Is it really a surprise to anyone that Hulk Hogan was the sole survivor at two consecutive Survivor Series pay-per-views? The only real surprise is that it did not happen more often, such as 1987, when most expected him to blow past Andre the Giant for the second time that year and, instead, he was counted out. As a pop culture icon and the biggest star Vince McMahon had ever promoted prior to Steve Austin, Hogan was expected to be in those high-profile situations in which the spotlight was on him and him alone. His first opportunity to bask in the glory of the Survivor Series without Randy Savage standing by his side came in 1989 when, despite captaining one of the best teams of all-time (on paper), Hogan was left on his own to battle the resourceful and cerebral "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase. As was the case with most of the Hulkster's matches at the time, a leg drop ended it and posing commenced. It was a triumphant night for Hogan, who unexpectedly took a backseat to a Superstar he would get to know very well in the months that followed, one that we will get to in a moment. The following year would be more of the same for the former heavyweight champion, who earned sole survivor status for the second consecutive year by way of his elimination of The Barbarian. His elimination of Dino Bravo earlier in the same contest was key. Unlike past years when being sole survivor earned you a few minutes of glory, the 1990 show featured a main event pitting all of the babyface survivors against all of the heel survivors, ensuring that Hogan would have to shake off any and all of the pain and punishment dealt to him by Earthquake if he wanted to win a second match that evening. He did, because he was Hulk FREAKING Hogan, and celebrated with co-survivor The Ultimate Warrior to end the show on a high note. Hogan would make his final Survivor Series appearance in 1991, losing the WWE Championship to some guy named The Undertaker. It was a pretty big deal.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
