Survivor Series (1989) - Event

Event

Before the event aired live on pay-per-view, Boris Zhukov defeated Paul Roma in a dark match. The first Survivor Series match that aired on pay-per-view was the first-ever Survivor Series match to feature team names and the first to have four participants in each team. It was between The Dream Team (Dusty Rhodes, Brutus Beefcake, The Red Rooster and Tito Santana) and The Enforcers (Big Boss Man, Bad News Brown, Rick Martel and The Honky Tonk Man). Originally, Boss Man's tag team Twin Towers partner Akeem was scheduled to be a part of The Enforcers but was replaced by Brown. Rick Martel and Tito Santana, two former Strike Force partners and current rivals began the match. Martel pinned Santana with a roll-up, eliminating Santana, leaving Dream Team with three members. Sapphire made her debut in the audience cheering on Dusty Rhodes. Like the previous year, Bad News Brown walked out on his team after arguing with team captain Big Boss Man and getting counted-out. Enforcers had also three members. Now both teams were having equal members until Brutus Beefcake pinned Honky Tonk Man after a high knee, eliminating Honky and leaving Enforcers with only two members – Boss Man and Martel. Martel entered but failed to eliminate Beefcake. Instead, Beefcake pinned Martel with a roll-up, eliminating him and leaving Enforcers' captain Boss Man as the remaining member. He managed to pin Red Rooster after a Boss Man Slam. He fought the opposing Dream Team's captain Dusty Rhodes. The two captains had a battle with each other, which Rhodes won after he pinned Boss Man with a flying crossbody. Dream Team won with Rhodes and Beefcake as the sole survivors.

The second Survivor Series match was between The King's Court ("Macho King" Randy Savage, Canadian Earthquake, Dino Bravo and Greg Valentine) and 4x4's (Jim Duggan, Bret Hart, Ronnie Garvin and Hercules). Canadian Earthquake was a replacement for The Widowmaker. Hercules and Earthquake began the match. Earthquake hit Hercules an Earthquake Splash and pinned Hercules to eliminate him, leaving 4x4's with three members. Greg Valentine came next against 4x4's team captain Jim Duggan. Duggan used his bigger size on Valentine and hit him with a three-point stance charging clothesline and pinned Valentine to eliminate him, leaving King's Court with three members too. Dino Bravo brawled with Ronnie Garvin. Bravo hit Garvin a side slam and pinned Garvin to eliminate him, leaving 4x4's with two members – Duggan and Bret Hart. Hart used his high-flying ability but fell victim to a Savage Elbow by opposing team King's Court captain Randy Savage. Savage followed by pinning Hart and eliminating him, leaving 4x4's with their captain Duggan. Duggan was able to fend himself against King's Court, who were all three. However, Savage's valet Queen Sherri interfered which distracted Duggan. Duggan went to the outside to chase her and got counted out. King's Court won the match with Savage, Earthquake and Bravo as the sole survivors.

The third Survivor Series match was between The Hulkamaniacs (WWF Champion Hulk Hogan, WWF Tag Team Champions Demolition (Ax and Smash) and Jake Roberts) and Million $ Team (Ted DiBiase, Powers of Pain (The Warlord and The Barbarian) and Zeus). Zeus shoved the referee at 3:21 minute mark, so he was disqualified and got eliminated, leaving Million $ Team with three members. Ax and Warlord battled each other. Ax dominated Warlord until Powers of Pain's manager Mr. Fuji distracted him. Warlord took advantage and pinned Ax to eliminate him, leaving Hulkamaniacs with three members to even the score. Ax's Demolition partner Smash entered the match and Warlord's Powers of Pain partner Barbarian battled it out. Smash tried to take revenge of Ax's elimination from Barbarian but was pinned after a flying clothesline, getting eliminated and leaving Hulkamaniacs with two members – Jake Roberts and Hulk Hogan himself. Warlord and Barbarian double-teamed Hogan, so they were disqualified and eliminated, leaving opposing team Million $ Team's captain Ted DiBiase as the only member from his team remaining in the match. Roberts got the upper hand on DiBiase until DiBiase's manager Virgil distracted Roberts. DiBiase pinned Roberts and put his feet on the ropes for leverage. Hulkamaniacs' captain Hogan was the remaining member of his team. Both captains were now left to battle against each other where Hogan hit a leg drop on DiBiase and pinned him to win the match and becoming the sole survivor for his team.

The fourth Survivor Series match was between The Rude Brood (Rick Rude, Mr. Perfect and The Fabulous Rougeaus (Jacques and Raymond)) and Roddy's Rowdies (Roddy Piper, Jimmy Snuka and The Bushwhackers (Butch and Luke)). The high-flying Jimmy Snuka and Jacques Rougeau began the battle where Snuka hit Jacques with a Superfly Splash and pinned him to eliminate Jacques, leaving Rude Brood with three members. Jacques' brother and Fabulous Rougeaus partner Raymond battled opposing team Roddy's Rowdies' captain Roddy Piper. Piper hit Raymond with a piledriver and pinned Raymond to eliminate him, leaving Rude Brood with only two members – Mr. Perfect and the captain Rick Rude. Perfect had been pushed as an undefeated wrestler since joining WWF in 1988. He pinned Bushwhacker Butch with a roll-up to eliminate Butch, leaving Rowdy's Rowdies with 3 members. Butch's Bushwhackers partner Bushwhacker Luke battled Rude but unluckily, he was hit with a Rude Awakening and got pinned, getting eliminated and leaving Rowdy's Rowdies with two members. Both teams were having two members. Both captains, Rude and Piper battled each other and the captains themselves were counted-out, leaving it to Perfect from Rude Brood and Snuka from Roddy's Rowdies. Snuka used his high-flying techniques on Perfect but was unable to pin him. Perfect hit Snuka a Perfectplex and pinned him to win the match and becoming the sole survivor for Rude Brood.

The main event was a Survivor Series match between The Ultimate Warriors (WWF Intercontinental Champion The Ultimate Warrior, The Rockers (Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty) and Jim Neidhart and The Heenan Family (manager Bobby Heenan, Colossal Connection (André the Giant and Haku) and Arn Anderson). Arn Anderson's Brain Busters partner Tully Blanchard was originally scheduled to be a part of The Heenan Family but he was fired from the WWF on the day of the PPV for failing a drug test, so Bobby Heenan replaced him. At first, only Neidhart, Jannetty and Michaels were introduced for the face team, and as soon as the Rockers entered the ring, Neidhart attacked Heenan while Michaels and Jannetty went after Anderson and Haku. André went after the faces, attacking at will until Warrior ran out, jumped into the ring and, after sending him reeling with a series of clotheslines, knocked André to the floor. André was counted out at the 26-second mark, giving the Warrior's team a quick 4-3 advantage. Later, Neidhart and Anderson were brawling when, after Anderson was knocked to the floor, Haku snuck up from behind and struck Neidhart with a thrust kick to score the pin. Anderson and Haku used a series of double-team moves to wear down Janetty, and eventually Heenan was tagged in to score the easy pin and give the Heenan Family a 3-2 edge. After Haku missed with a flying crossbody, Michaels used a crossbody of his own to pin Haku. At this point, Anderson began showing signs of frustration with Heenan, but still was able to eliminate Michaels after hitting him with an Anderson Drop. Anderson held a short-lived advantage over Warrior, but the beginning of the end for the heels came when Warrior whipped Anderson into Heenan (who was standing on the apron), knocking the latter to the floor. Warrior pinned Anderson after hitting him with a gorilla press drop-big splash combination. As Heenan began regaining his senses and arguing with Anderson, thinking him to be walking out on the match, Warrior snuck around ringside and snuck up on Heenan, who realized what had happened. Warrior grabbed Heenan, whipped him across the ring and after knocking him down with a shoulder tackle, hit him with a big splash to score the pin and become the sole survivor for his team. Warrior, after briefly posing in the ring with his Intercontinental Championship belt, knocked down a groggy Heenan in the aisle, shortly before the PPV signed off.