Survivor Series (1996 TV Special) User Reviews

Very Strong Singles Matches

[zkonedog · 7/10 · 28 February 2019]

I tend to judge any Survivor Series event by the quality of its singles matches. The mixed tag matches are usual random configurations with little momentum behind them.

Using that criteria, this event features some great individual matches...

-I feel like Undertaker and Mankind could have a match every other PPV and still have it be entertaining. They are just a great fit for each other.

-Stone Cold vs. Bret Hart is an epic match and finally showcases how WWE is getting Steve Austin "right" now in terms of persona and theme. Despite being the "heel" of the match, his pop and reaction was easily the equal of the beloved Hart.

-Shawn Michaels vs Sycho Sid loses a bit of the momentum, but still manages to be a solid display of both pure power and high-flying antics. Sid just never really got the "push" needed for this match to feel important.

On a different note, it is nice to see Jim Ross an established part of the broadcast team by this point. I actually look forward to the days when McMahon leaves the booth and lets Ross take the lead with everything, as Ross truly is one of the greats.

Overall, Survivor Series '97 is a really solid event for the WWE. The mixed tags are business-as-usual for this event, while the singles matches surrounding them really elevate it to greater heights. A good way to wind down the '96 PPVs considering where the business was when the year started.

More than survival building a Reputation for the future

[paudieconnolly · 7/10 · 20 July 2021]

Here we go survivor series 1996 were the past and future meet Rocky Maivia followed by Jake the snake with big intros . Undertaker and Mankind continues there historic feud stone cold hitman need I say more not every match is brilliant but enough here to make this one very watchable.

A memorable PPV

[callanvass · 7/10 · 1 June 2016]

Live from New York, New York (Madison Square Garden)

Attendance: 18,647

Your hosts are Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler & Jim Ross

The British Bulldog, Owen Hart & The New Rockers Vs Phill Lafon & Doug Furnas and The Godwinns

Order of elimination.

Marty Janetty by Henry Godwinn (slop drop)

Henry Godwin by Owen Hart (spinning heel kick)

Phineas Godwinn by The British Bulldog (running powerslam)

Leif Cassidy by Phill Lafon (reverse suplex from the top)

The British Bulldog by Phill Lafon (sunset flip)

Owen Hart by Doug Furnas (german suplex)

Your survivors: Doug Furnas & Phill Lafon

I can't begin to tell you how surprised I am by how good this match was. I had very little expectations for it and they went out and produced a really good match. The crowd wasn't that into it, but it's not like they didn't try. I do question the decision to give the win to Furnas and Lafon. I didn't see the point other than to surprise people.

***1/2

The Undertaker Vs Mankind (W/Paul Bearer)

Paul Bearer is suspended above the ring in a cage so he can't interfere. The Undertaker descends down the ring in epic fashion. Undertaker ends up winning with a tombstone. As a result, The Undertaker gets time alone with Paul Bearer. The Executioner comes down and saves Paul Bearer. This is another solid match between these two. They've had better, but it was still a good match. They did some pretty hardcore stuff with the limited options they had.

***

Marc Mero, Barry Windham, Rocky Maivia & Jake 'The Snake' Roberts Vs Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Goldust, Crush & Jerry Lawler

Order of elimination.

Jerry Lawler by Jake Roberts (DDT)

Barry Windham by Goldust (curtain call)

Triple H by Marc Mero (moonsault)

Marc Mero by Crush

Jake Roberts by Crush (heart punch)

Crush by Rocky Maivia (flying cross-body)

Goldust by Rocky Maivia (shoulderbreaker)

Sole Survivor: Rocky Maivia

"There's gonna be the man right there! That blue chipper" That's what Jim Ross said during Rocky's entrance. Boy was Ross ever right about that. You can't ask for a better debut than this one. He'd go through some rough times when the crowd would turn on him, but he looked good here. As far as the match goes, that's a different story. If it wasn't for The Rock's debut, this match would be utterly forgettable.

**

Bret Hart Vs 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin

Both get big reactions on their way out. Bret wins by countering Austin's Million Dollar Dream. Everyone talks about the amazing submission match between Bret and Austin at Wrestlemania 13, but nobody gives this match the praise it deserves. This is an exhilarating match that completely stole the show. They incorporated a little bit of everything in this one. Austin looked like a star as well. I was close to giving it 5 stars.

****3/4

Farooq, Fake Razor Ramon, Fake Diesel & Vader Vs Savio Vega, Yokozuna, Flash Funk, & Jimmy Snuka

Order of elimination.

Savio Vega by Diesel (jackknife powerbomb)

Razor Ramon by Jimmy Snuka (big splash from the top)

Diesel comes in with a chair and attacks Snuka with it. All hell breaks loose when everybody starts brawling with each other and the referee rules it a double disqualification. This matched seemed a bit rushed. It wasn't horrible, but it was pretty mediocre. The finish just screams "time restraints"

*1/2

WWF Championship

Shawn Michaels (C) (W/Jose Lothario) Vs Psycho Sid

Sid drills Jose Lothario in the chest with a camera. Shawn gets distracted by tending to Lothario. Sid drills Shawn in the back of the head with a camera. Sid delivers a powerbomb to win the WWF Championship. I'm a big Psycho Sid fan. He's very charismatic and a real badass. That being said, his wrestling skills are not that good. That's not why we loved Sid. This is one of Sid's best matches. It featured good psychology and excitement. The atmosphere is electric. The crowd was hostile towards Shawn, and booed him loudly while the crowd adored Sid. A title change was needed at this juncture.

***1/2

This is a very good PPV. The main event is really good, it featured a couple of good undercard matches, and Bret and Austin is a near classic match. I recommend this PPV highly.

7/10

Recap

[Spawn Devil · 1 July 2002]

Bart Gunn, Jesse James, Aldo Montoya and Bob Holly vs. Sultan, Billy Gunn, Sal Sincere and Bradshaw Survivor: Bart Gunn Doug Furnas, Phil Lafon, Henry Godwinn and Phineas Godwinn vs. Owen Hart, British Bulldog, Leif Cassidy and Marty Jannetty Survivors: Doug Furnas and Phil Lafon

With Paul Bearer suspended in a cage above the ring, the Undertaker defeated Mankind

Marc Mero, the Stalker, Rocky Maivia, and Jake Roberts vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Jerry "the King" Lawler, Crush and Goldust Survivor: Rocky Maivia

Bret "Hitman" Hart defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin via pinfall.

Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, Yokozuna, Savio Vega and Flash Funk battled Vader, Faarooq, Razor Ramon and Diesel to a double disqualification

Sycho Sid defeated Shawn Michaels for the WWE Championship

Overall Mark: B+

Austin Vs. Hart were better than Main event

[amanwhorocks · 6/10 · 16 January 2014]

1. Jesse James/Aldo Montaya/Bob Holly/Bart Gunn Vs. The Sultan/Salvatore Sincere/Justin Bradshaw/Billy Gunn - It reminds me setting up only for Gunns. - 6/10

2. Owen Hart/The British Bulldog/New Rockers Vs. Doug Furnas/Phillip Lafon/The Godwinns - Very surprising winners! But Owen sold good. It was his credit. 7.5/10/10

3. Mankind Vs. The Undertaker - They know it better. But nice done one. 7/10

4. Hunter Hearst Helmsley/Goldust/Crush/Jerry Lawler Vs. Marc Mero/The Stalker/Rocky Maivia/Jake Roberts - Hehe Crush without his legendary Mullet. Victory and push for Maivia 6.5/10

5. Stone Cold Vs Bret Hart - Legend versus Newbie with Push, pretty exciting thing. 8/10

6. Faarooq/Vader/Fake Diesel & Fake Razor Ramon Vs. Savio Vega/Yokozuna/Flash Funk/Jimmy Superboring Snuka - Now that was low: Fake Now-WCW wrestlers, Snuka, Vega and DQ ending with not so good action along. 5/10

7. WWF Heavyweight Championship: Psycho Sid Vs. Champ-Shawn Michaels 6.5/10

Very enjoyable PPV

[bh_tafe3 · 7/10 · 5 July 2009]

Shawn Michaels failed title run came to an end, much to pleasure of the crowd Bret Hart returned to PPV and had a classic with Steve Austin, Mankind and Undertaker's never ending rivalry continued and some young punk named Rocky Maivia made his PPV debut on this entertaining show that marked a return to form by the WWE after some fairly mediocre PPVs throughout 1996. Maybe it was being back in their traditional home of Madison Square Garden that finally bought the best out of them.

The night started off with the ECW Tag Team of Doug Furnas and Phil Lafond teaming up with the Godwinns (Phineas and Henry) to defeat Owen Hart, the British Bulldog, Marty Jannetty and Leif Cassidy in a Survivor Series match. The match went a fair while before Jannetty was eliminated by Henry Godwinn, who was almost immediately eliminated by the opportunistic Owen Hart. Phineas was eliminated following a running power slam from the British Bulldog a short time later. Lafon was able to square things up, eliminating Leif Cassidy with a sweet suplex from the second rope. Lafon also eliminated the Bulldog following a schoolboy to leave he and Furnas against Owen Hart. Hart dug deep, but eventually fell to Furnas after a suplex leaving Furnas and Lafon as the Survivors in an entertaining match.

The next match saw the never ending feud between Mankind and Undertaker continue. Undertaker had been buried alive in the previous PPV, despite winning his match against Mankind and here he was able to win a standard one on one match. The rivalry had just about run out of puff by this stage. Two guys can only meet a certain number of times before they start going over old ground.

Next it was time for another four on four Survivor Series match, and for Rocky Maivia (or as he was later known The Rock) to make his first PPV appearance. And he made quite an impression too, being the sole Survivor as his team, which included Marc Mero, Jake Roberts and Barry Windham (or the stalker as he was now called) defeated Crush, Jerry Lawaler, Hunter Hearst Helmsley and Goldust. Roberts pinned Lawler after a fair bit of wrestling. Goldust evened things up a short time time later, pinning Windham, Mero then pinned Helmsley after a Merosault, but was himself eliminated by Crush a short time later. Jake Roberts was the next to go seconds later, leaving the Rock to eliminate Crush after a flying body press and then take out Goldust with shoulderbreaker. This was longer than the opening match, but that doesn't make it better. But at least it wasn't terrible.

The next match was one of the greatest wrestling matches in WWE history as the returning Bret Hart faced Stone Cold Steve Austin with the winner to become the No.1 contender for the WWE Title. Hart looked like he'd never been gone. Austin looked as good as he'd looked throughout his WWE run and the crowd was on the edge of their seats as Hart overcame Austin, countering a sleeper into a pinning predicament to win one of the very best matches ever seen at Madison Square Garden.

Next up saw what I believe is the only Survivor Series match ever to not have a single survivor. The Team of Vader, Faarooq, the New Diesel and Razor Ramon II fought to a no contest with Flash Funk, Jimmy Snuka, Savio Vega and Yokozuna. Vega was eliminated following a jack knife from the New Diesel, Razor was pinned after a superfly splash from Snukka and the other six guys were simultaneously counted out after brawling. The New Diesel and Razor II were both characters introduced by Jim Ross as part of a rather silly storyline which was quickly abandoned. New Diesel went on to become Kane and have a long, successful career. Razor II didn't work out.

This brings us to the main event which saw the turn coat Sycho Sid defeat Shawn Michaels after taking out his manager Jose Lothario as a distraction and then clocking Michaels with a TV camera. Despite the fact Sid was obviously the bad guy in this story, the MSG crowd poured out thunderous approval on Sid. I think, like a lot of us, they were a little sick of Shawn Michaels as Champion and were glad to see someone new and different win the belt. This was not a terrible match either. A real shame that the talented Michaels just never quite worked as a fan favourite champion.

One of the best WWE matches of all time, a well done World title change and some fun elimination tag matches added up to make Survivor Series 1996 the best PPV since Wrestlemania 12's one match card. A night to be remembered fondly for anyone who watched WWE wrestling in 1996.

Well Done Survivor Series

[Terryfan · 8/10 · 11 March 2015]

Survivor Series has been a Pay Per View known for the debuts of many famous WWF wrestlers and this one was no different taking place in Madison Square Garden in New York City this Survivor Series shows how well it can be given the chance.

Now let's review the show.

1. Doug Furnas, Phil Lafon and The Godwinns (Henry O and Phineas I) VS Owen Hart, The British Bulldog and The New Rockers (Marty Jannetty and Leif Cassidy) Survivor Series Elimination Match. Now this being the opening match it has to be clever and convincing to get the fans into the show and it did a good match.

Rating: 7 out of 10

2. The Undertaker vs Mankind. Paul Bearer was forced to hang in a cage over the arena. The Undertaker and Mankind in 1996 had a very good feud and many original match types came into wake from this feud. This match proves why both men did great together plus seeing Paul hanging over the ring is something you don't see these days. Both men gave us a war in the match plus the Undertaker's entrance was amazing when he came into the arena from the roof with a giant cape like batman.

Rating: 9 out of 10

3.Marc Mero, Rocky Maivia, Jake "The Snake" Roberts and The Stalker vs Crush, Jerry "The King" Lawler, Hunter Hearst Helmsley and Goldust Survivor Series Elimination Match. This match features the debut of the man would later become known as The Rock. This match was very solid as you can expect in a Elimination Survivor Series match. Everyone did pretty well in this match and shows what was to become of Rocky Maivia.

Rating: 8 out of 10

4. Bret "Hitman" Hart vs Stone Cold Steve Austin. Stone Cold challenge Bret to come out of retirement to face him and he got his wish. Bret help put Stone Cold over with the fans as both men would give us a feud like no other. Both men work a strong match and told a great story in the match both men just went to war in the match.

Rating: 9 out of 10

5.Faarooq,Vader, Razor Ramon and Diesel VS Flash Funk, Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, Savio Vega, and Yokozuna Survivor Series Elimination Match. I have seen better matches and this match just could have been better if it had a clue win.

Rating: 6 out of 10

6. Sycho Sid vs Shawn Michaels for the World Wrestling Federation Championship. Now this being the main event it has to be right and lucky it was enough to close out the show as both men went to war for the WWF title. Shawn was given a strong year as the WWF Champion in 1996 and now he face a giant challenge at Survivor Series.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Overall this is one of the strongest Survivor Series and best WWF PPVS that has been made and shows why it was fun to be a Wrestling fan. Check it out.

I give WWF Survivor Series 1996 an 8 out of 10

Great Survivor Series Show all around.

[morantjavonte · 8/10 · 4 May 2023]

Survivor Series 1996 Thoughts

Survivor Series 1996 was the 10th annual Survivor Series PPV event produced by the WWF. It took place on November 17, 1996 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Attendance was at 18,467 with buyrate at 199,000. The event is notable for the debut of one of the greatest and recognized stars of all time, Dwayne Johnson who started this night as Rocky Mavia but of course would later go as the Rock. Bret Hart made a return to the ring after a hiatus Post-Wrestlemania 12.

By the end of 1996, you can say wrestling got a lot more interesting. WWF had more talent with potential (as we can tell looking back now in the future of those names) and we had better storylines. It wasn't just the WWF as WCW was the company on fire especially after what happened in the summer of this year that got them to do a ratings dominance for 83 weeks. 6 matches were on the card with the 2 most hyped on the card being the WWF Championship match of HBK defending the belt to Sid and Bret Hart making his return in a battle against the rising Stone Cold Steve Austin who gave himself a big name after winning the KOTR and cutting an awesome promo. Mankind also battled Undertaker and we had our traditional survivor series elimination matches.

The Good - First the atmosphere from the crowd made the matches and the show better. It's something to expect from a New York crowd in the most famous arena. These weren't your typical regular fans as demonstrated during the WWF Championship match. HBK wasn't getting so much love as this was the point where fans shared their thoughts of who ain't a draw. But the match was awesome and HBK made Sid look really good who was never great in the ring. Bret Hart vs. Stone Cold was an outstanding match and no doubt a top 3 Survivor Series PPV match of all time. It might be the best. I don't think it's a 5 star match like they would have at WrestleMania as I feel one small thing stops it from being a perfect match. Being about 28 minutes long, it was a bit too slow pace for the the first 10-15 minutes before everyone got into it. Still Austin was the future. Manking vs. Undertaker was also good but not as great as their SummerSlam match. But the feud was hot at the time. Foley was getting over and got a face turn some time the next year.

The Meh - The Survivor Series matches were okay. I guess the first one was good actually but not that Memorable. It got better when an awful tag team was eliminated first. The second one was okay but it's a highlight to watch today knowing who that Survivor will be in the future.

The Bad - Only match I didn't give a crap about was the crappy Survivor Series Tag Bathroom break match post Austin-Hart. It was a snooze fest. Sad thing was Vader being involved in that with those awful gimmicks of Fake Diesel & Razor Ramon. Guy was wasted in his WWF career. Guess you can blame HBK for that incident months before this show.

Overall - Great show. Highly memorable and totally recommended. Again I did give extra boost on a few things because of the crowd's atmosphere but that's what crowds are for. While 2 matches are the big things about this PPV, the other matches are worth it too.

Score - 8 out of 10: Really Really Good

0 = Terrible : 1 = Bad/Lackluster : 2 = Decent : 3 = Good : 4 = Awesome : 5 = One of the Best of all Time :

1. Doug Furnas, Philip LaFon & The Godwinns vs. Owen Hart, The British Bulldog & The New Rockers (Elimination Tag) - 3/5

2. Mankind vs. The Undertaker - 3/5

3. Jake Roberts, Marc Mero, Rocky Maivia & The Stalker vs. Crush, Goldust, Hunter Hearst Helmsley & Jerry Lawler (Elimination Tag) - 2/5

4. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart: Number 1 Contender - 4.5/5

5. Diesel, Faarooq, Razor Ramon & Vader vs. Flash Funk, Jimmy Snuka, Savio Vega & Yokozuna (Elimination Tag) - 0/5

6. Sycho Sid vs. Shawn Michaels: WWF Championship - 4/5

Best Match - Stone Cold vs. Bret Hart

Worst Match - Diesel, Faarooq, Razor Ramon & Vader vs. Flash Funk, Jimmy Snuka, Savio Vega & Yokozuna

Most Memorable Moment - Sid's victory

Top 5 Performers

1. Bret Hart - Outstanding Performance. As usual

2. Stone Cold - Outstanding Performance

3. Shawn Michaels - Outstanding Performance

4. Sycho Sid - Best match of WWF career

5. Undertaker - Good Performance.

Great Show

[sterno86 · 10/10 · 18 November 2008]

An awesome show in an exciting time in WWF history. A killer delivery from Bret Hart--in his return after an eight month absence--and Steve Austin, in his first big time pay-per view match. The match prompted a JR, "in the same spot where Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier got it on, we're seeing this kind of action!" It gave off a big-time fight atmosphere to say the least, to say Ali-Frazier? I just wouldn't know. Come to think of it, all Bret Hart-Stone Cold matches had the big-fight feel. And this one in the Garden.

Shawn Michaels and Sid also delivered a memorable Championship match. The Main Event saw, conveniently perhaps, the end of Michaels eight-month run as Champion. "The best eight months of my life," Michaels would later say. Sid "snapped" and unpredictably nailed one-time HBK corner-man Jose Latherio in the chest with a camera, nailed Michaels with the camera and a Powerbomb, on his way to winning his first major Championship amid a wildly positive reaction in New York City.

This was the first show in 1996 where the audience didn't cooperate, so to speak. Fans cheered Austin and Sid. In Austin-Bret, there was an ROH-esquire "Austin (clap, clap)...Lets Go Bret!" chants, leading to . It was a time-changing piece in Austin's run and Bret's turn.

The undercard featured Undertaker-Mankind III, this time with Paul Bearer in a cage and an Executioner (~!...?) run-in. The Rock debuted, as Rocky Miavia, in a Survivor Series match eliminating Crush and Goldust in route to winning the match for his team that also included Marc Mero. Owen and The Bulldog were good in the opener with Furnas & Lafon and the Godwinns.

Sunny came out looking good, Vince danced with her in the jovial-Vince days so it was still funny. The commentary was also exceptional from everyone involved.

What A Great Event!

[Big Movie Fan · 18 June 2002]

The Survivor Series events from 1992-1995 were pretty average. When I watched Survivor Series 1996 I was pleased because it was a return to form for one of my favourite PPV events of the year.

The card was so memorable for so many reasons. Jake "The Snake" Roberts made his first Survivor Series appearance since the 1991 event. The Rock (then known as Rocky Maivia) made his debut and overcome the odds in a heated match. And we also got to see the return of veteran wrestler Jimmy Superfly Snuka.

In addition to the elimination matches we got to see Bret Hart battle Steve Austin in a brilliant match and Sycho Sid and Shawn Michaels assembled an awesome encounter for the WWF Championship.