10 Worst WWE Survivor Series EVER - According To Dave Meltzer

9. Survivor Series 1989 (2.31)

the rock mankind survivor series 1998
WWE

Though a two-star average for a late-1980s WWE pay-per-view is pretty good going for a Dave Meltzer rating, the 1989 Survivor Series rarely tiptoes in technical excellence thanks to succeeding in its dual purpose of promoting Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior as the biggest stars on the planet.

Having just about gotten Zeus out of his system as he prepared to enter a brand new decade, Vince McMahon had decided upon his WrestleMania babyface superclash, and used the elimination match layout to give fans lashings of both men to gage fan support a few months in advance.

The booking of each perhaps foreshadowed the direction of McMahon's gaze at the time. Ultimate Warrior was a dominant leviathan captaining his team to victory over a crumbling Heenan Family in the evening's topliner, all rampage and rage. Hogan meanwhile effectively squeaked past Ted Dibiase's team after questionable disqualification decisions saw Zeus and The Powers Of Pain auspiciously eliminated.

'The Hulkster's fight from underneath was as gripping as always, but his guts and determination suddenly didn't look on the level of his face-painted future foe.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett