Rebooking Survivor Series 1987

[MMK]

Hey, old school wrestling fans! I've often seen people rebooking Wrestlemania's on a year by year basis so I thought I'd do the same with the Survivor Series. This was my favorite event as a child because I always enjoyed finding out who would be teaming with who. Unfortunately the events seemed to be an afterthought in terms of booking as most of the teams made little sense. That being said, in the lead up to this years Survivor Series I'm going to be looking back on past SUrvivor Series and making improvements because there's a lot of room for improvement (I'm looking at you Gobbeldy Gooker).
I'll probably only going do the first 10 years or so as that is when they used the team format. After that they dropped the team theme with the exception of one traditional Survivor Series match.

SURVIVOR SERIES 1987

TEAM MADNESS: The Macho Man Randy Savage/ Strike Force: Martel & Santana/ Ricky The Dragon Steamboat w/Miss Elizabeth
VS
JIMMY HART'S FOUNDATION: The Honky Tonk Man/ The Hart Foundation: Hart & Neidhart/ Dangerous Danny Davis w/Jimmy Hart

(All of these wrestlers fit perfectly together. Jimmy Hart manages everyone on team Honky. Honky was feuding with Savage and Steamboat throughout 87 over the IC title while the Harts and Strike Force battled for the tag titles often with Dangerous Danny Davis assisting the Harts in their matches. Why these 8 guys weren't working together at this event is beyond me. We also get to see dream matches like Bret vs Savage and Bret vs Steamboat.)
FINISH: Sole Survivor: Macho Man Randy Savage

THE ANIMAL KINGDOM: Jake The Snake Roberts/ The British Bulldogs: Davey & Dynamite/ George The Animal Steele
VS
THE DEVIOUS ONE'S: Kamala The Ugandan Giant/ Demoltion Ax & Demolition Smash/ Killer Khan w/Mr.Fuji

(FINISH: SURVIVORS: Demolition. They were on the verge of a monster push in 1988, so it seemed odd that they would lose at Survivor Series 87 as they did. This way they can keep their undefeated streak in tact on their path to becoming tag team champions. All of Fuji's wrestlers are paired together, all wearing facepaint to boot, while the babyfaces all have an animal masco accompanying them to the ring: Jake has Damien, The Bulldogs have Matilda, and George had "Mine" a stuffed animal monkey (I'm not kidding.))

TEAM USA: Bam Bam Bigelow/ Koko B.Ware/ Hacksaw Jim Duggan/ Ken Patera
VS
THE SLICKSTERS: One Man Gang/ Butch Reed/ Nikolai Volkoff/ Boris Zhukov w/Slick

(FINISH: Sole Survivor: Hacksaw Jim Duggan. Duggan was way over in 87 and he's definitely the most over out of this group. This isn't going to be a technical showcase but the pairing's make sense with all the villians being managed by Slick and all of their natural rivals on the oppoising side)

THE KILLER BEEFCAKES: Brutus The Barber Beefcake/ The Killer Bees/ Don Muraco
VS
THE DREAM TEAM : Greg The Hammer Valentine/ The Rougeau Brothers/ Dino Bravo w/Johnny V & Frenchy Martin

(Sole Survivor: Brutus Beefcake. Not sure why the Rougeau's were babyfaces when they debuted in the WWF as they were such natural heels. Also seems like having Frenchy Martin as their manager would have made more sense then American Jimmy Hart, plus The Rougeaus and Bravo complete a french connection trio along with Bravo's tag partner Valentine. On the face side I think Beefcake and The Bees has a nice ring to it.)

THE WARRIORS: The Ultimate Warrior/ The Young Stallions/ Mr.Wonderful Paul Orndorff
VS
BRAIN'S AND BRAWN: The Mighty Hercules/ The Islanders/ Ravishing Rick Rude w/Bobby Heenan

(Finish: Sole Survivor: Ravishing Rick Rude. Tempted to go with Warrior but I would have him and Herc brawl on the floor to a double countout to get their feud started. Have it come down to Rude and Orndorff with the old Heenan family member, Onrdorff, putting over the newest family member Rick Rude.)

THE INCREDIBLE HULKAMANIACS: Hulk Hogan/ Hillbilly Jim/ Junkyard Dog/ ? Mystery Partner ?
VS
THE HEENAN FAMILY: Andre The Giant/ King Kong Bundy/ King Harley Race/ Bobby Heenan

(This match is comprised of feuds from Wrestlemania 3 (Hogan/Andre, Hillbilly/Bundy, JYD/Race. The match is initially booked to be 3 vs 3 but Heenan adds himself to the team thinking he wont have to do any actual wrestling but can still give his team a 4-3 edge. Now he can get involved in the match without it being considered cheating. Brilliant move brain. But not so fast. Hogan announces late in the buildup to the event that he found a mystery partner to even the odds. At Survivor Series it's revealed to be Hogan's former arch nemesis Roddy Piper. Piper left the WWF for Hollywood after Mania 3 but I think a one night only return could be worked out. If not, the roster has plenty of depth and someone else could fill the role. But the look of disgust on Heenan's face as Piper walks through the curtain would be priceless. Piper eliminates Heenan via a sleeper very early on in the match to a thunderous pop.
FINISH: SOLE SURVIVOR: Andre The Giant. This was Andre's comeback match after several months off. The title isn't on the line, so no need for Hogan to win here. This was the actual finish at SS 87, so it's one of the few things I wouldn't change.)

I also gave each villian manager their own teams. I hated how at the actual Sruvivor Series events members of the Heenan Family or the Jimmy Hart stable would be paired up with guys they had no connection to. It just seemed lazy to me. This is the one event where "Teamwork" is the whole theme so why not keep the actual stables together? Heenan managed so many wrestlers he actually warrants two teams at this event.

So there you have it, a much better Survivor Series in my opinion. The teams make more sense with all the managers having their guys teamed together, and we've eliminated the clusterf*** that was the 20 man-10 team elimination match featuring all the tag teams which simply featured too many guys in one match with little storyline involvement. There was also an all women's match at this event which is the only match I would not change. It featured the very underated Jumping Bomb Angels as the survivors of their match.

Next up...Survivor Series 1988: The Mega Powers ooooooh yeeeeah!!

 

[dd23beatlesfan1]

Love the idea of re-booking classic Survivor Series events as that hasn't really been touched upon so much, unlike Wrestlemania and Summerslam which have been done to death.

The only problem for this particular instance is that I loved the 1987 Survivor Series event, and you took away some of my favorite parts about it.

One difference you made is that you went with the 4 member team format, rather than the 5 member like the original two had. I liked the 4 person team format better overall, but at the same time, I feel like the 5 person team was better for the first event. I can't really explain why. Maybe it's just what I remember from the first SS event, so it seems difficult to do that drastic of a change. It is a big change, because it results in far more matches than the original card had, which I'm presuming was one of the ideas you were going with. Looking at the original 1987 Survivor Series card there is only 4 matches on the show which is way too little. On the other hand, you have 6 matches on your event which feels like a little too much. 5 matches would be the right balance.

The one change you did that I loved is the first match with Savage and Steamboat teaming up against the Honky Tonk Man and the Hart Foundation. The original match had Steamboat and Savage still teaming up against Honky and Davis, but lacking the Hart Foundation, although the original babyface team had Jake Roberts with Savage and Steamboat, which was freakin' epic. But I love the idea of teaming Honky with the Hart Foundation and Danny Davis, which made far more sense, and like you said would've made for some great dream matches. But it could've been even better if you keep the 5 person team format. How about swapping Strike Force out with the Bulldogs instead, considering the Harts and the Bulldogs feuded for a lot of 1987. Keep Jake Roberts to round out the team (who also feuded with Honky Tonk Man earlier in the year and had some I-C title matches with him on the house show circuit during this time), and put another heel on the team with Honky, the Harts and Davis (I say keep Ron Bass from the original match), and then you've got the team of Savage/Steamboat/Roberts/Bulldogs against Honky/Harts/Davis/Bass. Then in addition to dream matches of Bret against Savage and Steamboat, we could've also got the even rarer matchup of Bret and Jake Roberts. I like that match idea much better.


Then with Mr. Fuji's clan, put Strike Force in there as they would go on to feud with Demolition for the tag titles and eventually lose them to Demolition at WM IV. So team Strike Force with George Steele to go up against Demolition, Kamala and Killer Khan, and heck, throw Fuji in the mix. Round out the good guy team with maybe Don Muraco and Koko B. Ware, and there you go.

I like the idea of a Brutus Beefcake team against a Greg Valentine team, and put Dino Bravo along with the Rougeaus (yeah turn them heel, agreed) with him and add another villain like the One Man Gang, and put some of your top mid-card babyfaces with a team like the Killer Bees or the Young Stallions, and maybe Hacksaw Jim Duggan and probably Ken Patera to round out that team.


Keep the Women's Match. Yes it wasn't that good of a match, but the Women's Division was prevalent at the time, so it should stay.


And then we get to the main event. I have to say, I'm not a fan with the changes you made. One, you turned Hogan's team into jobbers other than the Piper surprise (which is a cool idea, though I don't think it would've happened). Granted in real life, Hogan's team wasn't that much better, but a team of Orndorff, Muraco, Bigelow, and even Patera is way better than JYD and Hillbilly Jim.

I do like the heel team being a full-fledged Heenan Family team though, and I would keep Andre, Bundy and Rude, to the team add Harley Race and Hercules.

For the babyface team, obviously you have Hogan as the captain, and I keep Orndorff on the team due to his past history with Hogan as well as the Heenan Family, and I like the dynamic of Hogan and Orndorff teaming once again. I also keep Bam Bam Bigelow on the team. One, because he got made to look like a huge star, and from a personal standpoint, it's one of my favorite matches/moments ever in Survivor Series. I love that Bam Bam took on Andre, Bundy, and One Man Gang, beat the latter two and almost beat Andre before losing. I wouldn't change that for anything. As for who would replace Muraco and Patera (whom I put in earlier matches), I'd replace them with JYD (a long time ally of Hogan's as well as Race's main rival for much of 1987), as well as debuting the Ultimate Warrior. Why not get our first taste of Warrior and Hogan together. I'd keep your scenario where Hercules and Warrior would eliminate each other to start off their feud.


So I guess my final card would look something like this....

(Bare with me on the names for the teams, I'm not good at that kind of stuff)

The Macho Maniacs: Macho Man Randy Savage, Ricky "the Dragon Steamboat," Jake "the Snake" Roberts, and the British Bulldogs
Vs.
The Honky Foundation: The Honky Tonk Man, "Dangerous" Danny Davis, Outlaw Ron Bass, and the Hart Foundation


The Animal Force: George "The Animal" Steele, Don Muraco, Koko. Ware, and Strike Force
VS.
Fuji's Clan: Kamala, Killer Khan, Mr. Fuji, and Demolition


The Barbershop Quintet: Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Ken Patera, and the Killer Bees
VS.
The Dream Team: Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, Dino Bravo, One Man Gang, and the Fabulous Rougeaus


The Fabulous Ladies: The Fabulous Moolah, Velvet McIntyre, Rockin' Robin, and the Jumping Bomb Angels
VS.
The Glamorous Ones: Sensational Sherri, Donna Christianello, Dawn Marie, and the Glamour Girls


The Hulkamaniacs: Hulk Hogan, Mr. Wonderful Paul Orndorff, Junkyard Dog, Bam Bam Bigelow, and the Ultimate Warrior
VS.
The Heenan Family: Andre the Giant, King Kong Bundy, Harley Race, Rick Rude, and Hercules


I don't think that'd be too bad of a card.

 

[The Brain]

I also gave each villian manager their own teams. I hated how at the actual Sruvivor Series events members of the Heenan Family or the Jimmy Hart stable would be paired up with guys they had no connection to. It just seemed lazy to me. This is the one event where "Teamwork" is the whole theme so why not keep the actual stables together? Heenan managed so many wrestlers he actually warrants two teams at this event.

So there you have it, a much better Survivor Series in my opinion. The teams make more sense with all the managers having their guys teamed together, and we've eliminated the clusterf*** that was the 20 man-10 team elimination match featuring all the tag teams which simply featured too many guys in one match with little storyline involvement.

I respect your effort here and look forward to reading what you have in mind for the next several years. You have a good card here but honestly I like what actually happened better. I loved Survivor Series 87. To this day the inaugural event is one of my favorites. I understand thinking the 20 man 10 team tag was a boring clusterfuck but I loved it. Tag team wrestling was probably at its best at this time and seeing all those teams together was pretty cool. I loved Savage's team. They may not have had a whole lot in common but those were five strong upper mid card guys and to me they seemed to fit together.

I think in your effort to make the teams more logical you're sacrificing good matches for weaker ones. Your idea for having a team for every manager is good but you're going to find out real soon that idea can't last. There was a strong roster in 1987. Things seemed very structured and organized. It was like there was a conscious effort made to keep the roster as balanced as possible. For every face there was a heel on equal level both in singles and tag teams. That's not going to last long as Scott Casey among others will show us next year. Plus managers won't have so much talent together at the same time much longer after this.

That's hindsight though. I don't like using hindsight when rebooking a PPV and you didn't do that here. So while it is perfectly reasonable, and probably more logical, to go with a team for every manager I think that is too restrictive when trying to come up with the best card possible. I owe you some rep once I spread more around for the ideas here but I would leave Survivor Series 87 alone. Looking forward to what you would do with 1988.

 

[King Patrick Star]

I love your thread and I love your card, MMK. Here's my version.

The Fabulous Rougeaus (Jacques and Raymond Rougeau), and the British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith and Dynamite Kid)
vs.
Demolition (Ax and Smash), and the Dream Team (Greg Valentine and Dino Bravo) (with Johnny Valiant and Mr. Fuji)

Don Muraco, Ken Patera, and the Killer Bees (Jim Brunzell and B. Brian Blair)
vs.
One Man Gang, Butch Reed, and the Bolsheviks (Nikolai Volkoff and Boris Zhukov) (with Slick)

The Fabulous Moolah, Rockin' Robin, Velvet McIntyre, and The Jumping Bomb Angels (Itsuki Yamazaki and Noriyo Tateno)
vs.
Sensational Sherri, The Glamour Girls (Leilani Kai and Judy Martin), Donna Christianello, and Dawn Marie (with Jimmy Hart)

Macho Man Randy Savage, Ricky the Dragon Steamboat, and Strike Force (Tito Santana and Rick Martel) (with Miss Elizabeth)
vs.
The Honky Tonk Man, Danny Davis, and the Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart) (with Jimmy Hart)

Jake Roberts, Brutus Beefcake, and the Young Stallions (Paul Roma and Jim Powers)
vs.
Hercules, Ron Bass, and the Islanders (Haku and Tama) (with Bobby the Brain Heenan)

Hulk Hogan, Jim Duggan, Paul Orndorff, and Bam Bam Bigelow (with Oliver Humperdink)
vs.
André the Giant, Harley Race, King Kong Bundy, and Rick Rude (with Bobby the Brain Heenan)

I tried to keep everyone that was on the original card on my version. Instead of three 5-on-5 traditional Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team match, and a 20-Man 10-on-10 traditional Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team match, I made it five 4-on-4 matches and kept the Women’s match the same.