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WWE Survivor Series 1987 Review: The First Survivor Series

By Eugene Schacht

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Photo Courtesy of WWE.com

Journey back to the first Survivor Series.

Although the event is now a yearly tradition, the first Survivor Series’ evolution was like most of the WWE’s greatest ideas: it was a response to the competition.

Coming off the heels of the record-setting WrestleMania III, wrestling promotions were realizing the profitability of airing events on pay-per-view. Jim Crockett Promotions was one of those promotions, and in 1987—the same year as WrestleMania III—JCP decided to capitalize on the potential by broadcasting the fifth-annual NWA Starrcade on pay-per-view—a first for the event, which was previously distributed via closed circuit.

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At the time, the WWF was only airing WrestleMania on pay-per-view. However, with the news that the NWA and JCP were entering the pay-per-view game, the WWE decided to compete head-to-head with Starrcade on the very same night, and thus the first Survivor Series was born on Thanksgiving Day, 1987.

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To further raise the stakes, the WWF refused to be aired by cable companies that were also planning to air Starrcade. Providers were forced to choose either Starrcade or Survivor Series, with the penalty of choosing the former being the loss of rights to airing WrestleMania IV.

The new event’s premise was simple: a night that emphasized tag-team wrestling, consisting only of elimination matches. With four matches on the card, Survivor Series was headlined by the Wrestlemania III draw of Hulk Hogan vs. André the Giant, except this time around they would each be captaining their own five-man team.

Take a trip down memory lane with our review of the first Survivor Series.

Next: Team Macho Man vs. Team Honky Tonk

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