Hello and welcome to another edition
of Seanomaniac Wrestling Reviews, I have been logging behind once more and it’s
just the times really. I hope wherever you are you are taking care of yourself
because these times are rough on all of us. Having stayed away from wrestling
because wrestling with limited crowds & thunderdomes ain’t for me but the
Royal Rumble never fails to bring me back so I am back and here we have WWF’s
Survivor Series 1996. WWF had been doing some good things, strengthening their
mid-card while HBK was having the matches of his career during this period.
Shawn Michaels defends against Sycho Sid, his former bodyguard, the big match
that did not happen in 1995 happens in 1996 which shall be an interesting
affair wile Undertaker looks to end his feud with the deranged Mankind who is
managed by the one man who knows Taker better than anyone else: Paul Bearer.
The one to watch on this card though? Answer: Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Bret
Hart, the WWF will tell you that Austin made his KOTR speech and all was right
with the world, didn’t happen that way as Austin grew in popularity quite
slowly with dull matches with the likes of Mero and Helmsley on PPVs before
this. However, we have The Hitman back after months off from his Wrestlemania
defeat to HBK. These two could steal the show, so will WWF strike a home-run?
Let’s find out!
Team Bulldog
(British Bulldog/Owen Hart/Leif Cassidy/Marty Jannetty) W/ Clarence Mason vs
Team Furnas (Doug Furnas/Phil Lafon/Godwinns) W/ Hillbilly Jim
Well this is a strange one, Furnas
& Lafon were The Can-Am Express in AJPW, famously competing in arguably the
greatest tag match of all-time against Kobashi & Kikuchi. They are here as
babyfaces which feels awkward and we also have two of the most dead in the
water tag-teams in the WWF competing in this match. Bulldog & Owen are
non-stop entertainment so hopefully as 1997 comes around, creative can come up
with something for them both. Jannetty as a heel is odd, Lafon to start with
Jannetty. Lock-up, slap from Jannetty with Lafon not reacting. Spin-kick and
chop from Lafon, wrist-lock with wrenching. Jannetty uses the ropes to reverse
with both men showing thir acrobatics before a clothesline by Lafon.
Cassidy is in, Lafon and Cassidy trade
holds before Lafon applies a heel hook to no-reaction, Cassidy counters a kick
with a dragon screw. In comes Phineas, side headlock from Phineas. Push-off and
shoulder block from Phineas, another lock-up. Cassidy drops down and lands a
scoop slam, slaps from Cassidy who spits in the face of Phineas. Scoop slam and
hip-toss from Phineas, straight right-hand from Phineas. Phineas runs the ropes
but Jannetty lands a big knee to the back. Cassidy lands a huge clothesline
before the tag team champions batter Phineas. Big clothesline from Cassidy,
leg-drop too. Tag to Jannetty, flying reverse elbow from Jannetty. Phineas
reverses an Irish whip but Jannetty slams Phineas into the mat.
Jannetty misses a middle rope elbow
drop, Henry is in the match. Jannetty blows a spot, seems to be injured.
Jannetty whips Henry, Phineas saves Henry. Cassidy tries the same and it does
not go well, Slop Drop and the injured Jannetty is out. Owen Hart comes right
in and Spinning Heel Kicks Henry out of this match. Phineas runs wild before
Bulldog Powerslams Phineas out of the match.
Marty Jannetty
has been Eliminated by Henry O. Godwinn!
Henry O. Godwinn
has been Eliminated by Owen Hart!
Phineas Godwinn
has been Eliminated by British Bulldog!
Furnas is in with Bulldog, they blow a
spot which makes Bulldog angry. Cassidy and Bulldog double team Furnas before
Furnas spinebusters Cassidy. Furnas brawls with Bulldog before Owen blind-tags
in, Furnas misses the tag and eats a missile dropkick from Owen. Small package
from Furnas for two, Owen answers with a clothesline. Fisherman suplex from
Owen for two, Furnas is triple-teamed in the corner. Bulldog lands a delayed
suplex, Bulldog is showboating for everyone in the arena, tag to Cassidy.
Chops by Cassidy, headbutt too. Corner
clothesline by Cassidy, gut-buster from Cassidy. Furnas makes the coldest
hot-tag you’d ever see, Lafon makes up for it by spiking Cassidy with a reverse
suplex from the middle rope, Cassidy goes splat.
Leif Cassidy has
been Eliminated by Phil Lafon!
Lafon nails Bulldog with a heel kick,
Bulldog flapjacks Lafon. Tag to Owen, Irish whip and belly to belly suplex from
Owen for two. Neck-breaker from Owen, middle rope elbow drop for two. Enzuigiri
from Owen for a close two, tag to Bulldog. Double clothesline on Lafon, Lafon
and Bulldog trade blows before a ow-blow from Bulldog. Tag to Owen, Lafon
blocks but Owen grabs a front chancery before knocking Furnas to the floor.
Lafon is with Bulldog as Furnas pulls out Owen, victory roll from Lafon to
Bulldog for the elimination. Before Bulldog leaves, Bulldog chop-blocks Lafon’s
leg.
British Bulldog
has been Eliminated by Phil Lafon!
Owen works the leg against the
ring-post, dropping his weight on the leg over and over. Owen clamps in on in
the middle of the ring, Owen proclaims victory but Lafon is not giving up,
Furnas distracts Owen. Irish whip by Owen, corkscrew kick from Lafon to escape
Owen. In comes Furnas, massive dropkick from Furnas for two. Belly to belly
suplex from Furnas for two, whip to the buckle and German suplex for the win!
Good way to put the new guys over for
sure, I noticed a few things during this match. First, we have a really weird
booth because JR is a heel because of fake Razor and fake Diesel which leads to
sly and snide remarks throughout, that wouldn’t be super strange but Lawler is
doing the same thing and Vince laughs along at the expense of his babyfaces,
there is no foil to these heels who are making fun of the people in the ring,
very strange indeed. Also, poor Furnas looks so much smaller since his AJPW
days, I believe Lafon is bigger. That aside, Lafon and Furnas were thrown in a
tough spot but Lafon got some good reactions with that suplex and corkscrew
kick while Furnas does what you want from a big, powerful gaijin and that is
throw suplexes like he is still in Japan. Wouldn’t mind a feud between the two,
they need a hot-start though or an angle. Feared the worst when it began but
was pleasantly surprised as it finished.
Survivors: Phil
Lafon & Doug Furnas!
The Undertaker vs
Mankind W/ Paul Bearer (Paul Bearer In A Cage Match)
New Undertaker, new gothic-looking
Taker who comes down from the ceiling. Gone are the purple gloves, completing
the arc of The Deadman. Mankind and Taker begin brawling on the floor as Paul
Bearer is suspended above the ring in his cage. Taker throws massive rights to
begin, hard Irish whips by Taker. Drop toe-hold into an arm-bar,
cross-arm-breaker from The Deadman. Taker goes after the hand of Mankind
relentlessly, scoop slam but Taker misses the elbow. Cactus Jack clothesline
does not work as Taker lands on his feet, into the crowd we go! Mankind goes
low to stop the onslaught of Taker, apron senton from Mankind wipes out Taker.
Hard Irish whip to the buckle and corner knee from Mankind, punches to the back
of the head from Mankind. Taker battles back, biting the hand of Mankind, Irish
whip but Taker lowers his head. Piledriver from Mankind, massive spot.
Mankind wants the mandible claw, Taker
blocks the claw. Mankind blocks the chokeslam, boot from Taker. Mankind slides
out of the tombstone for a Mandible Claw, Taker uses his strength to throw
Mankind to the floor. Mankind tries to grab Taker, Taker shoves off Mankind who
smashes into the steel steps. Old School from Taker but Mankind answers quickly
with a neck-breaker, Mankind is climbing to the top rope when Taker sits-up in
the middle of the ring. Rights and lefts to Mankind, Mankind fights back but
dives into a Chokeslam but no wait, Mankind counters for a Mandible Claw! Taker
begins to fade, the move that has paralyzed Taker on numerous occasions,
possibly the most-deadly finishing hold in the WWF during this time. Taker
fights back from the brink of defeat, Chokeslam from The Deadman. Taker misses
a flying clothesline, spilling to the floor while Mankind tries his apron
senton again but Taker dodges. Taker punches Mankind into the ropes, striking
the mandible hand. Mankind tries a desperation sleeper but Taker answers with a
back suplex.
Mankind pulls something out of his tights,
hiding it behind his back. Taker is stabbed in the head with the object, the
referee missing this but is this a no-DQ match? Mankind continues to stab
Taker, the referee is oblivious. Taker counters a stab attempt for a Tombstone
Piledriver and this match is over!
Definitely not the fitting climax I
was waiting for with this feud, I feel the masterful turn of Bearer on Taker
may have been the highlight of this feud but I did enjoy Taker vs Mankind in
the boiler room with Taker being weary of Mankind and also The Buried Alive
match had its moments too. Although, Taker does not get his hands on Paul
Bearer, this is not over. However, it doesn’t change my overall opinion of the
match, the finish was surprising and the arm-work for all its worth never
played into the finish with the stipulation not being fulfilled at the end, it
comes off as a filler match.
Winner: The
Undertaker over Mankind via Tombstone Piledriver!
Team Helmsley
(Hunter Hearst Helmsley/Jerry Lawler/Goldust/Crush) vs Team Mero (Marc Mero/The
Stalker/Rocky Maivia/Jake Roberts)
The Stalker as a babyface? Love it
anyways, this match contains an awful lot of meh with Lawler being an excellent
promo who was destroyed by all babyfaces he faced except for one Jake Roberts
who returns for this match. Helmsley was punished for The Kliq Incident which
means things were real bad until Helmsley won the Intercontinental Championship
as Mero and Goldust were not lighting the world on fire in the absence of the
injured Ahmed Johnson.
Mero and Goldust begin, hip-toss from
Mero. Jabs and big right, Irish whip into a back body-drop from Mero. Hip-toss
into an arm-bar, schoolboy from Mero for two before tagging into The Stalker. Goldust
misses a clothesline, Stalker lands a big clothesline, Goldust tags in
Helmsley. Mero tags in but Helmsley tags out, in comes Crush. Mero grabs the
arm-bar and tags in Rocky, Crush chokes Rocky. Tag to Lawler, right hand from
Lawler. Shoulder block, Rock kips-up and lands a massive dropkick and knocks
Lawler to the floor. Lawler backs off from Rocky, Helmsley tags into the match.
Helmsley roughs up Rocky in the corner with chops and rights, stomps too. Tags
in Goldust who drops Rocky on the top rope throat-first, Crush lands a massive
headbutt and a back-breaker.
Tag to Lawler, scoop slam and
fist-drop, make it three. In comes Helmsley, Rocky fires back with big right
hands, whip to the buckle and a back body drop. In comes Roberts who nails Team
Helmsley with rights, short-arm clothesline on Helmsley. Helmsley backs Roberts
into his team’s corner, big beatdown before Lawler comes in a gut shot. Jabs
from Lawler who laughs at Roberts, scoop slam is countered by Roberts who lands
his DDT for the elimination.
Jerry Lawler has
been Eliminated by Jake Roberts!
Goldust comes in beating down Roberts,
Goldust slaps on a sleeper to wear down Roberts. Jaw-breaker counter from
Roberts, tag to Stalker. Hard Irish whip into a float-over suplex for two,
Stalker lands a big gut punch on Goldust, Crush nails a kidney punch on
Stalker. Curtain Call in the middle of the ring and Stalker is eliminated!
Stalker has been
Eliminated by Goldust!
In comes Mero who eats a clothesline
from Goldust, Helmsley batters Mero in the corner. Helmsley slaps Mero and
allows Crush to punish Mero, bearhug from Crush. Goldust lands a flying
clothesline on Mero for two, tag to Crush who lands another measured shot.
Tilt-a-whirl back-breaker for two, headbutt and tag to Helmsley. Abdominal
stretch from Helmsley, Helmsley uses the ropes for leverage before the referee
gives Mero a hand. Mero wants a sunset flip bad, Helmsley tries so hard to
avoid it. Goldust is in, axe handle to the back of the head of Mero. Back
body-drop by Mero, things break down but Mero and Helmsley are legal, Merosault
from The Wildman for the elimination.
Hunter Hearst
Helmsley has been Eliminated by Marc Mero!
Crush tries to gain the upper hand but
Mero dropkicks Crush to the floor. Mero wants the plancha but Goldust pushes
Crush out of the way. Mero goes splat on the floor, Mero gets counted-out but
we don’t really know what is going on as Crush lands a Heart Punch on Roberts
for the quick elimination.
Marc Mero has
been Eliminated by Count-Out!
Jake Roberts has
been Eliminated by Crush!
Crush and Goldust against the rookie,
Rocky tries a quick small package but Crush kicks out, big rights to the
incoming Goldust. Goldust double-teams Rocky, Rocky ducks the clothesline,
massive crossbody to both. Goldust is dumped to the floor, Rocky and Crush
trade right hands, low-blow from Goldust. Goldust has Rocky, Heart Punch nails
Goldust by mistake. Flying Crossbody from Rocky for the elimination, Rocky
picks up Goldust for a massive shoulderbreaker for the win, the rookie pulls it
off!
A memorable moment for Rocky for sure,
the beginning of a legendary career but not much going on at all. The
Intercontinental Championship scene is quite weak during this period with Mero,
Helmsley and Goldust making up that championship scene. Roberts, Barry Windham
and a repackaged Crush who gets wiped out by a crossbody. Not as awkward as the
opening match but not much better.
Sole Survivor:
Rocky Maivia!
Stone Cold Steve
Austin vs Bret Hart
Bret Hart’s return to the ring in MSG
of all places, the home of the WWF. Bret takes on none other than Stone Cold
Steve Austin who has insulted The Hitman at every turn, Austin has boasted his
way into the match with Bret looking to stop the man who claims to be superior
if every way possible. This feels big, the promo package before the match gets
you amped up, quality from start to finish.
Austin and Bret waste no time in
getting in one another’s faces, Austin flips off Bret to his face. Austin
stares down fans at ringside before Bret corners Austin, Austin seems
tentative. Bret backs Austin to the corner, Austin reverses and Bret is backed
into the corner. Clean break from Austin, surprising as The Rattlesnake
continues to talk trash. Bret dodges an elbow from Austin before we have
another break, Austin takes the back with Bret switching. Austin grabs the
wrist, trying to break the hold. Austin wrenches the arm over and over, Bret
reverses the hold and wrenches the arm. Austin is in trouble, Austin reverses
the hammerlock before Bret counters again. Austin will not win this by
out-wrestling Bret but ego is a powerful thing and Austin is at the mercy of
his ego.
Austin grabs the hair and pushes off
Bret, drop toe-hold from Austin but Bret wriggles free for a hammerlock. Austin
shoves off Bret again and lands a massive elbow to the face, elbows to the back
of the head. Short-arm clothesline from Austin, right hand from Austin. Bret
counters a camel clutch with a knee to the arm, leg drop to the arm. Key-lock
from The Hitman, Austin pulls the hair but Bret lands a shoulder block with
Austin answering with a Stun-Gun. Elbow across the throat from Austin, Austin
steps on the throat of Bret who is draped across the bottom rope. Austin chokes
Bret with the bottom rope, big stomps from The Rattlesnake.
Rope guillotine as Austin continues
targeting the throat area of The Hitman. Elbow across the throat again, Bret
spills to the floor. Austin prematurely celebrates, another hot-shot style
manoeuvre. Snap-mare and a reverse chin-lock from Austin, Bret escapes and both
men trade blows but this is Austin’s style of fight. Austin kicks down Bret,
big foot choke from Austin. Bret sends Austin to the buckle, clothesline from
Bret. Inverted atomic drop and massive clothesline, gut punch into the O’Connor
roll. Russian leg-sweep for two, running bulldog is countered by Austin who
sends Bret sternum-first into the buckle. Austin plants Bret on the top
turnbuckle, Bret counters the superplex sending Austin to the mat. Bret’s Rope
Elbow Drop for two, Austin regains control by sending Bret to the floor.
Apron axe handle from Austin, Austin
batters Bret and sends Bret into the ring-post. Bret spears Austin over the
guardrail, Bret stomps the hell out of Austin who is rammed into the barricade
which collapses under Austin’s weight. Austin cannot outrun Bret who maintains
control, Austin trips up Bret and catapults Bret into the Spanish announce
table, Austin pummels Bret with massive right hands. Bret is slammed onto a
table, Austin lands an apron elbow onto the throat. Austin suplexes Bret back
into the ring, Austin stomps on the gut of Bret. Middle rope elbow drop from
Austin, cover for two. Austin celebrates again, Austin chokes Bret with the
middle rope before driving his knee across the throat of Bret.
Two for Austin, Austin applies an
abdominal stretch and uses the ropes for leverage before the referee catches
Austin in the act. Bret begins to battle back, Bret has a little more fire in
him now. Austin is down, Austin eats a Stun-Gun. Oklahoma roll from Bret for
two, Bret piledrivers Austin in the middle of the ring for two. Back-breaker
and Bret climbs high, Austin low blows Bret. Austin chops and peppers Bret with
right hands, superplex from Austin! Bret ties up Austin in a small package for
two, Bret tries grabbing Austin who nails The Stunner! Bret inches towards the
ropes which allows Bret the recovery time to survive The Stunner. Repeated pin
attempts from Austin but Bret survives, Austin wants the Texas Cloverleaf! Bret
makes it to the ropes, Austin squeezes for as long as possible.
Austin stomps Bret in the neck and head,
Austin lands huge gut punches and whips Bret across the ring. Bret goes sliding
kidney-first into the ring-post, Austin drags Bret to the middle of the ring
for a close two. Bow & Arrow from Austin, Bret escapes the hold and is
looking for the sharpshooter. Austin reaches the ropes, Bret pummels Austin for
this. Both men fatigued, Irish whip and Bret applies a sleeper. Austin backs
Bret to the buckle, jaw-breaker counter from Austin. Austin applies The Million
Dollar Dream, Bret kicks off the turnbuckle and rolls over Austin and Bret
squeaks out the victory.
Excellent match, loved the psychology
on display here with Austin working the neck throughout this match, it’s
established early and builds up to that Stunner where Austin believes that it
is all over. The two clashing styles work well together here with Austin
out-brawling Bret and Bret out-wrestling Austin, Bret displays some tremendous
fire in those comebacks too. Little things like Austin using the ropes and
holding onto submissions until 4 every time, Bret answering Austin with a
Stun-Gun, Austin dropping an elbow from the middle rope. Hard-hitting and
builds throughout with a finish that calls back to WM 8. The finish leaves
things open to more battles between these two, Austin looks like a star hanging
in there with Bret and Bret comes back to the WWF with another great match
under his belt.
Winner: Bret Hart
over Stone Cold Steve Austin via Roll-Up!
Team Nation of
Domination (Faarooq/Fake Razor Ramon/Fake Diesel/Vader) W/ Clarence Mason vs
Team Flash Funk (Savio Vega/Flash Funk/Yokozuna/Jimmy Snuka)
I never even saw Faarooq in his
ridiculous gladiator gear but here we are with a filler match before the main
event. Snuka is here, wow! Yokozuna is here too, wow! Vader and Funk start out,
Vader shoves down Funk but Funk kips-up so Vader pummels Funk. Short-arm
clothesline from Vader, Funk ducks two clotheslines and lands a big spinning
heel kick. Crossbody spills both men to the floor, Funk moonsaults to the floor
onto Vader. Vader is whipped back into the ring, Vader Hammer knocks down Funk.
Vader lands a powerbomb, flattening Funk. Yokozuna comes in illegally and a
uranage from the big man. Faarooq comes in and starts stomping Savio, Savio kicks
away Faarooq and nails his Spinning Heel Kick.
Faarooq eye-pokes Savio and tags in
Razor, Savio pummels Razor. Razor catches Savio and lands his fallaway slam,
tag to Diesel. In comes Funk who pummels Diesel before Diesel lands big knees,
Funk dodges the boot. However, Diesel’s clothesline floors Funk. Military press
is countered briefly but Diesel lands a two-handed throat toss. Diesel tags
Faarooq, spinning kick and dropkick from Funk. Faarooq lands a massive
Spinebuster on Funk, tag to Vader who lands another Vader Hammer. Savio tags in
and gets pummelled in the heel corner before escaping, Diesel is in there now.
Snuka comes in to a big pop, headbutt and chops. Snuka eats a knee and oh shit,
here is Vader.
Irish whip Snuka ducks and lands his
flying headbutt. Dropkick too and Snuka slams Vader, would you believe it?
Vader grabs hold of Snuka bringing him to his corner, Snuka escapes from Razor.
Savio comes in and Diesel too, Savio lands a Spinning Heel Kick but Vader pulls
down the ropes, Savio spills to the floor where Faarooq rams Savio into the
ring-post over and over. Diesel lands his Jacknife Powerbomb for the first
elimination.
Savio Vega has
been Eliminated!
Snuka is in with Razor, headbutts and
elbow. Down goes Razor who eats a Superfly Splash for the elimination. Everyone
starts brawling with people grabbing chairs, the referees have disqualified
people but who? I have no idea, can’t this match end? Oh wait, that’s it, it is
over!
Well that was garbage filler, I guess
we got to see what we wanted with Snuka hitting his splash but Jesus, that
match did nobody any favours. I thought it was oddly paced with nobody getting
eliminated for what seemed like forever and now, it makes all the sense in the
world as they were just killing time. Terrible match, terrible filler.
Double DQ!
(WWF Championship
Match) Sycho Sid vs Shawn Michaels ©
Two friends come to blows, Sid
returned to the WWF after injuring his neck in 1995 as a monster babyface who destroyed
all in his path, Sid would beat Vader to earn this championship opportunity.
They remain friends but HBK has superkicked Sid by mistake which lead to more
tension between the two, the WWF are painting both as babyfaces though, letting
the crowd cheer both but you just know Sid will be the heel in this one and HBK
will be bumping all around that ring. They stare one another down, they lock-up
with Sid knocking down Michaels over and over, clubbing blows and right hands.
Michaels is in the corner, rib shots from Sid. Irish whip with Michaels sliding
through the legs, rights and lefts with a crossbody for two. Side headlock
takedown by Michaels, Sid reverses and Michaels slaps Sid.
Not wise from HBK as Sid takes down
Michaels, Michaels counters before Sid kips up and slaps HBK. They trade blows,
Sid wins that war and presses Michaels before Michaels escapes. Irish whip,
Michaels lowers his head which almost leads to a powerbomb. Michaels powders,
HBK talks strategy with Jose. Sid sends Michaels to the buckle, knee by HBK.
Chop-block by Michaels, Michaels attacks the leg. Michaels drives his knees
into Sid’s leg, stomp after stomp with the crowd erupting in Sid chants.
Michaels being the pro that he is, takes his time and lets the crowd paint him
as the villain. Figure-four from Michaels, Sid reverses the pressure. Sid
manages to kick off Michaels, boot in the corner from Sid. Again and again,
Michaels is kicked down.
Sid backs up, Michaels dodges the
boot. Low dropkick to the knee from Michaels, HBK drives the knee of Sid into
the mat and Michaels takes in all the boos from the crowd. Sid shoves off
Michaels who skins the cat before Sid clotheslines Michaels to the floor. In
the aisleway, Sid drops Michaels onto the guardrail. Sid throws Michaels back
into the ring, Sid crawls into the cover getting a two due to wasted time.
Irish whip and back body drop from Sid, another boot and clubbing blows from
Sid. Michaels eats a boot to the head, Michaels fights back trying a diving
crossbody but Sid catches Michaels and lands a back-breaker for two.
Michaels is whipped to the buckle
hard, a second Irish whip. Michaels is saying bring it to Sid, Sid obliges.
Massive rights with Michaels barely able to stand, Sid is holding up Michaels.
HBK begins fighting back, Michaels slams Sid. Middle rope axe handle misses for
Michaels as Sid blocks with a boot, cobra clutch from Sid. Michaels escapes but
runs into a chokeslam but wait Michaels pokes the eyes but Sid blocks sweet
chin music. One-handed Chokeslam, the arena loses its mind. Powerbomb is
countered for a small package, close two for HBK. Powerslam from Sid, Michaels
answers with a flying forearm. Sid clotheslines Michaels down, two and a half
for Sid. Sid grabs a camera and waffles Jose with it in the throat but Michaels
lands Sweet Chin Music.
Sid walked right into Sweet Chin
Music, Michaels sees that Jose is down. Michaels checks on Jose, Michaels screams
for help from the backstage crew. Michaels does not see Sid, Michaels is
whipped to the buckle and lands a middle rope crossbody on the referee. Sid has
the camera and Michaels is cracked in the neck with the camera. Sid Powerbombs
Michael into the mat, we have a new champion!
Great match, arguably the best of Sid’s
career but definitely, his best in the WWF thus far. I really enjoyed how it
played out with Sid destroying Michaels as the match went on, Michaels went to
the knees and tried to take out the big man but Sid continued to dominate.
However, Sid couldn’t put away Michaels and resorted to a camera which looks devastating
and also sets up Sid as a top heel going forward. Crowd was electric for this
one, more hyped than they were for Bret Hart vs Austin, Michaels was masterful
in his performance taking time during key moments to let the crowd shower him
with hate, it was expertly played by the champion who knew this was all about
Sid. Great stuff and things are looking interesting as we head into 1997!
Winner: Sycho Sid
over Shawn Michaels via Powerbomb!
That was WWF’s Survivor Series 1996, a
good PPV from the WWF based on two great matches in Bret Hart vs Stone Cold
Steve Austin and Sycho Sid vs Shawn Michaels. The elimination matches had
little substance to them, one ending in a double DQ which shows how little they
mattered even though they were big some names featured in those matches like
Vader, Faarooq and Flash Funk. I think the mid-card is really starting to round
out in the WWF but it’s still quite a weak scene, Mankind and Austin have
helped me through 1996 with both bringing qualities to their feuds and matches,
Bret Hart was certainly missed while Undertaker looks reinvigorated after feuding
with Mankind. The Intercontinental Championship scene looks dire with Ahmed
injured and the likes of Mero, Goldust and Helmsley not being shining beacons
of hopes with how they had been booked throughout the year. Shawn Michaels has
been stellar throughout the year, taking that number one spot and not letting
anyone touch it. Better than 1995? Absolutely but work still needs to be done,
what will 1997 bring? We will find out after a final PPV of 1996. Thanks for
reading and remember: there’s always another night!
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