WWE Survivor Series 1987 Review: The First Survivor Series

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Aftermath and Final Thoughts

Simply put: Survivor Series was a success.

Not only did the show surpass Starrcade’s buy-rate by a landslide, but the show paved the way for the establishment of the other two Big Four pay-per-views, the Royal Rumble and Survivor Series (coincidentally, the inaugural Royal Rumble was held on the same night as NWA’s third Bunkhouse Stampede). And if the ratings weren’t convincing enough, Starrcarde was permanently moved to December to avoid any further head-to-head encounters with Survivor Series.

Sure, in retrospect the quintessential 80’s cheesiness is rife throughout the show, as well some extremely questionable depictions of what exactly constitutes being a good guy versus being a bad guy, but there is also plenty of examples of what the WWE was doing right back in 1987.

For example, on top of the fact that the WWE hasn’t had a twenty-man Survivor Series tag team match in years, if the WWE did decide to pursue that match in this day and age, they’d be hard-pressed to find ten established tag teams to fill the line-up.

And don’t discount a women’s Survivor Series match that featured not one but two pure female tag teams. These days, any alliances between women wrestlers seem to crumble just as quickly as they form.

Next: WWE Survivor Series 2015 Live Review

Take it another step further and think about the last time the WWE held a pay-per-view that only consisted of tag matches. Is today’s WWE Universe even capable of enjoying a show like that?

Who knows. But one thing’s for sure about the inaugural event: nothing can get you more in the mood for this year’s Survivor Series than going back in time and watching the first Survivor Series in history.