WRESTLING WHAT IF's VOL. II

Another installment of "Wrestling What If's..." (you can find Volume I...HERE ). Another chance to think of what could or might have been. In early installments we will be trying to avoid direct  focus on either the "Attitude Era"/"Monday Night Wars" or deaths. Some things will lead into those, but in the beginning it is other stuff that could have reshaped the industry.

What If...Bret "Hitman" Hart Hadn't Been Kicked By Goldberg?
Yes, it is a bit weird to wonder that, but watching him on WWE Network makes it hard to not wonder. It was the concussion from the kick that initially ended Bret's career, the stroke made it concrete. Sure, he had the match with Vince, and has done some spots of physicality, but not the Hitman he'd be if not for that kick. Question are aplenty, would he have been able to "save" WCW? Not likely. Would he have ever been open to returning to WWE? Would something have still triggered Bret wanting to make peace in his life? If not, would we have seen a true Sharpshooter in TNA Wrestling? If so, how much better would his match against Vince would have been. And lets not forget a match between Bret and Shawn Michaels. At Wrestlemania. Ya. Ooooh or even Bret being a part of the former Streak held by Undertaker?


What If...Andre The Giant Was Never "Discovered"?
Another slightly weird one, but Andre's existence in professional wrestling/sports entertainment was more crucial than it appears. Wrestlemania III is a massive part of WWE's history and success. Big John Studd, One Man Gang, and other big men would have loved to fill Andre's spot, but as great as they may be, they would've failed. Andre was massive during his "undefeated" good guy days, both in size as well as in fans hearts during the 70's and very early 80's. His heel turn and sheer girth was even bigger leading up to the showdown with Hogan. Take away Andre, you take away that pivotal moment when Hogan body slammed him. All the others it would not have been as impressive and nor as big of impact. It sent Hogan's star power through the roof. So, no Andre where would the WWE and Hulk Hogan be? As successful? Less? And lets not forget about Big Show. The questions with him are would he have been a much bigger attraction, or would he have never even gotten into wrestling?


What If...Triple H Hadn't Torn His Quad In 2001?
A few things come to mind. First, how would he have played into the "Invasion" storyline? It is hard to say which side he would have chosen, given both his involvement with The Two-Man Power Trip with Stone Cold and his real life relationship with Stephanie McMahon. Would he have joined his wife while Austin stayed with WWE? Austin "wanted" to be a heel at that time (despite fans not allowing it. "What?" began at that time) so would he have turned on WWE and Triple H before jumping ship, or would Triple H have made the turn and Austin stayed with WWE. What would've happened with Angle? And even flashing forward to when he made his return there are questions. Would he have been built up to win the Rumble and then the WWE Undisputed Championship at Mania X-8? Would he have been in the mix when the first Undisputed Champion was crowned? Orrrr would he have some how been involved with the n.W.o. sooner than later (right before it "dissolved" after ironically Kevin Nash tearing his quad) as either a member or an opponent?


What If...The Steroid Scandal Never Happened?
Initially you are probably thinking, "Wouldn't What If Vince Lost? Be Better?". You would be both right and wrong at the same time. Initially I think Vince would just have paid a large sum and carried on, or if incarcerated it would have been Linda running things while Vince planned things out in jail while having meetings every week. But, what if it hadn't happened at all? Roid Rage is debatable, but the damage that steroids can cause when abused is pretty solid (injury recovery uses smaller doses, for shorter periods). If this trial hadn't happened there is a chance that there would not only be a lot more of the traditional "Vince Guys" (jacked up), but there's a chance there would be a lot more deaths. That list is already way too long. Would Hulk Hogan still be alive today if he hadn't stopped juicing back then (lost a lot of mass quickly, hoping the bulk now is natural), or others who have already passed have died much earlier? Yes, there may be some guys on the roster who are on the juice, but they are at least forced to try and hide it now. Not saying 'roids is what has killed so many wrestlers, but hard to say if it wasn't a factor in some.

That's it for now, again you can find previous installment(s)...HERE . Keep your eyes peeled for future installments of "Wrestling What If's...".


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THE DOWNSIDE OF WWE TAG TEAM INSURGECE

Tag-team wrestling has been a staple of sorts within wrestling for decades. For most of us, the 80's and early 90's saw a massive number of teams of all different styles. And then although they continued on in the rest of the 90's and 2000's, it wasn't quite the same. In the earlier era's mentioned, tag-teams were mainly put together and seemed to stay together until an injury, contract stuff, or legitimate beef tore them apart. Teams like Legion Of Doom/Road Warriors, Bushwhackers, and very few others teams were really able to maintain being a duo.

And then we came to see what is safe to call either "Bret Hart or Shawn Michaels Syndrome" begin. This is where mega stars in the singles division were made from successful tag-teams "splitting-up". After that, to this day, there have been an endless stream of tag-teams seemingly thrown together in-order to find the next "HBK". There have been slight exceptions, like The Dudley Boys/Team 3-D, but even they eventually "split". Today the only tag-team that doesn't make one  sit and wait for the swerve or turn is the Usos. Although being twins doesn't make them safe from the split, as we saw with the Bellas.

This is the downside of the tag-team division growing, it usually means it is a temporary thing. And soon most of these teams will split up. With one star getting a push (of variable sizes), and the other likely fading to lower card status, or even from the roster. Looking at the teams right now within WWE, and there are some that stand out as temporary. Cesaro And Kidd for starters, as WWE was clearly looking to make a star out of Cesaro and Kidd was returning from injury to basically appearing on "Total Divas". Already WWE Tag Team Champions, but how long will this team last before WWE splits them apart and attempts to push, or re-push one of them? The Lucha Dragons is a team  that could go both ways. The tag-team is getting over with the audience, and likely with the kids similar to (if not better than) Los Matadors. However, what stands out is the previous investments WWE has put into the character Sin Cara. We're on wrestler #2 under the mask, and hasn't quite "replaced" Rey Mysterio as they had likely hoped. So, this team could either stay together for a long time, or we see Sin Cara go "dark" and make the turn.

Again, the Usos are really the only team not likely, or better put "less likely" (given Bella situation) to split up. There is also the new tag-team  via NXT in The Ascension, but it doesn't appear they are getting "over" like the previously had before making the main roster. Will they stick together, or even around? As is the case any more with many tag-team within WWE.


For more Wrestling, Comic Book, Movies, TV Show, and Video Game stuff! Head on over to Non-Geeky Nerd and check things out! Stay Nerdy!