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: #2 Dustin's Golden Opportunity

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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Since the 2017 Royal Rumble is right around the corner, I've decided to countdown to this year's event with my 10 favorite non-Rumble Royal Rumble matches. 

In 1991, Dustin Rhodes made his Royal Rumble debut. He and his father, "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes teamed up to take on "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase and Virgil. The father-son duo lost and both soon department WWF and went to WCW. Fast forward five years later and Dustin's alter ego Goldust received a golden opportunity

Goldust had actually debuted in fall 1995 and was the polar opposite of "The Natural" character Dustin had perfected in Atlanta. Goldust was a character way ahead of his time and paved the way for the infamous Attitude Era. Goldust entered into a war of words and love notes with Intercontinental Champion Razor Ramon. That brewing battle came to a head at the '96 Rumble.

Full disclosure, Goldust is one of my favorite gimmicks of all time. Dustin jumpstarted his career with the character and changed the face of wrestling at the same time. When he headed to the ring that night, he was joined by a beautiful woman in a golden dress and carrying cigar. We'd later learn her name was Marlena. She was Dustin's real life wife who had played Alexandra York in WCW. By the way, Terri was the guest on the one-year anniversary show of My 1-2-3 Cents the podcast and you can listen to the backstory here.

Underneath the wig and makeup, of course, is an amazing wrestler. Goldust and Ramon had a great match which saw some distractions from Marlena and interference from the 1-2-3 Kid who had recently turned his back on Ramon. I celebrated the victory as I watched live in my apartment one month removed from graduating college. I had just bought a computer and this was my first event with internet access. I talked about the victory with other AOL chatters and in rec.sports.wrestling.

I wish Goldust's run as champion would have lasted longer. He ended up battling "Rowdy" Roddy Piper in a Hollywood Backlot Brawl at WrestleMania 12 a couple months later. The title wasn't on the line. The championship was vacated after an indecision with Savio Vega, but he recaptured shortly after that and lost it to Ahmed Johnson at the King of the Ring in summer 1996.

Despite that, the chase and the title win is one of my favorite moments from Dustin's career and obviously my second favorite non-Rumble Royal Rumble match. I really will remember the name... Gooooollllduuuussssttt!

10 Favorite Non-Rumble Royal Rumble matches

10. Super Posedown
9.  Harts Broken
8.  All fired up

7.  Daniel & The Giants 

6.  Co-owners Collide

5. Rollins arrives

4. Great Scot! Piper wins

3. Mankind get ROCKED

24 years of Raw

Sean Mooney & Rob Bartlett's "aunt"

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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January 11, 1993, Raw is War made its debut on the USA Network. The LIVE show replaced the long-running pre-recorded Prime Time Wrestling program hosted first by Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan and eventually a roundtable format.

I was a sophomore in college when Raw took to the airwaves. Because I still lived in the dorms on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University and wrestling wasn't all that popular with my floormates, (we shared one TV with cable in the lobby) I would make my way to the pizza restaurant, Geronimo's, and watch. I'd often bump into a handful of other closet fans and we'd discuss the show after it went off the air.

It's hard to believe the program is longest running, weekly episodic show in the history of television. That very first night though we got something different. The whole attitude of wrestling was changing, not just with the way it was presented, but the men and women who were stepping through the ropes had different looks and new attitudes. It was an evolution from the Superstars of Wrestling days, to say the least. 

Ironically both Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker appeared in the first episode and were each on the most recent show to air (Episode 1,233). Michaels beat Max Moon and Undertaker pinned Damien Demento. Vince McMahon, Rob Bartlett and the late, great "Macho Man" Randy Savage made up the commentary team, much to the chagrin of Bobby Heenan. 

Other legends to be a part of the first episode: The Steiner Brothers, Yokozuna and Koko B. Ware. Razor Ramon cut a promo ahead of his WWF World Title shot against Bret Hart, who oddly was not on the show. Doink the Clown and Crush had words at the end of the show and Heenan finally got inside.

Those 60 minutes were packed with matches, promos and skits. Lots of great memories. I realize how much I miss those days, Heenan, Savage, Doink and Sean Mooney. The show has evolved a lot over the years. Happy anniversary to Raw. Here's to many more years.

SURVIVOR SERIES: Favorite team number 6: Team HBK (1995)

Survivor Series 1995
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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I'm counting down to the 30th annual Survivor Series by looking back at my ten favorite teams in the history of the event. Survivor Series ranks among my favorite events every year and if you've read this blog in the past you know I'm a fan of the traditional elimination matches. 

In 1995 WWE tried something different for Survivor Series. This was the first year the event aired on a Sunday night. Previous Survivor Series shows were on Thanksgiving or the night before. Also that year, good guy teams vs. bad guy teams were tossed out the window. One match featured so-called Wild Card teams.

When rivals have to be partners
Courtesy: WWE

Interim WWF President Gorilla Monsoon made rivals team up and take on their friends. Shawn Michaels was forced to captain a team with Ahmed Johnson and his enemies, Sid and Davey Boy Smith. That foursome faced Razor Ramon, Yokozuna, Owen Hart and Dean Douglas. As you might imagine, the teammate loyalty ran then and Shawn helped eliminate Sid after a serving of Sweet Chin Music. Once the dust settled it was Shawn's team that won, with HBK, Johnson and The Bulldog standing tall as the survivors. 

Teamwork
Courtesy: WWE

At the time of this match, Davey Boy was one of my favorites. He had recently turned heel and was being managed by Jim Cornette. I had previously been a fan of the heel HBK, and Ahmed Johnson was growing on me. I'll admit it here, I liked Sid too, so this team had it all. The "Wild Card" concept didn't become a consistent idea, but it did return from time to time. 

Top 10:

Team 7: Team Piper: Survivor Series 1991

Team 8: The All-Americans

Team 9: Team WWF Survivor Series 2001

Team 10: New Day, King Barrett and Sheamus

Climbing the ladder to success

Tony Flood vs. Jerry Travelstead

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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The first time I remember hearing about a ladder match in wrestling was in 1992 when Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels battled in one for the WWF Intercontentinal Championship. The match wasn't televised, but I think WWF Magazine published pictures of the event. Less than two years later, Razor Ramon and HBK would do battle in one of the most memorable ladder matches in the history of the business.

In those two decades, there have been countless ladder matches. I've even called one during my days with All American Pro Wrestling. Over the weekend I witnessed another one on the indy circuit, featuring "T-Dog" Jerry Travelstead against "The Canadian Saint" Tony Flood. The two were vying to become the first ever Stride Pro Wrestling Legacy Champion. 

Quick backstory Jerry is a school superintendent and principal here in southern Illinois. He's a huge wrestling fan and has held a few benefit shows for his school, Community Consolidated School District 204. Not only has Jerry promoted a few wrestling shows, he's also trained and wrestled several matches. He and Flood, who is an accomplished indy wrestler, have had a grudge brewing for most of the year in Stride Pro Wrestling. 

Flood's moonsault with the ladder

Saturday night's ladder match was nothing short of spectacular. Both T-Dog and Flood put their bodies on the line to show just how determined each is to win the Legacy title. The match took a huge turn when Flood climbed to the top rope with the ladder in his hands and did a moonsault. T-Dog moved just in time and Flood crashed to the mat with the ladder. The crowd let out a collective gasp in the process.

New champion

The battle continued for a few minutes and T-Dog took advantage of Flood being knocked out of the ring and climbed rung by rung to grab ahold of the Legacy Title. He soaked in the cheers of students, family members and fans. Flood, who had visible welts and bruises, had to be helped back by ring crew members. I heard one young fan exclaim "He broke his leg!" I can tell you that's not the case, but clearly, neither man will be the same after this amazing encounter. 

Be sure to join Stride Pro Wrestling on Saturday, November 12 at the Redbird Rumble at Wrest Frankfort High School. Bell time is 7 p.m.

Famer Friday: Kerry Von Erich and what if

Kerry Von Erich
Courtsey: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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Where it all started...

I credit Kerry Von Erich with being one of the wrestlers who got me hooked on pro wrestling at a young age. I remember seeing him battle Ric Flair inside a steel cage for the NWA World Heavyweight Title. It's the night the war between the Von Erichs and The Freebirds ignited and changed wrestling forever. It's also one of my earliest memories of the sport.

Right after the NWA Championship win

Kerry quickly became not only my favorite Von Erich, but my favorite wrestler. I had my standard wrestling magazine purchases each month: Pro Wrestling Illustrated, The Wrestler and Inside Wrestling. But if Kerry was featured on the cover or as the poster in any other publication, I added it to my collection. Despite Hulkamania running wild in other areas, I was 100% behind Kerry.

As NWA Heavyweight Champion

Of course he has a long list of accomplishments, winning the NWA Title from Flair eventually. He held several championships while in World Class Championship Wrestling and in 1990 when he signed with WWF my wrestling prayers had been answered. It didn't take long for the Texas Tornado to capture the Intercontinental Title.

After winning the IC Title
Courtesy: WWE

But Curt Hennig, Ted DiBiase and The Warlord weren't the only battles Kerry was facing. Outside the ring he had demons of his own. More than 20 years after his untimely death I am saddened as I wonder "what if..." Had he not been ill with addiction (as far as I'm concerned it's an illness), the sky would have been the limit for the Modern Day Warrior.

Courtesy: WWE

Kerry was in his early 30s when he arrived in the WWF. His short run as IC champion should have been a launching pad to bigger things in the company. As Vince McMahon was looking for new faces to replace Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior and "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Von Erich should have been on the short list. I've read on other sites that Kerry was supposed to get the "Bret Hart treatment" and the run with the belt.

I can't tell you how much I wish this would have happened. Don't get me wrong, Bret Hart is an icon and one of the all-time greats, but Kerry was my guy. He could have had some epic battles against the Hitman, Shawn Michaels, Razor Ramon and the other members of the New Generation. 

Kerry & Kevin Von Erich

He would have become a big time commodity during the Monday Night Wars as well. It would have been interesting to see where he ended up. His involvement in either WWF or WCW would have also likely meant Kevin joining him. The two would have made outstanding tag team champions and individual champs as well. Fantasy booking: Kerry as WWE Champion battling Kevin as IC Champion on a pay-per-view event.

Kerry may be gone, but he's not forgotten. May he continue to rest in peace. Thanks for the memories.

Good Call on the Bad Guy

Razor Ramon
Photo Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Razor Ramon joins an already superb class of 2014 for the WWE Hall of Fame.  I like the choice, but I'm a bit surprised they're inducting him as Ramon and not Scott Hall.  Of course his biggest wave of success in the WWE and perhaps in his career was under the Razor Ramon moniker, so in that regard it makes sense.

I have followed Scott Hall pretty much his entire career.  I can remember when he was Starship Coyote along with Danny Spivey as team called American Starship.  I watched Coyote and Eagle team together at an NWA house show in St. Louis in 1985.  I was always impressed with his size and ability to get in the ring and wrestle.  When he went to the AWA and wrestled under his real name, I thought for sure he'd become the world champion there.

The Diamond Studd
Courtesy: WWE

Confession time: When Hall went to the NWA again and became The Diamond Studd, I had no idea it was him.  In my defense, he had lost the puffy brown hair and Tom Selleck mustache and looked more rugged, and was a bad ass.  He finally shed that goodie too shoes gimmick I felt he had in the AWA.  I was disappointed though that NWA didn't really do anything with him.

Wrestlemania X win
Photo courtesy: WWE

It wasn't until 1992 and his appearance in a vignette on WWF programming that I thought we'd finally see something good in Hall's future.  Now he was Razor Ramon, and he oozed machoism.  He feuded pretty instantly with former WWF champion Randy "Macho Man" Savage, beating him at a house show in attended while in college at Southeast Missouri State University.  He got a pretty good push, eventually facing, but losing to Bret Hart at the 1993 Royal Rumble.  Hart was the champ at the time, but Ramon had a good showing, but really shocked me when he beat Bob Backlund at Wrestlemania IX.

Long story short, Ramon shot up the ladder (literally) becoming the a good guy and winning the Intercontinental title.  He remains one of my favorites to hold that title. There was just something so cool about Razor Ramon.  His matches and feuds with Savage, Hart, Shawn Michaels, Jeff Jarrett, and Goldust all stick out to me. 

The Fake Razor
Photo courtesy: WWE

I HATED it when he left for WCW and formed the Outsiders (I know I'm in the minority).  Of all the personalities, including his own, Razor has always been my favorite.  I assume that it is the Scott Hall version of Ramon going in and not this guy --------->

We all know Scott Hall the man, has been battling lots of demons in the past.  I think with the help of Diamond Dallas Page he's on the road to recovery.  I look forward to hearing more from him on April 5 in New Orleans. 

Raw Memories: #4 Vince Buys WCW

Raw Moment #4:
The Monday Night Wars End

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

No doubt that March 21, 2001 changed the course of history forever.  It's the night that WCW, a wrestling company rich in history, was bought by its competitor, Vincent Kennedy McMahon.  I had been in Dallas for the week and was away from the computer and had no idea this was going down.  We arrived back home Monday afternoon and I logged in to the usual wrestling sites I frequented.  They were all reporting that Vince had bought WCW.  I couldn't believe it.  I knew the company was likely going to be sold, but the last I'd heard Eric Bischoff and some investors were interested.

I must admit I marked out a bit when Monday Nitro opened and fans were greeted by McMahon who made the announcement that he'd bought the company.  It was one of the most surreal moments in wrestling history.  What would this mean for the future of the business?  Were the WCW guys and gals going to all go to the WWF?  No one knew for sure.

As both shows chugged along and WCW put on matches like Scott Steiner vs. Booker T for the heavyweight title and Ric Flair vs. Sting the anticipation grew.  It all came to ahead when Shane McMahon showed up in Panama City Beach where Nitro was broadcasting from.  He and Vince sparred via satellite and Shane laid it out that WCW had been sold to a McMahon, but Not Vince.  Shane had somehow bought the company out from under Vince's nose.

This immediately took the focus off the pending WCW vs. WWF war in my opinion and became more about the McMahon family feud.  Things escalated when ECW returned only under the ownership of Stephanie McMahon.  So while the initial announcement and Vince appearing on Nitro was an awesome memory, the rest of the booking for the invasion angle feel flat.  It had some moments as you can go back and read in some of the other Raw Memories blogs.

Honorable mention:
The kid is good!
Photo courtesy: WWE

Honorable Mention:  I'm not sure how I let this one slip under my radar, but I did.  I had forgotten about the Lightning Kid's match on Raw that made him a house hold name until Chad brought it up on a recent From the Rafters Radio show.  Lightning Kid (aka Sean Waltman) had been a star in Global Wrestling Federation and was now wrestling in the WWF.  Kid looked just like a kid.  He was about 21 years old at the time and looked like he weighed about 160 pounds soaking wet.  To say he was not the a typical WWF meat head wrestler would be the understatement of the year.

But out of no where the Kid pinned a cocky and confident Razor Ramon.  It was a huge upset; one that earned the Kid a new moniker.  He became the 1-2-3 Kid and soon gained confidence and started climbing the ranks of the WWF.  Of course he would eventually become Syxx in WCW and X-Pac when he returned to the WWF and joined Degeneration X.  Had it not been for that initial match back in 1993 in the early days of Raw, who knows what would have become of the Lightning Kid...

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.

Mania Memories: New Beginnings

Bret wins the title back (WWE)

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger on Twitter

Wrestlemania 10 in my view was the start of a new era for the WWF.  Main stay main eventer Hulk Hogan was gone from the company.  Randy Savage was on his way out.  Roddy Piper was merely a special guest referee.

Workhorse Bret Hart proved to be the man that night by wrestling (and losing to) his younger brother Owen in what may be the best opening match in the history of Wrestlemania and later going on to defeat Yokozuna for the World heavyweight title.  I'm not a fan of repeat matches or main events for that matter at Wrestlemania, but the outcome of the match at 10 was much different than at 9, and with Piper as the special guest referee it added something different to the mix.

Close, but no cigar for Luger

Lex Luger had received a shot earlier in the night against Yoko, but lost when the special guest ref for that match, Mr. Perfect, disqualified Luger, thus turning heel.  I had really thought they'd go with a Luger win over Yoko and then have Hart beat Lex in the main event, just to have said Luger had a run as champ.  But that never happened, and Luger's push essentially died that night.

Doink and Dink teamed up against Bam Bam Bigelow and Luna Vachon.  Let's never speak of that match again.  Savage ended up beating Crush in a falls count anywhere match.  This would be one of the Macho Man's final appearance in the WWF/E forever.  Kinda sad to think about that.  Men on a Mission nearly won the WWF tag team titles, beating the Quebecers by disqualification which should tell you something about the state of the tag team situation back in 1994.  Women's wrestling was back on the card for the first time years, with Alundra Blayze beating former champion Leilani Kai.  The Undertaker, who had started his impressive streak 3 years earlier, wasn't on the show.  He was selling the beat down he took at the hands of Yokozuna a couple months earlier at the Royal Rumble.

Shawn comes crashing down (WWE)

Yes, Wrestlemania 10 had a different look and feel than previous Wrestlemanias, and the match that probably set it apart the most was the ladder match between Razor Ramon and Shawn Michaels.  This was the first time a ladder match had been done on WWF television, much less at a pay per view.  Ramon and Michaels put on a contest for the ages, it's a ladder match that has certainly stood the test of time and is one of the best ever.  In the end, Ramon was the winner, walking out with the Intercontinental title. That match, along with Bret's win and Owen's earlier in the night set a new tone for the WWF.  The big man didn't have to be at the helm as champion.  It truly was a new generation.

What are your thoughts of Wrestlemania 10?  Share them here or on Facebook.

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.