10 Things You Learn From Watching 1996 On WWE Network

1. Survivor Series Was Arguably The Most Important Show Of The Year

Stone Cold Steve Austin
WWE.com

Held in Madison Square Garden, the 1996 Survivor Series was one of the better pay-per-view presentations of the entire year. On the surface, the show is fun to look back on due to a better-than-expected headliner between Shawn Michaels and Sycho Sid (during which Sid bags the WWF Title) and a superb brawl between Bret Hart and Steve Austin.

Scratch just beneath that surface though and the card has so much more to offer. In one of the traditional elimination bouts, a fresh-faced Rocky Maivia makes his debut and becomes the 'Sole Survivor' in his match. Eventually, Maivia would blossom into The Rock.

Elsewhere, The Undertaker and Mankind work wonders once again. There's so much going on at Survivor Series, it tops the Royal Rumble, WrestleMania XII, King Of The Ring, and SummerSlam for sheer historic impact and as a standalone spectacle.

Maivia's debut, Austin coming into his own as a genuine headliner, and the end of the road for Shawn Michaels as WWF Champion all combine to make Survivor Series the most important pay-per-view of the year.

It's strange then that it's one often overlooked when people discuss the best of 1996.

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What other observations have you made when watching WWF pay-per-views from 1996 on the WWE Network? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments section below!

Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.