Instead of Diesel, how about Bulldog?

Bulldog vs. Diesel
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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I'm starting a new feature here on the blog, looking at former heavyweight champs and offering up a different Superstar to hold that belt. In no way am I disrespecting the chosen wrestler, instead just wondering 'what if.'

For the first installment, why I would have rather seen British Bulldog as WWF Champion instead of Diesel.

Courtesy: WWE

This is the part where I contradict myself. I don't dislike Kevin Nash or Diesel, however, the character and the performer never resonated with me. I respect what he's done in the business. I appreciate the fact that he overcame a myriad of crappy gimmicks to achieve Legend status. I was shocked when he won the Intercontinental Championship from Razor Ramon in early 1994. I was amazed when he beat Bob Backlund for the WWF Championship in a matter of seconds later that year.

It was November 1994. Bret Hart had once again dropped the title, this time to Backlund. I personally would have liked to seen Bret hold the belt and have a long-term, meaningful run with the gold. Yes, I know it's all a work, but I can still have an opinion on what I wanted to see on my favorite wrestling programs. Since the plan was to obviously put the title on someone new and who was a good guy, I would have gone with Bulldog. (My bad guy pick is Owen Hart here). I had an internal debate between Bulldog and Ramon for this blog, but my favorite tag team of all-time is the British Bulldogs so that's why I went with Davey Boy Smith.

Courtesy: WWE

Ramon was still going back and forth with challengers for the IC title, trading it for years to come with Jeff Jarrett and Goldust. But Smith seemed lost for a period and ended up forming a tag team with Lex Luger. The two were impressive and I thought they'd end up finally dethroning Owen and Yokozuna for the tag team titles, but it never happened.

Courtesy: WWE

Imagine Bulldog winning the belt that night in Madison Square Garden from Backlund. He could have then gone on to defend it against contenders like Shawn Michaels, Diesel and Owen. (I would have kept Diesel a heel too). Bulldog's run could have lasted a year and culminated at Survivor Series 95 where he'd drop it back to Bret much like Diesel did. This would have given Bret a win after losing the IC title to Smith at Summer Slam 92 and still kept the plans in place for Michaels' rise to the top in 1996. 

This is obviously a quick look at what I would have liked to have seen. Look for future 'Instead Of' blogs. Let me know who you would have had to win the WWF Championship instead of Diesel. 

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Rumble Ramblings: 1997

1997
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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The 1997 Royal Rumble match has one of my favorite endings.  For those who don't remember, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin  was a rising star in the company.  He had drawn number five and had gone on two total elimination runs, leaving just himself in the ring.

Waiting for more victims
Courtesy: WWE

Then Bret "The Hitman" Hart came out and the action intensified.  The two had a great feud going at the time and I think the rub from Hart helped to build the Stone Cold character.  The two battled for about 90 seconds until Jerry "The King" Lawler left commentary and entered the ring.  He was eliminated about four seconds later, courtesy of Hart.

Stone Cold wins
Courtesy: WWE 

They battled it out alone until the ring slowly filled again.  In the end it was The Undertaker, Vader, Hart, Austin and Diesel.  Hart tossed Austin over the top rope, but because the referees were distracted by Terry Funk and Mankind brawling on the floor, Austin slipped back in the ring.  He pushed Undertaker and Vader over the top as Bret threw Diesel out.  Of course Bret thought he'd won, only to to be thrown over by Austin.  Since the refs hadn't seen the prior elimination Austin was declared the winner.  As a Stone Cold fan, this made me happy.  Nineteen years later it's a textbook example of how to help get a guy over even more.

Despite Austin winning the Rumble, he did not get the "guaranteed" championship match at Wrestlemania that year.  The newly crowned champion Shawn Michaels gave up the belt and Bret won it in a special four man match at the In Your House pay per view, only to lose it the next night to Sid thanks to Austin's interference.  That set up the Mania match between Austin and Hart and Sid defended against The Undertaker.

Here are some other ramblings about the 97 event...

Vader roughing up Rocky
Courtesy: WWE

• Toward the end, I thought it was cool watching it today and seeing all the future mega stars in the ring with established Superstars and legends.  Terry Funk, Vader, The Undertaker, Bret Hart, Steve Austin, "Diesel" (now Kane), Rocky Maivia (The Rock), and Mankind were in there together.

• JR made the same joke I did about Flash and Terry Funk not being related.  Of course more people heard Ross than me...

Mil Mascaras

• There was more inconsistency with the eliminations as Mil Mascaras jumped off the top rope and to the floor.  When Randy Savage did a similar move in 1992, he was allowed back into the match.  

• Faarooq also eliminated himself trying to escape Ahmed Johnson who had eliminated himself earlier in the evening.  I never understood why guys not involved in the match could do this, but I digress.

Bottom line as Stone Cold would say, I enjoyed this Rumble and think the ending is second only to Ric Flair's historical win in 1992.

What About Bob?

Backlund's first title run

By Kevin Hunsperger 
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

 I've talked about it before, but after watching Raw I've got to ask it again. Why is Bob Backlund STILL not in the WWE Hall of Fame? The man is the second longest reining champion in the company's history (right behind Bruno Sammartino) and he has seemed to have a healthy relationship with the WWE.

 After his initial run as champ, Backlund left the WWF for several years before returning in 1993. When he first came back he primarily was used to put over newer talent, I remember being shocked at how quickly Razor Ramon beat him at Wrestlemania IX. But by the end of 1994, he was had turned heel and was embroiled in a feud with WWF champion Bret Hart. In fact, he won the title and held it for all of two or three days before dropping it to Diesel. That move shocked me even more than the loss to Ramon.

 Backlund stuck around for a bit, but was already well into his 40's and pushing 50 at the time. He came back to the WWF in 1997 and was paired with his former nemsis the Iron Sheik as they managed The Sultan. Backlund made other appearances in the last 15 years, so I really can't understand why he's not in the Hall of Fame.

Heath Slater vs. Bob Backlund
Photo courtesy: WWE.com

 I know, I know, it's a gimmick. It's validity is in question, and by even posting this blog, I've fallen victim to "caring" about the HOF. I'll close on this, while to some the Hall of Fame is a joke, I do really enjoy it. I think if he's willing, Mr. Backlund needs to be a part of the Class of 2013, along with Randy Savage and Rick Rude. But I'll post more on that when it gets closer.

The Wrestling Widow

The Big Day

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

My wife Lisa and I recently celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary, and while she is a much more private person than I am, I did feel the need to publicly thank her for all her support of my obsession with wrestling. We started dating more than 20 years ago, and at that point I was a die hard wrestling fan, but I somehow was able to mask it enough to not scare her away. You see, my wife dislikes wrestling, a lot. I would say she hates it, but I don't really think she does, but she's not a fan of it either.

Despite disliking wrestling, Lisa has attended three WWE shows with me. Back when were in college I was hard pressed to find any fellow fans, so she (likely as a form of pity) went to the shows with me. The first was a WWF house show that featured Razor Ramon and "Macho Man" Randy Savage in the main event. Our next show came nearly 3 years later and I talked her in to going to a show in our hometown of St. Louis. I thought it was just another house show, but it turns out it was a Raw/Superstars/Coliseum Home Video taping. The main event that night was Diesel vs. Yokozuna in a cage. Sid had no showed the event. I remember once I figured out this was a taping I didn't have the heart to tell her it was going to be a long night. At one point she asked when it was going to be over. Bless her for not leaving me there that night. Our final show together came in 1996, another house show that featured Goldust and Sid in the main event. She was bored out of her mind, but she went with me because it was important to me.

The Heenan Family

Through the years she put up with me watching Raw and Nitro, Thunder and SmackDown! She even gave me her blessing (and money) to go to Wrestlemania 22. After that trip, I figured I'd never experience Wrestlemania again, but she encouraged me to make it an annual "Bromance" with Chad. She understands how much fun it is for me and how those three days help recharge my batteries.  While she's not exactly stoked about the costumes, she still understands and only ridicules us for a short period of time.

In addition to supporting the Wrestlemania trips, she's also supported my decision to create this blog and YouTube channel. It's gone from a hobby to almost a fulltime job, coming up with different things to discuss on a nearly daily basis. Last year I got involved with AAPW, which literally takes me away for an entire day with the set up, show, and tear down. She's never once complained about it or my involvement now with From the Rafters Radio. Each Thursday night the cohosts all come over and we have dinner before heading to the studio.

AAPW Main Event

She and my kids were all in attendance for my match in January against Mike Masters. Lisa was sure I'd get whipped, but when I prevailed I looked in the crowd and saw her smiling face and knew she was truly happy. Despite not being a fan, I know that night she was, and not just during my match, as she commented on some of the other competitors that night.

One final story, on our wedding day, I didn't ask for much. But I did insist the band play 2001: A Space Odyssey when we entered the reception. Once we made it through the double doors, I let out a big Woooo! that would have made Ric Flair himself proud. And underneath my tuxedo shirt I was wearing my vintage Iron Sheik and Nikola Volkoff tshirt. I have owned the shirt since 1987 and actually still have it. I truly am a wrestling geek.

So Lisa, if you actually read all this, I love you and thank you for all your support in my wrestling endeavors.  And I'm sorry that now two out of our three children are following in my footsteps, including our little girl.

Mania Memories: Iron Men

Iron Man match (WWE)

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger on Twitter

By the time Wrestlemania 12 rolled around you just knew that Shawn Michaels was going to win the WWF heavyweight title from Bret Hart.  The two were scheduled for a 60 minute Iron Man Match, and when the bout ended after an hour with no one scoring a victory the crowd wondered what was going to happen.  Bret Hart, who had been through one helluva match grabbed his championship belt and headed back to the dressing room.  I guess he assumed the match would end in a draw (I know he really didn't think that).  The champ was met by then WWF President Gorilla Monsoon in the aisle who informed him the match must continue.

Sweet chin music (WWE)

So after going an hour, Bret and Shawn went a few more minutes before the Heartbreak Kid landed Sweet Chin Music and covered the exhausted Hitman for the pin.  It was the start of a new era for the WWF, or so we thought.  Shawn Michaels brought a little irreverence to the table.  He was a bad boy, even though he was a baby face.  He was Goofus to Bret Hart's Gallant (Google it if you don't get it)

Shawn's victory was impressive, but like I said, you knew it was coming.  The WWF had gone through great lengths producing video packages documenting Shawn's quest to fulfill his boyhood dream.  Sure enough on March 31, 1996 the kid from San Antonio, Texas did just that.  One thing I was really impressed with was his zip line entrance, in fact I found it so cool I tried to convince my then fiancé to have our church set one up for to enter our wedding ceremony.  My request was denied.

Warrior returns (WWE)

Wrestlemania 12 was the first to feature such a match.  It was also the Wrestlemania with the least amount of matches, only six.  This was still at a time when the company was struggling with keeping top tier talent in place.  Diesel and Razor Ramon were just months away from defecting to WCW.  "Oldtimers" like Jake "the Snake" Roberts and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper were brought in as well, and after a nearly four year absence, the Ultimate Warrior returned to the WWF, beating Triple H (who had Sable in his corner before she left him for Marc Mero)

The Undertaker kept his streak alive by soundly beating Diesel.  But as I mentioned he was on his way out, so this outcome came as no surprise.  The Bodydonnas won the tag team titles in a Free for All match before the pay per view.  This was a tournament final, but honestly I can not remember why the previous champs were stripped of the belts or lost them in the first place.  I do remember they beat the Godwins, again this was a lean time for talent in the WWF.

Brawlin' (WWE)

Steve Austin wasn't quite Stonecold yet, but got the win over Savio Vega.  Vader teamed up with the British Bulldog and Owen Hart to beat the odd combo of Ahmed Johnson, Yokozuna, and Jake the Snake.  And in probably the second most memorable match of the night, Piper beat Goldust in a Hollywood Backlot brawl.  The match had some crazy spots outside, including Piper getting hit by a car, Goldust being choked with a baseball bat, and archived footage of the OJ Simpson bronco chase (don't ask).  It all ended back in the ring with Piper stripping Dustin's golden suit to reveal lingere, ala Dr. Frank n Furter in the Rocky Horror Picture Show.  Goldust was the Intercontinental champion, but the title wasn't on the line as Piper ended up the victor here.

Notably missing from the card, former IC champ Razor Ramon.  The 123 Kid (Sean Waltman) was also not on the show.  I don't know if the two had been suspended or were hurt, as I remember them both being on the following month's pay per view prior to their departure for WCW.  So not only would the company lose Ramon, Kid, and Diesel, but Bret Hart ended up taking a hiatus for several months after Wrestlemania 12.  It was truly a time for developing new talent, and the returns of Warrior and Roberts just didn't cut it.  We saw a minor push for Vader, Johnson, and Mero who debuted right after the event.

What are your thoughts on Wrestlemania 12?  Did you enjoy the Iron Man match?  Post your comments here or on Facebook.

Mania Memories: Touchdown!

LT vs. Bam Bam Bigelow (WWE)

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger on Twitter

By the time the eleventh installment of Wrestlemania rolled around, the WWF had a different look.  Top stars like Randy Savage, Hulk Hogan, and the Ultimate Warrior were long gone.  The company was banking on guys like Diesel, Shawn Michaels, and Bret Hart to carry the torch and take the WWF to the next level.

While these guys were in some cases still proving themselves, there were no bonafide top tier guys like we'd seen with Hogan and Savage and Warrior (at least in my view).  So the WWF looked outside the ring and to the gridiron for that push.  They found it in Lawrence Taylor.  The NFL linebacker found himself in the main event of Wrestlemania 11, facing off against Bam Bam Bigelow.  For what it's worth, this was probably one of the better celebrity matches I've seen.  LT and Bam Bam told a great story, especially when you consider Taylor hadn't wrestled before. I take my hat off to Bigelow for agreeing to the match and putting over a non wrestler.  It could have really hurt him in the long run, and while I don't think it necessarily helped him, it certainly showed he's a team player.  It was a gamble making the match the main event, behind the world title match between Diesel and Michaels and Hart's match with Bob Backlund (not that I would consider it a main event)

HBK vs. Diesel (WWE)

Eleven was also Shawn's first bid for the WWF title.  He came up short against his former bodyguard, but essentially set himself up to become a baby face and one of the biggest stars in the history of the business.  Hart beat Backlund in a submission rematch from the 1994 Survivor Series.  Roddy Piper again served as the guest referee for this contest.

Bundy vs. Undertaker

Bret's younger brother Owen finally got WWF gold by teaming up with Yokozuna to beat the Smoking Gunns.  It was an odd combo, but the two of them worked well together.  Razor Ramon nearly regained the Intercontinental title from Jeff Jarrett when he beat the champ by disqualification.  Undertaker made his return to Wrestlemania keeping his streak alive by beating King Kong Bundy.

In what may have been the biggest case of "look what a difference a year can make" Lex Luger appeared in the opening match with partner British Bulldog as the pair beat the Blu Brothers (not to be confused with John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd).  It was a light card for sure, but this was a time when talent was jumping ship to WCW and the WWF was doing what it could to stop the bleeding.  I think Wrestlemania 11 may be one of the more "plain Jane" manias in the rich history of the event.  They used a little star power from LT and brought in Pam Anderson and Jenny McCarthy to be in Diesel and Shawn Michaels' corners respectively.

What did you think of Wrestlemania 11?  Post your comments here or on Facebook.  Thanks for reading, and subscribe to My 1-2-3 Cents on YouTube!

What If: Austin 3:16

Austin 3:16

By Chad Smart
@chadsmart on Twitter

Since Kevin is busy with his Black History Month series, and since there’s not much going on in the current world of wrestling that has me motivated to hammer out 1,000 words on a daily basis, I’ve decided to resurrect a previous concept around here, the What If?  This week I’m going to look at different scenarios that changed the wrestling landscape and how the world of wrestling as we know it may not exist if events played out differently.

The first installment involves an ad-libbed throwaway line that help usher in the biggest boom period in wrestling over the last 25 years. A line that, had booking plans not been changed, may have never been uttered.

The day was May 19, 1996. The location was Madison Square Garden. On the show that day, Razor Ramon battled Hunter Hearst Helmsley in an undercard match while the main event was a steel cage battle between Diesel and WWF Champion, Shawn Michaels. After the main event was over, with Shawn successfully defending his title, Razor Ramon came to the ring to celebrate with the champion. The reason for the celebration was this was the last WWF appearance for Scott “Razor Ramon” Hall and Kevin “Diesel” Nash. About two weeks later, Scott Hall would show up on WCW’s Monday Nitro program, followed a few weeks later by Kevin Nash in the start of the nWo angle.

The Kliq says goodbye

Shortly after Razor entered the ring, Hunter came out to celebrate as well and Diesel joined in the celebration.  It was no secret the four men were friends outside the ring, but this was when the Internet was still in its infancy and wrestling still was mostly presented as “real.”  Therefore seeing both good guys and bad guys celebrating in the ring was a shocking event. After footage of the incident got out to the public, Vince McMahon decided someone had to be punished for the incident. Hall and Nash were on their way out of the company, Shawn Michaels was the top guy, and the punishment fell on the shoulders of Triple H.

At the time, Hunter was being positioned to be pushed up the card and was penciled in for the finals of the King of the Ring tournament in June. Because his punishment led to Triple H being removed from the tournament someone else had to be put into the finals match. I don’t know who Triple H’s opponent was originally planned to be, but the final of the King of the Ring tournament eventually came down to Jake “The Snake” Roberts and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.

Austin 3:16 is born

Austin, while a rising star in the company, had only a month before King of the Ring gotten rid of his manager, Ted Dibiase and was forging a career path of his own.  After winning the tournament, during his coronation speech, Austin brought up Jake’s newfound Christianity by mocking Jake.  Talking about Jake quoting scripture, Austin now famously said, "You sit there and you thump your Bible, and you say your prayers, and it didn't get you anywhere! Talk about your psalms, talk about John 3:16... Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass!"  Austin 3:16 soon became synonymous with the WWF’s Attitude Era. The question is what would have happened had Austin not uttered this famous catchphrase?

Had Triple H not broke character and gone on to win King of the Ring as he was scheduled to do, what would have happened to Steve Austin? Without a victory over Jake Roberts, “Austin 3:16” wouldn’t have been said. Without that catchphrase for the fans to plaster on signs and WWF to make t-shirts of, would Austin have risen to be the most popular character of the Attitude Era?

I think the Attitude Era would have still happened due to it being directly influenced by ECW’s style and WCW’s rating dominance over WWF. However, I don’t know if Austin would have become the superstar he did.  Triple H’s ascent to the top was delayed a year due to his punishment. Without that hiccup, Triple H would have been higher up than Austin and could have possibly been put into the title match at Wrestlemania 14 so Shawn Michaels could pass the torch to his best friend. 

At the same time, Rocky Miavia was slowly morphing into The Rock. Even though Rocky and Austin feuded over the I-C title, had Austin not been in the position he was in after the King of the Ring, his side of the feud could have been given to someone higher up on the card. Austin could have been stuck in the mid-card waiting for the one spark to light and launch him to the next level.

Hart vs. Austin

At the same time, Austin might not have been put into the position of trash talking Bret Hart back into the WWF or being the antagonist to the Hart Foundation during the early half of 1997. No Hart Foundation feud means no match with Owen Hart at SummerSlam.  No match means Austin doesn’t suffer a stinger due to a botched piledriver and then doesn’t have the neck injury that leads to an early retirement.

Think about it, had Austin not coined “Austin 3:16,” there’s a possibility Austin would be healthy enough to face CM Punk at Wrestlemania

I really think had “Austin 3:16” not been coined, the Attitude Era would have been different and Austin, while still becoming a star, wouldn’t have gone above the number 5 spot on the roster, if that high. I attended a house show the week before King of the Ring. The third match on the show was Austin vs. Duke “The Dumpster Droese.  Austin came out first to a smatter of applause. Even after the match was over most fans were more interested in when the Smoking Gunns were going to fight instead of cheering or booing Austin.

That's the bottom line!

The bigger question than where Austin would have ended up on the card is how his non-star would have affected the wrestling landscape. WCW would have eventually self-imploded due to egos and bad booking but would WWF have been able to draw a significant amount of fans away from WCW? I don’t think so. I think the Monday Night Wars would have fizzled out. While The Rock became a bona fide superstar, and Mick Foley has success on the literary charts, neither they nor Undertaker nor Triple H had the same level of mainstream popularity as Steve Austin. Without that popularity to draw in casual fans, WWF would basically be where WWE is right now. Successful enough to be profitable but not cool enough to be popular.

That’s my123cents on a fantasy scenario. What do you think? Would wrestling have suffered without Steve Austin’s famous quote? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.

What If: Austin 3:16

Austin 3:16

By Chad Smart
@chadsmart on Twitter

Since Kevin is busy with his Black History Month series, and since there’s not much going on in the current world of wrestling that has me motivated to hammer out 1,000 words on a daily basis, I’ve decided to resurrect a previous concept around here, the What If?  This week I’m going to look at different scenarios that changed the wrestling landscape and how the world of wrestling as we know it may not exist if events played out differently.

The first installment involves an ad-libbed throwaway line that help usher in the biggest boom period in wrestling over the last 25 years. A line that, had booking plans not been changed, may have never been uttered.

The day was May 19, 1996. The location was Madison Square Garden. On the show that day, Razor Ramon battled Hunter Hearst Helmsley in an undercard match while the main event was a steel cage battle between Diesel and WWF Champion, Shawn Michaels. After the main event was over, with Shawn successfully defending his title, Razor Ramon came to the ring to celebrate with the champion. The reason for the celebration was this was the last WWF appearance for Scott “Razor Ramon” Hall and Kevin “Diesel” Nash. About two weeks later, Scott Hall would show up on WCW’s Monday Nitro program, followed a few weeks later by Kevin Nash in the start of the nWo angle.

The Kliq says goodbye

Shortly after Razor entered the ring, Hunter came out to celebrate as well and Diesel joined in the celebration.  It was no secret the four men were friends outside the ring, but this was when the Internet was still in its infancy and wrestling still was mostly presented as “real.”  Therefore seeing both good guys and bad guys celebrating in the ring was a shocking event. After footage of the incident got out to the public, Vince McMahon decided someone had to be punished for the incident. Hall and Nash were on their way out of the company, Shawn Michaels was the top guy, and the punishment fell on the shoulders of Triple H.

At the time, Hunter was being positioned to be pushed up the card and was penciled in for the finals of the King of the Ring tournament in June. Because his punishment led to Triple H being removed from the tournament someone else had to be put into the finals match. I don’t know who Triple H’s opponent was originally planned to be, but the final of the King of the Ring tournament eventually came down to Jake “The Snake” Roberts and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.

Austin, while a rising star in the company, had only a month before King of the Ring gotten rid of his manager, Ted Dibiase and was forging a career path of his own. 

Austin 3:16 is born!

After winning the tournament, during his coronation speech, Austin brought up Jake’s newfound Christianity by mocking Jake.  Talking about Jake quoting scripture, Austin now famously said, "You sit there and you thump your Bible, and you say your prayers, and it didn't get you anywhere! Talk about your psalms, talk about John 3:16... Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass!"  Austin 3:16 soon became synonymous with the WWF’s Attitude Era. The question is what would have happened had Austin not uttered this famous catchphrase?

Had Triple H not broke character and gone on to win King of the Ring as he was scheduled to do, what would have happened to Steve Austin? Without a victory over Jake Roberts, “Austin 3:16” wouldn’t have been said. Without that catchphrase for the fans to plaster on signs and WWF to make t-shirts of, would Austin have risen to be the most popular character of the Attitude Era?

I think the Attitude Era would have still happened due to it being directly influenced by ECW’s style and WCW’s rating dominance over WWF. However, I don’t know if Austin would have become the superstar he did.  Triple H’s ascent to the top was delayed a year due to his punishment. Without that hiccup, Triple H would have been higher up than Austin and could have possibly been put into the title match at Wrestlemania 14 so Shawn Michaels could pass the torch to his best friend. 

At the same time, Rocky Miavia was slowly morphing into The Rock. Even though Rocky and Austin feuded over the I-C title, had Austin not been in the position he was in after the King of the Ring, his side of the feud could have been given to someone higher up on the card. Austin could have been stuck in the mid-card waiting for the one spark to light and launch him to the next level.

Hart vs. Austin

At the same time, Austin might not have been put into the position of trash talking Bret Hart back into the WWF or being the antagonist to the Hart Foundation during the early half of 1997. No Hart Foundation feud means no match with Owen Hart at SummerSlam.  No match means Austin doesn’t suffer a stinger due to a botched piledriver and then doesn’t have the neck injury that leads to an early retirement.

Think about it, had Austin not coined “Austin 3:16,” there’s a possibility Austin would be healthy enough to face CM Punk at Wrestlemania

I really think had “Austin 3:16” not been coined, the Attitude Era would have been different and Austin, while still becoming a star, wouldn’t have gone above the number 5 spot on the roster, if that high. I attended a house show the week before King of the Ring. The third match on the show was Austin vs. Duke “The Dumpster Droese.  Austin came out first to a smatter of applause. Even after the match was over most fans were more interested in when the Smoking Gunns were going to fight instead of cheering or booing Austin.

That's the bottom line!

The bigger question than where Austin would have ended up on the card is how his non-star would have affected the wrestling landscape. WCW would have eventually self-imploded due to egos and bad booking but would WWF have been able to draw a significant amount of fans away from WCW? I don’t think so. I think the Monday Night Wars would have fizzled out. While The Rock became a bona fide superstar, and Mick Foley has success on the literary charts, neither they nor Undertaker nor Triple H had the same level of mainstream popularity as Steve Austin. Without that popularity to draw in casual fans, WWF would basically be where WWE is right now. Successful enough to be profitable but not cool enough to be popular.

That’s my123cents on a fantasy scenario. What do you think? Would wrestling have suffered without Steve Austin’s famous quote? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.

The Wrestlemania of Football II

oBy Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger

Last year I blogged on Super Bowl Sunday about the NFL's relationship with the world of professional wrestling.  I cited a few examples, William Perry at Wrestlemania 2, Lawrence Taylor at Wrestlemania 11, and Mongo McMichaels time in the squared circle with WCW.  You can read the first part by clicking here.  I've decided there's been enough football/wrestling related stuff to make this an annual tradition.

Payton prevents HBK from interfering

SummerSlam 1994 came to us from the United Center in Chicago.  The WWF brought in legendary football player Walter Payton to be in the corner of Razor Ramon.  Ramon was challenging Diesel for the Intercontinental title.  The Bad Guy had lost the title to Big Daddy Cool earlier in the year, in part due to the interference of Shawn Michaels.  Payton was brought in to help keep things fair in the match.  And Payton did his job.  He ended up keeping Michaels at bay for the most part, preventing HBK from getting involved.  But towards the end of the match, Shawn got in while the referee was pushing "Sweetness" away from the ringside area. Michaels then accidentally super kicked Diesel, allowing Ramon to regain the title.  The champ and the NFL Hall of Famer and former Chicago Bear celebrated in the ring after the victory.

Mongo vs. White

Slamboree 1997 featured a battle between two former football stars.  Reggie White stepped into the ring against Mongo McMichael.  If you read last year's post, I have no love loss for Mongo.  I couldn't stand him on the mic during his commentary days on Nitro, and I didn't care much for his wrestling.  Still can't believe he was a member of the 4 Horsemen, but I digress.  This was White's one and only match, and he came up on the losing end after McMichael's used a briefcase to beat the NFL great.  White had previously been involved in the LT vs. Bam Bam Bigelow match at Wrestlemania 11 a couple of years earlier.  He was in LT's corner, along with Mongo ironically enough.  The match wasn't horrible considering it was White's first venture in the squared circle.  I commend him for getting there, because it's not as easy as it looks.

Chief Wahoo McDaniel

Wahoo McDaniel played for the Dolphins, Jets, Oilers, and Broncos.  He was traded to the Chargers late in his career, but never actually played for them.  Instead, Wahoo started his wrestling career.  I remember watching him in his later days in the ring.  He battled the likes of Nikita Koloff, Ric Flair, and Tully Blanchard.  Wahoo held the U.S. title, Mid Atlantic title, and multiple other championships in his career.  After he retired from in ring work, I recall him appearing in the corner of Tatanka or being involved in some kind of storyline with him in the WWF.  This might have been after he Tatanka turned heel and Wahoo and Chief Jay Strongbow were trying to appeal to him to disassociate with Ted DiBiase.


Of course that's just the Cliff's Note version of Wahoo's career.  On more than one occasion I thought he'd beat Ric Flair for the NWA world heavyweight title.  I remember watching him wrestle in person once in St. Louis.  Dick the Bruiser and Wahoo engaged in an all out fight in the ring that night.  I think Wahoo had briefly turned heel at the time of this slugfest.


Sadly, all three of these football players are no longer with us.  But their contributions to the world of both wrestling and the NFL will not be forgotten.  May they all rest in peace.

Royal Rumble: Hitman Gets Stunned

Austin waits for his moment

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger on Twitter

Continuing to look at some of my favorite moments from past Royal Rumbles, and today's submission is from the 1997 event.  At the time we didn't know it, but it would be Bret Hart's last Royal Rumble.  Of course he may still return and be a surprise entrant at some point in the future, but it won't be like things were in his heyday.

Hart had eliminated Stone Cold Steve Austin and focused his efforts on (fake) Diesel.  However, Mankind and Terry Funk were brawling outside the ring and the referees missed Austin getting dumped out.  He took advantage and came back into the match, eliminating Undertaker, Vader, and Hart.

Hart was understandably upset and I think this was one of the first seeds planted in his heel turn that year.  The bad guy had cheated to win and the fans loved it.  Bret hated it, even resented it.  But this was the start of a new era in wrestling.

This would end up resulting in a four way battle between Austin, Taker, Vader, and Hart the following month to determine who would face the world champion at Wrestlemania 13.  Undertaker would eventually get the nod and go against Sid.

Enjoy

Series of Surviving: 1996

By Chad Smart
@chadsmart on Twitter

As the 2011 edition of WWE’s Thanksgiving tradition, the Survivor Series, approaches I felt it would make sense to look at the previous Pay Per Views. Originally I was going to do a review of all the previous Survivor Series but I didn’t know if I could watch all the shows in time to do reviews. Plus, I decided to do the Chikara High Noon promotion and there was no way I could have done two blogs a day. So I decided since I only had five days to write about Survivor Series I should pick 5 years that had some significance.  As I started to thinking about what shows I would write about I realized the first three shows I thought of were a year or two apart. That realization lead to picking out a 5 (technically it’s going to be 6) year span that I think are probably the most historically relevant in the history of the Survivor Series.

Since this year’s show sees the Rock returning to the ring after a seven and a half year hiatus, I thought it was only fitting to start this series in 1996 with the show where Rocky Miavia made his debut. The show had three main matches besides the traditional Survivor Series matches, Undertaker vs. Mankind, Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels vs. Sid for the World Title.

Undertaker or Batman?

RANDOM THOUGHTS

If you think Michael Cole is annoying, go back and watch this show. The announcer team was Jim Ross during his heel phase, Jerry Lawler as the prototype to what Michael Cole is now and Vince “what a maneuver” McMahon. Not a good three-man booth.

Doug Furnas/Phil LaFon came into the WWF at the wrong time. Other than the New Rockers and Owen Hart there really wasn’t anyone else who could keep up with them. Their lack of over the top personality was also a hindrance. Was surprised to see Doug Furnas be the sole survivor of the opening match.

Undertaker’s winged leather suit was an interesting look. Wonder how Mick Foley’s WWF career would have gone had he not feuded with Undertaker as his first major feud.

Forgot The Stalker wrestled on this show. His awesome mustache should have won the match. Watching Stalker and Goldust fight each other while not using their real names is slightly odd.

I miss the pissed off Stone Cold character.

Lenny, the ECW fan that looks like Rob Zombie is in the audience next to the entranceway. Wonder what that guy is doing now.

The New York crowd turning on Shawn Michaels is always entertaining.

Why hasn’t TNA brought in Sid yet?

Rocky vs. Goldust (from WWE )

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE

This was the debut of the blue chipper, Rocky Miavia. Rocky, while a rookie, showed glimpses of natural athletic ability.  Since he was the sole survivor and with the way Vince McMahon and Sunny put him over on commentary, you could tell there were big plans in place for The Rock from the beginning. Rocky was on a team with “Wildman” Marc Mero, Stalker, and Jake “The Snake” Roberts. Mark Henry was originally supposed to be on the team but a leg injury took him out of action so Jake was a surprise replacement. They battled a team captained by Hunter Hearst Helmsley and featuring, Goldust, Jerry Lawler and Crush. While the big feud in the match was Mero and Hunter who were feuding over the I-C title, the focus of the match was Rocky.

The sole survivor

It would take a little under two years for Rocky to really transition into The Rock and convince the fans he really is the most electrifying person in sports entertainment. Though judging by his first six months in the WWF, I doubt many would predict the eventual outcome of young Rocky’s career. Much like Steve Austin, Rocky wouldn’t win the fans over until he had the chance to showcase his verbal skills and create a unique persona.

Austin vs. Hart

In addition to Rocky’s debut, the 1996 Survivor Series also marked the return to the WWF of Bret Hart who hadn’t wrestled since losing the World Title to Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania 12 earlier in the year. Bret battled Steve Austin in a well-executed technical match.  I really wonder how Steve Austin’s career would have played out had he not suffered the neck injury at SummerSlam ’97.  Austin went from a talented mat based wrestler to WWF style brawler. Not that there is anything wrong with that.  This feud will continue until Wrestlemania 13 where they had a match that many consider to be the match that turned stone cold steve austin into STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN. 

Hey yo! Is that Kane? 

In another highlight of this show was the return of Razor Ramon and Diesel. The two Superstars teamed with Farrooq and Vader to do battle with Savio Vega, Yokozuna, Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka and Flash Funk. Flash, aka 2 Cold Scorpio, had wrestled the night before in ECW coming up on the losing end of a Loser Leaves ECW match which was convenient for his WWF debut. I still don’t know if Vince really thought the fake Razor and Diesel idea was good or if it was just a ploy to gain some legal ground in WWF’s lawsuit against WCW. If I remember my dirt sheet gossip, the non-reaction to the Fakes proved WCW having Hall and Nash use similar mannerisms to the Razor and Diesel characters hurt WWF trademarks, or something like that. WWF winning the lawsuit is what would eventually lead to them being able to buy WCW for pennies on the dollar.

After re-watching this show if you take out the commentary it’s a pretty solid Survivor Series. There’s nothing horrible and the Bret/Austin match is just as good as their Wrestlemania match. Coming up tomorrow, a show I would like to wipe off the record books.

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