Survivor Series ’97

(All screen captures are the property of World Wrestling Entertainment)

Survivor Series

November 9, 1997

Molson Centre

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

News & Notes: I covered most of the talking points in previous reviews. We know about Shawn and Bret’s backstage fight and Shawn’s behavior. But I still have much to discuss. Let’s not pretend this will be short. I won’t apologize for the length. It’s going to be a long one. So let’s begin.

First, I’ll take you back to 1996. Bret almost signed with WCW. But Vince convinced him to stay with an unprecedented 20-year contract. It would see Bret end his career as a producer/ambassador for the WWF. The overall money wasn’t as much as WCW offered. But the long-term benefits were better. A few miscommunications made Bret wary. So Canadian promoter Carl De Marco suggested Bret cover his bases. Bret added a creative control clause to the contract. It wasn’t like Hogan’s. This one only kicked in for the final thirty days if the contract ended early. Everything appeared to go well until Shawn Michaels learned of the deal. He didn’t like how Bret made more money. Shawn used the backstage fight as leverage for a renegotiation. Part of Michaels’ demands was a heel turn. Bret worried this would siphon away his own heel heat. Then matters became worse. In September, Vince told Bret the company was in financial peril. They could no longer honor his long contract. But Vince gave Bret permission to reopen negotiations with WCW. The business turned around in a month. But Bret saw the writing on the wall by then. He didn’t agree with the creative direction of either the company or his character. WCW offered a sweet deal and Bret didn’t fit into the WWF going forward. He took the WCW deal.

The problem is, Bret was still the WWF champion. Vince asked Bret to drop the title to Shawn at Survivor Series. Bret initially told Michaels he was fine with this, despite their differences. He told Shawn he’d put him over. Shawn looked at Bret and said, “I appreciate it. But I want you to know I wouldn’t do the same for you.” That was it. This was the straw that broke the camel’s back for Bret. He had enough of Shawn’s disrespectful attitude. He couldn’t in good conscience lose to Shawn, especially in Canada. Bret used his creative control. He promised to vacate the title the next night or drop it to anyone else. Vince was caught between warring egos. And McMahon worried about Bret taking the belt to WCW. He didn’t want another Alundra Blayze incident. (Vince had no idea Bischoff couldn’t do this. The WCW legal department made strict rules against it.) Neither Bret nor Shawn would budge. But Vince finally agreed to end the Survivor Series match in a DQ. Bret would vacate the belt the next night. However, many people warned Bret of a possible screwjob. Bret wasn’t worried. He could beat Shawn in a shoot fight. And Bret picked Earl Hebner to ref the bout. Earl promised on his kids not to screw Bret. But we know how that ends. (They approached Earl minutes before the match and threatened his job if he didn’t comply.)

Before we begin, I want to discuss one more thing. I’ll explain the build for Bret vs. Shawn before that bout. But I must talk about the formation of DX first. Shawn cut a promo the night after Badd Blood. He asked for footage of his win to be shown, but he got something else instead. It was a fan-cam video of the curtain call incident. Shawn & Hunter mocked Vince about this until Bret interrupted. Hart called them degenerates. Something about that word stuck in Shawn’s craw. The next week, he ran with it. If they were degenerates, you can call his group D-Generation X. Vince makes the rules, but they will break them! DX then spent weeks acting like juvenile delinquents. They gave Michael Cole a wedgie. Then they joined commentary and suggestively ate bananas. Next, DX appeared on the stage during a match and held humorous signs. One said, “I’d rather be in Chyna.” Another read, “Who booked this crap?” Shawn even mooned the crowd while Hunter held signs to cover his butt. Sgt. Slaughter confronted them about their behavior. So DX donned face shields to protect them from Slaughter’s spit.

We begin with footage of the Iron Man Match from WrestleMania XII. Bret believes the wrong man won. He doesn’t like that phony Shawn Michaels. But Shawn says he’s the icon who can still go. Bret isn’t a better man than him. Shawn wrestles because he likes it. Bret does it because he thinks all of this is his. Then we see clips from SummerSlam. Bret won the WWF title because of Shawn’s errant chair shot. Bret says that degenerate Shawn Michaels doesn’t know what dignity and poise are. Shawn counters by saying he’s the showstopper and the main event. Both men then threaten to beat the crap out of each other. And we see scenes of their various confrontations. Milton Bradley’s Karate Fighters presents the 1997 Survivor Series!

Jim Ross welcomes everyone to the 11^th annual Survivor Series in Montreal. Who is the man? Is it Bret Hart or Shawn Michaels? JR is with Jerry Lawler and—no one else. Get used to it. This is the announce team now. We’ve seen the last of Vince on regular commentary. Ross then says Bret vs. Shawn was eighteen months in the making. But Lawler thinks it started at birth. Both men believe they are the best in the business and refuse to lose. Then JR introduces the Spanish and French announce teams.

The Headbangers & The New Blackjacks enter for their match. We hear the ring announcer. He’s a French Canadian, so he does the introductions in French. It’s a unique touch. Then they show a clip of Billy Gunn smashing a boombox over Thrasher’s head. This leads to the introduction of Road Dog, Billy Gunn, & The Godwinns. Road Dog has a mic. He insults the crowd and the men in the ring. Dog calls their opponents The Black Tracks and The Butt Bangers. Meanwhile, Gunn shows off one of The Blackjacks’ ruined hats.

Road Dog, Billy Gunn, & The Godwinns vs. The Headbangers & The New Blackjacks

Notes: A new tag team formed on Shotgun of all places. Jesse James returned to his old Road Dog nickname. (He later adds a second G to it.) Then he approached Rockabilly about joining forces. James told Gunn to drop the Honky Tonk Man. Jesse smelled money in a pairing with Gunn. It seemed Billy would side with Honky. But he smashed a guitar over Honky’s head. The Road Dog Jesse James and Bad Ass Billy Gunn then went on a tear. (They aren’t using the New Age Outlaws name yet.) Dog & Gunn won matches through cheating and antagonized other teams. This included smashing a boombox on Thrasher’s head, destroying the Blackjacks’ hats, and stealing the LOD’s shoulder pads. The LOD is busy elsewhere. So they aren’t in this. Meanwhile, The Godwinns joined this bout because of their history with The Headbangers. But The Godwinns have their own issues. They lost their tag belts to the LOD. (More on that later.) This led to them kicking Cletus to the curb for screwing up. He didn’t last long.

The Match: Phineas falls victim to the Blackjacks. They control him with shoulder blocks, powerslams, and strikes. But Dog & Gunn won’t tag him. Henry tags instead and throws his own shoulder blocks and strikes. But Bradshaw answers with a Russian Leg Sweep. He also turns an abdominal stretch into a pin to eliminate Henry. (Elimination: Henry) Windham continues the attack with suplexes and clotheslines. However, Phineas nails a back elbow and a clothesline to take out Windham. (Elimination: Windham) Next, Mosh controls Phineas with takedowns and arm holds. So Phineas breaks free and tags Gunn. Billy receives derogatory chants. It doesn’t stop him from eliminating Mosh. He catches him on a corner splash and slams Mosh face-first into the mat. (Elimination: Mosh)

Dog & Gunn celebrate with a nice hug while Phineas and Thrasher fight. Thrasher gets pin attempts, arm drags, and arm holds. He follows with an awkward slam reversal and a facebuster. Then Thrasher pins Phineas with a Stage Dive. (Elimination: Phineas) Bradshaw returns and gives Road Dog short-arm clotheslines and a gut-wrench powerbomb. But Bradshaw scuffles with Gunn and gets rolled up for—three? (That’s two years in a row Bradshaw fell to a shady count!) (Elimination: Bradshaw) Thrasher holds his own until Gunn kicks him in the back. But Thrasher avoids two pumphandle slam attempts. However, he missed Billy Gunn’s blind tag. Thrasher tries for a pin. So Gunn does a flying leg drop. (He whiffs. But Gunn isn’t doing the spot again.) It’s enough for the win. (Final Elimination: Thrasher)

Thoughts: This was basic and sloppy. No one looked strong in it. They designed the bout to put over Road Dog & Billy Gunn. But even they didn’t look great. It felt rushed and nothing of note happened. Plus, Billy Gunn whiffed his one big move. It was a poor opener. The only plus is it had a hot crowd. But that was for the wrong reasons. They cared more for chanting derogatory things at Billy Gunn.

Survivors: Road Dog & Billy Gunn (15:25)

The Truth Commission vs. The Disciples of Apocalypse

Notes: I introduced The Truth Commission in an earlier review. But I’ll give you a refresher. They are Recon (Bull Buchanan), Sniper (A Canadian indie wrestler), & The Interrogator (Kurrgan). But they dropped The Commandant. Vince wanted them to have a manager who could also wrestle if need be. So The Commission added The Jackyl (Don Callis). The Jackyl has a cult leader persona. JR called him the David Koresh of the WWF. Jackyl rightfully accused him of slander for this. Then The Commission made enemies of the DOA. Jackyl pushed Crush off the top rope on Shotgun. He also low-bridged Skull on RAW. This second offense led to a wild brawl. So The Commission attacked Skull & 8-Ball before their bout with The Godwinns. (On a side note, The DOA have their bikes again. So they get a better reaction than last month.)

The Match: A brawl erupts until it comes down to Chainz and The Interrogator. Chainz fights with wild punches and clotheslines. The Interrogator answers with a Manhattan Drop and a Side Slam for the first pin. (Elimination: Chainz) Then Skull enters the bout. The Jackyl wants a piece. He nails a flying knee. But Skull no-sells it and eliminates Jackyl with a—side slam. (Elimination: Jackyl) Jackyl then joins the commentary table while Sniper & Recon take over. They use flying axehandles and crossbodies. Crush fires back with leg drops and a belly-to-belly suplex. Next, Skull returns and ducks for a backdrop. Recon bumps, despite no contact happening. (Oops.) Then Recon falls to 8-Ball’s clothesline after some twin magic. (Elimination: Recon) Skull & 8-Ball then continue with neckbreakers and spinebusters. But The Interrogator attacks 8-Ball from behind. It allows Sniper to pin him after a bulldog. (Elimination: 8-Ball) Skull & Crush rally with strikes, suplexes, mat holds, and a DDT. But The Interrogator makes a blind tag. He then pins Skull with—A DAMN SIDE SLAM! (Elimination: Skull) Crush fights valiantly. He uses headbutts and takes out Sniper with a tilt-a-whirl slam. (Elimination: Sniper) However, The Interrogator gives Crush no time. He eliminates Crush with—you know. (Final Elimination: Crush)

Thoughts: If you like side slams, this is for you! But for everyone else, it sucked. I’m unsure who thought this would be a good pairing. The crowd couldn’t care less. This had no heat. The only interesting part was Jackyl’s commentary. But even that was lackluster. I know what Callis can do. This was designed to make The Interrogator look strong. It succeeded about as much as the first match did with The Outlaws. We’re not off to a good start.

Survivor: The Interrogator (9:59)

Next, they interview fans about the main event. They’re split between Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart. One guy thinks Shawn will win, but he doesn’t want him to. A woman still believes Bret is the best there is was and ever will be. Then we get some predictions in French. We even see what appears to be a Canadian luchador! He picks Bret Hart. But one American traveled across the border to watch Shawn win. Lawler mocks the looks of the Montreal fans. He asks if it’s Halloween.

Meanwhile, Kevin Kelly is in the AOL room. Steve Austin chills in the background. Kevin says you can log on and chat with the WWF superstars. Then Kelly gets a word with Stone Cold. Austin thinks the fans’ questions are stupid. Yeah, he’s concerned about his neck! But he doesn’t need anyone feeling sorry for him. It’s something that happens. Austin then has enough of Kevin’s questions. So he returns to staring at the laptop like he can’t figure it out. Kevin sends it back to JR & Lawler. JR shows footage of Flash Funk and The Headbangers. They had dinner with the Milton Bradley representative. The Headbangers appear to be giving his son a noogie. Footage of Steve Blackman’s debut follows this. He was a fan who jumped the rail. But Vader bailed him out of jail.

Then we get an interview with Team USA. Michael Cole points out they have nothing in common. Vader pauses for a moment to think about it. In the background, we see Goldust brooding. His face is painted black with the letters FU in gold. (It stands for Forever Unchained.) He also has Alive Again written on the back of his head. Meanwhile, Vader collects his thoughts and answers Cole’s statement. He introduces his team of Goldust, Mero, and Steve Blackman. Yeah, they don’t have a lot in common. But they don’t like big-mouthed Canadians telling them what to do. Team Canada is tough when it’s four-on-one. Tonight, it’s four-on-four! Next, Cole interviews Steve Blackman. He went from a fan with a ticket to a member of Team USA. Is he nervous? Steve said he’s not experienced as a wrestler. But he’s experienced in all forms of fighting. A fight is a fight, so he’s ready! (He needs to work on his promos. Steve makes Shamrock sound like an artist on the mic.)

Team USA then enters the arena before they go back to Cole with Team Canada. (Hey, wait a minute. This team has one Canadian, two Americans, and a Brit!) Cole says Team USA is in foreign territory. Bulldog agrees. Team USA will leave as losers. Then Cole interviews Doug Furnas. Why is he on Team Canada? Furnas says America glorifies four things. They’re about drugs, crime, slime, and degenerates! Doug declared his independence from America. People say, “America, love it or leave it!” So Furnas left it! This disheartens JR. He knew Doug when he was young in Oklahoma.

(Team Canada) The British Bulldog, Jim Neidhart, Furnas, & Lafon vs. (Team USA) Vader, Steve Blackman, Goldust, & Marvelous Marc Mero (w/ Sable)

Notes: If Team USA seems like a motley crew, it’s because they are. In fact, they’re in shambles. Marc Mero returned with a boxer gimmick, a new haircut, and a bad attitude. He’s jealous of Sable’s attention. Mero doesn’t want people focusing on his wife! But at least he has a wife. The same can’t be said for Goldust anymore. Marlena was happy to be home. But Goldust wasn’t. He told Marlena he found someone while she was away. This person will let him be who he wants to be. Goldust is tired of living in the shadow of Marlena and his father! So she can take the wedding ring and stick it! Meanwhile, The Patriot was part of the team until he injured his triceps. Vader found his replacement in an unexpected way. Bulldog fought Vader in a Dog Collar Match. It devolved into a brawl between Vader and The Hart Foundation. A fan jumped the guardrail to save Vader. That fan was Steve Blackman. (This is what I mentioned in my Halloween Havoc review.) Vader bailed him out of jail and offered him a spot on the team. (On a side note, Goldust also has a cast on his hand. He wrote freedom on it.)

The Match: Bulldog flusters Mero early. He wipes himself with Marc’s bandanna and gives Mero takedowns and dropkicks. Then Marc regroups to move Sable to another corner. He doesn’t like the fans chanting her name. Vader is next. He uses clotheslines and avalanches. But Davey answers with a slam and an impressive suplex! When Mero returns, Team Canada pinball him with punches. Mero fires back with some rabbit punches of his own and tags Blackman. Lafon attempts pins on Steve. But Blackman answers with kicks, shoulder blocks, and a backdrop. Furnas & Lafon stop his onslaught by pulling him outside. The ref counts Blackman out while Steve brawls with Team Canada. (Elimination: Blackman) Then Mero avoids Anvil’s corner charge and diving splash. Marc then tags Vader. He takes out Neidhart with an avalanche, an elbow to the crotch, and a splash. (Elimination: Anvil)

Next, Furnas & Lafon take Vader to the floor and whip him into the steps. But Vader answers with another avalanche, a belly-to-belly, and a diving splash. It eliminates Lafon. (Elimination: Lafon) Then Mero avoids Furnas’ dropkick and nails a double jump moonsault. Mero also avoids Bulldog’s running powerslam. After that close call, Mero nails rapid punches on Furnas. But Doug reverses a roll-up with a handful of tights. (Elimination: Mero) Vader returns and gets in trouble. However, Goldust won’t tag him. He walks away and drops off the apron for two tag attempts. Furnas gives Vader a hurricanrana and a belly-to-belly. But Vader rallies again. This time, Vader tags Goldust with a slap to the face and pulls him into the ring. So Goldust leaves and the ref counts him out. (Elimination: Goldust) Vader is alone. He fights with punches and avalanches. Then Vader pins Furnas after a Vader Bomb. (Elimination: Furnas) It doesn’t matter because Bulldog grabbed the ring bell. He clocks Vader while the ref isn’t looking and pins him. (Final Elimination: Vader)

Thoughts: This wasn’t bad. It was more storyline than action. This leads to a pretty good Vader/Goldust feud. So I’m fine with it. It also helps this match had great heat. Bulldog & Furnas had some impressive feats of strength. And Vader carried the brunt of the bout well. This was an enjoyable story-driven encounter.

Survivor: The British Bulldog (17:05)

They show the Karate Fighters blimp. Lawler jokes Max Mini is the captain of it. Then JR talks about the Survivor Series Super Supper Sweepstakes. (Say that three times.) They have the winner, Jacqueline Cook, on the phone. She’s from Columbia, SC. Lawler wants to know where they’re going to eat. Both JR and Jacqueline ignore this. Ross asks if she’s watching the PPV. She is, so we don’t get a repeat of SummerSlam. Then Jacqueline picks Stone Cold as the Superstar she wants to have dinner with. Lawler can’t believe his ears. He has good table manners! Jerry proves this by tucking his notes into his collar like a bib.

Then they recap Kane’s path of destruction over the last month. They show Kane’s debut. The Undertaker says he will never fight his own flesh and blood. So Paul Bearer promised to destroy every Superstar until they get Taker. They show Kane attacking various wrestlers. He gives them chokeslams and Tombstones. Dude Love used a chair, but it had no effect. This leads to Mankind’s return. Kane ruined an innocent kid. He left Mankind to pick up the pieces. He’ll face Kane anytime and anywhere. Mankind even put the Mandible Claw on Paul Bearer!

Next, we get words from Mankind. He doesn’t want people to remember this as a wrestling match. It’s Mankind vs. a brick wall. Common sense says to walk around or climb over it. But Mankind plans to launch himself into the wall until it falls. He may die trying. But he may not! If the wall goes down, that leaves Paul Bearer. Mankind gave a year of his life to Bearer. And Paul called him a pebble! Mankind promises to sink his two fingers into Paul’s flabby jowls. When he does, he’ll ask Bearer if he looks like a pebble. Mankind then says have a nice day and leaves the room.

Kane (w/ Paul Bearer) vs. Mankind

Notes: Kane began a path of destruction the night after Badd Blood. He destroyed both of the Hardy Boyz. Paul Bearer said it would continue until The Undertaker accepted Kane’s challenge. Flash Funk was next. But Taker vowed to never face his own flesh and blood. He couldn’t fight his brother. So the beatings commenced. Dude Love was the first to fight back. He used a chair, but it wasn’t enough. Kane chokeslammed poor Dude on the ramp. (Foley said in his book Kane dented the ramp with this.) The attack awakened Mankind. Taker might not want to face Kane, but Mankind had no issue with doing it! Paul Bearer broke their truce. So all bets were off. Sgt. Slaughter sensed this could get out of control and tried to prevent the bout. So Mankind put him in the Mandible Claw. Then Mankind attacked Kane with a pipe and also put the Claw on Paul Bearer. (On a side note, Kane’s early matches take place under a red light. They later realize it’s a bad idea.)

The Match: Mankind meets Kane in the aisle and rams him into the rail. But Kane answers with a choke toss, rams Mankind into the steps, and rolls him into the ring. Then Kane sets off his pyro and goes to work with punches. Mankind rallies with a Cactus Clothesline, but Kane lands on his feet. He then throws the steps at Mankind’s face! They return to the ring and Mankind psychs himself up by pulling out his own hair. But he runs into a clothesline. Kane continues with more punches, choking, and a side slam. (Not again!) Then they return to the floor. Mankind tries blocking an Irish whip, but Kane powers him into the steps. However, Mankind gives Kane a hotshot onto them. Mankind also uses a chair and a pulling piledriver. It’s not enough. So Mankind does the Mandible Claw—to Paul Bearer! (He yells, “Do I look like a pebble now!?”) But this leaves Mankind vulnerable. Kane shoves him off the apron and through the Spanish announce table! A desperate Mankind kicks Kane low and gives him a DDT on the floor. Mankind follows with a Cactus Elbow. He then climbs to the top for another one. But Kane slams Mankind to the floor! Then Mankind crawls into the ring. Kane tilts his head as he stares at him. He can’t believe Mankind is still moving. So Kane pulls Mankind into a Tombstone for the win.

Thoughts: I liked the story of this match. Mankind took his usual nasty bumps to make Kane look great. He got enough offense to look valiant. But Kane still appeared dominant. It was the perfect mix. Other than the annoying red light, this was good.

Winner: Kane (9:27)

JR tries to tell the fans how to get free dog tags. He stumbles over his words. Jim claims he’s verklempt about the Kane situation. So Lawler finishes for him. Then we go backstage where Cole interviews Vince and Commissioner Slaughter. Michael says tensions are high in the locker room. Slaughter assures him there is extra security. Next, Vince says it’s important the fans get to see Bret vs. Shawn. It was to happen on a number of occasions. Various reasons prevented it. Hopefully, they won’t see any of those reasons tonight. Cole then puts McMahon on the hot seat. He asks who will win tonight. Vince says, “I don’t know.” (Yeah, right.)

The Nation of Domination enters the arena and poses in the ring. But Dok Hendrix is with Ken Shamrock’s team. It’s Ken, Ahmed Johnson, and the tag champs, The Legion of Doom. Dok calls it a dangerous situation, which is right up Ken’s alley. Shamrock says they are there to take care of business. He has the tag champs. And Ahmed is no stranger to dangerous situations. They’re going to knuckle up and take care of the criminal element in the WWF. Then Ken steals Animal’s line. He says, “Tell ’em, Hawk.” Hawk says, “It seems to me, that it seems to be!” If the Nation is the criminal element, they are the sergeants at arms. When they’re done with them, they’ll be face down in a pool of their own blood. The Nation will wish for a friend to turn them over—so they don’t drown in their own blood. Oh, what a rush! (It wasn’t one of Hawk’s better promos. He hesitated a few times.)

Ken Shamrock, Ahmed Johnson, & The Legion of Doom vs. The Nation of Domination

Notes: Shamrock & Ahmed healed from their recent injuries. So it’s time to get revenge on The Nation. But the LOD picked up some new hardware along the way. Their issues with The Godwinns continued. This led to a tag title match. The LOD promised to win the belts or they would leave the WWF! Hawk & Animal succeeded after Cletus hit Henry by mistake. The LOD were champs for the first time since ’91. Then they helped Ahmed fend off a Nation attack. The next week, Ken & Ahmed faced Rocky & Kama. DX watched from the stage. So Faarooq used Rude’s briefcase to help The Nation win. The Nation also beat up Ahmed after the match because The Godwinns took out the LOD. Then The Nation turned their attention to their other enemy, Steve Austin. But The LOD jumped The Nation to stop the attack. (Plus, don’t forget the LOD’s issues with Road Dog & Billy Gunn. The LOD doesn’t have their spikes in the entrances. Dog & Gunn stole them. These feuds have a lot of moving parts.)

The Match: Hawk shakes off D’Lo’s shoulder blocks and no-sells a piledriver. Then he gives Brown a neckbreaker and trades punches with Rocky. But Kama nails Hawk from behind and knocks him into a Rock Bottom for the first pin. (Elimination: Hawk) Ahmed comes in next and trades strikes with Kama. Then he gets in trouble in the Nation’s corner. But Ahmed slips out of a Dominator and eliminates Faarooq with a Pearl River Plunge. (Elimination: Faarooq) However, Faarooq stays at ringside. He waits for his opening and trips Johnson. Faarooq holds his leg while Rocky pins him. (Elimination: Ahmed) (The ref watched this happen and did nothing. Faarooq and Ahmed fight to the back.) Next, Animal & Shamrock trade clotheslines with Kama. Animal then fends off The Nation with clotheslines, suplexes, and shoulder tackles. (We get weird audio feedback during the latter. Lawler blames it on Dunn.) Kama rallies when D’Lo distracts Animal. But Animal dropkicks Kama into Rocky and rolls him up. (Elimination: Kama)

Then The Nation takes control with ref distractions and low-blows by Rocky. D’Lo hits backbreakers, leg drops, and strikes. But Brown misses a springboard moonsault. This allows Animal to clean house with dropkicks and powerslams. However, Road Dog & Billy Gunn arrive wearing the LOD’s shoulder pads and face paint. They lure Animal to the floor and throw powder in his face. A blinded Animal is counted out. (Elimination: Animal) The Nation then double-team Shamrock. But he fights back with clotheslines and a belly-to-belly. Then Ken submits D’Lo with an anklelock. (Elimination: D’Lo) The ref escorts Brown out of the ring. So Rocky hits Ken with a chair while the ref isn’t looking. It isn’t enough. So Rocky does a float-over DDT and an early version of the People’s Elbow. They still don’t get a three-count. Rocky then tries another float-over, but Ken turns it into a Northern Lights Suplex. Shamrock also uses a hurricanrana and transitions into an anklelock for the win. (Final Elimination: Rocky)

Thoughts: This was pretty good. It started slow. But it picked up by the end. They did a good job making Shamrock look strong. The WWF is building him for a big program next month. Plus, they’re sowing the seeds for the future Shamrock/Rock feud. This accomplished all it needed to do. The only gripe is the odd officiating.

Survivor: Ken Shamrock (20:28)

Then we see a commercial for the next PPV, D-Generation X: In Your House. DX is getting their own show. (The promotional materials spelled it Degeneration, but they change the spelling soon.) The commercial features the debut of DX’s music. Most of the ad becomes their titantron video. It includes frantic shots of strippers, crotch chops, and DX beating up people.

Next, JR & Lawler discuss Austin vs. Owen. Lawler is mad at JR for bringing up the Stunner. This leads to a video package about Austin. He always fought through the pain. It’s not how many times you go down, but how many times you get up. We see footage of Austin’s injuries at King of the Ring ’96 and SummerSlam ’97. They also show Stone Cold using a picture of Owen as target practice. But we then see Owen dumping Austin on his head. Austin calls it scary. He says Owen has hell to pay because he’s pissed off! If it’s his last step in life, Owen will get the shit kicked out of him. However, Owen promises the belt will stay where it belongs. Austin calls November 9^th payback time. Will anyone be able to stand up in the end?

Austin enters the arena. But only half his glass partition breaks. He elbows the rest. It still doesn’t break. (It’s an unintentional metaphor for Austin.) Then Austin taunts some fans. He dares some to enter the ring. Owen arrives next, and he has Team Canada with him. Bulldog carries Owen’s Slammys. JR says Owen is the real Hitman of the Hart Family. (They’re taking shots at Bret already.) Owen hesitates outside the ring, which annoys Austin. Hart also throws his Owen 3:16 shirt at Steve. He rips it while Neidhart jumps into the ring. Austin catches him with a Stunner. So Owen attacks.

Intercontinental Title Match: Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Owen Hart (c) (w/ Team Canada)

Notes: Austin agreed to sign Vince’s hold harmless agreement, but he had one caveat. Steve wanted an Intercontinental title match with Owen. Vince agreed and produced a contract the following week. But Austin made Vince sign it first, to be sure. Steve then teased stunning Vince again before shaking his hand. However, Austin had to answer to an angry Faarooq for what happened at Badd Blood. Stone Cold dared The Nation to come to the ring. So Faarooq sent Rocky as a sacrificial lamb. Maivia took a Stunner from Austin. (It won’t be the last time. Stay tuned for more in my next WWF review.) Then Austin attacked Faarooq when he faced Bret Hart. Meanwhile, Ahmed received an Intercontinental title shot. But Austin interfered. He didn’t want to lose his chance at revenge on Owen. This angered Ahmed and led to a confrontation with Stone Cold. But Kane attacked Ahmed before the match happened.

The Match: They trade punches and kicks before Austin can remove his vest. Both men ram each other into the corner until Austin backdrops Owen. Hart regroups and grabs Austin’s leg. He pulls him to the post and rams Steve’s leg into it. But Austin pulls Owen into the post. Then Owen spots the ref ejecting Team Canada. He tries to leave with them, but Austin isn’t having that. Austin and Owen fight down the aisle and into the guardrail. A desperate Owen tries getting himself disqualified. He uses a low-blow and rams Steve into the remnants of the Spanish announce table. But the ref allows it. Owen even rings the bell for him. It doesn’t work. So Austin takes Owen into the ring and stomps a mudhole in him. Then they tease the Tombstone spot from SummerSlam. It leads to an awkward exchange before Austin hits a Stunner for the win.

Thoughts: It was short and explosive. It needed to be. Austin technically shouldn’t be back this soon. They keep his matches light for the next two months. This was fine for what it was. The crowd was hot, and it got the needed result. Plus, these two weren’t going to have a long match either way. It’s the last time Austin wanted to work with Owen after what happened.

Winner: Steve Austin (New Champion) (4:03)

Team Canada returns. But they all eat Stunners. Austin flips them off and poses with his belt. The fans cheer, despite chanting for Owen during the bout. It surprises JR. Lawler calls them idiots.

Next, an interesting commercial plays. WWF Superstars list their athletic accomplishments and injuries. Some are former football players. Others had concussions, stitches, and broken bones. Stone Cold, The Undertaker, Faarooq, Ahmed Johnson, Shawn Michaels, and Bret Hart all dare the detractors to say something. You don’t think this is real? Try lacing their boots! This segment ends with a new WWF logo. The word attitude is written beneath it. Welcome to the Attitude Era!

Then JR & Lawler talk about the main event. Shawn Michaels says he lays down for no one. Bret calls himself the best. It’s put up or shut up time. This leads to them replaying the opening video package. That’s a bit lazy. They couldn’t make a new recap segment? I won’t repeat what we saw in this vignette. It’s the same as before. After the video, they show Shawn and DX walking backstage. The dramatic cage-lowering music plays. Shawn says he doesn’t know where to go. But we don’t get a Spinal Tap moment. The camera follows Shawn through the curtain. DX doesn’t follow him. When Shawn reaches the ring, he snatches a Canadian flag. Shawn then wipes himself with the flag and humps it! JR says he’s somewhat disrespecting the maple leaf. (Somewhat!?) Bret also gets the dramatic backstage walk. His son Blade carries a Canadian flag. But Bret also arrives alone. Both men agreed to not have their stables at ringside. During Bret’s entrance, JR says you will never see this match again.

WWF Title Match: Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart (c)

Notes: Bret had enough of Shawn & Hunter’s childish antics. Hart challenged Triple H to a match after some unfortunate insults. During the bout, Shawn took Bret’s Canadian flag and stuck it up his nose. Then Shawn superkicked Bret to give Hunter the count-out win! Later, DX did commentary during Hart Foundation matches. They made nasty comments about Stu Hart. DX also stirred the pot. They trashed The Nation’s locker room and left racist graffiti on the wall. DX made it look like the Hart Foundation did it. Michaels took it farther. He called Bret the grand wizard of the KKK. (The camera caught Bret mouthing about how stupid this was.) The Nation somehow fell for this ruse and started a mini-feud with the Hart Foundation. Meanwhile, Shawn faced Owen and gave him Sweet Chin Music after Austin attacked. Then Bret faced Shamrock. Ken made Bret tap, but the ref missed it. So Shawn interfered to cause a DQ. Since Shawn cost Ken the title, Shawn also faced Shamrock. Ken made Shawn tap too, but the ref also missed this. Triple H stopped Ken’s attack and gave Shamrock a Pedigree on Rude’s briefcase. (Remember this Shamrock stuff. It comes into play next month.)

The Match: Shawn and Bret brawl before the bell rings. They fight in and out of the crowd and back again. Both men use punches, headbutts, and backdrops. Vince & Slaughter arrive to restore order. But they can’t stop Bret and Shawn from fighting in the entrance tunnel. Then they return to ringside and Shawn chokes Bret with an American flag. Bret returns the favor with a Quebec flag. Next, they enter the ring and the match officially begins. Bret uses leg drops and Manhattan Drops. Shawn answers with a jumping forearm, a fist drop, and strikes. Then he takes Bret outside and lands a front suplex on the steps. Shawn follows this by breaking the Canadian flag pole and jabbing Bret with it. However, Bret rallies and attacks Shawn’s leg. Shawn fights with a slam and a crossbody. But Bret returns to the knee and puts Michaels in a ringpost Figure Four. Hebner makes him break the hold. So Bret does a regular Figure Four in the ring. Shawn reverses it and Bret reaches the ropes. Then Bret begins his routine. Hart climbs for the diving elbow. So Shawn pulls Hebner into the line of fire. Then HBK rakes Bret’s face and puts Bret in a Sharpshooter! Bret reverses—wait, Hebner calls for the bell. What’s happening? Shawn Michaels’ music plays as Hebner sprints from the ring. Everyone looks confused. They announce Shawn as the winner by submission.

Thoughts: Outside of the ending, this was a great match. It had good intensity and action. It looked like two guys beating the crap out of each other. You could see the real-life frustrations. But they also kept it safe and professional. These two are that good at making it look crisp. The original plan would have seen five more minutes of wrestling. It’s too bad we’ll never get it. It’s hard to separate the bout from the finish. But there was good stuff underneath the drama.

Winner: Shawn Michaels (New Champion) (12:19)

The finish confused everyone. JR asks, “What happened!?” Bret figures it out because he heard Vince tell the timekeeper to ring the bell. Hart spits in Vince’s face while Shawn collects his belt. Michaels does a good job looking pissed. (He claimed for years he didn’t know. But Shawn was in on it from the beginning.) He storms away with Hunter and Gerald Brisco. But Shawn poses with the belt at the entrance. The show then ends with JR saying, “You want to talk about controversy?” (Yeah, I do! But that doesn’t happen. You forget how quickly the show ended. We’re used to seeing the extended footage. That didn’t air on TV.)

Thoughts about the screwjob:

What a mess! Vince never should have let it get this far. He could have taken the belt off Bret when he let Hart negotiate with WCW. Jim Cornette told Vince as much. In fact, Cornette was the first one to bring up a screwjob finish. He mentioned it in passing. Vince also didn’t help matters. He poked Bret and Shawn with a stick throughout the year. McMahon felt it made for better TV. All involved parties can share in both the blame and the burden. It was a no-win situation once they reached Survivor Series. I get where Bret was coming from. But he was being a little unprofessional. I understand where Vince was coming from. But he lied to a man’s face. I even see Shawn’s side. But he was behaving immaturely. Then there’s a fourth person to add to the mix. It was Triple H who convinced Shawn to go along with it. Hunter said, “If Bret won’t do business, we’ll do business for him!” No one comes out unscathed in this. However, the ultimate responsibility is on Vince. He could have quelled it long before it reached this point.

Aftermath:

Vince initially locked himself in his office backstage. The Undertaker confronted McMahon and made him talk to Bret. This resulted in Bret punching Vince in the face. Multiple Superstars protested the events of Survivor Series. Mick Foley sat out two shows. Others even left the company. Bulldog, Anvil, Rude, and Crush all left the promotion. Davey had to pay a six-figure sum to get out of his contract. Neidhart fulfilled a few more dates on TV before leaving. As for Rude, I’ll explain his situation in a later review. It’s rather unique. Only Owen remained in the WWF. His contract had too much time remaining. Bret was on his way to WCW. They had what could have been the biggest babyface in wrestling delivered on a silver platter. But WCW drops that ball. However, the WWF runs with the fallout of this event. Vince does an interview on RAW. He blames the situation on Bret for being selfish. Vince says, “Bret screwed Bret.” He then uses this as a catalyst for his evil Mr. McMahon character. But we’ll get to that soon.

The Good:

• Kane/Mankind was good.

• I liked the storytelling of Team USA vs. Team Canada.

• The main event was a solid match, despite the ending.

The Bad:

• The screwjob.

• SIDE SLAMS!!

• That sloppy opener.

Performer of the Night:

I’m giving it to Bret. It’s not out of pity. His performance in the match was great. Plus, he put up with a lot of crap on this night. It has to go to him.

Final Thoughts:

This is a memorable show, but it’s not a good one. There was some decent action. Some storylines were done well. And they did a fine job building some new stars (Kane and Shamrock). This event is worth a watch because of its significance. But understand it isn’t the best quality.

Thank you for reading. My next review is WCW’s World War 3 ’97.