I was listening to an episode of Something To Wrestle..with Bruce Prichard, about the 1987 Survivor Series. More times than not, I disagree with Prichard about something. Mind you, he's been in the business and I never have. However, often times he defends some of the dumbest things, especially if they were his ideas, and really comes off like he's kissing Vince McMahon's ass. For instance, Prichard believes that the Red Rooster was a good gimmick and the only reason it didn't work is because Terry Taylor didn't put his effort into it. I think it's a dumb gimmick no matter what! I can't blame Taylor for disliking it. Moving on, as I was listening to this, Prichard said something about how he disliked the 1987 Survivor Series main event due to what happened between Hogan and Andre, as well as thinking it didn't do anything for Bam Bam Bigelow.
The main event was in response to the epic showdown Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant had at WrestleMania III. Hogan led a team of Ken Patera, Bam Bam Bigelow, "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff, and Don Muraco, who was a replacement for Superstar Billy Graham. They took on Andre the Giant, Ravishing Rick Rude, King Kong Bundy, One Man Gang, and Butch Reed. I'll start from the moment Andre's team was up 3-2 against Hogan. Andre had the two biggest men still there, in Bundy and Gang, whereas Hogan had only Bigelow by his side. Bigelow found himself alone with Andre but was able to make the tag to Hogan. During the scuffle, Bundy dragged Hogan out of the ring, as he and Gang prevented Hogan from getting back into the match and he got counted out. Because Hogan was a bit of a crybaby, he came back to the ring to battle Andre's team and was told that if he did not leave the ring, Andre's team would automatically win.
Before I get to my main point, I'll start with one of the things Prichard did not like, which was the entire Hogan/Andre confrontation. He says that Hogan getting eliminated the way he did was dumb and that it was a poor choice to do that as the rematch of sorts between Hogan and Andre. While yes, it would have been nice to have Andre pin Hogan in the ring, it was the heyday of Hulkamania, and the official rematch was to take place a few months later. I was perfectly okay with the way Hogan was eliminated. It kept the feud going, in my opinion, having nothing resolved. Sure, Hogan came off like a cry baby but the fans were still with him. It kept Hogan out of the match and gave Andre some glory for a change.
The ending sequence, following Hogan's elimination and banishment, is something else Prichard did not like. He claims it did nothing for Bam Bam Bigelow. That's where I disagree! I think this absolutely made Bam Bam Bigelow. While nothing came from it and he left the company midway through 1988, that was more on the company and creative, not so much on him. While he wasn't the best promo out there, his intimidating presence and popularity should have made him a bigger star at that point in time. Back to my point, the future results notwithstanding, this match did a lot for Bigelow. It came down to Bam Bam all alone against the three largest men in the WWF, King Kong Bundy, One Man Gang, and the biggest of them all, Andre the Giant. I should point out that Bigelow was not a small man. He weighed close to 400 lbs and stood about 6'4. However, compared to his opponents, especially Andre, he was dwarfed. Bigelow was able to survive Bundy and Gang, miraculously eliminating the behemoths. Right here, Prichard also points out that Bigelow was gassed at this point. Honestly, him being gassed added to the story here, as he was exhausted from the task of eliminating two huge men like that. He was so tired that he fell short to Andre the Giant, who won the match for his team and became the sole survivor. The effort put forth by Bigelow, eliminating two men before ultimately succumbing to Andre, was brilliant, in my opinion.
One thing I do agree with Prichard on is when Hogan came back after the match to attack Andre, as he thought it didn't make Hogan look good. Just like earlier when Hogan was being a crybaby for getting counted out, he again came off petty. However, as Prichard remembers during that time of Hulkamania, Vince McMahon always wanted Hogan to come out and pose, no matter what, which Prichard disagrees with. For once, we're on the same page on that one.
Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention what happened next in Hogan and Andre's story. The rematch was set for the Main Event in February of 1988. Meanwhile, the "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase had been trying to purchase the WWF Title from Hogan, who refused to sell it. During the match, the referee turned out to be Earl Hebner, twin brother of regular referee Dave Hebner, who was paid off by DiBiase to make a fast count, therefore rendering Andre the Giant the new WWF Champion. From there, Andre proceeded to sell it right then and there to DiBiase. Weeks later, WWF President Jack Tunney said no one could buy the Championship and declared it vacant, setting up a tournament to culminate at WrestleMania IV, in which the Title was won by "Macho Man" Randy Savage. Things took a slight twist here, as Hogan and Andre's match in the tournament ended in a double count out. Hogan and Savage, the Mega Powers, ended the things between Hogan and Andre, when they defeated Andre and DiBiase at 1988's inaugural SummerSlam.
The bottom line here, despite what may or may not have been the best use for the Hogan/Andre story, is that the ending sequence of the main event of the 1987 Survivor Series, was a fantastic way to showcase Bam Bam Bigelow. He was deemed important enough to participate in the WWF Championship tournament at WrestleMania. Had he stayed a little longer, he could have come out on top in his feud with Slick's men, Butch Reed and the One Man Gang. Bigelow could have even been a serious threat to the Honky Tonk Man's Intercontinental Championship. Even though those things did not happen, Bigelow came off great from his time in the Survivor Series.
If you have any further thoughts on this topic, let me know in comments. Heck, let us all know on The WAR Report podcast, every Tuesday at 7PM EST on YouTube, brought to you by tagmeadate.com, the first and only dating site for wrestling fans. Go to askthewarreport@gmail.com or #askthewarreport. For TagMeADate members, our Android and Apple apps are vastly approaching so stay tuned!
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