Fix the wrestlemanias (WWF alternate history)

[matbro1984]

Aye, I can see it working for many reasons, but I can't imagine anyone at the WWF going for it. Purely out of interpromotional pride, as the result (regardless of chicanery or Warrior comebacks) makes NWA/WCW look like they had the better champion all those years.

On the other hand, they booked Flair ultra-strong in the Royal Rumble and made a tremendous fuss about him winning it from number 3.

 

I don't think its an enormous jump to go from this to beating Hogan at Wrestlemania with a bunch of cheating interference from Mr Perfect. If anything, that would diminish the aforementioned Rumble performance where he won it fair and square. (The booking of the closing moments of the Rumble are a whole other can of fantasy booking worms)

[IANdrewDiceClay]

Also theres some guff in a DVD somewhere where Mean Gene says that their matches weren't meeting expectation or something along those lines.

Jerry Brisco I believe said Flair wasnt living up to expectations (which would confuse anyone who watched the Flair DVD they released during his retirement period). I think they said that to bury him though. Although, there is a few stories of Vince shouting at Flair and telling him he was shit. He blamed him for fucking up a match with Randy Savage and made him redo it. Scott Hall also tells a story where Vince would say to him "your lucky you have a job after that" when he came back through the curtain. I might have been like what Jericho says in his book. Where he'd been bigged up for so long, when Vince had him he didnt know what the fuss was.

 

I remember Sid was going to be their next man though, so it might have just been like when they decided to fuck Randy Orton off for Batista in 2005. He might have thought the old trick of Big Man vs. Hogan would draw more.

[sgmilne]

I'd have almost completely rebooked Wrestlemania 12 as well...

 

... (the exact same card with only one match change, a change of opponent, and two new matches tacked on)...

 

"Completely rebooking it" is giving yourself a bit too much credit there pal.

 

Well, I wrote that before I decided to come up with the matches. But I wasn't 'giving myself credit' anyway.

[King Pitcos]

Well the ending of the Rumble was Hogan-Sid, really. Flair got to shine throughout the match, but he only won because of Sid's backstabbing and Hulkster's ted pettiness.

[matbro1984]

Well, I wrote that before I decided to come up with the matches. But I wasn't 'giving myself credit' anyway.

 

Book Warrior v HHH as the Iron Man match. Now that would have been different.

[andrew "the ref" coyne]

I'd have had Booker beat Hunter at Mania 19, he could have lost it later. I think he needed the win more, it took him years to recover and pretty much killed him as a babyface headliner.

 

Great shout, forgot about that. Utterly disgraceful from start to finish, that was. If I could wish AIDS to befall any wrestler from any time, HHH between Wrestlemania 18 and 20 would be the deserved winner. What a bloated awful shit. Gets me cross just mulling it over.

 

I always find it odd that I seem to be the only man who loves that match.

 

I thought the psychology was ace, and its rare to see the psychology make such perfect sense. Booker hurts his legs, Triple H works the leg, Booker gets a strong showing, goes for his finish, but stumbles due to his injury, HHH hits the pedigree and wins the match. It was a (relatively) clean victory and in my opinion deserves recognition as a solid bout.

 

Now I know a lot of people bitch about the time gap between the pedigree and the pin. But (a) hindsite is a wonderful thing and (b) lets be honest HHH was damned if he did and damned if he didn't. If he waited (as he did) it made Booker look weak. But if he pinned him straight away instead, Triple H would of no sold ALL of Booker T's offense.

 

Now as a Booker T fan, yeah I wanted him to win. But then ultimately wrestling is a work. If your pissed off about the heel winning (regardless of the reason) then the work was successful.

 

Besides if Booker had won that match, then the pop for the eventual clean Benoit tap out at Mania 20 wouldn't of been anywhere near as awesome.

[The Maestro]

But then ultimately wrestling is a work. If your pissed off about the heel winning (regardless of the reason) then the work was successful.

 

I can't agree with this at all. A lot of Triple H's victories from 2002 - 2004 were infuriating because the matches were awful, talent was buried and it just felt like he was constantly either champion or in the title hunt. I remember him beating Orton at Unforgiven 2004 being one of the times I've been really pissed off with WWE. But I do agree with the point about Benoit making Trips tap out at WMXX. That was sweet.

[andrew "the ref" coyne]

But then ultimately wrestling is a work. If your pissed off about the heel winning (regardless of the reason) then the work was successful.

 

I can't agree with this at all. A lot of Triple H's victories from 2002 - 2004 were infuriating because the matches were awful, talent was buried and it just felt like he was constantly either champion or in the title hunt. I remember him beating Orton at Unforgiven 2004 being one of the times I've been really pissed off with WWE. But I do agree with the point about Benoit making Trips tap out at WMXX. That was sweet.

 

Having looked at my previous post maybe my "If your pissed off about the heel winning (regardless of the reason) then the work was successful" was a bit black and white. So I will retract that.

 

I still think Wrestlemania 19's World Title match was good (just my personal opinion) and that HHH's "selfishness" did help lead to the awesome Wrestlemania 20 ending... but I will agree there were times during 2002 / 2004 where the WWE could of handled things better.

 

However I will say one thing of Triple H's world title mega push... it did make the world title very respectable.