Background

Survivor Series is an annual gimmick pay-per-view (PPV), produced every November by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) since 1987. In what has become the second longest running pay-per-view event in history (behind WWE's WrestleMania), it is one of the promotion's original four pay-per-views, along with WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, and SummerSlam, which were dubbed the "Big Four".^[1] The event is traditionally characterized by having Survivor Series matches, which are tag team elimination matches. The 1991 event was the fifth event in the Survivor Series chronology. It was the first event in which all of the matches were not scheduled as Survivor Series matches. The event included four Survivor Series matches. The only non-Survivor Series match on the card was for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship, which was the first time it was defended at a Survivor Series. The event was scheduled to be held on Thanksgiving Eve on November 27, 1991, at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan.

Storylines

The main event heading into the event was between World Wrestling Federation Champion Hulk Hogan and The Undertaker for the World Wrestling Federation Championship. Hogan reclaimed the World Wrestling Federation Championship at Wrestlemania 7. The Undertaker debuted in the World Wrestling Federation at the previous year’s Survivor Series. Since debuting, Undertaker had yet to be pinned in a televised match (although he did suffer several a handful of pinfall losses at untelevised arena shows). This earned him a shot at Hogan championship billing the match as Hogan’s “Gravest Challenge.”

Ric Flair arrived in the World Wrestling Federation on September 9, 1991 claiming to be the “Real World's Champion”. He debuted carrying the WCW title with him, which he never lost. He immediately began feuding with Roddy Piper. Both men would captain their teams at Survivor Series. Piper had Bret Hart, The British Bulldog, and Virgil while Flair had Ted DiBiase, The Mountie, and The Warlord. There were multiple storylines between the two teams as DiBiase and Virgil traded the million dollar championship since the previous pay per view event, The Mountie was after Bret Hart’s intercontinental championship, and the Warlord and The British Bulldog were currently feuding and would go to be scheduled for the following WrestleMania (although that match would not happen).

Sid Justice was originally scheduled to join the Big Bossman and The Legion of Doom while Jake Roberts was originally scheduled to join IRS and The Natural Disasters. Sid Justice was sidelined due to an elbow injury. Macho Man Randy Savage was campaigning to take Sid’s place due to an issue with Roberts showing up to Randy’s wedding with a cobra snake. Savage would have to be reinstated due to losing at to Ultimate Warrior in a “career match” at WrestleMania 7. At a television taping for WWF Superstars of Wrestling (which would air November 23), Roberts baited Savage into the ring where he would unleash his king cobra snake on Savage. Savage would not be reinstated for the match and Roberts also not be allowed to compete in the match due to his actions.

The Hogan-Undertaker and Savage-Roberts feuds would continue to build toward the WWF's next pay-per-view event, "This Tuesday in Texas."

Survivor Series elimination matches

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