I've made other threads like this But now I'm curious about somethings for wrestling,What IF history was different for many big-huge happenings?
-What IF Vince McMahon Sr lived¬ retired until the late 90's?
He probably would have given more control to his son anyway even if he didn't outright sell to Vince Jr. National expansion just HAD to happen with the way media was changing and the public appetites for entertainment were growing but the expansion wouldn't have been as big. WWF would have still grown from a territory to a company with wider exposure. If Vince had never taken over he would have never bought out Georgia Championship Wrestling. I can't see it being done under Vince Sr. No Black Saturday. That could have affected The Crockett's and Turner's plans throughout the 80's.
If The Crocketts hadn't felt the need to compete as hard against WWF they probably would have kept control of their company longer.
-What IF Iron Sheik won&retained the WWF title against Hogan in'85 and Hogan became A big name But not THE face of the company/wrestling that year??
Well, if Hogan wasn't the guy they would have gone with someone else eventually. Tensions with Iran were strong through the 80's so they would have either created a new All American hero to take the title from the Sheik or kept Sgt Slaughter around to be the top face for a little while. I can't see Slaughter doing as well as Hogan but for a short time it would have been successful.
Vince could have tried to go with another top guy from the NWA or the AWA as his top star. Maybe Curt Hennig or someone else he could mold into an All American guy. Magnum TA would have been far too southern for Vince's tastes. Eventually I could see him giving Luger and Sting a shot in the late 80's.
-What IF Flair died during his plane accident?
The NWA would have gone with someone else as their top guy in the 80's but it probably wouldn't have worked as well. Harley Race might have stayed top heel a little longer. Instead of working with Flair he may have put someone like Steamboat or Dusty over as a new top babyface star. They needed a workhorse in the spot so I'd go with Steamboat. He was young with a great look and very talented in the ring.
No Flair means that many wrestlers that would come later lose one of their biggest influences. HBK and HHH being the biggest examples. No Flair possibly means no Horsemen and we never have one of the most influential factions of all time.
-What IF the Montreal Screwjob didn't happen and Bret stayed in the WWF?
Austins rise was unavoidable. I think Vince was going with HBK as his guy before that if Bret had left or not. There just wasn't enough room in the WWF for Bret and Shawn. Bret was about 40 years old in 1997 and if he had stayed I could see him winding down his in ring career as the 90's came to a close. Bret may have eventually become an agent.
Owen may have lived and never gone down the path that ended with him as the Blue Blazer again. Bret MAY have been the one to put Austin over at WM 14 but I think it would have been Shawn.
Now if Bret stayed who knows how that would have affected the series of events that led to Shawn's injury at the Royal Rumble. It may not have ever happened and Shawn could have stuck around for the Attitude Era. of course his drug problems may have gotten worse. Hard to say.
I could see Austin vs HBK and DX going on as a heated rivalry throughout 1998.
No Screwjob means the Mr McMahon character wouldn't have had as strong a launch. Vince probably would have done it anyway but he may not have began as hated as he was.
-What IF Owen Hart did not get the Blue Blazer gimmick and thus not did that stunt that ended his life?
He would have continued on in the midcard doing solid work, maybe have gotten a WWF title run as a transitional champion, then wound down his career and retire within 5 years or so.
-What IF the steroids trail didn't happen and Hogan stayed in WWF?
People would have eventually tired of him it just may not have happened quite as soon. Now if Hogan had been willing to step away from the main event and become a part timer/special attraction it may have extended his career lifespan considerably.
-What IF nWo did not happen?
WCW wouldn't have beaten WWF as quickly. It may have still happened but not in such a memorable fashion. The NWO angle really changed the way their entire product was presented. We went from the more cartoonish corporate WCW that had the likes of the Dungeon of Doom to a more realistic in your face style program.
-What IF Sting remained Surfer Sting instead of going Crow?
It would have eventually worn thin. Not sure how long that would have taken but Sting knew he had to evolve and by the Jerry Springer/Lewinsky Scandal/ Simpson trial oversaturated late 90's the Surfer Sting would have seemed a little corny.
-What IF the Savage/Vince Jr personal feud never happened?
Savage would have stayed on as an announcer and a occasional wrestler. He would have gone into the HOF by now thats for damn sure.
-What IF WCW did not get shut-down?
They would have limped along until Time Warner cleaned house at the top and finally found someone to fix things. WCW may have never reached the heights that it had before but it would have survived as a solid number 2 company. Or Time Warner still would have sold it they just would have been willing to keep airing WCW programming on their stations through some kind of deal with WCW's new owners.
-What IF WWF remained as WWF even to today?
Id be happier. I still miss the "Federation." We wouldn't be bothered by so many damn BLURS and dubbed over sound on dvd releases.
-What IF Brock remained in the company for at least another year before going for football&UFC?
He would have stayed a top guy just not being pushed as hard as he was in his first year. He may have wrestled Triple H one on one at some point. Maybe on the way out. Or he could have gone into WM21 as a champion and put over Cena instead of JBL doing the honors.
-What IF Eddie did not die?
He would have continue having a solid career...maybe a few more world title runs. he would have helped Batista sort out a lot of his sh** and grow as a performer. He would have had at least one epic match with Shawn Michaels. Then Eddie would be winding his career down by now. He might even be retired. Benoit may not have snapped as hard as he did but thats a big question mark. Who knows
-What IF Benoit did not murder his family and remained wrestling?
He would have wound his career down as a strong upper midcard guy teaching the new talent. he would have had a great match with CM Punk at Vengeance (or whatever PPV it was). Benoit would have been a strong veteran presence on the new ECW for a while. By now he'd be retired and an agent. His neck was a ticking timebomb by that point and he'd had a lot of wear and tear.