Hyped matches that didn't happen

[Guest JHawk]

I thought I'd open a thread where we talk about matches that were announced or hyped but never happened.  Obviously, there was the finger poke of doom on Nitro a few years ago, but can anybody think of others?

 

For example, if you listen to the commentary in the Nov. 1986 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event, mention is made several times that the Killer Bees-Hart Foundation match is a "tag team elimination" match, with the implication that the winning team would get a shot at the WWF Tag Team Title.  The Bees won, but I don't remember ever hearing about their subsequent title match.

 

Any accounts of that match ever happening, or other matches that were hyped and never happened, post them here.

[Guest Zack Malibu]

Austin vs. Kane in March of '98 on RAW never happened.  DX attacked Austin before the match, and it wound up with Undertaker cutting a promo on Kane to build to WM14.

 

King of the Ring '97 was originally to be Undertaker vs. Bret Hart, then Undertaker vs. Ahmed Johnson.  About 2-3 weeks before the show, it was changed to Undertaker vs. Faarooq.  

It was also supposed to have Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart and I believe Austin vs. Pillman, but wound up being Shawn vs. Austin in a "tag champs that can't get along" matchup.

 

WWF Superstars was scheduled to have an interview with Lex Luger following Summerslam 95, to see where his allegiance in the Diesel/Bulldog feud lied.  This was never shown, since Luger jumped to WCW in time for the first Nitro.

[Guest krambigmac]

Starrcade 97 had 2 of them, Nash vs Giant didn't happen til Souled Out 98 and the US title match was supposed to be Flair vs Hennig in a cage and then Flair was either injured or "injured" so DDP got the shot with no cage.  I can't think of anymore now but I'm sure I will soon.  

One match that should have been hyped and should have happened would be Steamboat vs Sting for the World title in early 89.  That would have put the asses in the seats but alas, Flair kept getting the rematches...not that I'm complaining about that but I wish Sting had a shot on World Championship Wrestling (Saturday Night before it was named that)

[Guest krambigmac]

Just thought of another.  Canadian Stampede was supposed to have Taker vs Ahmed but that got changed to Vader and HBK was supposed to be in the 10 man tag....Well those are more like substitutes but in the Taker match, it guaranteed a decent match as opposed to Ahmed dragging it down.

[Guest Some Guy]

The "Revenge Of The Taker" PPV, now Baclash, was scheduled to have Sid vs Bret or Austin (I can't remeber which), but it was changed to Bret vs Austin, because Sid had a back injury, which he attributed (in his RF Shoot) to taking Superplexes of the cage day after day in his house show series with Bret.

[Guest JHawk]

Didn't Starrcade 98 also hype Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Scott Hall?  It never happened but I swear they had announced that one.

[Guest Kevin Sullivan Booked My Divorce]

I think you guys are missing the biggest one.  Monday Night RAW:  Stone Cold Steve Austin (w/hand tied behind his back) vs. Vince McMahon.  Either before the bell rings, or right after, Dude Love comes out and attacks Austin.  Austin and McMahon didn't have a rematch I believe until St. Valentine's Day Massacre, quite a few months after said match.  I remember being insanely disappointed, as did the audience given their reaction.

[Guest krambigmac]

I remember one more, Summerslam 97 was supposed to have Sid vs Vader but Sid left the WWF I think.  I can't remember anything he did in the WWF after KOTR 97 but I know the match was announced and it was never mentioned of being canceled.  It's like they were hoping we'd forget.

[Guest]

I don't remember Sid ever being scheduled to face Vader at S-Slam 97, but I believe he was going to be on Austin's team for Canadian Stampede.  He had a car crash from what I remember that also injured Flash Funk, Doug Furnas & Philip LaFon and basically we never saw him in the WWF again after KOTR 97.

 

The biggest blown opportunity had to be Hulk Hogan vs. Ric Flair for WrestleMania VIII.  It had been slowly building since the previous SummerSlam and to my knowledge there was no blow-off other than a few anticlimatic house shows.  Hogan was announced as no.1 contender at the WM8 press conference but then Sid turned heel on him and Randy Savage got the title-shot.  Granted, Flair-Savage was a million times better than Flair-Hogan would have been, but it still ended on a bit of a flat note.

[Guest]

the ultimately unreliable warrior was responsible for a few deflated hype balloons.  

 

survivor series 92 was centred around warrior & savage taking on flair & razor ramon.  warrior left just before the show and as a result mr perfect turned face and came out of retirement.  which was cool.  

 

then at iyh9 in 96, warrior walked out before the much-hyped shawn/warrior/ahmed vs. vader/owen/bulldog six-man tag.  the replacement was a returning psycho sid.  which was less cool.

[Guest spman]

Survivor Series 88 was full of jobbers taking the place of guys who got injured

 

Bobby Heenan replaced Arn Anderson in Survivor Series 89, because Arn was fired just a few days prior to the event

 

WM 7 or 8 I forget which was supposed to have a British Bulldog vs The Beserker Match that got axed

 

WM 9 Was supposed to have Bam Bam Bigelow vs Kamala and Jerry Lawler vs Tenryu, but neither match happened for various reasons

 

We all know about Jerry Lawler getting replaced by Michaels in his much hyped match against the Harts at Survivor Series 93, along with Savage replacing Henning due to Henning walking out on the WWF

 

Royal Rumble 94 was supposed to have Tatanka vs Ludvig Borga, but Ludvig got injured, so Bam Bam took his place

 

WM X was suppposed to have the 10 man tag match IRS, Rick Martel, Jeff Jarrett and The Headshrinkers vs Sparky Plugg, 123 Kid, Tatanka, and the Smoking Gunns, but that was cut due to time constraints

 

and the last I can think of is Summerslam 95 which originally had Shawn vs Sid booked in the Ladder match, but got changed to Razor Ramon for obvious reasons

[Guest nWoScorpion]

It was more common for booking changes to occur (PPV matches) to happen back in say 1992, then now. since they had 3 months inbetween PPV's at the time.

 

We never got a blow off of shamrock/Severn that meant anything i dont think.

[Guest Annoyed Grunt]

Jericho and Shamrock never had their match at Unforgiven '99 due to Shamrock's injury.

[Guest Kahran Ramsus]

Bobby Heenan replaced Arn Anderson in Survivor Series 89, because Arn was fired just a few days prior to the event

 

It was Blanchard that Heenan replaced.

[Guest Some Guy]

Nash vs The Giant at Starcade 97 was pushed as the 2nd biggest match on the card and Nash no showed/was injured/had jobberitis or whatever and it was changed to a Scott Hall promo with Giant kicking his ass.  

 

Hall vs Benoit ladder match Starcade 99 was changed to Benoit vs Jarrett because Hall no showed/got shitfaced/ or whatever.

 

Benoit vs Jarrett Triple Threat Theater Souled Out (I think) 2000 was changed to Billy Kidman vs Malenko, Saturn (I think), and the Wall in a HIAC match because Jarrett had a concusion, Benoit got the title match because Bret against Sid because Bret had a concusion.

 

Wow, WCW was truly a fucking mess and there are probably WAY more.

[Guest JMTapes]

I never heard about Lawler/Tenru (sp?) from Wrestlemania IX, and I kind of consider myself an authority on that time period (early '93). I'm not saying whoever posted that was wrong, and I'd love to hear someone else's opinion, so please, someone jump in. Thanks-Jim

[Guest nWoScorpion]

Tenryu/Lawler was a rumored match on Herbs(?) Wrestling tiblits(sp?) but the match never got any farther then just a thought.

 

Also, Nasties/Beverleys was dropped, and Kamala/Bigelow. from Wrestlemania 9

[Guest JHawk]

I do remember an announcement that Tenryu was definitely scheduled to be at WrestleMania IX, but never heard anything outside of that.

 

Rumor has it that Tito Santana was unaware that his WMIX dark match with Papa Shango was a dark match until a few days before the show, but that could have been hype from the Apter Mags.

 

There was also the Davey Boy Smith-Berzerker match at WMVIII that never happened.  Plus, the Tatanka-Berzerker match hyped for SummerSlam 92 was hyped and took place, but never aired on the PPV, although it aired on Prime Time a few weeks later.

[Guest yomama]

>Nasties/Beverleys was dropped, and Kamala/Bigelow. from Wrestlemania 9

 

When was Nasties/Beverleys announced for WMIX, and when was it dropped?

[Guest dreamer420]

At No Way Out 1998 the main event was hyped to be Michaels, HHH, Road Dogg, and Billy Gunn vs. Austin, Owen, Cactus, and Chainsaw Charlie.  Due to Michael's injury he was replaced by Savio Vega, although we were never told until the show started I don't think.

[Guest nWoScorpion]

Nastys/Beverleys was a match that was likely to happen ( think it might have been mentione in February) but im not 100% sure. Several site sindicate this match was dropped cuse the Nasties were "suspendeD" or somethin.

[Guest dreamer420]

There was also the Davey Boy Smith-Berzerker match at WMVIII that never happened.  Plus, the Tatanka-Berzerker match hyped for SummerSlam 92 was hyped and took place, but never aired on the PPV, although it aired on Prime Time a few weeks later.

Sounds like the Berzerker was seriously held down during his wwf stint.

[Guest Some Guy]

Lawler was arrested for child rape (and later aquitted) and missed the Survivor Series 93 in Boston (I was there).  HBK took his place in the "King's Court" vs The Harts match as a result.

[Guest erotic jesus]

There is also the HHH/Mr. Perfect match from Raw about five years ago...  Of course, they explained that via the screwjob, and then Hennig became Hunter's manager.

 

Also involving Hennig, when he came back to referee WMX, he was supposed to be programmed with Lex Luger afterwards.  I remember seeing him do interviews on Superstars afterward, hyping house show matches.  Did any of these ever happen?

[Guest goodhelmet]

I don't thin kanyone's mentioned this yet. Magnum TA vs. Ric Flair at Starrcade 87 (or 86). I believe the plan was for Flair to put Magnum over but he got into a car crash. Unfortunate.

[Guest Some Guy]

I can't beleive I forgot Starcade 93.  Sid was supposed to beat Vader for the World title, but he decided to try to stab Arn Anderson to death.  Ric Flair replced him, great match for those who don't know.

[Guest RickyB]

Sorry, off topic, but

 

Lawler was arrested for child rape (and later aquitted)

 

Was he really arrested for it?  I heard rumours about this but I didn't know if it was true.  Was this when he was supposed to have slept with a ring rat and she was under the legal age?

[Guest crandamaniac]

Sorry, off topic, but

 

Lawler was arrested for child rape (and later aquitted)

 

Was he really arrested for it?  I heard rumours about this but I didn't know if it was true.  Was this when he was supposed to have slept with a ring rat and she was under the legal age?

He was investigated, i know that much, i dont think he was arrested tho.

 

 

Throwing another miss match in here, Fall Brawl 99, Buff v. Berlyn was changed to Duggan v. Berlyn.  Any way it was still a crappy match

[Guest JHawk]

Also involving Hennig, when he came back to referee WMX, he was supposed to be programmed with Lex Luger afterwards.  I remember seeing him do interviews on Superstars afterward, hyping house show matches.  Did any of these ever happen?

I don't believe so.  The first round was supposed to be the third weekend of April (one of those was in Cleveland, as I had tickets but couldn't go).  Vince McMahon apologized on the air for Hennig no-showing and said something to the effect of "It will be a long time before you see Mr. Perfect in a WWF ring again."

[Guest krambigmac]

Beefcake was the cause of two I just thought of.  He was supposed to win the IC title at S.Slam 88 but Warrior took his place and beat Honky for the belt.  I dunno how come but TV explained it with the Ron Bass incident.  He was also supposed to win the IC title once again in 1990 but his face was smashed by Brian Blair in a parasailing accident and the Texas Tornado took his place to win it from Mr Perfect.