WWF Survivor Series 1994
November 23, 1994
San Antonio, TX
Freeman Coliseum

The current WWF Champs were as follows:
World Champion: Bret Hart (3/20/1994)
Intercontinental Champion: Razor Ramon (8/29/1994)
World Tag Team Champions: Diesel & Shawn Michaels (8/28/1994)
Women’s Champion: Bull Nakano (11/20/1994)

Your hosts are Vince McMahon and Gorilla Monsoon in their one and only PPV together.

• Diesel, Shawn Michaels, Owen Hart, Jim Neidhart & Jeff Jarrett vs. Razor Ramon, 1-2-3 Kid, Davey Boy Smith, Fatu & Sionne (w/Capt. Lou Albano & Afa) – 5-on-5 Survivor Series Elimination Match
  

You can’t help but get the feeling that you have the Kliq standing out and then there’s everybody else in the match. Diesel and Shawn stay out of the match for a good long while as Owen, Neidhart and Jarrett all get their butts kicked by the babyfaces. Lots of good fast paced action with everybody hitting their usual spots. Fatu has a little trouble getting used to wearing boots, which was a cool ‘little thing’ that’s missed in today’s wrestling. Diesel finally tags in when the time is right for him and JACKKNIFES Fatu for the first elimination at 13:32. In comes the 1-2-3 Kid, and out he goes thanks to a JACKKNIFE at 14:14. Sionne is our third recipient for the JACKKNIFE to rid us of the New Headshrinkers completely at 14:47. What Owen, Neidhart and Jarrett couldn’t do in the first ten minutes, Diesel accomplished in 75 seconds with three moves. That guy is getting PUSHED. Davey Boy Smith gets booted out to the floor by Diesel and attacked by the other three members of Diesel’s team to get him counted out at 15:10. That leaves Razor Ramon against five guys. Razor fights back hard against Diesel and catches him with the Flying Bulldog off the middle rope. That gets two. Diesel takes over with a short-arm clothesline as Shawn encourages him to put Razor away. Diesel hits Snake Eyes once, but Razor shoves him off into the corner the second time and gives Diesel a big ol’ slam. Diesel avoids the RAZORS EDGE with a backdrop and JACKKNIFES Razor. Now Shawn wants the tag. He convinces Diesel to hold up Razor for SWEET CHIN MUSIC, but Razor ducks and Diesel gets creamed from Shawn for the third time. Diesel has finally had enough of that and boy is he livid. He tosses away his teammates and slowly chases Shawn to the back and all five men are counted out – giving Razor Ramon the win. (21:42) Survivor: Razor Ramon. Three days later, Diesel would capture the WWF title to start on the road to WrestleMania 11. Good match and had it not contained the Diesel/HBK angle and finished up with one member of either team getting the pinfall, it could have been a MOTYC and stole the show. This was similar to the opener at Survivor Series ’91 in that regard. ***½

• Jerry Lawler, Sleazy, Queasy & Cheesy vs. Doink, Dink, Pink & Wink – 4-on-4 Survivor Series Elimination Match

Worst PPV match of the year? Lawler and Doink’s teammates are all midgets in case you’re wondering. This was awful to sit through and would be even more awful to have do PBP for it, so I won’t. Doink and Lawler stall around a lot to start. The midgets do some silly stuff that leaves me wondering what Vince is THINKING. Doink comes off the second turnbuckle and nails Lawler with a crossbody, but Lawler rolls through and pins Doink with a handful of tights for the first elimination at 10:38. Cheesy pinned Wink with a little help from Lawler at 13:16. Cheesy pins Pink with more help from Lawler at 14:31. I’m just trying to get through this, folks. Sleazy pins Dink after Queasy comes in and reverses a pin situation for Lawler’s team to win. (16:05) Survivors: Jerry Lawler, Sleazy, Queasy & Cheesy. It’s actually a rare clean sweep for Lawler’s team. Afterwards, all the midgets turn on Lawler, leading to a pie in the face courtesy of Doink. I think we’re through here. CRAP

Todd tells us that a new WWF Women’s Champion was crowned at the Tokyo Egg Dome in Japan as Bull Nakano dethroned Alundra Blayze. We see a clip of Nakano delivering a top-rope legdrop to win the title. Todd is standing by Bull Nakano now where she says a bunch of stuff in Japanese only for Todd to treat her like she’s deaf and retarded by talking…really loud…and slow…to her.

• WWF World Champion Bret Hart (w/Davey Boy Smith) vs. Bob Backlund (w/Owen Hart) – Submission Match
  

The only way to lose is for either wrestler to apply their respective submission finishers and have their towel bearer throw in the towel for them once they feel their wrestler cannot continue. Stu & Helen Hart are at ringside to witness the spectacle. You could say this goes back to 1983 when Backlund lost the WWF title belt to the Iron Sheik. He says that he never submitted and therefore never lost the WWF title. As far as his feud with Bret Hart, it all started on the July 30^th edition of Superstars after Bret beat Backlund fair and square in a title match and then Backlund snapped and applied the Crossface Chickenwing. And he’s been crazy ever since. Backlund begins making a few desperate attempts at the CROSSFACE CHICKENWING, but Bret thwarts them off and starts to wear him down. Bret misses an elbow off the second turnbuckle, which is the opening for Backlund to begin working the arm. He does a great job staying adamant with the armbar no matter how well Bret tries to fight it off. Bret even comes back and gets a swinging neckbreaker, but Backlund won’t let go of his arm. Finally, Bret gets loose and delivers an inverted atomic drop. He follows up with the Figure-Four. Backlund even tells Owen to throw in the towel for him, but Owen refuses. Backlund finally reverses it, but Bret reverses it back only to have Backlund reach the ropes. Bret hammers on Backlund’s injured left leg until Backlund can’t even stand on it. Backlund comes back with a nice piledriver and tries the CROSSFACE CHICKENWING, but Bret struggles and reaches the ropes. Backlund hits a badly executed swinging neckbreaker as the crowd chants, “Let’s go Bret!” Backlund charges into the ringpost and then demands Owen to throw in the towel, but Owen responds with, “I’ll never throw it in!” Backlund tries a piledriver, but takes a backdrop instead. Backlund then hooks a sleeper to slow down Bret. Bret fights out by driving Backlund head-first into the top turnbuckle. They do a double-KO spot with Bret up first to score with a standing leg drop. He follows up with the piledriver, the bulldog, the Russian Legsweep, the backbreaker, and the middle-rope elbow drop. SHARPSHOOTER TIME! Owen tries to get in the ring, but Bulldog chases him out. They race around the ring, which leads to Owen coming back in and nailing Bret in the back of the head to break the hold. Owen scoots out and ducks when Davey Boy Smith dives for him, who goes head-first into the steel steps! That’ll do it for Bulldog on THIS night. Bret insults his own mother by calling Owen an SOB, so he gets the CROSSFACE CHICKENWING! Bret has no choice but to give up, but Bulldog is KO’ed and can’t throw the towel in. Owen starts to plead with his mom and confesses that he didn’t mean for this whole feud to happen. He begins to CRY! Someone give this guy an Oscar. The whole time this is going on, Bret is still in the hold! Now Owen gets on his knees in front of his mother. Stu doesn’t believe him, and takes away the towel from Helen. Owen continues to tell his mom to throw in the towel until she finally gives in and steals it away from Stu and tosses Bret’s towel in the ring to end the match. (35:17) After eleven years, Bob Backlund regains the WWF title. Post-match, Owen scurries back to the locker room with Bret’s towel in his possession. Such a compelling match thanks to an excellent performance from everybody involved. ****

Backstage, Todd Pettingell meets with Owen. With a big smile on his face, he admits that this whole thing was a setup and that his mom and dad fell for it. Owen is the King of Harts and now Bret is nothing.

• Tatanka, Bam Bam Bigelow, King Kong Bundy & The Heavenly Bodies (w/Ted DiBiase) vs. Lex Luger, Adam Bomb, The Smokin’ Gunns & Mabel (w/Oscar) – 5-on-5 Survivor Series Elimination Match
  

Yes! The Heavenly Bodies on PPV! Luger and Tatanka kick things off with Tatanka hammering on Luger for a minute or so until Luger stops selling it and comes back with clotheslines. Luger presses Del Ray and drops him on top of Bigelow. Bundy comes in, but freaks out as Mabel waddles over beside Luger. Once order is restored, Tatanka tags in Pritchard and Luger tags in Mabel. Pritchard actually tries a crossbody and gets slammed for being so stupid. He avoids Mabel sitting on him, however, and drops a knee. Mabel reverses a whip out of the corner and backdrops Pritchard. Mabel climbs to the middle turnbuckle and puts Pritchard away with a flying crossbody (!!) at 3:58. I feel so sorry for Pritchard. Del Ray comes in next. He tries clotheslines on Mabel, but that won’t work. Mabel catches him for a Bossman slam and sends Del Ray sliding over to his corner to tag in Bundy. They have a little shoulderblock showdown with Mabel winning that. Bundy tags in Bigelow. Now this big-man competition should go a little smoother. Bigelow misses his enziguri kick, so Mabel connects with his spinning heel kick instead. Mabel actually goes up top, but gets slammed off for his troubles. Mabel tries to avoid a flying sunset flip and sits down on Bigelow. That’s got to feel GREAT! They both take a clothesline tumble out to the floor, which is a crazy bump for either man at their size to be taking. Bigelow makes it back in the ring in time, but Mabel does not and gets counted out at 7:18. Del Ray connects with a Superkick on Billy Gunn, but takes a backslide for two. Adam Bomb and Bigelow tag. Adam Bomb gets dumped and comes back in with a slingshot clothesline. Bundy nails Adam Bomb from the apron, allowing Bigelow to bulldog Adam Bomb to set up a moonsault (!!) at 9:09. Luger runs in and quickly rolls up Bigelow for a near-fall. Del Ray tags and decks Luger with a Superkick for two! Luger comes back with a RUNNING FOREARM to eliminate Del Ray at 10:56. Tatanka knocks Lex from behind into Lex’s own corner. The Smokin’ Gunns double-team Tatanka for a while, including delivering the SIDEWINDER for a near-fall. Bart tries a crucifix, but gets caught for the PAPOOSE TO GO to pin Bart at 14:28. Billy & Luger trade frequent tags and do a good job of isolating Tatanka. Billy makes the mistake that enables Tatanka to tag in Bundy. Billy tries to fight back, but takes an AVALANCHE in the corner and pinned at 17:15. That leaves Luger against Bundy, Bigelow and Tatanka. DiBiase just walks around ringside laughing because well, it is pretty funny. The heels take turns beating the crap out of Lex for a while. Luger ends up surprising Tatanka with a small package at 23:14. With Luger so heavily winded, Bundy comes right in and easily SPLASHES Luger to win it. (23:23) Survivors: Bam Bam Bigelow and King Kong Bundy. This was a lot better than expected. The big men especially dug down deep and pulled out some of their crazier spots. DiBiase’s Million Dollar Team continue the Luger beatdown after the bell. **½

Backstage, Todd Pettingell is standing by with the NEW WWF Champion, Mr. Bob Backlund. Backlund says he’s been the champion ever since 1978, and all he did tonight was retain the belt. Then he sounds like he’s talking about how milk is produced by saying things like pasteurizing and homogenizing, but he’s only talking about getting us WWF fans back into morality. Backlund says he’ll take on anybody. Now when he says “anybody”, does that include Diesel? I guess so, BECAUSE HE FEELS LIKE GOD!

• Yokozuna (w/Mr. Fuji & Jim Cornette) vs. The Undertaker (w/Paul Bearer) – Casket Match (Special Outside Enforcer: Chuck Norris)
  

I wonder how awesome a Chuck Norris appearance for the WWE say in 2006 would’ve been. Conan O’Brien would have had a hay day with that. Chuck is here to keep all the bad men out so that we don’t get a complete repeat of their Royal Rumble casket match. Thank God. Taker freaks Yoko out at the beginning and he tries to bail, but he’s just too fat to get away. Yokozuna reverses a whip and then splashes Taker in the corner, but Taker NO-SELLS because he’s *dead*! Yokozuna gets nailed out on top of the casket and then runs away. He’s skeered of them things. Yoko pulls Taker out to the floor, where Taker sends Yokozuna into the steel steps head first. Back in, Taker goes OLD SCHOOL on Yoko, but he doesn’t go down! He catches Taker with a Samoan drop. Yoko tries to put Taker in the casket, but Taker fights back. However, Taker misses an elbow and sits up. Uranage by Yoko, followed by a legdrop. Taker gets rolled into the casket, but Yoko can’t close the door on him. Taker pulls Yoko into the casket with him and they both fight trying to get out. Fuji comes over and pulls Taker’s hair. He gets out and goes after Fuji. Cornette comes up behind Taker, but Taker turns around and nails him. Back in, Yoko dominates with some boring offense until Taker comes back with a flying clothesline. As Taker tries to roll Yoko into the casket, Bundy and Bigelow come down to ringside to bother Chuck Norris. While this is happening, IRS sneaks in and attacks Taker, including putting him in the casket. IRS then leaves with Bundy and Bigelow through the crowd. As Yokozuna goes to shut the casket, Taker reaches up and grabs Yokozuna by the throat. Now Jarrett comes down to ringside and he gets kicked down by Chuck Norris. Back in the ring, Taker delivers a clothesline and a DDT off the ropes to Yoko. Taker kicks Yokozuna into the casket. He throws Fuji’s Japanese flag in with him and shuts the casket to win the match. (15:24) This wasn’t as bad as the prior casket match between these two, but still a suck fest. Yokozuna wouldn’t be seen again until WrestleMania XI as Owen Hart’s super secret tag team partner. ½*

Final Thoughts: This was the show where you could really see the focus of the company being taken off Bret and onto the hipper, cooler Kliq guys like Diesel, Shawn, Razor and the Kid. While Bret vs. Backlund is ****, I wouldn’t recommend it to just anybody because it isn’t for everybody. Also there is some pretty bad stuff on here like the main event and the ridiculous midgets match. Thumbs in the middle for Survivor Series 1994. Not necessarily recommended viewing, but it’s not going to kill you because the opener and the title match are real good.