The 1996 Survivor Series was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) and presented by Milton Bradley's Karate Fighters. It was the 10th annual Survivor Series and took place on November 17, 1996, from Madison Square Garden in the New York City borough of Manhattan, New York. The event centered on the Survivor Series match, a tag team elimination match that pits teams of multiple wrestlers against each other.
The pay-per-view broadcast consisted of six matches, as well as one on the Free for All pre-show. The main event was a standard wrestling match for the WWF Championship. Shawn Michaels defended the title against Sycho Sid, who won the title by pinning Michaels after hitting him with a television camera and performing a Powerbomb. The match was notable for the crowd's unexpected support for the villainous Sid instead of Michaels, an "edginess" that would influence the dawn of WWF's Attitude Era.
The undercard featured three Survivor Series matches: Faarooq, Vader, Razor Ramon, and Diesel versus Flash Funk, Savio Vega, Yokozuna, and Jimmy Snuka, who had been inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame the night before; Marc Mero, Rocky Maivia, Jake Roberts, and The Stalker versus Crush, Jerry Lawler, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, and Goldust; and The Godwinns, Doug Furnas, and Phil LaFon versus The New Rockers, Owen Hart, and The British Bulldog. Also on the undercard was The Undertaker versus Mankind in a standard wrestling match and Bret Hart versus "Stone Cold" Steve Austin in a standard wrestling match to determine the number one contender to the WWF Championship.
The event is notable for the debut of Dwayne Johnson, who wrestled under his original ring name of Rocky Maivia at this event, and would later become known as The Rock. The event also marked Yokozuna's final appearance.
Production Background Survivor Series is an annual professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event, produced every November by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) since 1987, held around Thanksgiving in the United States. In what has become the second longest running pay-per-view event in history (behind WWE's WrestleMania), it is one of the promotion's original four pay-per-views, along with WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Royal Rumble, referred to as the "Big Four",Ian Hamilton. Wrestling's Sinking Ship: What Happens to an Industry Without Competition (p. 160) and was considered one of the "Big Five" PPVs with the addition of King of the Ring in 1993. The event is traditionally characterized by having Survivor Series matches, which are tag team elimination matches that typically pits teams of four or five wrestlers against each other. The 10th Survivor Series event was scheduled to be held on the Sunday before Thanksgiving on November 17, 1996, from Madison Square Garden in the New York City borough of Manhattan, New York.
Storylines Survivor Series consisted of professional wrestling matches involving wrestlers from pre-existing feuds and storylines that played out on Monday Night Raw — WWF's primary television program. Wrestlers portrayed a hero or a villain as they followed a series of events that built tension, and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.
Results
Survivor Series matches
EliminatedWrestlerEliminated byMethodTimeAldo MontoyaThe SultanSubmission3:55Salvatore SincereBart GunnPinfall6:55Bob HollyJustin Bradshaw8:35Justin BradshawJesse James8:46The Sultan9:44Jesse JamesBilly Gunn9:59Billy GunnBart Gunn10:46Bart Gunn
EliminatedWrestlerEliminated byMethodTimeMarty JannettyHenry O. GodwinnPinfall8:12Henry O. GodwinnOwen Hart8:18Phineas I. GodwinnThe British Bulldog9:04Leif CassidyPhil Lafon13:43The British Bulldog17:22Owen HartDoug Furnas20:41Doug Furnas and Phil Lafon
EliminatedWrestlerEliminated byMethodTimeJerry LawlerJake RobertsPinfall10:01The Stalker Goldust12:44Hunter Hearst HelmsleyMarc Mero19:20Marc MeroCrush 20:36Jake Roberts20:54Crush Rocky Maivia23:12Goldust23:44Rocky Maivia
EliminatedWrestlerEliminated byMethodTimeSavio VegaDieselPinfall8:39Razor RamonJimmy Snuka9:28FaarooqN/ADisqualification9:48VaderDieselFlash FunkJimmy SnukaYokozunaNone
Other on-screen personnel Commentators Vince McMahon Jim Ross Jerry Lawler Sunny Jim Cornette Carlos Cabrera Hugo Savinovich Interviewers Kevin Kelly Dok Hendrix Todd PettengillRing announcer Howard Finkel Referees Earl Hebner Tim White Jack Doan Harvey Wippleman Mike Chioda
References
Sources
hoffco-inc.com - Survivor Series '96 review 1996 Survivor Series Results
External links Official 1996 Survivor Series website