WWE/F Survivor Series 1987

 I wanted to mark this so I will be posting it on my blog since Letterboxd does not have PPVs as an option. Just random thoughts from this old WWF wrestling even for Thanksgiving. I will rate the event a ***/*****

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Honky Tonk Man was Intercontinental Champion at the time, in a feud with several big stars including Macho Man, Jake the Snake Roberts, Ricky the Dragon Steamboat, and Brutis the Barber Beefcake. His team of Hercules, Dangerous Danny Davis (once a referee), Ron Bass, and Harley Race (whose heavyweight champion days were behind him) did not help him much at all. It was nice to see Jake hit the DDT on somebody since he often did not get the chance as a face. HTM leaving the ring, taking the countout was a weaselly decision that lets him remove himself from being pinned...not to mention, he was taking a pummeling from Randy Savage, Roberts, and Steamboat. **1/2 / *****

With a tag team survivor series match with such teams as Hart Foundation, Demolition, British Bulldogs, and Strike Force (Tito Santana and Ric Martel), the fact that The Killer Bees (B Brian Blair and Jumpin' Jim Brunsel) and Young Stallions (Paul Roma and Jim Powers) were the winners speaks to how Vince seemed giving this particular Thanksgiving. Out of all the teams, The Islanders (Haku and Tama) were fantastic and only lost because Blair threw on a mask and pretended to be his partner, cheating with a pin.

It says something that the next year, the Young Stallions and Killer Bees both were eliminated early at Survivor Series. Powers and Roma taking beatings. It's wild that Strike Force, the WWF tag team champions at the time, were one of the first teams eliminated, with Demolition, being disqualified hitting the referee. If betting pools were existing back then, imagine their surprise at who the survivors were.

If you love a good pile-driver, highly recommend seeing Bret Hart's on Dynamite Kid...it is a thing of beauty. That Bret was pinned by a Killer Bee just astounds me. Haku was a beast and the MVP of this match. ***/*****

Hulk Hogan might have been the star power in his main event match but it was Bam Bam Bigelow who looked great, a very underrated big man who could flip around the ring. While I would have loved to see more of Paul Orndorff in the match (he was a house of fire, full of electric energy and magnetism), but Vince never seemed to commit to him. The most shocking part of this main even was how Rick Rude never seemed to gain any advantage, pretty much a punching bag the entire time he is in the ring. I personally believe this is the worst performance of his WWF career. He was pinned by Don the Rock Morocco for petesake! Andre, of course, didn't have to do much work, coming in at the end as a spent Bam Bam had to endure both One Man Gang and King Kong Bundy (and pinned both of them!), only to just have no gas left. Hogan being counted out because he was bodyslamming Bundy and Gang allowed Andre the Giant to benefit, giving the WWF World Heavyweight champion a loss without a pinfall. But up against the tag team match, this main event felt very mid. Pantera, Butch Reed, Orndorff, Rude, and Morocco pretty much never quite left an impression and all lasted not very long. **1/2 / *****

I did not watch the women's match...women's wrestling at the time was dominated by Fabulous Moolah, who I never liked watching in the ring.