10 Fascinating WWE Survivor Series 1987 Facts
A Thanksgiving tradition was born 30 years ago.
It may lack the majesty of WrestleMania, the drama of the Royal Rumble, and the big-fight feel of SummerSlam, but the fourth leg of WWE's core pay-per-view package is steeped in quite a rich history. The Survivor Series concept has lost some of its previous luster, but for long-time fans, it remains a cherished part of their nostalgia diet.
When one thinks of the greatest Survivor Series' ever, the original incarnation almost always tops the list, and for good reason. Four elimination matches took place, each representing the different championship scenes. The opener was a fast-paced affair pitting IC Champion Honky Tonk Man and his team against Macho Man Randy Savage and other babyfaces that Honky had wronged. The next match featured an assortment of women wrestlers from the singles and tag team divisions (yes, WWE used to have Women's Tag Team belts) duking it out, and it was the best women's match on WWE pay-per-view for many years.
After that, perhaps the greatest elimination match in company history saw five babyface tag teams and five heel counterparts square off in a match where strategy and creative double-teaming prevailed. That paved the way for a highly-anticipated main event pitting teams captained by WWE Champion Hulk Hogan and nemesis Andre the Giant.
Survivor Series 1987 ranks among the greatest WWE pay-per-views ever. If you haven't seen it, treat yourself to sports-entertainment at its finest.
Here are ten facts about Survivor Series 1987 you may not have known.
10. It Was Meant To Screw With Starrcade
Throughout the 1980s, Vince McMahon's aggressive expansion of his WWE empire led to the demise of many a wrestling territory. By 1987, the remaining competition consisted of wounded ducks like Bill Watts' UWF and Verne Gagne's AWA, as well as a formidable superpower in Jim Crockett, who promoted under the NWA banner.
Starrcade was one of Crockett's flagship events, and took place every year on Thanksgiving, from 1983 to 1987. The 1987 edition was to be the first to air on pay-per-view, and that's when McMahon smelled blood.
By September 1987, it was announced that McMahon would be running his own Thanksgiving Day pay-per-view entitled Survivor Series, his way of muscling up to his chief competitor. With two pay-per-views taking place the same day, how would the situation play out?