Rewriting 1992, Part 4 of 4: Survivor Series

[LODemolition]

Actual results:

Dark Match: Crush def. Repo Man

1. The Headshrinkers (w/ Afa) def. High Energy

2. Nightstick on a Pole Match: Big Boss Man def. Nailz

3. Tatanka def. "The Model" Rick Martel

4. "Macho Man" Randy Savage and Mr. Perfect def. Ric Flair and Razor Ramon *by disqualification*

5. Yokozuna (w/ Mr. Fuji) def. Virgil

6. 4-on-4 Elimination Match: The Nasty Boys and The Natural Disasters def. Money Inc. and The Beverly Brothers (w/ Jimmy Hart and The Genius)

Survivors: The Nasty Boys

7. Casket Match: The Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) def. Kamala (w/ Kim Chee and Harvey Wippleman)

8. WWE Championship: Bret "Hitman" Hart (c) def. "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels


Wow, this was just an awful Survivor Series and I know from experience because unfortunately I was there live at the Richfield Coliseum at the young age of 12. I don't feel it would have helped matters much if the Ultimate Warrior had been on the card as advertised up until a week prior when Mr. Perfect would take his place. I'm sure you all know that he and Davey Boy Smith were released due to steroids, and the Bulldog was scheduled to defend his Intercontinental Championship against The Mountie. As you can see from the results above, this is where they began to really get away from the traditional elimination matches which made Survivor Series unique. I've said before that I would have never changed that structure and I definitely thought the "sole survivor" match that they had the one and only time in 1990 was a keeper. Here is the final ppv of 1992, with a much improved card the way I would have booked it.

Rewriting the 1992 Survivor Series​

1. Intercontinental Championship: "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels def. "The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith (c)

I can't blame Vince for firing Warrior and Smith as soon as he did without waiting for Survivor Series, but could it have waited a couple more weeks? In hindsight I'm going to say if WrestleMania or SummerSlam were coming up that soon, he would have probably waited it out. And since the Bulldog was IC Champion, that is the only reason I'm putting him on the card. Basically the same match here as they had on the Nov. 14th Saturday Night's Main Event. Shawn Michaels is now a 2-time IC Title winner in this series, losing the title earlier in the year to Bret Hart at WrestleMania VIII.


2. 4-on-4 Elimination Match: Razor Ramon, "The Model" Rick Martel and The Beverly Brothers def. "Macho Man" Randy Savage, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, Sgt. Slaughter and Virgil

Survivor: Razor Ramon

Putting Razor Ramon in the main event of his very first WWE ppv was rushed to say the least imo, considering he was only known as the Diamond Studd before this. I build him up here in this match, making him the sole survivor where it would have come down to him and Savage.


3. Nightstick on a Pole Match: Big Boss Man def. Nailz

Nothing needs changing here. This would be Nailz's debut for me as well, as I chose not to use him at SummerSlam. It's probably for the best that Nailz decided to go ballistic on Vince and get himself fired. I think we can all agree he was a one trick pony and it's really difficult to picture him feuding with anyone other than Boss Man.


4. 4-on-4 Elimination Match: Bret "Hitman" Hart, Tito Santana and The Natural Disasters def. "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase, IRS and The Nasty Boys

Survivors: Bret Hart and Earthquake

The theme of Survivor Series seems to be rushed changes. Putting the WWE Championship on Bret Hart in October was yet another thing they rushed into. I'm not sure if it was because of Flair's inner ear issues or if there is more to the story. In interviews with Hart that I've listened to, he doesn't even seem to know why they put the belt on him so soon. It was also way too soon for Hart and Michaels to be your main event, so needless to say I'd have gone in another direction. On a side note, I didn't like the Nasty Boys as babyfaces and would've kept them with Jimmy Hart throughout their entire WWE careers.


5. 4-on-4 Elimination Match: Yokozuna, Papa Shango and The Headshrinkers def. Tatanka, Crush and High Energy

Survivor: Yokozuna

Rather than have Yokozuna come out and only decimate Virgil in a 1-on-1 in his ppv debut also, why not have him decimate an entire opposing team? His teammates here would also be pretty logical, so I like the makeup of this match.


6. Casket Match: The Undertaker def. Kamala

This is only the 2nd match of the night that I wouldn't have touched, although I did go back and forth between Kamala and Papa Shango. In the end, I just like Shango's character a lot more and would save his showdown with Taker for a bigger ppv.


7. Sole Survivor Match: Razor Ramon and Yokozuna def. Bret Hart and Earthquake

Sole Survivor: Razor Ramon

It's tough to pick here between Razor and Yokozuna, but I feel having more than 1 sole survivor would be like having co-winners of the Royal Rumble or King of the Ring. It takes away from the accomplishment if there is more than 1 left standing at the end of the night. With Yokozuna going on to win the '93 Rumble and then the WWE Championship, it was obvious that Razor would benefit from this win more.


8. WWE Championship: Ric Flair (c) def. Mr. Perfect

In my rewrite, Mr. Perfect turns babyface at SummerSlam, so this match would be brewing since then. Flair and Perfect should have always happened on a big stage - I always said the loser leaves town match should've happened at WMIX, or at the very least the Royal Rumble. Flair retains in a 20-25 minute show that tears the house down. In a refreshing change of pace, there was no interference from either side, especially Flair's. I always felt his title run should have gone through all of 1992, as I was discussing in the SummerSlam rewrite thread. I nearly chose the Warrior as his challenger for this event for his big send-off, but this feud just makes more sense and feels more natural with Hennig having being Flair's associate.


With 1992 now being all but over, let's review the title changes that happened throughout the year.

WWE Championship

*Vacated*
Ric Flair (Royal Rumble)


Intercontinental Championship

Shawn Michaels
Bret Hart (WrestleMania VIII)
British Bulldog (SummerSlam)
Shawn Michaels (Survivor Series)


Tag Team Championship

Nasty Boys
Legion of Doom (WrestleMania VIII)
Money Inc. (SummerSlam)
​

I feel pretty satisfied with this, having more stable champions than we had in reality. There were actually 4 WWE title holders in 1992 as opposed to just 1 in my rewrites - that of course means no 2nd championship for Randy Savage (yet) or Ric Flair, or 1st time for Bret Hart being king of the mountain (again, yet). Flair should have at the very least been champion up until Survivor Series. I also had 4 Intercontinental Champions in comparison to there being 6 in reality - no title reign for Roddy Piper or The Mountie. And finally, I had 1 less tag team champion this year as I decided to not give The Natural Disasters a run with the belts.



I originally intended to only cover 1990-1992 with this series, but I'm actually enjoying it so much that I've decided to go into 1993. So next up will be the '93 Royal Rumble.


Thanks a lot for reading. Feel free to comment and/or post your changes to this card.

 

[Wrestlingaholic]

I too agree that they should have stuck with the elimination match gimmick that gave the ppv its name. I don't mind one or two single matches, but it irritates me to this day that most Survivor Series events these days have one or two elimination matches at best. Therefore my SD92 will largely be elimination based, baring two exceptions.

As I recall, the Marty Jannetty return and Sheri 'injury' angle took place before Survivor Series - I'm sure they referenced it in commentary at the ppv. So logically, that is where my Survivor Series begins: it's too soon for Shawn Michaels to be in the main event, and he would instead here be deployed as a team captain here, against team Bulldog (like LODemolition, id have kept on Davey Boy and the Warrior until this event and then immidiately cut ties - however because of the HGH scandal, the IC change has already happened as in real life) so Michaels' team of Rick Martel and the Beverley Brothers takes on Bulldog, High Energy and their surprise partner, Marty Jannetty in his first official match back. Bulldog's firing of course means that Michaels eliminates him here fairly quickly, before High Energy despatch both Beverleys. Martel eliminates Koko, but when Owen makes the hot tag to Jannetty with Michaels the legal man, HBK does his usual and legs it, getting intentionally counted out. This leaves any physical action between the pair until the Royal Rumble, which is a match I for one am very high on. Jannetty then eliminates Martel with a Rocker Dropper to win the match with himself and Owen Hart as sole survivors.

The second match would be the tag team Survivor Series match, Money Inc and the Headshrinkers vs the Natural Disasters and the Nasty Boys. At some point between Summerslam and Survivor Series (after Hawk walked out of the company, leaving a huge gap for tag team faces), Money Inc essential pay off Jimmy Hart to dump the Nasty Boys, whose grungy nature is not in keeping with DiBiase's more refined ways (ironic given I've just teamed them here with the Headshrinkers - but the tag division was in a massive rut at this point). The Disasters are surprisingly eliminated by the Headshrinkers, and IRS pins Saggs for a resounding win for their team.

The first singles match on the card would be the Undertaker v Kamala in the first ever casket match, but fought under modern rules, not the convoluted mess it was here. Of course the same result occurs, ending Kamala's run as a top heel.

Next would be what is little more than a filler match between the casket match and the two main event matches, as Crush leads his team of Tatanka, Road Warrior Animal and Virgil against the Repo Man's jobber team of Skinner, the Berserker and Kato (formerly of the Orient Express). A pretty resounding victory here for the face team, with Tatanka pinning Berserker, Kato getting eliminated by a 'doomsday tomahawk chop' combo from Tatanka and Animal (in his final appearance for the company), and Crush pins both Skinner and Repo.

Which brings us to main event #1: Randy Savage, the Ultimate Warrior, El Matador Tito Santana and the Big Boss Man against Razor Ramon, Mr Perfect in his first match back, Yokozuna on HIS ppv debut and Papa Shango (in truth, the roster was starting to feel a bit weak by this point after a spate of departures in 1992, hence why I agree with keeping Bulldog and Warrior for the ppv). Tito can eliminate Shango early with a flying forearm, before succumbing to a perfectplex. Ramon delivers the Razor's Edge to the Boss Man, before miscommunication between Ramon and Perfect leads to the Perfect One getting eliminated via a Savage roll up. Perfect then replies by showing Ramon into a Savage axehandle, and a quick elbow mdrop later and Ramon is gone. This leaves Savage and the Warrior against the rookie Yokozuna - who proceeds to DESTROY the two former champions, crushing first the Warrior the the Macho Man with banzai drops to be the sole survivor. Obviously Warrior gets minimal showcasing here on account of the fact he is about to lose his job, but I didn't want to have him and the Bulldog both be completely jobbed out in a matter of minutes, I need some variation. Plus it makes Yoko instantly look strong by beating two former champions.

Then main event #2. Ric Flair (c) vs Bret Hart for the WWF title. Flair comes out alone for this one, Perfect still miffed about his elimination in the previous match. But midway through this technical masterpiece, Perfect makes his way to ringside to support his 'executive consultee'. Problem is, an irate Ramon follows him, causing a distraction to Flair just as he is winding up for the figure four. Whilst not a dirty finish, it's not the cleanest I could have hoped for, but I needed a better way to get Flair and Perfect feuding than WEF actually gave, and what better way than to cause the 10-month title reign of the nature boy to expire? Hart rolls up Flair, for a two count, but then immediately finds a way to lock on the Sharpshooter to win his first world championship.

I'll admit, of all my revisions, this is probably the weakest show, but then, as I have alluded to twice in this review, the shear amount of departures in 1992 left the roster seriously weak. So much had to be chopped and changed at short notice (Money Inc winning the titles, the Disasters and Nastys turning face, Perfect turning face, Michaels and Hart winning respective singles titles relatively unheralded, the list goes on - it's probably part of the reason why there was actually only one elimination match at this ppv); rather than completely 'fantasy book', I have tried to respond to this interesting series by making relevant changes that I feel may have improved the overall card (even though in this case we lose the first ppv Hart-Michaels match which was brilliant) whilst largely staying in the parameters of the roster at the time. So apologies if anyone thinks this show sucks, but I'm glad LODemolition has chosen to carry on and so will i

 

[King Patrick Star]

1992

This one is really tough because of so many departures and changes in plans, but for the sake of Fantasy booking, we’ll pretend all the cards fell into place and anyone who left the company didn’t leave till after the Survivor Series.

Marty Jannetty, Tatanka, Big Bossman, and Crush
vs.
Shawn Michaels, Rick Martel, Nailz, and Repo Man

The Undertaker, El Matador, Virgil, and Hacksaw Jim Duggan (with Paul Bearer)
vs.
Kamala, Papa Shango, Yokozuna, and the Berzerker (with Kim Chee, Harvey Wippleman, and Mr. Fuji)

The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags) and the Natural Disasters (Earthquake and Typhoon)
vs.
Money Inc. (Ted DiBiase and Irwin R. Schyster) and the Beverly Brothers (Beau Beverly and Blake Beverly) (with Jimmy Hart and the Genius)

The Ultimate Maniacs (Macho Man, Randy Savage, and Ultimate Warrior) and the Legion Of Doom (Hawk and Animal) (with Paul Ellering)
vs.
Ric Flair, Mr. Perfect, Razor Ramon, and a mystery partner (Bam Bam Bigelow)

Bret the Hitman Hart, British Bulldog, and High Energy (Koko B. Ware and Owen Hart)
vs.
Jake the Snake Roberts, the Mountie, the Headshrinkers (Samu and Fatu) (with Jimmy Hart and Afa)

I tried to keep everyone that was on the original card on my version. Instead of one 4-on-4 traditional Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team match, with six singles matches and two Tag Team matches, I made it five 4-on-4 matches. I added 12 SuperStars (Marty Jannetty, El Matador, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Papa Shango, the Berserker, Ultimate Warrior, the Legion of Doom (Hawk and Animal), Bam Bam Bigelow, British Bulldog, Jake the Snake Roberts, and the Mountie) who were not on the card for various reasons.

 

[LODemolition]

Undertaker is one guy, maybe the only guy that I never liked to see in the elimination matches. The reason sounds silly, but it's because it just seems so unnatural for him to reach for a tag and let someone else in the match, with his character being the kind that would never need help, or at least certainly not ask for it. He had never been booked more out of place than the '93 Survivor Series imo, when they put him with Luger and the Steiners on a team called The "All Americans." The only time it was logical to me was when he was DiBiase's mystery partner in 1990, but even then it bugged me that he didn't just clean house on Rhodes' entire team while DiBiase stood in the corner laughing his head off. It was the one time where a clean sweep was most appropriate.

 

[MrMojoRisin]

I'm curious.

You mention "yet" for Bret Hart when talking about how you haven't made him the champ in '92, which is fine. You want to build a strong run with Flair on top, and it's logical that means he stays the champ all year long.

But when do you put the belt on Hart, and why instead of using the Survivor Series to make Razor Ramon (in hindsight, a guy you know to be unreliable with severe substance abuse issues), and not build Hart to be the guy to take the belt from Flair?

After all, in this history, Bret Hart hasn't been champ yet, and it's now been several months since the big match at Wembly that showed he can carry a show. A match you actually moved down the card to make smaller than it actually was. You're not looking at the same Bret Hart now at the end of 1992. He's moved down the card and is really just another guy at this point. Probably pretty close to a Tito Santana right before they put the Matador gimmick on him.

If you're still saying 'yet' for Hart, you actually have a lot of work to do now to build him back up to the point that it makes any sense for this tag team mainstay who's only recently moved to singles (less than a couple of years), to be able to seriously challenge a champ like Flair who's been able to hold off all comers for the past year.

The one thing 1992 did was work brilliantly in making Bret Hart. From the major moment winning the IC belt from Piper (really solidified him), to the beautiful loss main eventing an 82,000 capacity sell out at Wembly, to becoming the champ. A lot of your revisions have taken that away, which is fine if you don't plan on going with him as your top guy anymore. But when you still say 'yet', I'm curious what the plan actually is?

 

[THTRobtaylor]

The formula had changed the year before and I never really liked it, much as how I never liked the Rumble for Mania stipulation past the first time.

Vince felt the times were a changing and the 4 on 4 or 5 on 5 was starting to lose its shine... It wasn't they just were poorly booked.

In the early iterations you could get a snapshot of the WWF in one night, who was hot, not and new... once they started going this route it was just another PPV and it led to many of the problems with it over the years.

In my booking, Summerslam saw Undertaker retain his title against Sid (who became Psycho Sid that night) Davey Boy lift the IC title and Warrior leave the WWF after his short return, leaving Hogan to be pinned by Flair after a knux shot..

It's now time in my fantasy world for Hogan to leave the WWF too for a while, having stayed a few months longer than in the real world.

Hogan announces that Survivor Series will be his last match, win lose or draw and that he wants Flair in a cage, so none of the Horsemen can interfere. Flair, cockier than ever agrees on one condition that if Hogan loses he can NEVER return to the WWF.

Davey Boy Smith has held the IC title for a few months and dodged the real life controversy as Warrior left earlier. Bret Hart is due a rematch, while former champion Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty are also in that mix.

The Steiners defeated LOD for their careers at Summerslam, but several new teams, including The Headshrinkers, The Wrecking Crew and Kerry Von Erich and Tatanka have joined the division.

In the singles division, there are also newcomers...Razor Ramon, Bam Bam Bigelow, Yokozuna, Jerry Lawler, Owen Hart and Crush are all starting to make a name. Older names like Jim Duggan, Big Bossman and Virgil are transitioning out.

Perhaps the biggest shock this year has been Rick Rude's face turn, which has really gotten over with fans. The odd couple dynamic between he and Randy Savage, and chemistry with opponent Ted DiBiase has helped bring him back into the World title conversation, only Psycho Sid and DiBiase stand in his way.

So Survivor Series...

The Hart Foundation vs The Heartbreakers

IC Champ The British Bulldog, Bret Hart, Owen Hart & Marty Jannetty v Shawn Michaels, American Bad Boy Jacques Rougeau, Jim The Anvil Neidhart & Bad News Brown

Brown makes his return to the WWF as Shawn's new "Bodyguard" to protect him from Jannetty's attacks. Neidhart still has beef with Bret and the other Harts, while Jacques is looking to also challenge for the IC title.

Neidhart is the first elminated, with Owen shocking him with a roll-up, only to walk into a Ghetto Blaster and be eliminated himself. Jannetty and Shawn are both counted out when their brawl goes too far outside the ring leaving Brown and Jacques to face Bret and Bulldog... there is a miscommunication over a tag, which lets Jacques get a shock pinfall on Bret, who is not happy but prevents the quick attack from Brown, allowing Davey to pin him. Davey is able to pin Jacques when interference goes awry, but there is real tension between he and Bret after the match, with Owen playing peacemaker.

Survivors: Bret & Bulldog

The Million Dollar Team vs Macho Rudeness

Ted DiBiase, IRS & The Headshrinkers v Randy Savage, Rick Rude & The Nasty Boyz

DiBiase chooses the savage newcomers to join his team, while Savage and Rude choose the newly face Nastyz. Knobbs and Saggs are quickly eliminated by The Headshrinkers, before both fall to Randy Savage elbows. IRS is given the Rude Awakening and taken, however DiBiase is able to roll up Savage for the pinfall. Rude and DiBiase FINALLY face off one on one and Rude is able to counter The Million Dollar Dream and secure the win.

Sole Survivor: Rick Rude

The Royal Family vs The Dragons

Jerry Lawler, Bam Bam Bigelow, Bloom & Enos vs Ricky Steamboat, Big Bossman, Tornado & Tatanka

Lawler brings in 3 "new faces" for his team, using his extensive contacts while Steamboat picks the erstwhile Bossman, Tornado and Tatanka, who recently began teaming. Bigelow is a monster and runs through Bossman and Tornado... Tatanka is able to eliminate Bloom and Enos before being eliminated. Everytime Steamboat gets momentum, Bigelow is brought back in to quell it and Lawler eventually gets the pin after piledriving Steamboat.

Survivors: Lawler and Bigelow

The Horsemen v Team USA

Lex Luger, Curt Hennig, Barry Windham & Crush vs Jim Duggan, The Steiners & Sgt. Slaughter

Windham and Hennig are positioning to face the Steiners for the tag gold, with Crush the "honorary member" for the night. This is a Horsemen whitewash... with both Steiners being taken out with "conchairto's" after a ref bump, which led to them being counted out.

Survivors: The Horsemen

The Cabal vs The Gravest Team

Psycho Sid, Kamala, Yokozuna & Papa Shango vs The Undertaker (c), Hulk Hogan & The Natural Disasters

The match goes as you would expect... Papa Shango takes out Typhoon while Kamala is quickly dealt with by Hogan while Taker eliminates Papa Shango. We get a short battle between Yoko and Quake, with reference made to Tenta's Sumo background before Sid chops him down. Fuji throws salt in Hogan's eyes while Sid and Taker brawl outside and are both counted out. A blinded Hogan tries to Hulk Up but misses his leg drop, allowing Yoko to hit the Banzai drop for the pinfall. WWE President Jack Tunney comes down and orders a reverse decision, with Hogan being awarded the win by DQ... it is in vain however as Yoko hits three more Banzai drops, meaning Hogan has to be stretchered out of the arena... The assault only stops when Undertaker returns and runs off Yoko and Fuji.

That sets up my next year... Sid and Taker will finish their feud but neither will go to Mania as champions... nor will Yoko.

 

[HBKperfect23]

I'm going to use this show to end the rock and wrestling era and start the new generation.

Razor and Flair keep feuding with warrior and savage after Summerslam. Flair still wins the belt the day after. Bret does not beat Flair for the WWF title

SNME before Survivor Series
Undertaker beats Papa Shango
Shawn Michaels beats Bulldog for the IC title
Randy Savage and Warrior beat Flair and Razor. Perfect accidentally cost his team the match.

Prime time:
-Shawn Michaels vs Bulldog return match for survivor series is canceled and Bulldog is fired due to Bulldogs back still being injured (Bulldog is fired for drugs). Shawn cuts promo about not having to defend the title at survivor series.

-Savage convinces Perfect that Flair is holding him back and Perfect challenges Flair for the title and says he will not be in his corner against Bret at Survivor Series. Almost identical segment to what actually happened.

Shawn Michaels intervenes afterwards (since Michaels and Flair are now tagging on house shows). Savage challenges Michaels for survivor series. Michaels turns him down but Jack Tunney books the match anyway.

Survivor Series:
Bret Hart vs Ric Flair for the WWF title. Bret wins.

Taker vs Kamala casket match: same match

Randy Savage vs Shawn Michaels for the ic title goes to 30 minute draw. Michaels is still champion. This starts a long feud with Savage and Shawn Michaels that Savage wanted.

Yokozuna vs Virgil. Yoko squash

Ultimate Warrior vs Razor Ramon. Warrior puts over Ramon then is fired. I know I fired Bulldog already but he already put over Shawn and Warrior is still needed here.

Nasty boys vs Money Inc for the tag titles

Nailz vs Bossman in nightstick on a pole match

High Energy vs Headshrinkers same match