What if....?

[Carbomb]

14 hours ago, TheScarlettChad said:

What if Cena got fired in 2002?

Allegedly they were close to firing him. So what happens if they do? Brock would still leave presumably, Batista would be the face of the company? 

 

2 hours ago, simonworden said:

I was thinking about this one the other day funnily enough and yes, Batista would've ended up the face of the company. Someone like Lashley might have been given a little bit more of a push to fill that gap. The company would have definitely been a lot poorer for many years to come as so much money was made through Cena merch and his PPV matches. That includes his feud with the Rock. I'm not sure Duane comes back for Big Dave who would probably be gone by then. 

I dunno, they were really high on Randy Orton back then as well. If we thought he was pushed to early as things actually did happen, it probably would've been a lot worse had Cena not been around.

[theringmaster]

I think if Hunter won KOTR 96, his push would have happened a whole lot sooner obviously, he wouldn't have needed to be in a storyline with Steph, his main event push would have been burned out by 99....he basically might have been wrestling at your local leisure centre this weekend , £10 a ticket with meet and greet after the show

[Tommy!]

9 minutes ago, theringmaster said:

I think if Hunter won KOTR 96, his push would have happened a whole lot sooner obviously, he wouldn't have needed to be in a storyline with Steph, his main event push would have been burned out by 99....

But he won in 97 and didn't get a genuine top line shove until Q4 of 99, so I don't see it making that much difference. He'd have pissed about the midcard while Bret made Austin the man, as it was 

Anyway I thought Vader was the plan for 96 KOTR until he sulked about the warrior house show jobs?

[The Reverend]

For me it's what happens if Magnum TA hadn't wrapped his Porsche around a telegraph pole. His star was seriously rising when the accident happened and he apparently in for a title reign. How would this affected Sting in WCW? Would Magnum have jumped ship to the WWF when best bud Dusty did? How would Vince have handled him? 

On a similar note, how would the wrestling world have looked had Ric Flair jumped to the WWF in 1988 as it's been he said he might have. 

[air_raid]

1 hour ago, Tommy! said:

Anyway I thought Vader was the plan for 96 KOTR until he sulked about the warrior house show jobs?

As far as I can recall neither JR nor Prichard mentioned any serious consideration of Vader winning it after the Curtain Call wrested it out of Hunters hands, whenever the subjects came up on their respective casts. And you'd think they'd be the people to say so, if it was ever the plan.

And if it was... then you've got Steve Austin losing to Marc Mero in the other semi. Ew.

[Tommy!]

3 hours ago, air_raid said:

far as I can recall neither JR nor Prichard mentioned any serious consideration of Vader winning it after the Curtain Call wrested it out of Hunters

I thought it was the other way around, Vader was planned then pissed them off so H was the 2nd pick because someone needs to win it. Then Austin.

 

Given the plan for summer slam that makes sense too.

[Just Some Guy]

Mine is a bit way out as it is totally hypothetical.

World of sport gets canned in 1985.

IIRC at this point the subsequent wrestling program is split 50/50 between Joint Promotions and All-Star with the occasional WWF week.

Now this was the first time me and anyone at school had seen American Wrestling and it was a world away from the old men in swimming trunks rolling around in town halls.

So, what if All-Star (because it ain't going to be JP) throw out the Mounteven rules, abolish weight classes,, have more gimmicky wrestlers and use American rules for the remainder of the time wrestling was on telly (until 1988).

Do All-Star get the slot on their own because of a more modern presentation? Does British wrestling last longer than 1988? Do we end up with a nationwide British promotion.

Or does everything get swept away by WWF anyway.

[Fog Dude]

6 hours ago, Tommy! said:

But he won in 97 and didn't get a genuine top line shove until Q4 of 99, so I don't see it making that much difference.

Not to detract too much from your general point that they took a fair while to properly push HHH after his KotR victory, but he won his first two WWF titles in Q3 of 1999.

[CDM]

I've always wondered what would have happened if austin hadn't got injured in 2000? Would the rock of got to where is was?

Would austin have been turned heel? If so would that have affected triple h's run? Austin had headlined two wrestlemanias in a row as a face but I don't think his popularity showed any signs of declining at that point so it's a tough one. 

[AndyUK]

What if Bret Hart had stuck around in 1997 and Shawn Michaels hadn't have got injured in early 1998, both right on the cusp of the big boom? How would this have affected the Attitude Era and the way the Monday Night Wars went in general? 

I know Austin was on his way to a point but there's no way that Austin and Rock would have gotten quite the same opportunities had those two guys were still around. Those two leaving forced them to create new megastars.

 

Edited February 25, 2025 by AndyUK

[CDM]

27 minutes ago, AndyUK said:

What if Bret Hart had stuck around in 1997 and Shawn Michaels hadn't have got injured in early 1998, both right on the cusp of the big boom? How would this have affected the Attitude Era and the way the Monday Night Wars went in general? 

I know Austin was on his way to a point but there's no way that Austin and Rock would have gotten quite the same opportunities had those two guys were still around. Those two leaving forced them to create new megastars.

 

I don't know. I mean austin was getting popular when bret hart was there. And he beat Shawn at wrestlemania 14. Obviously bret going may have been part of the reason he won as you said to build up a new star. However I think Austin would of got a big push anyway. But it probably would have had some effect. 

Edited February 25, 2025 by CDM

[Tommy!]

2 hours ago, Fog Dude said:

but he won his first two WWF titles in Q3 of 1999.

True. My memory is fuzzy on late 99 but I'd say until the post wedding run against Vince he wasn't presented as a top star despite runs with the belt.

The summer slam build and win the next night on raw, that awful 6 way, Vince's run with the belt and rock / Austin teases where H was a solid but clear third wheel. It wasn't until Austin went and that Armageddon run and after starting the Foley run leading into 2000 he was treated like an actual top star and not a filler around the real stars. Or at least that's how I remember it.

[CDM]

15 minutes ago, Tommy! said:

True. My memory is fuzzy on late 99 but I'd say until the post wedding run against Vince he wasn't presented as a top star despite runs with the belt.

The summer slam build and win the next night on raw, that awful 6 way, Vince's run with the belt and rock / Austin teases where H was a solid but clear third wheel. It wasn't until Austin went and that Armageddon run and after starting the Foley run leading into 2000 he was treated like an actual top star and not a filler around the real stars. Or at least that's how I remember it.

If I remember he won the title against foley then lost it to big show in a triple threat match. When I first watched wrestling triple h was a face then he turned on x pac and became heel I think. He beat Austin in a falls count anywhere match so I think when he won his first title it was fairly clear they were going to be pushing him. I think retiring foley then winning the main event at wrestlemania 2000 established him as the top heel in the company. 

Interesting thing about triple h is a lot of people talk about being selfish. Which I do agree has been true at times. But he took a loss to Batista, cena and roman reigns at wrestlemania. Cena was a tap out loss. I also think he tapped out to benoit in the triple threat match at wrestlemania 20 and he didn't win the triple threat with cena and Orton at wrestlemania 24, although I think cena took the pin. I'm pretty certain he didn't have to take all those losses 

Edited February 25, 2025 by CDM

[Carbomb]

3 hours ago, Just Some Guy said:

Mine is a bit way out as it is totally hypothetical.

World of sport gets canned in 1985.

IIRC at this point the subsequent wrestling program is split 50/50 between Joint Promotions and All-Star with the occasional WWF week.

Now this was the first time me and anyone at school had seen American Wrestling and it was a world away from the old men in swimming trunks rolling around in town halls.

So, what if All-Star (because it ain't going to be JP) throw out the Mounteven rules, abolish weight classes,, have more gimmicky wrestlers and use American rules for the remainder of the time wrestling was on telly (until 1988).

Do All-Star get the slot on their own because of a more modern presentation? Does British wrestling last longer than 1988? Do we end up with a nationwide British promotion.

Or does everything get swept away by WWF anyway.

Sadly, I don't think anything would have saved it. The WWF in the 80s was a steamroller, the UK was obsessed with American culture, and, more importantly, nobody in the UK had the wherewithal, the expertise, or the sheer will to match what the US was putting out at the time. It would have required a whole cultural shift; we didn't really do "showy" in the UK back then (we're still a bit tentative even now), and even if we did, I don't think British people would've taken to a bunch of flashy, glitzed-up wrestlers. They'd have been rejected as fake, try-hard, or just plain up themselves. It's alright when Yanks do it, because we expect that of them, and because they've been doing it for longer, they know how to do it without it jarring.

British wrestling did need updating back then, but I don't know what it would have taken to keep up with McMahon. There may have been a uniquely British way to do it, but I can't for the life of me think of one.

[CDM]

@Carbomb I have often wondered with investment if the uk is a country that could produce a major promotion. Obviously the US is by far the biggest country for wrestling. But Japan obviously has njpw and a few others. Mexico has a few of its own. Uk produces some great wrestlers and I do think there could be a market for it. I don't mean a promotion the size of wwe obviously. But maybe a big promotion if you know what I mean.

What do you think? 

Edited February 25, 2025 by CDM