David Green
Team Name: The Madness Machine
So the order was given from those in charge; Put together a Dream Team, a stable of superstars to comprise the greatest squad in Survivor Series history. Five men each with their own unique styles, personalities and championship credentials yet who collectively will show their superiority in this ultimate battle of survival. “Pick a captain” the bosses said….someone to ensure all the team members stay on the same page, someone universally respected to lead the team into battle, someone instantly associated with greatness and who can apply a common ethos to the rest of the team. Well that’s what I did. Not just a Survivor Series Dream Team but in simple terms, the greatest collective ever assembled in the history of wrestling. Not just five individuals, but a machine. A Machine of Madness. A Monarchy of Mayhem. A Macho Movement. You can see where we’re going here, yeah? They wanted a Dream Team and man, have you got one here:
Macho Man Randy Savage – TEAM CAPTAIN
Competing in, captaining teams and indeed surviving at each of the first three Survivor Series shows, Randy Savage was the ONLY choice to be the team captain here. The Macho Man appeared in some capacity at the first seven Survivor Series events, opposing and indeed racking up victories over a veritable who’s who throughout the years. Squaring off with the likes of Harley Race at 1987’s show, Ted DiBiase in 1988, Bret Hart in ’89 and Ric Flair in ’92, Savage excelled at this event. Putting in a surprise last-minute appearance at 1993’s edition, he scored a pinfall over a rookie Kevin “Diesel” Nash before his team was eventually victorious. As one of the genuine all-time greats in the history of the sport, do I need any other reason to have him as my first choice? Here however, he captains this team of legends with a little help, enlisting the managerial services once again of his former “Sensational Queen”, Sherri Martel. Truly a fantastic double act in their heyday, Savage and Sherri would no doubt combine all their cunning and powers of persuasion to manipulate and get the most from their assembled allies.
The Undertaker
When you think of one man synonymous with the November supershow, you simply have to be thinking of The Undertaker. Making his debut at the 1990 edition as the mystery partner of Ted DiBiase’s Million Dollar Team, then defeating Hulk Hogan for his first WWF Title exactly one year later, The Deadman’s Survivor Series record is second to none. Captaining “The Dark Side” in 1995 to a clean sweep where he alone eliminated their entire opposition and over the years registering victories over Yokozuna, Mankind and The Big Show amongst numerous other rivals show exactly why he was the first pick behind Randy Savage to be on this team. But there is a twist here; Rather than enter the match in his familiar guise, he joins the squad in his bad guy, American Badass persona. Obviously then, a trouble-shooter for hire to add a bit of brutality to the technical prowess elsewhere on the team; But herein lies the intrigue…Can Big Evil really be a team player, particularly with so many massive egos to contend with? If a team mate were to put a foot wrong, who can say what retaliation The Undertaker would respond with.
Ravishing Rick Rude
Sharing the spotlight on this Dream Team will be former WWF Intercontinental & WCW United States champion Ravishing Rick Rude. Without the impressive Survivor Series pedigree of his team mates, Rude nevertheless is more than worthy of his spot and is widely regarded as one of the greatest performers of his generation. Bringing his usual arrogance and cockiness to the team, on this squad we’ll see him cast off his traditional “Ravishing” persona and show the same aggressive streak he did when spearheading Paul E’s Dangerous Alliance faction before wrestling the WCW International Title away from Ric Flair. The thought of him teaming with another former WCW Heyman charge in The Undertaker is also certain to prove a powerful proposition. Indeed, some have even hinted at a possible return for the mad scientist of wrestling, intimating the whole plan to assemble this team is the work of Paul Heyman. So will this Dream Team also see the appearance of the ECW supremo as the mastermind behind the whole thing?
Mr. Perfect
One managerial mega-power sure to make an impact on this team however is Bobby “The Brain” Heenan and what better way to do that than by enlisting his number-one charge, Mr Perfect onto the team to truly make this a “perfect” Survivor Series Dream Team. Hennig made his WWF pay per view debut at the Survivor Series in 1988 on an awesome Andre The Giant-led group against formidable opposition in the form of Jake Roberts & Hacksaw Duggan, ultimately surviving to have his hand raised in victory. Thus began his “perfect record” which remained undefeated for over 18 months. Taking in another memorable Survivor Series win the following year where he was the show’s MVP, he lastly eliminated Superfly Jimmy Snuka after a superb performance to become that bouts’ sole survivor. And who could ever forget his memorable last minute face-turn on the set of Prime Time Wrestling in 1992 to oppose his former charge Ric Flair and Razor Ramon, thus saving the pay per view’s main event from disaster after The Ultimate Warrior walked out of the company, leaving Randy Savage without a partner mere days before the Thanksgiving Eve spectacular. So now, we see “The Perfect Team” of Savage & Hennig reunited once again to compete on this Survivor Series Dream Team. Absolutely perfect.
Kurt Angle
Lastly, rounding off the team but by no means a make-weight, We‘ll see the 1996 Olympic gold medal winner adding to the team a potent blend of athleticism, solid grappling skills and the same cunning and killer instinct which made him undoubtedly one of the greatest in-ring performers of the last decade. Bringing a more modern approach to this Survivor Series, Angle is all-too familiar with the November spectacular. Captaining teams in 2003 and 2004, he made his WWF debut at the 1999 event before becoming the first man to ever capture The WWF I.C, Euro and Heavyweight belts within his first year on the full-time roster and then capped off his rookie year with a WWF Title defence over The Undertaker. So that begs the question; Will the history between these two put team-unity in jeopardy? As already stated, The Undertaker will be in no mood to suffer any B.S from his fellow team mates, and given the backstory and past conflict between Angle and The Deadman, we’re sure to see a clash of personality here.
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