (Mind you, The Red Cock is hardly a better name, so maybe Rooster was acceptable.)

Anyway, this brought a thrilling climax to a very entertaining night of action. To the surprise of nobody, Rooster was gone before anyone else after tasting the Big Elbow from the then-WWF World Champion himself, The Macho Man. Hillbilly Jim was pinned by Akeem in what was his final PPV appearance of his original tenure as a wrestler (the Gimmick Battle Royal at WrestleMania X-Seven would be his next in-ring outing on Pay-Per-View, though he did become a manager during the interim period). Boss Man eliminated Koko, meaning that he had now pinned The Birdman on two straight supershows, having also taken care of Koko back at SummerSlam. DiBiase secured the next elimination by disposing of Hercules, with whom he had just entered a feud based on an attempt to buy the man from Bobby Heenan (which is just hilarious), before Savage shocked him with a roll-up. The Million Dollar Man was gone, and though DiBiase obviously remained a vital part of the WWF, his time as the number one villain (or number two depending where you would put Andre at the time) was over.

WHAT HAPPENED AT THE FOLLOWING PPV? READ OUR WWF ROYAL RUMBLE 1989 REVIEW!

Indeed, this was the chance for Big Boss Man and Akeem to make their mark, and they did so by handcuffing Hogan to the ropes after Slick distracted Miss Elizabeth. They pummelled a trapped Hulkster while Savage took a beating in the ring, to the extent that Boss Man was counted out and Akeem was disqualified because they were attacking Hulk for so long. The match was not yet over, though, because Haku still remained, and he was doing a number on Savage. That was, until he accidentally struck Slick, which allowed Elizabeth to take control of the key (funny how, in wrestling, there is only ever one key to the handcuffs, as if it is some sort of magic key), and she freed Hogan from his plight. Hulk then tagged in and took the glory, pinning Haku with the Legdrop (Savage was the WWF Champion remember, proving that this was still the Hulk Hogan show, though it’s hard to blame the WWF given that Hulk was still mega-over).

WHAT HAPPENED AT THE FOLLOWING EDITION? READ OUR WWF SURVIVOR SERIES 1989 REVIEW!

Post-match, things got interesting. The Mega-Powers were celebrating, and in the excitement of it all, Hogan slightly lifted up Elizabeth in a friendly manner. However, Savage- being a paranoid person 24/7 – didn’t take kindly to it, and he started angrily pointing and mouthing his frustration at the Hulkster, who seemed oblivious. Gorilla Monsoon didn’t make a big issue of it, and it was subtle enough to go unnoticed, but Jesse Ventura certainly caught sight of the incident as he discussed it in the subsequent weeks, and some fans in attendance would also have recognised that there was, even if briefly, a sign of tension on Savage’s side. A similar occurrence had gone down at SummerSlam, and these little moments were absolute genius. They were easy to miss, but they were seeds being planted for the eventual explosion of the Mega-Powers team ahead of WrestleMania, at which point this footage would be shown again. This goes without saying, but the WWF/WWE were far better at crafting storylines in the late 1980s than they are nowadays.

WHAT HAPPENED AT THE FOLLOWING TV SHOWS? READ OUR POST-PPV REVIEWS OF SUPERSTARS & WRESTLING CHALLENGE!

WWF Survivor Series 1988 is an awesome old-school show. All four matches are worth watching, and the super-tag bout is particularly fantastic. The main event is well worth checking out, and throughout the show, we had feuds ending, feuds being initiated, and the early stages of builds towards several WrestleMania matches. All in all, this show gets two thumbs up from me, and it is a clear recommendation for those who want to experience the WWF in its original 1980s pomp.

WANT TO RELIVE WWF SURVIVOR SERIES 1988? WATCH IT RIGHT NOW ON WWE NETWORK!