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Post by j on Aug 25, 2021 19:20:39 GMT -5
Issue #3 WHAT IF...? The IRON SHEIK took Verne Gagne's 'alleged' pay off and broke Hulk Hogan's leg instead of dropping the belt to him. Hulkamania gets sidelined for a bit while he recovers. Sheik drops the title to Backlund, Bruno, Snuka, Slaughter or even Andre for a short time to get the title to someone else for Hogan to beat (Volkoff, Muraco, Shultz, Piper). Sheik gets blackballed, Wrestlemania 1 may be Hogan winning the title from Piper or Wrestlemania may be all pushed back a year (or even a few months) |
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Post by DK II on Aug 25, 2021 20:15:25 GMT -5
Issue #3 WHAT IF...? The IRON SHEIK took Verne Gagne's 'alleged' pay off and broke Hulk Hogan's leg instead of dropping the belt to him. A bit out there, but Rocky Johnson might have been a decent guy to put the belt on for a while while Hogan recovered and has been mentioned, just a later start to WMs and Hulkamania. You could have Johnson drop the title to any number of heels that would have taken the fall to Hogan. |
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Post by wayne on Aug 26, 2021 5:52:42 GMT -5
Andre winning at WM3, something I had thought of in the concept of Andre got pissed at Hogan and decided to not job, would effect business but not much. Yes Hogan was the top guy buy leaps and bounds but by then attention was on WWF and other stars. First off the growth would have slowed some but Hogan was not the top guy for most of the following year and even lost in first round of World tournament at WM4. One guy that might have got an earlier push is Ultimate Warrior. From what I gathered from the A&E documentary on him part of his issue was being overshadowed, and underpaid, compared to Hogan. No Hogan means Warrior would get more $ and attention. Just don't know how the whole Ultimate Warrior thing went so wrong. I really thought WM6 was the passing of the torch. Ultimate Warrior was massive over from what I remember as a young teen. To be handed the Heavyweight belt to go with the IC belt was a big deal. I know Warrior went a bit funny but I didn't get why they had him drop the title to Sarge. They claimed it was a failed title run but his popularity seemed off the charts. They booked him badly. Earthquake should of gone against him rather than be fed to Hogan. His feud with Rude was great but it had been done before. Then for the WWF to stick him in 6 man tag matches with LOD against Demolition around the survivor series 90 was baffling. It's a shame because I liked him way better than Hogan. Not to say I don't like Hogan but the Warrior had the charisma, the look, the body VKM wanted. His wrestling skills prob were not great (but not as bad many think) and he had some really exciting matches. |
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Post by LAWraith on Aug 26, 2021 6:55:25 GMT -5
Wayne ... one thing I remember when watching Mania VI after film school, watch how the main event is filmed. It's something you dont really think about but effects how a story is told. During the passing of the torch, the camera SHOULD be focusing on Warrior, the fans and just the ring. The camera doesnt focus on Warrior though it focuses on Hogan. We watch Hogan leaving and Hogans view of Warrior celebrating changing the narrative from Warriors moment and him becoming the guy to leaving some question if this is another challenge for Hogan to overcome. I kind of think this is where the moment fails because as even a casual viewer you side with Hogan and expect a rematch coming and this to be a momentary setback.
Hogan always seemed to be the focus or presented as the main character of the story. Watching as a kid I knew this moment wasnt going to last. I knew Hogan would do something to get back in the spotlight because that's the narrative I was being told. When the mega powers exploded is Savage really the heel in that situation? Yes but it's because the way the camera and the way things are presented to us dictate. Savage really doesnt do anything wrong and Hogan is clearly trying to steal another man's wife but the way things are shot and told to us we side with Hogan for some reason.
It's an interesting topic and would have been fun to see how the WHAT IF had played out and things had been different. I'll always think things would have been better without Hogan or I might just be a hater, we will never know because we cant answer the question WHAT IF ...
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Post by "Emperor Norton" (Mark T) on Aug 26, 2021 8:56:22 GMT -5
LAWraith, you got it right there. The way the "passing of the torch" was done it still seemed like it was about Hogan and not Warrior. And to Wayne's question, the WWF really ruined Warrior's mystique when they (Vince) decided that a WwF champion had to be a smiling babyface and had him switch to the paint on the cheek instead of full face paint. They did a similar thing with Diesel to sabatoge his run in the 90s. It was as if winning the world title drained everything cool and unique from a guy and made them a bland, smiling good guy.
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Post by LAWraith on Aug 26, 2021 9:16:35 GMT -5
Kind of makes you wonder if Vince jr knew what he was doing or has lucked out along the way huh ...
Diesel was a mess, he was such a bad ass and you had him dress up in a sweater and sing christmas Carol's.
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Post by wayne on Aug 26, 2021 12:00:53 GMT -5
Great points there. I never really thought about that way. The focus was on Hogan post match. And I agree on that face paint thing. I vaguely remember some ridiculous look with headband and warrior motif on one cheek. Also wasn't there some silly interview segment on Brother Love show where he picks up a little kid and bangs on about love. OMG, it's all flooding back!!!
Shame though, I loved Warrior and wish it had worked out better.
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Post by on_the_edge on Aug 26, 2021 16:29:16 GMT -5
With Ultimate Warrior he, like many wrestlers, had some demons to deal with. That and other backstage things got in his way. In the What If case of Hogan being done at WM3 it is possible things might have turned out better.
In regards to Kevin Nash doing goofy things as Diesel I wonder how much of that was Vince and how much was Kevin. I feel Kevin might have been trying to expand his character to show Hollywood what he could do. From some of his run in TNA I get the feeling Kevin has a goofy silly side that he likes to let out now and then.
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Post by Shon Maxx on Sept 14, 2021 6:31:55 GMT -5
Here is the one that I have proposed elsewhere, and I always find the answers very interesting.... What If?.....The Slam Heard Around the World....Pontiac Silverdome. 93,173 fans watch as The Hulkster motions that he is going to slam Andre the Giant! The place goes wild as Hogan reaches down, scoops up Andre and lifts him high into the air. But then something goes wrong..... Something in Hogan's back gives way. He collapses under the weight and crashes to the mat with The Giant on top of him. The referee has no choice but to count the pinfall, and Andre The Giant becomes the WWF Heavyweight Champion of the World, and Wrestlemania III ends with the crowd in stunned disbelief. So that is your assignment..... Hulk Hogan suffers a fluke career ending injury on the biggest stage of them all, at the height of his popularity, at what may be the companies biggest moment. How does WWF recover? Who is the next great babyface? Does it sink the company? Does it impact Crockett, Gagne, or Fritz in any way? I just started a WWF '87 fed based on this. Andre landed on and injured Hogan but got the pin and won the title. However, I don't think Andre could defend the title on a regular schedule. Therefore, my fed had Andre hold the belt until the summer of '87 but then drop it after not being able to defend it. Dibiase debuts as the Million dollar Man early and Savage beats him in the summer to win the vacant title. Savage then spends the rest of the year defending against Dibiase, Iron Sheik, Piper (who sticks around), a heel George the Animal Steele, and King Kong Bundy. Also, without Steamboat, Honky, the Harts, etc., I've had to get a little creative with the rest of my fed. But Savage is definitely pushes as the top face. Now WM IV will be interesting . . . |
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Post by Blehschmidt on Sept 14, 2021 9:32:15 GMT -5
Savage seems to be everyone's immediate answer in the No Hogan scenario, and in the long run, he is probably the right answer. But I just can't buy him as the immediate answer.
He has literally just come off crushing "The Dragon's throat, has spent years cheating to keep the IC Title, the people think he mistreats Elizabeth. His face turn only worked the way it did, because of Hogan.
With The Hulkster out of the picture, short of Andre trying to claim Elizabeth as his own or something, I don't know how you can switch Savage babyface that quickly to solve the No Hogan, broken down Andre problem.
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