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Post by Mike Giggs' Munchies on Jun 6, 2015 6:05:11 GMT -5
Ok, so I know this is an unlikely one, but I always liked these what if questions, and the Classics Board usually comes up with some interesting answers.
So basically, what if Austin left WWF at its peak and went to WCW?
Lets say just after WM15 Austin is riding high (as in real life) when he hears some shocking news - Bischoff has been fired, and someone friendly to Austin (feel free to pick whoever) has been installed as head of WCW. The first thing they do is offer Austin a huge pay packet which he can't turn down, and by July he is ready to debut on Nitro. How would this go? Would it turn the tide back to WCW? Would Vince be able to recover?
I'd be excited to see Sting vs. Austin. I don't know if Hogan would work with Austin - that might play out much the same as in 2002 IRL. However, if he did, Hogan-Austin at Starcade 99 would be huge. As for the WWF... surely Rock would be given the ball. Rock-HHH would probably be even bigger than it already was, and Angle would've been pushed even more than he already was. I think Vince may have looked for more ECW talent to fill the void too - guys like RVD may have had an earlier shot.
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Post by mikey1974 on Jun 6, 2015 6:47:12 GMT -5
well, the investment wouldn't work out well for them, considering by November his neck injury had gotten so severe he could no longer wrestle and had to go on the shelf for almost a year. so they would've had a white-hot 4 months of Austin, then gone.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 6, 2015 7:27:20 GMT -5
well, the investment wouldn't work out well for them, considering by November his neck injury had gotten so severe he could no longer wrestle and had to go on the shelf for almost a year. so they would've had a white-hot 4 months of Austin, then gone. They wouldn't even have had that Mikey-they knew the day after Fully Loaded 99 in July that Austin's neck was screwed again. If you notice....he was used VERY sparingly in ring from July to November. By October they knew the unthinkable had arrived....Steve needed time off. In WCW Austin would not have had the luxuries he had with Vince. Now.....onto the original topic. So Eric is gone.....but Austin STILL needs to deal with a locker room full of political enemies in Hogan, Nash, Savage, Luger etc etc etc guys that would murder their Ma to mind their spots. Austin being the VERY savvy individual he is knew 5 incredibly important things..... 1) The gimmick or its indicia couldn't travel with him. WWF and WCW were still in a HUGE lawsuit over trademark infringement......HUGE wallop right there. the name is one thing....not being able to act like Stone Cold? NOT what fans want. 2) He seen what had happened to Bret Hart/Sting the year before.....return/come in hot, promised the VERY Earth itself, lost in the shuffle and nowhere near the top of the pile.......mired in political strife in feud vs creative control contracts and their hugely destructive knock on effect. 3) Even if the new friendly regime WCWs booking squad had a brain transplant to treat him right Austin would know that he still faced TREMENDOUS obstacles backstage 4) He was at the top of the pile in WWF with Austin 3:16 and ANYTHING to do with it being white hot....plus he had volunteered to help Vince make his next big heel after WM15(which he did in HHH despite bs rumors) going someplace else even for HUGE cash(which he already had) may not have been a factor since he would have to start over......He had finally made it in WWF. 5)Austin knew his neck was on borrowed time since 1997......and that in WWF he could take time off and return to his spot. Huge risk going to WCW and expecting that instead of his 2nd fedex parcel. |
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Post by Evil Abed on Jun 6, 2015 8:39:41 GMT -5
well, the investment wouldn't work out well for them, considering by November his neck injury had gotten so severe he could no longer wrestle and had to go on the shelf for almost a year. so they would've had a white-hot 4 months of Austin, then gone. They wouldn't even have had that Mikey-they knew the day after Fully Loaded 99 in July that Austin's neck was screwed again. If you notice....he was used VERY sparingly in ring from July to November. By October they knew the unthinkable had arrived....Steve needed time off. In WCW Austin would not have had the luxuries he had with Vince. Now.....onto the original topic. So Eric is gone.....but Austin STILL needs to deal with a locker room full of political enemies in Hogan, Nash, Savage, Luger etc etc etc guys that would murder their Ma to mind their spots. Austin being the VERY savvy individual he is knew 5 incredibly important things..... 1) The gimmick or its indicia couldn't travel with him. WWF and WCW were still in a HUGE lawsuit over trademark infringement......HUGE wallop right there. the name is one thing....not being able to act like Stone Cold? NOT what fans want. 2) He seen what had happened to Bret Hart/Sting the year before.....return/come in hot, promised the VERY Earth itself, lost in the shuffle and nowhere near the top of the pile.......mired in political strife in feud vs creative control contracts and their hugely destructive knock on effect. 3) Even if the new friendly regime WCWs booking squad had a brain transplant to treat him right Austin would know that he still faced TREMENDOUS obstacles backstage 4) He was at the top of the pile in WWF with Austin 3:16 and ANYTHING to do with it being white hot....plus he had volunteered to help Vince make his next big heel after WM15(which he did in HHH despite bs rumors) going someplace else even for HUGE cash(which he already had) may not have been a factor since he would have to start over......He had finally made it in WWF. 5)Austin knew his neck was on borrowed time since 1997......and that in WWF he could take time off and return to his spot. Huge risk going to WCW and expecting that instead of his 2nd fedex parcel. Perfectly said. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 6, 2015 8:46:42 GMT -5
For starters, instead of Gillberg, we'd have Stone Dead Duane Austin.
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Post by hbkbigdaddycool on Jun 6, 2015 10:35:03 GMT -5
The only way I could ever see Steve Austin going back to WCW would be if WCW stayed around past 2001.
If guys like Hogan, Hall and Nash came back to the WWE in 2002, when there is still a WCW alive and well, I could see guys like Austin and Big Show switch back to WCW because then they could have a top spot there.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 6, 2015 13:19:32 GMT -5
WCW would've f*cked it up.
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Post by The Sexy Psychotic on Jun 6, 2015 14:29:03 GMT -5
I just cant imagine Austin leaving WWE, never mind to go to WCW; like Joker said, he had finally made it in WWE and there was no end in sight really, no matter how many people bring up Rock and Triple H, they weren't going to the VERY top and didn't until Austin HAD to leave.
IF he had left though, I see the exact same thing that happened to Bret happening to Austin, no way was Hogan, Nash or Savage were giving up their spot, Austin would have most likely been reduced to the upper midcard and spent most of his time feuding with Bret, Booker T, Hall and Bam Bam - and no matter what anyone says, at 99, Austin had no business being in matches against these guys, he still had it.
Nah, Austin wouldn't have left for all the money in the world, he knew WWE was the place for him to be, and the best place for him.
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Post by mikey1974 on Jun 6, 2015 17:13:35 GMT -5
well, the investment wouldn't work out well for them, considering by November his neck injury had gotten so severe he could no longer wrestle and had to go on the shelf for almost a year. so they would've had a white-hot 4 months of Austin, then gone. . 1) The gimmick or its indicia couldn't travel with him. WWF and WCW were still in a HUGE lawsuit over trademark infringement......HUGE wallop right there. the name is one thing....not being able to act like Stone Cold? NOT what fans want. . "Ice Killer" Steve Austin "And Ice Killer says that's the final word!" |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 6, 2015 18:16:23 GMT -5
. 1) The gimmick or its indicia couldn't travel with him. WWF and WCW were still in a HUGE lawsuit over trademark infringement......HUGE wallop right there. the name is one thing....not being able to act like Stone Cold? NOT what fans want. . "Ice Killer" Steve Austin "And Ice Killer says that's the final word!" The fearsome Jerry Mcdevitt would be all over that Mikey!!!! |
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Post by mikey1974 on Jun 6, 2015 21:23:31 GMT -5
"Ice Killer" Steve Austin "And Ice Killer says that's the final word!" The fearsome Jerry Mcdevitt would be all over that Mikey!!!! you know damn well he'd be "Stone Cold" without actually BEING Stone Cold! I had a thought about this awhile ago.... guys from WWF jumping to WCW, with, obviouslt, WCW not being allowed to use their names, but trying to find some form of their current gimmicks that thye could use... The Rock - Granite, or maybe Duane Stone Undertaker - The Grave Digger, if they could licence it.. perhaps The Mortician? Triple H - back to Jean Paul Levesque Shawn Michaels - could stay Shawn Michaels,since he used it before the WWF. perhaps "The Love Taker" Shawn Michaels? Kane - simple, just put him in a different mask and attire pattern, call him Abel |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2015 4:38:38 GMT -5
Vince successfully sued WCW over Scott Hall acting like Razor Ramon.....so there would be a HUGE difference LOL.
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