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edgehead69

The What If Topic...

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WCW would of been a hell of a lot better without General Rection, GI Bro, Capt Cajun, That 70's Fat Girl Thrilla Mike Awesome, David Arquette, Oklahoma, KISS Demon, shit-on-a-pole matches, Judy Bagwell, Buff Bagwell, Miss Handcock, etc...

 

What if "fake" IWGP + NWA + ROH were joined to become the Triple Crown of America?

 

That would never happen. There's no reason for ROH to take part in it. People outside of the smark community wouldn't even know what the IWGP title is and the NWA belt is worthless.

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Here is what I don't get about that Jarrett idea. Jerry Jarrett was a redneck Memphis promoter. I have to wonder if he had the proper mentality to put on a national product since a lot of the absurd gimmicks and silliness that got over in Memphis was amusing because it was a local hick promotion.

 

That said we probably at least could have gotten a decent Lawler push out of it, as in him being a serious wrestler and not the Burger King.

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I doubt it, I think Hogan gave it the power and momentum it really needed. He was already in WCW, he was a Superface, then all of a sudden he's turned his back on WCW, not WWF, and the fans to join these outsiders. That's like a General leaving his troops.

 

I heard that there was talk that Sting was originally suppose to be the 3rd man, I think that might have worked, although I'm not sure how the fueds would have spanned out if he had turned heel instead.

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They had an interesting thing going with the Outsiders storyline, but I don't think it would have ever become as successful as it did without Hogan. He was the only name out there that could take it to that next level. Maybe Bret Hart could have done some big numbers, but the success of that angle was as much about Hogan turning heel as it was the NWO invasion.

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Yeah, I think it still would have been successful without Hogan but it wouldn't have been the huge mega successful angle it was. I think WCW was on its way to #1 regardless in the summer of '96 but I don't think it would have been as dominant and #1 for the length of time it was if Hogan didn't join the nWo.

 

 

Hogan's career needed that as well. His career was on life support in early '96. There was really nothing more they could have done with him as face except maybe turn Sting or Savage heel but even then the fans seemed sick and tired of Hogan's babyface act.

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1.What if Bret never got that career ending concussion?

2.What if there was no Iraq war in 1991?

3.What if Vince Russo never left the WWF for WCW?

4.What if the WWF never had to change to WWE?

5.What if Triple H never joined in the MSG incident?

 

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4.What if the WWF never had to change to WWE?

5.What if Triple H never joined in the MSG incident?

 

I'm not so sure either of these would drastically change history. If anything, the WWE switch gave them some national publicity in print and on the news, and gave them some new marketing angles.

 

Triple H was jobbed for a few months, but he did have the IC title 6 months later, and one of those jobs was to his best friend, in a Raw main event, in a early MOTY contender.

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I'm not so sure either of these would drastically change history. If anything, the WWE switch gave them some national publicity in print and on the news, and gave them some new marketing angles.

 

Triple H was jobbed for a few months, but he did have the IC title 6 months later, and one of those jobs was to his best friend, in a Raw main event, in a early MOTY contender.

 

But if Im not mistaken, he was supposed to win the KOTR in '96.

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1.What if Bret never got that career ending concussion? I think Benoit eventually beats him for the title in 2000 and then Bret fades away anyway. The Owen match and the Mayhem match were to show that Benoit was THIS close to beating Bret, and in 2000 he likely would have.

2.What if there was no Iraq war in 1991? I have to wonder. They could have still signed Slaughter and turned him heel, but without the traitor aspect. Even brought in Col. Mustafa to team with him and all that.

3.What if Vince Russo never left the WWF for WCW? This was inevitable since Russo was burning the candle at both ends having to write both Raw and the new SD show. Eventually they might have hired a 2nd guy (Kreski?) and Raw would have been Russo and SD maybe Kreski or whoever. Kinda similar to today actually. WCW would have gone to the Sullivan regime earlier and fallen apart either way, guys would have wanted out, etc.

4.What if the WWF never had to change to WWE? Then they would be WWF and people would like them better.

5.What if Triple H never joined in the MSG incident? In all honesty I don't think HHH winning KOTR would have meant shit. Austin still could have gone against Bret, though I'm not totally sure if the 3:16 bit would have come into play.

 

One thing that people need to realize is that Austin was merely meant to be fodder for Bret's return. At the time I never gave any serious thought to that being some major feud, and I doubt WWF did either. It was just some semi credible heel to feed to Bret, but then it started clicking so they went with it.

 

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We all know that Ric Flair was close to leaving WCW in '98 but I found out a couple days ago (don't know how true this is) that allegedly Flair sent out feelers to ECW about possibly coming in in case he left WCW. Let's say hypothetically this did happen and let's say Flair leaves WCW and joins ECW? What happens? Does Flair fit in ECW? What happens to WCW?

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Let's say Sting vs Hogan went down properly and was the climax of the nWo angle. The storyline is now Hogan wanting his title back but he has problems with Hall and Nash, so like in real life, the nWo splits up. However, instead of WCW still relying on the nWo, Hall and Nash's split into the Wolfpac has no nWo connection and the whole nWo name just fades away as Hogan once again fails to beat Sting for the title. Is WCW able to thrive with new ideas and top storylines, or does the lack of an nWo just cause people to go to the rising Attitude era of the WWF? (I know on one hand, watching Nitro on 24/7 and KNOWING this nWo thing lasts almost until WCW's dying day in various forms makes it somewhat tedious, but in real time I remember being very still into it in 1998 - that's the year I bought an nWo t-shirt from a house show).

 

Scenario 2: Everything up until Starrcade 98 happens (except Hogan's fake retirement, but let's say he's still on a Hogan hiatus for some reason) as it really did, but Goldberg beats Nash. Wolfpac vs Hollywood has a real blow-off instead of the fingerpoke that reunited them. Does WCW manage to thrive (or at the very least stay competitive with the now super hot Fed) and avoid the late 1999 fall apart which led to the early 2000 melt down which led to the 2001 sale, or would they still mess something up later?

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I went to a WCW Saturday Night taping two days after Slamboree '98 and the nWo Vs nWo Wolfpac feud was super super over with the crowd. Even after a three and a half hour taping, the crowd was really hot for the advertised Wolfpac Vs Black and White member main event (Which ended up being Konnan Vs The Giant).

 

 

Contrary to popular belief, the nWo angle was still over in '98 with most of the wrestling audience just not with the IWC (and rightfully so). I just think think WCW dragged it out way too long without having a real ending in mind.

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ok here's one i thought of, what if The Undertaker had stayed in WCW back in the early 1990s would he have become a big star in WCW

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Probably not. I'm not trying to say he didn't deserve it but he's one of those guys that was in the right place at the right time and was given the right character in the fall of 1990. I can't see his career path being any different than Dan Spivey if he had stayed teaming with him in WCW.

 

Here's one I thought of based on 24/7 talk: Would WrestleMania 13 be considered one of the weaker Manias if Austin vs Hart was the world title match? Move for move, match for match, result for result, the show would be exactly the same. No need to ponder if Bret being champion would have stopped him from doing the complaining heel gimmick or if Austin having his big title bout at Mania 13 would have made Mania 14 (the kick off of the Fed's revival) less special. It's just that some shows get great reviews soley for having a great main event and a few decent undercard bouts, I can't help but think if Austin/Hart was the main event, people would rank WM13 much higher.

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Maybe a little bit. It would be known as one of the more mediocre WrestleManias than one of the worst. But that is seriously one shit card outside of that match and the six man street fight (which I've always had a soft spot for and I can't explain exactly why)

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Re: Sid/Sting as the NWO member instead of Hogan.

 

The angle is still a success, but not to nearly the degree it was with Hogan. For a while, it was a great idea, well-executed, and entertaining. Hogan gave it the name recognition to draw a casual fan into it.

 

With someone other than Hogan, it makes WCW lots of money. It does not revolutionize wrestling or Monday nights.

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What if Shawn Michaels quit the WWF in mid 1996 and just dumped/took the title to WCW? Showed up on Nitro in nWo colours and proceeded to trash the WWF.

 

How would the WWF do with an already thin roster?

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I'd say Bret comes back earlier if Shawn leaves town mid-96. If Faarooq doesn't hurt Ahmed (or even moreso, Ahmed stays healthy), he almost certainly gets a program for the title, probably against Vader. Bret Austin is likely pushed ahead a bit, say....Mind Games instead of SurSer, maybe even Summerslam. Let's say this:

 

Let's say Shawn leaves at the end of May. The already scheduled Ahmed-Goldust match for KotR becomes a title match, due to some Beat the Clock challeneges and injuries on Raws leading up to KoTR. Ahmed wins, Pearl River Plunge, 1-2-3, new champ. Goldust retains his IC Title, however. Bret defeats Austin at KotR in his return match.

 

Bret takes Shawn's place in the tag match at International Incident against Camp Cornette, with Austin as special ref. Summerslam features Vader defend successfully against Ahmed, maybe with a little cheating from Camp Cornette. Bret and Undertaker defeat Mankind and Austin as well at the same show. Faarooq also gets a win on the show over a now-pissing-Vince-off Ultimate Warrior.

 

The following night on Raw, Faarooq plays the race card to Ahmed, planting the seeds for a #1 contenders match at IYH: It's Time at the end of September. We'll also see Bret vs Bulldog, Taker vs Austin at IT (just because). Vader's opponent isn't to be named for another two weeks. Mankind's vignettes begin playing the night following Summerslam, and he mentions the loss of his ear from Vader. He turns into a face/tweener, and defeats the Warrior the following week, earning a title shot at IT. At It's Time, Bret and Austin both win, along with Vader and Ahmed.

 

Vader and Ahmed is set for In Your House: Redemption in October. Bret and Mankind face Owen and the Bulldog, and Taker and Faarooq round out the upper midcard at that show. Bret and Mankind get the win, along with the Taker. A rapidly-gaining steam Austin defeats the Warrior in what becomes his last match in the WWF. After Vader wins cleanly over Ahmed, he's beaten down by Faarooq and Vader, but is saved by a returning Sid.

 

Bret and Austin fight to a double DQ on Raw the next night.

 

You know what? Fuck it. I can't do it, at least not this late at night. I hate HBK, but it's tough to imagine how badly things might have been otherwise. We miss out on an excellent Bret-Austin from SS96, a fantastic HBK-Mankind at IYH, and the revolutionary Austin-Bret at WM13. As much as Vader should have had a run, and as much as I would have loved Bret getting the title back at WM13, everything else was much better.

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I think the WWF was going to usurp WCW in 1998 regardless of whatever WCW did, but that said there's no reason why WCW couldn't have still been successful and made money for years to come. They had Goldberg established as a top draw as champ but for whatever reason he just seemed to drift away after he lost the belt and streak. I can't even recall why per se, was he hurt in mid 99?

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I'd say Bret comes back earlier if Shawn leaves town mid-96. If Faarooq doesn't hurt Ahmed (or even moreso, Ahmed stays healthy), he almost certainly gets a program for the title, probably against Vader. Bret Austin is likely pushed ahead a bit, say....Mind Games instead of SurSer, maybe even Summerslam. Let's say this:

 

Let's say Shawn leaves at the end of May. The already scheduled Ahmed-Goldust match for KotR becomes a title match, due to some Beat the Clock challeneges and injuries on Raws leading up to KoTR. Ahmed wins, Pearl River Plunge, 1-2-3, new champ. Goldust retains his IC Title, however. Bret defeats Austin at KotR in his return match.

 

Bret takes Shawn's place in the tag match at International Incident against Camp Cornette, with Austin as special ref. Summerslam features Vader defend successfully against Ahmed, maybe with a little cheating from Camp Cornette. Bret and Undertaker defeat Mankind and Austin as well at the same show. Faarooq also gets a win on the show over a now-pissing-Vince-off Ultimate Warrior.

 

The following night on Raw, Faarooq plays the race card to Ahmed, planting the seeds for a #1 contenders match at IYH: It's Time at the end of September. We'll also see Bret vs Bulldog, Taker vs Austin at IT (just because). Vader's opponent isn't to be named for another two weeks. Mankind's vignettes begin playing the night following Summerslam, and he mentions the loss of his ear from Vader. He turns into a face/tweener, and defeats the Warrior the following week, earning a title shot at IT. At It's Time, Bret and Austin both win, along with Vader and Ahmed.

 

Vader and Ahmed is set for In Your House: Redemption in October. Bret and Mankind face Owen and the Bulldog, and Taker and Faarooq round out the upper midcard at that show. Bret and Mankind get the win, along with the Taker. A rapidly-gaining steam Austin defeats the Warrior in what becomes his last match in the WWF. After Vader wins cleanly over Ahmed, he's beaten down by Faarooq and Vader, but is saved by a returning Sid.

 

Bret and Austin fight to a double DQ on Raw the next night.

 

You know what? Fuck it. I can't do it, at least not this late at night. I hate HBK, but it's tough to imagine how badly things might have been otherwise. We miss out on an excellent Bret-Austin from SS96, a fantastic HBK-Mankind at IYH, and the revolutionary Austin-Bret at WM13. As much as Vader should have had a run, and as much as I would have loved Bret getting the title back at WM13, everything else was much better.

 

The more I think about it, it makes sense. I guess the moment HBK would've left, Bret would be back in an instance.

 

As for Shawn, is it true he tried to go to WCW on three separate occasions?

 

In 1993, contract holdout

1996, wanted to join Hall and Nash to WCW

1997, tried to get fired during that DX run and join the nWo.

 

If Shawn HAD jump to WCW in either of those periods, boy the WWE would be a very different place.

 

In 1993, it would've been no ladder match then.

In 1996 had previously been mentioned.

In 1997, no screwjob then? Since McMahon didn't have to choose between HBK and The Hit Man.

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I can't even recall why per se, was he hurt in mid 99?

 

 

Don't quote me on this but I'm pretty sure he was filming his part in that awful Universal Soldier sequel during the summer of '99.

 

 

He had that dumb injury where he punched through a glass window in December of '99 and was out till June '00.

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What if WCW never "reset"? The big Nitro in April where everyone was stripped of their titles. I wanted Sid to go on a LONG run with the WCW title. He was starting to get comfortable with the title and then he's stripped of it.

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WCW needed that reset. Sullivan's booking reign with the company was, if you can believe it, worse than Russo's.

 

 

And I don't think a long term Sid World title reign is an answer to anything especially to WCW's woes then. And I'm a Sid mark! I would have had Scott Steiner win the title from him at Spring Stampede and given him a lengthy title run till Starcade when he gets beat by Goldberg.

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As crazy as it sounds there was the seed of a decent idea with that Goldberg "Repeat the Streak" angle in late 2000/early 2001. If that was done right here is what you would have had: A dominant Steiner with the WCW title, running through people left and right. Then by Starrcade 2001 you would have a mega over Goldberg who just went through a shitload of people to "repeat" his streak. Of course they immediately fucked it up by having Goldberg lose his career to Luger and Bagwell.

 

Thing is, that's the sort of major long term angle you can do when your company isn't about to go under. WCW needed a much quicker turnaround.

 

Here's a what if along those lines: What if Rob Van Dam signs with WCW in 2000? Would he have been rocketed to the top, used similarly to Lance Storm in the US division, or just buried? A part of me has always wanted to see RVD vs. Goldberg. Maybe I'm crazy but I think that would be a fun match.

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The problem with Goldberg's repeat streak is he had to match his old streak. Which was ludicrous (The announcers even pointed this out-I have some TV on tape from that time period) considering WCW had only about 30-35 guys on the roster and his old streak was IIRC 149 and 0. Meaning he would have had to beat EVERYBODY 4-5 times. I would have had it been if Goldberg lost he would have gotten fired, with no specific number of wins.

 

 

As for RVD, I think he would have probably been competing for the U.S. title and may have been a semi-main event guy and feuded with Jarrett but even in its dying days, I don't see WCW being smart enough to use him as their #1 guy.

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