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Post by Mike Giggs' Munchies on May 6, 2013 11:44:36 GMT -5
I always like these scenario threads so I figured I'd make one.
What if Stone Cold Steve Austin got injured in January 1998?
The scenario: The WWE is still reeling from the Montreal Screwjob. At the Royal Rumble, HBK comes backstage after his match and complains of an injured back, making Vince worry, just as I'm sure it happened for real. However, in this scenario, after Austin wins the Rumble he comes backstage and complains of an injured neck. The doctors run some tests, and the predicament quickly becomes clear: both men are going to be out for a long time (9 months minimum) and shouldn't wrestle again until they've healed; maybe they can do one match at the most (like I believe Shawn did with his injury). So essentially, the scenario is Austin gets injured at the same time as Shawn did, just after they lost another huge star in Bret. How would you proceed from here?
My memory of the period is rusty (I was 5), but I think you'd have to have Austin lose his WM shot to Kane in a match whilst HBK loses his title to 'Taker, before having that as the WM XIV main event. Alternatively you could somehow book it as a fatal 4 way, but that would delay HBK's and SCSA's surgeries further. In the long run, HHH and Rock would have likely been pushed even faster than they already were.
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2013 12:24:12 GMT -5
great topic Mike!!
Vince would have been f*cked......in no short order.98 was the year he turned it around.....without Austin?not possible.
without Austins march to the title Vinnie was knackered.Christ knows what would have happened.....he likely would have went with Shamrock to dethrone HBK.
everything clicked......
Austin vs Tyson on Raw-media frenzy.Even Bischoff said it was genius.
Austin vs DX was great and heated.....HBK got hit in the head with a battery because folks were marking for Austin that hard
the already hated Vince in the background saying Austin winning would be a PR nightmare
it was the perfect run up.
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Post by Brad on May 6, 2013 12:26:46 GMT -5
great topic Mike!! Vince would have been f*cked......in no short order.98 was the year he turned it around.....without Austin?not possible. without Austins march to the title Vinnie was knackered.Christ knows what would have happened.....he likely would have went with Shamrock to dethrone HBK. everything clicked...... Austin vs Tyson on Raw-media frenzy.Even Bischoff said it was genius. Austin vs DX was great and heated.....HBK got hit in the head with a battery because folks were marking for Austin that hard the already hated Vince in the background saying Austin winning would be a PR nightmare it was the perfect run up. Exactly
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Post by Mike Giggs' Munchies on May 6, 2013 12:29:46 GMT -5
That brings up another question - what would they have done with Tyson? They could've written HBK out by making HHH turn on him and DX, possibly even winning the title in the process. Then Tyson works with him (possibly with DX if they all turned on HBK) against an opponent. Shamrock maybe. Mankind, Kane or 'Taker wouldn't have fitted. Perhaps Rock could've faced HHH and got the title win, with Tyson turning on HHH like he did on HBK? He did come 2nd in the RR after all, as my friend Alan Partridge pointed out to me a few minutes ago via text.
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2013 12:33:29 GMT -5
They really had no other face to dethrone Michaels. Undertaker was busy with Kane. People wouldn't get behind Shamrock like they did Austin. Only other thing I could think of is Owen. Have Owen decide that enough is enough and avenge his big brother. Have him beat down Vince. Have him take out Triple H. And then go after Michaels.
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2013 12:35:39 GMT -5
That brings up another question - what would they have done with Tyson? They could've written HBK out by making HHH turn on him and DX, possibly even winning the title in the process. Then Tyson works with him (possibly with DX if they all turned on HBK) against an opponent. Shamrock maybe. Mankind, Kane or 'Taker wouldn't have fitted. Perhaps Rock could've faced HHH and got the title win, with Tyson turning on HHH like he did on HBK? He did come 2nd in the RR after all, as my friend Alan Partridge pointed out to me a few minutes ago via text. I could've swore Austin eliminated Rock to win RR98?
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Post by Mike Giggs' Munchies on May 6, 2013 12:38:10 GMT -5
Yeah he did, so Rock was already looking good. Have HHH dethrone HBK, then Rock be given #1 contender spot because he was 2nd in the Rumble. Have Rock beat HHH (hopefully the Kliq's anti-Rock agenda fails to persuade Vince) then build him up for Austin to come back for WM XV for his title. That could've actually minimised the damage imo if done right, and made WM XV bigger than it already was.
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2013 12:40:11 GMT -5
my bad thought ya meant HHH came 2nd!!
yeah all this could've worked I suppose...
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2013 21:31:17 GMT -5
Essentially what Joker said...
Vince would have been f*cked.
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Post by Deleted on May 8, 2013 11:40:28 GMT -5
Austin was Austin, sure. But Vince was cunning back here. He had a plethora of mid carders who could have easily been pushed to main event level:
Rock, Owen, Triple H, Vader, Foley, Kane, Shamrock, Billy Gunn...
He also still had Undertaker. Now, I'm not saying under any circumstances that any of these guys could have reached the height of Austin. BUT Vince had plenty of talent bubbling and ready to rise on the mid card. The best thing would have been to make Shawn put Owen over for the title, (Owen was supposed to go over Shawn until Shawn refused to work with him after montreal), and have Rock go over Austin for his spot.
In a way, if this had happened it would have served Vince right for forcing Bret out of the company.
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Captain McKay
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Post by Captain McKay on May 9, 2013 16:05:09 GMT -5
While I'm agreeing that Vince would have been f'd, I'd go with one of two options -
I'd have HBK lose to Undertaker and somehow have Kane become the #1 contender. That way, Kane/Undertaker at WMXIV still would have happened, just with the title on the line. Plus, Vince had to know even then that Undertaker was the guy who could be trusted to take care of business regardless. He really is the centerpiece of WWE, in spite of not being as popular as someone like Austin or Rock, and I think Vince knows/knew it and knew that, if need be, Undertaker could take the reigns.
Or even better, as mentioned above, put it around Owen Hart. He had monstrous fan support coming off Montreal, and seeing him go over HBK would have been huge for the fans. Not as huge as Austin, but still huge. Owen could have then feuded with Shamrock (since he was in the main event scene a bit earlier on), Undertaker, and eventually Austin once he was well again. Then, during all this, HHH vs Rock could have been pushed the same way, with a HHH-DX and a Rock-Nation stable war.
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