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WWF/E Tidbits from the past

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Why did Sid leave the WWF in 1997?

I remembered hearing at the time that he had gotten into a semi-serious car accident and injured his back sometime in late 1997 (he actually came back for one or two RAWs around this time). I don't know whether there is any truth to this.

 

What happened to Wrestlemania VI Rogeau Brothers and Ronnie Garvin?

 

The Rougeaus were out of the company after Royal Rumble and Garvin soon followed. Garvin never was much of a success, but the Rougeaus were being phased out in favour of Rythm & Blues. Jacques would return at the end of year in the first Mountie skits.

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I think there also was something about Warrior's father dying and him missing out on some house shows for the funeral and arrangements and not even bothering to call WWF about it. Sid just wound taking Warrior's place so I'm sure Warrior would have faced The British Bulldog at SummerSlam considering Shawn and friends were at war with Camp Cornette. After that, who knows? I doubt Shawn would have even wanted to work a program with him.

Warrior did cite that as a reason for his leaving, but his father died after he skipped the house shows.

 

Why did Rick Rude leave in 1990?

 

Contract dispute.

 

I remembered hearing at the time that he had gotten into a semi-serious car accident and injured his back sometime in late 1997 (he actually came back for one or two RAWs around this time). I don't know whether there is any truth to this.

 

Sid, Scorpio, Furnas and LaFon were in same car, and Sid was driving. Sid was going at 100mph, and decided that this was the best time to adjust the sun roof.

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Guest Fook
I remembered hearing at the time that he had gotten into a semi-serious car accident and injured his back sometime in late 1997 (he actually came back for one or two RAWs around this time). I don't know whether there is any truth to this.

 

Sid, Scorpio, Furnas and LaFon were in same car, and Sid was driving. Sid was going at 100mph, and decided that this was the best time to adjust the sun roof.

Well no one ever accused Sid of being the sharpest knife in the drawer.

Hell, we could probably make a whole thread of "dumb Sid" stories.

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Any idea why WWE changed the names of the IYH PPVs once they were released on tape even though they already had subtitles?

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Guest Sturgis

Wasn't Ed Leslie DOA when he got to the hospital after getting hit by B. Brian Blair? Not to mention dying 4 times on the operating table?

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Any idea why WWE changed the names of the IYH PPVs once they were released on tape even though they already had subtitles?

Probably because the market for wrestling in 1995-mid 1997 was absolute shit. Plus, Coliseum Home Video was still releasing WWE tapes, and they were quickly pricing themselves right out of the market, as at a time where an overabundance of product was allowing for products prices to be slightly lowered, Coliseum only raised theirs to about $60 a tape.

 

Lower demand + Higher prices = Less video stores willing to purchase.

 

As a result, CHV had to throw two events on one tape, or try to market them with a different name to make the fans think they were getting a special event.

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Guest fanofcoils

If Royal Rumble 92 LOD were arguably in their prime and Royal Rumble 98 LOD were arguably washed up, what would Royal Rumble 95 LOD be if it happened?

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Guest fanofcoils

And what about Wrestlemania VIII Jake Roberts arguably in his prime and Wrestlemania XII Jake Roberts arguably washed up. What would Wrestlemania X Jake Roberts be if it happened?

 

And what about Royal Rumble 92 Ric Flair and Royal Rumble 02 Ric Flair. What would Royal Rumble 97 Ric Flair be if it happened?

 

And what about Royal Rumble 93 Earthquake/Big Bossman and Royal Rumble 99 Tenta/Big Bossman. What would Royal Rumble 96 Earthquake/Big Bossman be if it happened?

 

And what about Summerslam 91 Sid and Summerslam 95 Sid. What would Summerslam 93 Sid be if it happened?

 

And what about Wrestlemania VIII Roddy Piper and Wrestlemania X Roddy Piper. What would Wrestlemania IX Roddy Piper be if it happened?

 

And what about Wrestlemania VIII Ultimate Warrior and Wrestlemania XII Ultimate Warrior. What would Wrestlemania X Ultimate Warrior be if it happened?

 

And what about Summerslam 92 British Bulldog and Summerslam 94 British Bulldog. What would Summerslam 93 British Bulldog be if it happened?

 

Feel free to answer if you care.

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Guest Rrrsh

I think Jake would still have been badass. He was re-introduced with such a sappy gimmick, he was doomed to suck. Even if he couldnt go in the ring, in 96 he still could have been "Old Jake" easy.

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If Royal Rumble 92 LOD were arguably in their prime and Royal Rumble 98 LOD were arguably washed up, what would Royal Rumble 95 LOD be if it happened?

It would have been Hawk wrestling singles with Animal as manager because of his back injury.

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Guest fanofcoils
If Royal Rumble 92 LOD were arguably in their prime and Royal Rumble 98 LOD were arguably washed up, what would Royal Rumble 95 LOD be if it happened?

It would have been Hawk wrestling singles with Animal as manager because of his back injury.

No shit, but if it happened with them healthy, what would it be like? Would they be prime or past prime?

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The original plan for the Bossman/Big Show "ha ha your dad is dead" feud back at the end of 1999 was to lead to the Undertaker returning and feuding with Big Show for the title, I believe, but Taker hurt himself right before he was going to return and had to wait a few months before coming back in May of 2000. And as Big Show didn't get over great as champion, he dropped the belt to HHH, as Vince decided to do HHH vs. Foley at the Royal Rumble instead of HHH vs. Big Show.

 

I believe the original plan for the Undertaker's return was scripted by Terry Taylor, and I remember it as being really weird and "out there" but I don't remember many details...maybe someone can help out?

 

Also, does anyone else remember rumors that Chris Jericho was going to be named "Exacalibur" when he debuted in the WWF?

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"Also, does anyone else remember rumors that Chris Jericho was going to be named "Exacalibur" when he debuted in the WWF?"

 

I had heard Jericho was going to debut with a rock star gimmick, and I believe that was going to be his in-ring name

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I believe the original plan for the Undertaker's return was scripted by Terry Taylor, and I remember it as being really weird and "out there" but I don't remember many details...maybe someone can help out?

I believe the Undertaker was going to flush the Big Show's dad's ashes down the toilet.

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I believe the original plan for the Undertaker's return was scripted by Terry Taylor, and I remember it as being really weird and "out there" but I don't remember many details...maybe someone can help out?

I believe the Undertaker was going to flush the Big Show's dad's ashes down the toilet.

No shit? :lol:

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I believe the original plan for the Undertaker's return was scripted by Terry Taylor, and I remember it as being really weird and "out there" but I don't remember many details...maybe someone can help out?

I believe the Undertaker was going to flush the Big Show's dad's ashes down the toilet.

No shit? :lol:

Yeah, that's right! I remember that now too!

 

The angle was going to culminate at some house party or something, wasn't it? And Taker would return and flush the ashes down the toilet?

 

Wow, they should have done that. :lol:

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Guest Astro
Were the other guys hurt?

I seem to recall Scorpio came back right away, but Furnas was hurt (glass in head) and Lafon got majiorly messed up

 

(Look to a Raw magizine article about 3 months after the accident occured)

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Vader was supposed to win the WWF title from Shawn Michaels but Shawn didn't feel like doing the job. Vader was shunted to the midcard, his career reaching an all-time low when he declared himself to be "just a fat piece of shit" after losing a mask vs. mask with Kane at Over The Edge 1998.

 

Great Sasuke was supposed to be the cornerstone of the Light-Heavyweight division, but Taka got more heat and ol' Masanori was shipped back to Japan. Thanks to this mishap, he still has a career (I read this in S**** K****'s review of Canadian Stampede).

 

Mankind was supposed to win the WWF title from Shawn Michaels (sound familiar?) at Mindgames but Shawn didn't want to job, so he used his backstage clout to get the now-famous DQ finish booked instead (also a tidbit from an SK rant).

 

Road Dogg has executed a moonsault on more than one occasion.

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Vader was supposed to win the WWF title from Shawn Michaels but Shawn didn't feel like doing the job. Vader was shunted to the midcard, his career reaching an all-time low when he declared himself to be "just a fat piece of shit" after losing a mask vs. mask with Kane at Over The Edge 1998.

 

Mankind was supposed to win the WWF title from Shawn Michaels (sound familiar?) at Mindgames but Shawn didn't want to job, so he used his backstage clout to get the now-famous DQ finish booked instead (also a tidbit from an SK rant).

Vader was indeed meant to be in the Sid spot in the Shawn to Sid to Shawn WWF Title program

 

Mankind was never going to win the WWF Title at Mind Games. That one got debunked here a while ago.

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Vader was indeed meant to be in the Sid spot in the Shawn to Sid to Shawn WWF Title program

Hence, the "It's Time" tag for the December '96 IYH.

 

What's the story behind Jimmy Snuka allegedly killing his girlfriend?

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What's the story behind Jimmy Snuka allegedly killing his girlfriend?

SUPERFLY SNUKA AND THE GROUPIE

 

(Samizdat, 1992)

 

By Irving Muchnick

 

For Vince McMahon, the Hundred Million Dollar Man, wrestler Jimmy (Superfly) Snuka made for a challenging tag-team partner. The World Wrestling Federation’s second-most-popular star in the early eighties, Snuka was an illiterate immigrant from Fiji, prone to bouts with the law that threatened his green card, and a drug abuser who often missed bookings. During a Middle East tour in the summer of 1985, fellow wrestlers say, customs officials in Kuwait caught him with controlled substances taped to his body, and he was allowed to leave the country only after some fancy footwork.

 

But Snuka’s near-*Midnight Express* experience in the Persian Gulf was child’s play compared to what happened on May 10, 1983. That night, after finishing his last match at the WWF TV taping at the Lehigh County Agricultural Hall in Allentown, Pennsylvania, he returned to Room 427 of the George Washington Motor Lodge in nearby Whitehall to find his girlfriend of nearly a year, Nancy Argentino, gasping for air. Two hours later, this 23-year-old wrestling fan – who'd worked as a dentist’s assistant in Brooklyn and dropped out of Brooklyn Community College to travel with Snuka – was pronounced dead at Allentown Sacred Heart Medical Center of "undetermined craniocerebral injuries."

 

"Upon viewing the body and speaking to the pathologist, I immediately suspected foul play and so notified the district attorney," Lehigh County Coroner Wayne Snyder told me on a recent trip to Allentown. In ’83, Snyder was deputy to Coroner Robert Weir.

 

Yet no charges were filed in the case, no coroner’s inquest was held, and no evidence was presented to a grand jury. Officially the case is still open – meaning Argentino’s death was never ruled either an accident or a homicide – though the original two-month-long investigation has been inactive for nine years. Under Pennsylvania’s unusually broad exemptions from freedom of information laws, the Whitehall Township Police Department has so far refused my requests for access to the file.

 

Of particular interest would be two documents: the autopsy and the transcript of the interrogation of Snuka immediately thereafter. One local official involved in the investigation, as well as one of the Argentino family’s lawyers, told me the autopsy showed marks on the victim other than the fractured skull. And former Whitehall police supervisor of detectives Al Fitzinger remembered that the forensic pathologist, Dr. Isadore Mihalakis, confronted Snuka to ask him why he’d waited so long before calling an ambulance. Gerald Procanyn, the current supervisor of detectives, who worked on the case nine years ago, maintained that Snuka cooperated fully with investigators after being informed of his right to have a lawyer present, and was accompanied only by McMahon. Another investigator, however, saw things differently; he said Snuka invoked his naïve jungle-boy wrestler’s gimmick as a way of playing dumb. "I’ve seen that trick before," the investigator said. "He was letting McMahon act as his mouthpiece."

 

Another curious circumstance was the presence at the interrogation of William Platt, the county district attorney. According to experts, chief prosecutors rarely interview suspects, especially in early stages of investigations, for the obvious reason that they may become witnesses and hence have to recuse themselves from handling the subsequent trials.

 

Detective Procanyn gave me the following summary of Snuka’s story: On the afternoon before she died, Snuka and his girlfriend were driving his purple Lincoln Continental from Connecticut to Allentown for the WWF taping. They’d been drinking, and they stopped by the side of the road – the spot was never determined, but perhaps it was near the intersection of Routes 22 and 33 – to relieve their bladders. In the process, Argentino slipped on mossy ground near a guard rail and struck the back of her head. Thinking nothing of it, she proceeded to drive the car the rest of the way to the motel (Snuka didn’t have a driver’s license) and, after they checked in, picked up take-out food at the nearby City View Diner. Snuka had no idea she was in any kind of distress until he returned late that night from the matches at the Agricultural Hall. Procanyn said Snuka’s story never wavered, and no contradictory evidence was found.

 

Curiously, contemporary news coverage, such as the front page of the next day’s Allentown Morning Call, made no mention of a scenario of peeing by the roadside; it focused, instead, on the question of whether Argentino fell or was pushed in the motel room. Nine years later the reporter, Tim Blangger, vividly recalled that at one point in his interview of Procanyn, the detective grabbed him by the shoulders in a speculative reenactment of how Snuka might have shoved the woman more strongly than he intended.

 

Procacyn also claimed to have no knowledge of any subsequent action by the Argentino family, except for a few communications between a lawyer and D.A. Platt over settling the funeral bill. In fact, the Argentinos commissioned two separate private investigations, and it’s difficult to believe that Procanyn was unaware of them. The first investigator, New York lawyer Richard Cushing, traveled to Allentown, conducted extensive interviews, and aggressively demanded access to medical records and other files. "It was a very peculiar situation," Cushing told me. "I came away feeling Snuka should have been indicted. The police and the D.A. felt otherwise. The D.A. seemed like a nice enough person who wanted to do nothing. There was fear, I think, on two counts: fear of the amount of money the World Wrestling Federation had, and physical fear of the size of these people."

 

Even so, Cushing declined to represent the family in a wrongful-death civil suit against Snuka. The lawyer cited the fact that Snuka and Argentino weren’t married, that they didn’t have children, and that she wasn’t working, which would make it difficult to establish loss of consortium. "Moreover, Vince McMahon made it clear to me that her reputation would be besmirched. As a lawyer, I had to determine if a contingency [fee] was in order; my business decision, not my moral judgment, was no. The family wasn’t pleased. They had a typical working-class family’s anger that justice wasn’t done."

 

Through the generosity of Nancy Argentino’s father’s boss, the family then retained a Park Avenue law firm. The report filed by its private investigator shows that Snuka was as creative outside the ring as he was inside it. To the Whitehall police officer who responded to the first emergency call, Snuka said "he and Nancy were fooling around outside the motel room door when he inadvertently pushed Nancy and she fell striking her head." An emergency room nurse heard him state that "they were very tired and they got into an argument resulting in an accidental pushing incident. Ms. Argentino fell back and hit her head." In the official police interrogation, Snuka first floated the peed-on-the-roadside theory. Finally, in a meeting with the hospital chaplain, he said he and Argentino had been stopped by the side of the road and had a lovers’ quarrel: "He accidentally shoved Ms. Argentino who then fell backwards hitting her head on the pavement. They then arrived at the motel and went to bed. The next morning Ms. Argentino complained that she was ill and stayed in bed…. When he came home from the taping, he observed that Ms. Argentino was clearly in bad shape."

 

In 1985, the Argentinos obtained a $500,000 default judgment against Snuka in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia. The family never collected a dime; Snuka’s lawyers withdrew from the case, stating that they hadn’t been paid, and Snuka filed an affidavit claiming he was broke and unemployed and owed the IRS $75,000 in back taxes. Since ’83, the 49-year-old Snuka has been in and out of rehab centers and has wrestled off and on both in Japan and throughout this country. His original WWF stint extended two and a half years past Argentino’s death; his most recent ended earlier this year. According to the wrestling grapevine, he’s now trying to promote independent shows in, of all places, Salt Lake City, but my efforts to track him down there were unsuccessful.

 

Proving negligence, of course, is different than proving involuntary manslaughter or murder. But critics of the criminal investigation find fishy the failure of the police to examine seriously Snuka’s history of drug abuse and violence against women. Former wrestling great Buddy Rogers, who’d been hired by McMahon to serve as Snuka’s TV "manager" and to get him to important matches on time, said he stopped driving with the Superfly after he brazenly snorted coke when they were in the car together. "Jimmy could be a sweet person, but on that stuff he was totally uncontrollable," said Rogers, who was also Snuka’s neighbor on Coles Mill Road in Haddonfield, New Jersey. Snuka’s wife, with whom he had four children, befriended Rodgers’ wife. "Jimmy used to beat the shit out of that woman," Rogers said. "She would show up at our house, bruised and battered. But she couldn’t leave him – he had her hooked on the same junk he was using."

 

Nancy Argentino’s younger sister remembered once being threatened by Snuka when they were alone at the family’s home in Flatbush. "I could kick you and put my hands around your throat and nobody would know," he allegedly said. After Nancy’s death, family members said, they received a series of phone calls from a woman who identified herself as a former Snuka girlfriend who’d tried to warn Nancy away from him. Snuka, said the woman, had once broken her ribs, and had a thing about pushing women back against walls.

 

Finally, there was the incident involving Snuka and Argentino at a Howard Johnson’s in Salina, N.Y., outside Syracuse, just three months before Allentown. The motel owner, hearing noise from their room, called the police, who found Snuka and Argentino running naked down the hallway. It took eight deputy sheriffs and a police dog to subdue Snuka. Argentino sustained a bruise of her right thumb. Snuka pleaded guilty to violent felony assault with intent to cause injury, received a conditional discharge on counts of third-degree assault, harassment, and obstruction of a government official, and donated $1,500 to a deputy sheriffs’ survivors’ fund. Whitehall police later decided this was all the result of "a nervous desk clerk," Detective Procanyn told me.

 

* * *

 

According to attorney Cushing, McMahon made a remark at one point in their discussions that was at once insightful and chilling. "Look, I’m in the garbage business," the promoter said. "If you think I’m going to be hurt by the revelation that one of my wrestlers is really a violent individual, you’re mistaken."

 

Six months after Nancy Argentino died, the Village Voice ran a prescient article entitled "Mat Madness" by the late columnist Arthur Bell, weather vane of the lower-Manhattan gay-arts demimonde. After attending a Madison Square Garden show headlined by a bout between Superfly Snuka and The Magnificent Muraco, Bell, who knew next to nothing about wrestling, commented on the spectacle’s graphic references to bodily functions and on its barely sublimated undercurrents of sexual dominance and sadomasochism. "Take my word," Bell declared, "by the end of 1984 wrestling will be the most popular sport in New York since mugging." He concluded with a vignette at the Garden stage exit, where a swarm of fans, led by a woman named Bea from West Orange, converged to taunt the wrestlers as they emerged in their street clothes.

 

"Hey, Superfly," Bea shouted to Snuka. "You goddam fuckin’ murderer. When are you gonna kill another girl?"

 

-0-

 

THE NEW WAWLI (Wrestling

 

Credit - http://www.wrestlingclassics.com/wawli/New161-170.htm

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Guest Astro

On a related note, what became of Jimmy Snuka jr? I thought he was to become the Arab heel?

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Dave Meltzer about Backlund what I found interesting

 

"Bob's crying was not meant for a heel turn. He cried in 1982, which started turning people against him, right or wrong. It was suggested to Bob in the summer of 1984 to bleach his hair and turn heel for a program with Hogan, he refused, and was fired."

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Just to summarise what's been mentioned so far (with a couple of my own - #3 and #5 - added in...)

 

1984

1. Bob Backlund was fired for refusing to turn heel and feud with Hulk Hogan.

 

1988

2. Ric Flair was supposed to be the guest on the Brother Love Show at SummerSLam 88, but the deal went sour. (Flair was replaced by Jim Duggan.)

 

1989

3. Tully Blanchard was sacked the day of Survivor Series ’89 and replaced in the elimination match by Bobby Heenan. Blanchard’s tag partner, Arn Anderson left soon afterward.

 

1990

4. Mr. Perfect was booked to win the 1990 Royal Rumble, but Hogan audibled that call and put himself over.

 

1991

5. The venue for WrestleMania 7 was moved. WWF claimed this was due to security concerns for Sgt Slaughter (who was involved in an Iraqi sympathiser role) but it actually turned out that WWF realised they were not going to be able to sell enough tickets at the original venue.

 

1992

6. Early WrestleMania 8 booking had Legion Of Doom vs Money Inc. in a street Fight, a Hacksaw Jim Duggan/Sgt Slaughter vs Natural Disasters match and a British Bulldog vs Berzerker match.

7. Bret Hart considered moving to WCW in 1992, but could not due to a clause in his contract.

8. The Ultimate Warrior quit WWF shortly before Survivor Series ’92, as he did not want to work a program against Nailz. (Nailz was later fired for attacking Vince McMahon backstage.)

 

1993

9. In Royal Rumble ’93, bookers had to ensure than Max Moon and Tatanka were not in the ring at the same time, as Tatanka’s wife was having an affair with Max Moon.

10. WrestleMania 9 was to include Bam Bam Bigelow vs Kamala.

11. Randy Savage replaced Mr. Perfect at Survivor Series ’93 as Curt Hennig was having problems with a fan harassing his family.

 

1994

12. The Undertaker was booked to win the WWF title from Yokozuna (whose doctor had been advising him to get into better shape) at Royal Rumble ’94 then drop it to Ludwig Borga soon after, with the intention being for Borga to face Bret Hart at WrestleMania. However, Undertaker had to be written out of the storyline due to a severe back injury. Yokozuna ignored his doctor and carried on wrestling. Ludwig Borga suffered a serious ankle injury and was released by the WWF.

13. Lex Luger was booked to win the WWF title at WrestleMania 10, but was talking about it loudly in a bar the night before the event. This was overheard by a newspaper reporter who printed the story the next day. As such, Yokozuna defeated Luger at the PPV.

14. WrestleMania 10 had a 10 man tag match removed. Also, Earthquake was meant to wrestle Ludwig Borga, but ended up wrestling Adam Bomb.

 

1996

15. At Royal Rumble 1996, some of the other people that were asked to participate in the Royal Rumble were The Ultimate Warrior, Dan Severn (an Ultimate Fighting contender), Peter McNeeley (that dumb guy that Mike Tyson knocked out in the first round of Tyson's return), Rick "The Model" Martel, and Sabu. Sabu apparently had even set up his own elimination. Before withdrawing his name from the Rumble, he had decided that he was going to eliminate an opponent, slide under the bottom rope, and place the opponent on a table. He was planning to sprint across the ring, do a moonsault over the top rope, and smash the opponent through the table.

16. Steven Richards and Perry Saturn almost jumped from ECW to WWF in 1996.

17. The original plan for Mind Games was Shawn Michaels/Jose Lothario vs Vader/Jim Cornette. As no one really cared about Lothario, it was eventually changed to Michaels vs Mankind.

 

1997

18. The original plan for King Of The Ring ‘97 was Bret Hart vs Shawn Michaels with all Hart Foundation members chained outside to a the ring posts. If Hart could not beat Michaels in 10 minutes or less, he wouldn't wrestle in America again. According to Dave Meltzer, the original plan was for Hart to beat Michaels by catching him trying the Sweet Chin Music and "breaking his ankle" with a gimmicked boot. But Bret was hurt, so they changed it to Michaels vs Steve Austin instead. (The night after the PPV, Hart and Michaels had their infamous backstage brawl.)

19. Shawn Michaels was scheduled to job to Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13 (to return the favour for Hart’s job to Michaels at WrestleMania 12.) Michaels refused and vacated the title instead (claiming he “lost his smile”) and did not appear on the WrestleMania card. Hart wrestled Steve Austin, whilst the main event was Sycho Sid vs The Undertaker.

20. Shawn Michaels was supposed to job the title to Vader at SummerSlam ’97, but refused. Vader’s career spiralled downwards, with him eventually saying during No Way Out ’98 “I’m just a fat pile of sh!t.”

21. The Great Sasuke was planned to be the cornerstone of the Lighthevyweight division, but Taka Michinoku got more heat, so Sasuke returned to Japan.

22. Plans for Bret Hart if the Survivor Series ’97 screwjob had not happened: Hart would have beaten Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series, and then Michaels would have won the title in a four way at the December PPV (Degeneration-X) that would also have included The Undertaker and Ken Shamrock. Michaels would then beat Hart in a ladder match at the Royal Rumble. The next night, Hart would come out and make one last challenge to Michaels, putting his career on the line, and beat him for the belt. Then Hart would drop the title to Steve Austin at Wrestlemania.

23. The plan presented to Bret Hart, under the guise of wanting him to stay, but in reality getting him to leave, was to lose to Michaels at Survivor Series, lose at the December In Your House PPV as part of a Fatal Four-Way, lose to Michaels in a ladder match at Royal Rumble ‘98, beat Michaels the next night on Raw where he would say he'd retire if he didn't win, and then drop the strap to Steve Austin at WrestleMania 14. Of course, seeing four major losses in a row, with only one win, Hart naturally declined.

 

1998

24. Prior to WrestleMania 14, Shawn Michaels was putting up a lot of fuss over having to job to Steve Austin, and was openly talking about not doing it. The Undertaker was in the gorilla position, taping his fists up, and flat out told Michaels he was either doing the job in the ring, or he'd be doing one for real once he got backstage.

 

1999

25. Plans in 1999 were to have a "Gates of Hell" match at Summerslam, with either The Rock vs Undertaker or The Big Show vs Undertaker. The match was to have an opening in the center of the ring that would open every minute or two, and you would have to shove your opponent into the pits of fire to win.

26. Test was originally booked to beat HHH for the title on RAW in 1999, but Vince McMahon changed his mind at the last minute and had HHH retain.

 

2000

27. The original plan for the WrestleMania 2000 main event was Steve Austin vs The Big Show – this was the plan from the moment Paul Wight was signed. (Steve Austin was injured at the time of the event.)

 

2001

28. Shawn Micheals was originally going to be a part of the last or second to last Raw before WrestleMania 17. Michaels was meant to do an angle with HHH, and it would eventually lead to Michaels costing HHH his match with Undertaker at WM 17, which would then lead to HHH vs Michaels at Backlash ‘01. This was to happen on the Raw in question, but the segment got bumped due to timing, and Shawn threw a fit. The next day at Smackdown, when they were going to shoot the angle there, Michaels showed up out of his skull on something, and they sent him home.

29. One Man Gang was originally going to wrestle as Akeem in the gimmick battle royale at WrestleMania 17, however he had lost too much weight and no longer fit into the costume.

30. HHH’s quad tear in May 2001 changed the booking for the summer PPV’s. The original plan for King Of The Ring ‘01 was Steve Austin vs Chris Jericho and HHH vs Chris Benoit. This was changed to Austin vs Benoit vs Jericho. The original plan for SummerSlam ‘01 was for Austin to defend his WWF title against HHH. Instead Austin defended against Kurt Angle.

 

2002

31. Vince McMahon wanted to wrestle a Panda on a UK PPV just to mess with the other WWF during the lawsuit between the two companies.

32. The original main event for Wrestlemania 18 was Steve Austin vs. HHH (heel vs. face) for the WWF title.

33. The original plan was for Kevin Nash to wrestle Triple H at SummerSlam ’02. Nash tore his quad by walking and Shawn Michaels wrestled his comeback match in his place

34. WWE wanted Hulk Hogan to come back and face Brock Lesnar to get revenge for Lesnar injuring him in the summer of 2002. However, they wanted Hogan to job and he didn't want to come back just to lose again, so they went with Lesnar vs The Big Show.

 

2003

35. HHH refused to job to Booker T. at WrestleMania 19, stating that if he was going to drop the Raw Title to Bill Goldberg at Bad Blood ‘03, which was the original plan, then a short term title change to Booker would take the shine off of Goldberg's big win.

36. The WWE signed the wrong one legged wrestler when they originally courted Zach Gowen.

 

2004

37. The triple threat at WrestleMania 20 between Chris Benoit, Shawn Michaels and HHH was originally going to be a ladder match.

 

Something else? I think I read something somewhere about Sgt Slaughter being fired in the 1980's for trying to set up a wrestler's union. Anyone know anything about that?

 

Cheers.

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