G. Jonah Jameson
Man of a Thousand Holds 
Posts 1164
Registered 12-28-2010 Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 2-13-2016 at 03:14 AM |
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The Great Wrestlemania Rebook
Around last year's Wrestlemania, I stumbled onto a group project on Place to Be Nation that entailed individual rebooks of the first 30
Wrestlemanias. You can take a look at the results here:
http://placetobenation.com/category/wrestling/wrestlemania-re-book/page/3/
The requirements were interesting enough that I thought it would be worthwhile to see if I could do the same. I chipped away at it during free moments
over the course of a few months, and below, for your amusement (boredom), is the result. Feel free to post your own rebooks, or talk about how much
mine suck, or question why I keep insisting on pushing Test, or whatever. The rules are posted at the link, but they're overly wordy, snarky and
full of grammatical errors, so here's a less annoying version:
� For any given year, you can have NO MATCHES THAT WERE ON THE ORIGINAL CARD. So at WrestleMania III, say goodbye to Savage/Steamboat and Hogan/Andre,
because we have to come up with something completely different.
� For every year, YOU MUST RESPECT THE CURRENT CHAMPIONS GOING INTO THE EVENT. So you can't do anything about, say, the Miz being champion going
into 27.
� As much as we are sticklers for the given circumstances and champions, we may CHANGE THE WINNER OF THE ROYAL RUMBLE. Otherwise, we�d be unable to
follow rule No. 1. Imagine we�re booking the show as of Jan. 1.
IF A CELEBRITY WRESTLES/BOXES A PHYSICAL MATCH AT A GIVEN SHOW, HE/SHE MUST HAVE A MATCH AT THE SHOWS WE BOOK. Sorry, no getting out of seeing Snooki
�compete�.
� Aside from that, we are free to USE ANY MEMBER OF THE ROSTER AT THE TIME WHO WAS HEALTHY OR SCRATCH SOMEONE FROM THE REAL-WORLD CARD.
� Unless it�s specified by the given author, EVERY ONE OF THESE CARDS LIVES IN ITS OWN UNIVERSE. That is to say, if someone other than Randy Savage
wins the WWF Title at the rebooked Wrestlemania IV, Savage is still champion going into Wrestlemania V.
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G. Jonah Jameson
Man of a Thousand Holds
Posts 1164
Registered 12-28-2010 Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 2-13-2016 at 03:19 AM |
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Wrestlemania
Tito Santana def. George Steele
Steele was still a heel at this point, so the match-up works. If I'm rebooking Wrestlemania, I'm leaving the jobbers off the card, so that
means the Executioner is out and the Animal is in. Santana's going to take this one with a flash pin of some sort, rather than getting a
commanding victory.
Andre the Giant def. Don Muraco w/ Mr. Fuji
Muraco claims he can outmatch Andre on power, Fuji makes similar claims, we have a match. I don't think it will hurt Muraco too badly to lose to
Andre; it's friggin' Andre, who was still years undefeated at this point.
Ricky Steamboat NC Brutus Beefcake w/ Johnny V
Both of these guys had decent pushes in their future, and I think a match between them makes sense here. It'd be better than what we got,
anyway, with Steamboat winning a squash and Beefcake getting stuck with David Sammartino. I'll have it go to a double countout, as both guys
should be kept strong.
Big John Studd & King Kong Bundy w/ Bobby Heenan def. The U.S. Express (c) -- World Tag Team Titles
I'm putting Bundy under Heenan's tutelage a little early so we can get this monster challenger team for the first Wrestlemania. The
Express fights valiantly, but are overcome by their massive opponents (and a little bit of cheating on Heenan's part), resulting in the first
title change in Wrestlemania history. The Express will most likely win the titles back a few months down the road, as in the real world.
The Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff w/ Freddie Blassie def. David Sammartino & Bruno Sammartino
Might as well use Bruno if I've got him, and what better way than to have him defend his son against the dastardly foreigners? You could even
draw on some history between Bruno and Blassie, assuming they have any (I'm not about to do the research). Bruno's old and David's
getting a lukewarm push, so Sheik and Volkoff win here -- again, with some manager assistance -- leading to a grudge match of some sort down the line,
like maybe a Sheik-Bruno cage match or something.
Jimmy Snuka def. Greg Valentine (c) w/ Jimmy Hart (DQ) -- Intercontinental Title
This ought to be a solid match. Snuka was super-popular at this point, so he makes sense as a challenger. Better this than just a corner man in the
main event. I don't think jobbing Snuka would make sense, but he's not long for the WWF and I don't want him winning the title, so
we'll have Valentine get disqualified for whacking him with Hart's megaphone, though Snuka can get a beatdown after the bell to keep his
heat.
Wendi Richter & Cyndi Lauper def. Leilani Kai & The Fabulous Moolah
Well, I only have so many options here. I think this could be a decent enough match, with Richter obviously carrying the face side as Lauper
isn't going to know what she's doing. This isn't the modern day, so the celebrity doesn't have to get the pinfall, but the
faces are winning here, likely with Richter pinning Kai en route to a title change shortly thereafter.
Junkyard Dog & Mr. T def. Roddy Piper & Bob Orton Jr.
I need to have Mr. T on the card, and if he's not teaming with Hulk Hogan, he needs another partner with gravitas. I think JYD has a good amount
at this point. I can only imagine the promos. Piper will be bringing Orton along for the ride, cast and all. Faces are winning, of course. Mr. T can
pin Orton shortly after Orton accidentally bonks Piper with his cast.
Hulk Hogan (c) def. Paul Orndorff -- WWF Title
If I'm getting the book, we have to end the night with an actual title match, right? Orndorff had his issues with Hogan and they generally had
decent matches, so that ought to work for us here. We're setting the template for future Hogan matches at Wrestlemania, and I don't want
to stray too far from history, so we're getting standard Hogan fare here, of course, with Hogan taking everything Orndorff has, popping up, big
boot Atomic Legdrop etc.
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First 9
The Rowdy One
Posts 2559
Registered 1-22-2013 Member Is Offline Mood: Doing the Emma Dance
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| posted on 2-14-2016 at 01:42 AM |
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Fun idea, I'll try my hand at one of the WMs that misfired for being too overbooked.
Wrestlemania 2000
The Rock def. HHH for the World Title
The big bad heel vs the most over face in the roster, a no-brainer Main Event.
Edge and Christian def. The Dudley Boyz for the tag team Titles
We had gotten plenty of E&C; vs Hardyz and the Duds had just destroyed The Hardyz at teh Rumble, but this particular combination was still fresh and
could stand on it's own for Mania..
Best out of 3 falls for the IC, Euro, and Hardcore Championship: Kurt Angle vs Chris Jericho
At the start of the night, Jericho pins Holly to become Hardcore Champion. He could only challenge Kurt for either the IC Title or the Euro Title ,
but he suckers Kurt into agreeing to 3 separate Title matches as long as one is for the Hardcore Title(of course Kurt falls for it even thought the
Hardcore Title is always defended.) Kurt wins the first fall for the Hardcore Title but Jericho wins the next two to become EuroContinental Champion.
I feel that not giving Kurt a month or two to play in the Hardcore Title scene while he was rising to the top was a missed opportunity and Jericho
going from being Co-IC Champion to a double Champion would be an interesting switch up.
Kane vs DX(X-Pac, Road Dogg, and Billy Gunn)
The whole point of Kane and Rikishi vs DX was for Kane to get his revenge and Terri to get a Stinkface. I feel Kane decimating all of DX with his
awesome one-armed Chokeslams would be a better spectacle. The Peter Ross beatdown would of course quickly follow.
The Radicalz vs Rikishi, Taz, and The Hardyz in an elimination match w/Mick Foley
The Radicalz steamroll Too Cool and Rikishi gets more competent allies. Throught shennanigans starting from The Radicalz interrupting Foley's
retirement after losing to HHH in HIAC we arrive to this match that will win Foley an Authority position to stay in the WWF or get The Radicalz title
shots promised by Stephanie.
Val Venis vs The Godfather
This should work fine as a crowd-pleasing break between heavier matches.
The Big Show vs Crash Holly in a LumberJack match for the Hardcore Championship
After quickly dispatching of Crash, it becomes a Big Show vs the world scenario as everybody tries to beat the new Champ. In all the mayhem, Holly
steals a pin and runs away after regaining the belt. Celebrating through the night, he interrupts Jericho interview which is when Y2J get an idea.
Two matches less than the original WM but considering that Angle and Jericho are pulling triple-duty instead of double-duty and a big 4 on 4
elimination match, it should all even out.
[Edited on 2-14-2016 by First 9]
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G. Jonah Jameson
Man of a Thousand Holds
Posts 1164
Registered 12-28-2010 Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 2-14-2016 at 05:52 AM |
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Wrestlemania 2
Jake Roberts def. Tito Santana
Santana is still a fairly hot commodity at this point, so Roberts beating him with a minimum of cheating will serve to make Roberts look very
dangerous. I'll probably have Santana escape Damien after the match, though.
Adrian Adonis & Hart Foundation w/ Jimmy Hart def. George Steele & British Bulldogs w/ Ozzy Osbourne & Captain Lou Albano
You've got the Bulldogs and Hart Foundation here to have a good match, and Adonis and Steele to have a major clash in styles. I think putting
the offensive-by-today's-standards gay stereotype and the offensive-by-today's-standards mentally challenged simpleton in opposite corners
would have been highly entertaining for 1986 audiences.
King Kong Bundy w/ Bobby Heenan NC Junkyard Dog
It's not going to be a good match by any means, but I think this one would be interesting. Certainly, both of these guys were big stars, so
having them go at it would definitely hold the crowd's attention, even if the match is heavy on stalling and ends with a double countout to keep
both men strong.
Mr. T w/ Joe Frazier and Haiti Kid def. Terry Funk w/ Jimmy Hart and Hoss Funk (DQ)
So if I can't have Mr. T face Roddy Piper, who else on the roster would make a decent challenge for him? How about a tough-as-nails former world
champion? I most certainly think the lead-up to this match would be good, as Funk was a very capable heel and could easily get the fans to be
positively rabid to see him lose. I wish Funk would have had a movie career by this point to play up the Hollywood connection, but IMDB tells me
"Over the Top" and "Road House" came out in 1987 and 1989, respectively, so no dice. We're doing this one as a wrestling match, not a boxing
match, because screw that noise. Again, it's going to be a lot of stalling, but that isn't as big of a problem in 1986 as it is in 2016. I
don't want to job Funk to Mr. T, so Funk gets himself disqualified for whacking Mr. T with the branding iron, and then there's a brawl
that sees Haiti Kid embarrass Hart and Frazier deliver a knockout blow to Hoss Funk.
The Dream Team (c) w/ Johnny Valiant def. Hillbilly Jim & Uncle Elmer -- World Tag Team Titles
If the Bulldogs can't beat the Dream Team here, I don't have a lot of other options, so we'll have them retain. I guess I could put
them over the Killer Bees, but the hillbilly characters were kind of popular due to their association with Hulk Hogan, and I'm perfectly happy
jobbing them, so they ought to work here.
Ricky Steamboat def. Don Muraco w/ Mr. Fuji
I'm just matching up a couple of upper-carders who need something to do. The match ought to be good, though, which is important as the previous
three will have been three different shades of mediocre at best.
Bruno Sammartino & Pedro Morales def. The Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff w/ Freddie Blassie
If I've got access to Sammartino and Morales, it seems a waste to stick them in a battle royal, so I'm going to pair them up and put them
against Blassie's foreigners, who will have been antagonizing the legends leading up to the event. I don't think Sheik and Volkoff would
be hurt too much by losing this one, particularly if it's not a commanding victory for Sammartino and Morales, which it won't be.
Randy Savage (c) w/ Miss Elizabeth def. Paul Orndorff (countout) -- Intercontinental Title
Rather than give Savage a fairly meaningless win over Steele, I'm giving him a big-match title defense against a major contender in Orndorff.
This is headlining the Rosemont Horizon show, so it'll be a longer match that serves to make Orndorff look good and Savage look crafty for
holding his own. I don't think jobbing Orndorff here makes good booking sense in 1986, but I'm definitely not taking the title off Savage
so soon, so I'll have Orndorff get counted out after Savage chop-blocks him or something and injures his knee.
Andre the Giant, William Perry, Russ Francis & Bill Fralic def. Big John Studd, Jimbo Covert, Ernie Holmes & Harvey Martin
Have to get the NFL guys on the card somehow. I'm pretty much assigning them to random sides in the ongoing Andre-Studd war, except for Perry,
who's well-known enough that he has to be one of the faces. We'll keep the tags frequent in this one and the match reasonably short,
because Lord knows it isn't going to be any good. Faces have to go over, of course.
Leilani Kai def. The Fabulous Moolah (c) -- Women's Title
After Moolah screws Wendi Richter out of the title, I'm having Kai eventually turn face out of righteous indignation. That leads up to this
title match, where Kai is able to beat Moolah to regain the title she lost the previous year. Moolah's going to be getting it back soon enough,
though.
King Tonga def. Hercules Hernandez
This is another "these guys need something to do" match. King Tonga was a fairly hot commodity at first, I think, so it makes some sense to give him
the win, though the feud will almost certainly continue. I considered having Cpl. Kirchner be the babyface here, but Tonga has a brighter future in
the WWF.
Hulk Hogan (c) def. Roddy Piper w/ Bob Orton Jr. -- Steel Cage Match, WWF Title
With as many times as these two battled each other without a decisive finish, it's time to finally get one. And because it's in a steel
cage, Piper can lose without being pinned, which he wouldn't have been willing to do. It'll have to be standard Hogan fare, I think, but
if nothing else, the match will be a damn sight better than the Hogan-Bundy cage match we got. Hogan's still getting the Hulk-Up and Atomic
Legdrop, but Orton will delay him trying to get out of the cage, which will allow Piper to come close to escaping himself, saving him some face in the
loss.
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Fifth Horseman
Man of a Thousand Holds 
Posts 1536
Registered 1-15-2006 Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 2-15-2016 at 03:01 AM |
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Sure. Here's my Wrestlemania 4.
In the opening match, and much like its real counterpart, Bad News Brown wins a 20-man battle royale to earn the eighth and final spot in the
WWF World championship tournament. The final three are Bret Hart and the Junkyard Dog, as before; other participants include Jim Neidhart, Greg
Valentine, Harley Race, Hillbilly Jim, Don Muraco, Jim Brunzell, B. Brian Blair, Butch Reed, Brutus Beefcake, Ron Bass, Sika, Sam Houston, Danny
Davis, Koko B. Ware, Hercules, Jim Duggan, and Dino Bravo. Brown is legitimatized as an upper-main carder, while Hart starts his singles push.
The championship tournament begins with Ted DiBiase defeating Ricky Steamboat in a classic. Steamboat deserved better than an opening-round
loss against Valentine.
Another heel moves on with Andre the Giant pinning Bam Bam Bigelow, the story being that Andre is worn down by a very, very game foe.
Randy Savage defeats Rick Rude in a hard-hitting contest, and he moves on...
... as does the former champ, Hulk Hogan, who takes care of the aforementioned Bad News Brown in a back-and-forth brawl.
The first title gets defended when the Islanders defeat Strike Force to win the tag-team gold, Bobby Heenan's first-ever championship in
the WWF.
Then, in a short but satisfying fight that solidifies his rise up the card, the Ultimate Warrior defeats the One Man Gang. It's ugly,
but the Warrior has the rocket on his back.
The semi-finals proceed with Randy Savage winning over Andre the Giant by countout after a series of elbows off the top rope. The big man is
exhausted after two tough matches, and can't go on; "Macho Man' takes a beating, but moves on.
In the other bracket, Hulk Hogan pins Ted DiBiase, setting up the title match we saw at W5, but both Hogan and Savage are going in as faces.
The Intercontinental title is then "successfully" defended, as Jake Roberts beats the Honky Tonk Man... by disqualification. HTM continues
to be the most hated man on the roster, and Roberts vows to pin him next time they meet.
The palate-cleanser before the main event is a slobberknocker, with Demolition getting the win over the British Bulldogs. Ax and Smash
continue their ascent up the card.
In the main event, Randy Savage defeats Hulk Hogan cleanly to win his first WWF World championship. As before, in real life, it's a
transitional time in the WWF, and Savage grabs the torch... at least for now.
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G. Jonah Jameson
Man of a Thousand Holds
Posts 1164
Registered 12-28-2010 Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 2-15-2016 at 03:12 AM |
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Wrestlemania 3
Jim Duggan def. Billy Jack Haynes, Cpl. Kirchner, Dan Spivey, Danny Davis, Dino Bravo, Don Muraco, Haku, Hillbilly Jim, Iron Mike Sharpe, The Iron
Sheik, Jacques Rougeau, Jim Powers, Kamala, Koko B. Ware, Nikolai Volkoff, Raymond Rougeau, Sika, Steve Lombardi and Tama -- Battle Royal
The rules make it difficult to book battle royals on these shows, but my Wrestlemania 3 leaves a lot of roster members off the show, so I figured this
to be a good way to fit them in. I am fudging on a few of these, I suppose -- a handful of these guys I'm not 100 percent sure were on the
roster, such as the Islanders and Jim Powers -- but not too much. Duggan was brand new to the roster as this point, and I know the WWF wanted to push
the hell out of him, so he wins it, last eliminating future rival the Iron Sheik.
Hercules w/ Bobby Heenan def. Tito Santana
This match is kinda just there. Santana wasn't quite the JTTS in these days that he would become later, but I still think Hercules going over
here makes sense, if only to prolong the feud so Santana can have a big moment later on.
The Hart Foundation (c) w/ Jimmy Hart def. The Killer Bees -- World Tag Team Titles
I guess I could just do a straight-up title match pitting the Hart Foundation against the British Bulldogs, but that feels like a cheat to me, so
I'll have them successfully defend against the Killer Bees. The Bees could probably have a decent match with the Foundation, and they
aren't destined for better things, so it's no problem for them to take the loss here, especially if it's via a megaphone shot or
somesuch.
Ricky Steamboat def. Butch Reed w/ Slick
I'm just giving Steamboat something to do here. He can't get his big moment against Randy Savage, unfortunately, but he can pick up a
good, solid win over Reed, who doesn't have enough of a future with the WWF for it to really do any damage to him.
George Steele, Little Beaver & Haiti Kid def. Adrian Adonis, Little Tokyo & Lord Littlebrook w/ Jimmy Hart
So we're still doing the midget match, but not wasting the time of King Kong Bundy, who should have a more impactful presence. Steele and Adonis
make sense here just as they did for my rebooked Wrestlemania 2, and they're both kinda comedy characters, so it doesn't drag either of
them down to be in this contest. We'll have the babyface team go over, of course, and the midgets can all turn on Adonis afterward as happened
to Bundy in the real world.
Andre the Giant def. King Kong Bundy w/ Bobby Heenan (countout)
Without the Hulk Hogan feud, I have no reason to turn Andre heel, so I'm keeping him on the face side for a clash of the monsters with Bundy.
Andre's best days were behind him, and Bundy was never really any good in the ring, so this match is gonig to be atrocious. But it's
definitely a spectacle, and that's what you trot Andre out for anyway, so it ought to be fairly entertaining. I know this feud had already been
done, but whatever, it wouldn't be too tough to continue it, especially with Heenan as Bundy's manager. I don't want to job Bundy,
and I'm definitely not going to have face Andre drop one, so this'll just end with a tussle outside the ring that sees Andre re-enter in
time, but not Bundy. And then Andre can run off Heenan or something.
Demolition w/ Johnny V def. The British Bulldogs
Demolition had debuted a month or two prior to Wrestlemania 3, and I'm going to have them be partially responsible for the British
Bulldogs' loss of the tag titles to the Hart Foundation due to a backstage attack on Dynamite Kid. Naturally, the Bulldogs vow revenge. But I
can't arrest Demolition's momentum this early, and Dynamite was still in pretty rough shape, so Demolition has to win this one strong.
Jake Roberts w/ Alice Cooper def. Randy Savage (c) w/ Miss Elizabeth -- Intercontinental Title
Steamboat can't have his big moment here, so I'm giving to somebody who can definitely use it in Roberts. I don't think anyone would
be opposed to his getting the Intercontinental Title during his WWF career, even if this is a mite earlier than one might be inclined to give him the
belt. We'll have him turn face for this feud, rather than the real-world Honky Tonk Man feud. And, of course, Cooper is around for good measure.
I'm not going to have him win with the DDT -- a pinning combination, like the one Steamboat used, will be fine -- so Savage doesn't look
too bad.
The Can-Am Connection def. The Dream Team w/ Johnny V
The Can-Am Connection was a push priority for the WWF, and the Dream Team needs to get split up, so things shake out nicely here. Heel
miscommunication allows the newcomers to win it, Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake argue, then you do the break-up shortly thereafter.
Roddy Piper def. Bob Orton Jr. w/ Mr. Fuji -- Hair vs. Hair
One-time allies collide now that Piper has turned face. It basically writes itself. This is still billed as Piper's "retirement match," and it
still ends with his opponent losing his locks. I don't think a forced haircut would have hurt Orton's character any, especially as
he'd only be around for another few months. The barber had just better be careful not to nick Orton with the razor or clippers. You know,
because of the hepatitis. It's not funny if I have to explain it.
The Honky Tonk Man w/ Jimmy Hart def. Junkyard Dog (DQ)
Honky Tonk's fairly new, so I want to give him a decent win, but I'm not sure having him actually pin JYD works given the booking of the
day. So instead, he'll pick up a cheap DQ victory when Hart distracts the referee for a Honky Tonk kabong, but JYD wrestles the guitar away from
Honky Tonk and wallops him with it in front of the ref.
Hulk Hogan (c) def. Harley Race w/ Bobby Heenan -- WWF Title
His best in-ring days were behind him, but I think Race could have put up a good fight against Hogan. And it is a hell of a dream match, even if the
WWF of the day wouldn't be hot to acknowledge Race's past championships in other companies. Plus, you have the bonus of Race being managed
by Heenan, who's long had it out for Hogan. It doesn't have the sheer spectacle of Hogan-Andre, but a sufficiently built-up Race could
definitely be portrayed as a serious threat to Hulkamania, especially if he ditches that stupid king gimmick and just declares that he's going
to beat Hogan within an inch of his life. The quality of the match would probably be better than that of Hogan-Andre, too, even if there's no
500-pound bodyslam spot. In the end, though, this is ending like every other Hogan match of the era, with Hogan popping up from Race's finisher,
Hulking Up, series of punches, big boot, Atomic Legdrop, cue the confetti.
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Fifth Horseman
Man of a Thousand Holds
Posts 1536
Registered 1-15-2006 Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 2-15-2016 at 08:27 AM |
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Another quick one, here's my Wrestlemania 6.
Bret Hart vs. Bad News Brown
I don't remember them having a PPV match after their Wrestlemania IV program, and I'd rather see the Canadian boy do good on home soil
(and start his run in singles glory) than pin the Bolsheviks in a 20-second match.
The Big Bossman and Demolition vs. the Barbarian, Earthquake, and Akeem
Not the prettiest match by any means, but it satisfies the 'big man' quota and counter-balances the opening contest.
Jake Roberts vs. Randy Savage
Brain vs. brawn, a battle between two of the Fed's signature stars, and it could provide some additional backstory to the feud they would have a
couple of years later.
Rick Martel vs. Rick Rude
A rare heel vs. heel match between two of the vainest men alive, but I'd expect the Bizarro-Canadian crowd to give Martel some love.
The Rockers vs. the Colossal Connection
A classic big man/little man battle. With Andre's health failing him, this would be his last best shot at giving the rub to a team that never
officially won - but should have - the WWF tag-team straps.
Brutus Beefcake vs. Ted Dibiase
No real backstory to this one, but it'd be for the Million Dollar Championship.
The Ultimate Warrior vs. Curt Hennig
In "real life", Mr. Perfect hadn't lost on television yet, so there would be genuine concern for Warrior's Intercontinental title
defense. There's no way I'm wasting Hennig's streak with Beefcake pinning him, as it happened on the real card.
Roddy Piper/Jimmy Snuka vs. the Bolsheviks
The bring-down match before the main event, I thought it'd be cool to see longtime rival Piper and Snuka work together... and if THEY beat the
Bolsheviks quickly, all the better.
Hulk Hogan vs. Dusty Rhodes
Back then, they wouldn't mention Rhodes' various NWA reigns, but they could promote this battle as his last chance at glory, a final climb
to the top of the mountain, etc. The promos would be epic, and though it's not going to be a workrate classic, it'd at least be solid as
the Hogan-Warrior match. Face vs. face, just like the real card featured.
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G. Jonah Jameson
Man of a Thousand Holds
Posts 1164
Registered 12-28-2010 Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 2-16-2016 at 04:12 AM |
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Hulk Hogan vs. Dusty Rhodes would have been a really interesting contest at this point in history. The WWF kinda treated Rhodes as a joke, but given
enough time to book him as a serious contender, he could definitely be a match for Hogan promo-wise. It's funny, because I thought, "Well, the
promos would be great, but the match would be terrible," and then I realized Hogan actually had a pretty decent match with the Ultimate Warrior at
the real-world Wrestlemania 6, so I suppose that argument wouldn't apply.
Wrestlemania 4
Jim Duggan def. Hercules w/ Bobby Heenan
Well, this match is happening. Duggan's a little higher in the pecking order than Hercules, so he wins. Maybe the loss can lead to
disappointment from Heenan, culminating in his trying to pawn off Hercules on another manager and Hercules turning face, as happened in the real
world.
Demolition w/ Mr. Fuji def. British Bulldogs
I hate to reuse matches, but if you're not going to put the World Tag Team Titles on Demolition here, you have to do something to keep them
strong. I thought about having them beat the Killer Bees or Rougeau Brothers, but then I'd have to leave the Bulldogs off the card entirely, and
even though Dynamite Kid was pretty broken down at this point, I didn't want to do that. So Davey Boy Smith will carry most of the load in this
match that sees Demolition go over.
Rick Rude w/ Bobby Heenan def. Don Muraco w/ Superstar Billy Graham
Rude's newly debuted, while Muraco is on his way out, so Rude picks up the win here, probably by taking advantage of a distracting quarrel
between managers. The win ought to be a good boost for Rude, what with Muraco being a two-time Intercontinental Champion.
Brutus Beefcake def. Greg Valentine w/ Jimmy Hart
This can be the long-awaited blowoff to the feud that began the year before when the Dream Team exploded. I'm sure these two met in the ring in
1987, and I can't undo that, but this is an opportunity for Beefcake to get a decisive win. You could even have him give Valentine or Hart a
haircut after the match.
Rockin' Robin def. Sensational Sherri (c) -- Women's Title
Might as well throw in one last Women's Title defense before the title goes dormant for a few years. Robin would end up taking the title from
Sherri in the real world a few months later, so we're just speeding up the proceedings here.
Ted DiBiase w/ Virgil def. Jake Roberts -- WWF Title Tournament Semifinal
So rather than rebook the entire 14-man tournament from the real Wrestlemania 4, I'm having the first two rounds take place on house shows and
TV specials leading up to the PPV. What we get, then, is just the semifinals and finals. DiBiase will have gotten a bye through the quarterfinals due
to a no-contest, giving him an advantage over Roberts, whose two tournament matches have been hard-fought. Distraction from Virgil allows DiBiase to
pick up a cheap victory and punch his ticket to the finals.
Bad News Brown def. Junkyard Dog
I think the relentlessly bad attitude of Brown would be a great contrast to the relentless good attitude of JYD. JYD wasn't much longer for the
WWF, so in something of a continuing theme here tonight, Brown picks up the victory, and I'm thinking fairly cleanly, given that Brown was
portrayed as a serious threat and didn't have a manager to do his dirty work.
The Islanders w/ Bobby Heenan def. Strike Force (c) -- World Tag Team Titles
Strike Force has had its run with the belts, and it's time to put them on a new team. But it can't be Demolition, per the rules, and I
don't want it to be the Hart Foundation, who Strike Force beat in the first place. Not many of the remaining options -- the jobberific
Bolsheviks, or maybe a heel-turned-early Rougeau Brothers -- are particularly appealing. But the Islanders are. They were on a decent heel run, had
Heenan as their manager and would, I think, make for a solid set of champions. I don't know that I'd run very far with them -- maybe have
them drop the belts a few months out to the Hart Foundation, who can then get beaten by Demolition -- but as a means to take the belts from Strike
Force, they'll be perfectly suitable.
Dino Bravo w/ Frenchy Martin def. Ken Patera
Once again, Patera isn't long for the WWF, so as uninteresting a competitor as Bravo tended to be, he needs to win this one. It might not be
much in terms of quality, but the storyline would be solid: strongman versus strongman.
Hulk Hogan def. One Man Gang w/ Slick (DQ) -- WWF Title Tournament Semifinal
And here's our other semifinal. Hogan, being Hogan, tears through the competition up to this point on a quest to regain his lost title. He hits
something of a wall with Gang, who is a dangerous opponent by virtue of his size, but this is going to end up a pretty standard Hogan match with the
Hulkster getting hammered until he Hulks Up. Rather than let his client fall victim to the standard Hulk-Up, Slick interferes to draw the DQ, and
Hogan's change of focus to Slick allows Gang to recover and attack Hogan after the bell. A couple of chairshots and 747 Splashes later,
Hogan's been laid out, with the announcers speculating as to whether he'll make it to the finals. Maybe there's even a quick
backstage segment where it looks like Slick's just been paid by DiBiase.
Ricky Steamboat def. Harley Race w/ Bobby Heenan
We're going to pair up a couple of guys who were big names in the NWA here. In this case, neither guy is going to be around much longer, but
Race is so broken down by this point that it probably makes the most sense to give Steamboat a feel-good moment here. The situation the previous year
with the Intercontinental Title might have caused him to fall out of the company's good graces, but I think I have license to put him back in
those graces.
The Young Stallions def. The Hart Foundation w/ Jimmy Hart
I just need a means to have the Hart Foundation dump their manager so they can turn face, and I think having them drop a match to a relatively
low-tier team like the Young Stallions accomplishes that admirably. Maybe Jimmy Hart accidentally wallops Bret Hart or Jim Neidhart with his megaphone
leading to the finish.
Andre the Giant w/ Bobby Heenan NC Bam Bam Bigelow w/ Oliver Humperdink
Bigelow is working injured and Andre's mobility is pretty close to shot here, so this won't be much of a match -- I would say it's
going to be primarily storytelling with very little actual wrestling. But that story will be the newcomer Bigelow standing toe to toe with the
legendary Andre and more or less taking everything he can dish out. I don't want to job Andre, so we'll have this go to a schmozz finish
-- maybe a double countout brawl, or both managers getting involved and the ref throwing it out -- and then sell Bigelow as having survived against
Andre, a claim few can make.
Randy Savage w/ Miss Elizabeth def. Honky Tonk Man (c) w/ Jimmy Hart (countout) -- Intercontinental Title
This is basically the real-world Beefcake match, with Savage targeting the Intercontinental Title, having -- I think -- turned face at least in part
due to a feud with Honky Tonk. Savage dominates most of the match, Hart distracts Savage, Honky Tonk walks out for the countout to keep the title.
I'd like to have Savage win the belt here, of course, but I know the real-life circumstances won't allow for it, so this is the best I can
do.
The Ultimate Warrior def. Danny Davis
I think Jimmy Hart was still managing Davis at this point, but he was just out for the last match and he really doesn't need to be around for
this one. The bout here is basically a squash. The fans wanted to see Davis get pulverized, and the Warrior specializes in pulverizing people, so he
runs roughshod over Davis and pins him in under a minute.
Ted DiBiase w/ Virgil def. Hulk Hogan -- WWF Title Tournament Finals
So it comes down to this, which was apparently the original plan for Wrestlemania 4 before Honky Tonk's refusal to lose the Intercontinental
Title caused everything to be reshuffled. And it makes sense to me, as this was, by all appearances, the company's biggest feud at this point.
DiBiase has the early advantage thanks to the beating Hogan took earlier from Gang, but you know that's not going to last and that Hogan is
eventually going to mount a comeback. Which he does. But a Virgil distraction or maybe a ref bump leads to interference against Hogan. I'm
thinking from Andre, but really, it can be basically anyone, and it will later be explained that DiBiase paid off the assailant. Maybe Brown; that
feud would be interesting. Whatever the case, the ref turns his attention back to the match and sees DiBiase with the Million Dollar Dream on an
unconscious Hogan, and he calls for the bell. Maybe the officiating can be an issue here, too; like, with Hogan's loss of the title to Andre,
the "corrupt referee" thing is only implied, and here's where it becomes official, as the ref doesn't check Hogan's arm three
times, just once. I feel a little weird about closing out 'Mania with a heel on top, but I think the Wrestlemania concept is new enough that the
"send the fans home happy" ending isn't yet a requirement. And maybe Hogan can come to and wail on DiBiase/Virgil/the ref to at least have him
standing tall to end the show, even if he's not WWF Champion.
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Fifth Horseman
Man of a Thousand Holds
Posts 1536
Registered 1-15-2006 Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 2-16-2016 at 08:04 AM |
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Continuing my even-numbered rebookings, here's Wrestlemania 8. This was a hard one, in that the roster seemed to be made up of guys
either falling down the card and leaving, or just beginning their way up.
Strike Force vs. the Beverly Brothers
I'd have Martel go face again; both he and Santana were treading water at this point in their WWF careers, and reuniting them to put the
Beverlys over wouldn't be the worst thing to do.
Owen Hart vs. Shawn Michaels
Both were barely established at this point (WM 8 was Michaels' first solo PPV), so neither "deserve" a higher-profile opponent yet.
Nonetheless, I'm sure they'd both try to steal the show.
Roddy Piper vs. Davey Boy Smith - IC Title
Smith replaces Hart in the fan-favorite slot, and you could still tie in the Stampede Wrestling connection, AND you'd also get a great match out
of the two. Also, the WWF did a European tour in April, so why not send over the Bulldog as IC champ?
Randy Savage vs. Jake Roberts - Loser Leaves Town match
The Warrior can still make a grand reappearance here. Pre-internet, there would be genuine intrigue as to who would win. Savage wins a tough one to
finalyl end this feud, Roberts viciously attacks him post-match, Warrior makes the save.
The Natural Disasters vs. the Nasty Boys
Don't mind me, just trying to get another tag-team match on the card. They can brawl it up as a prelude to the next brawl-y type contest...
The Undertaker vs. Sid Justice
Taker was beginning his face turn here, Justice was (IMO) not completely 100% heel, given the cheers he got for throwing Hogan out of the Rumble
earlier in the year. Let them fight!
Bret Hart vs. Kerry Von Erich
Admittedly, not a great match for the Hitman, but as he couldn't contend for the IC title, AND I wanted his brother to take on Michaels... he
gets another second-generation wrestler as a foe. Pretty sure they never fought against each other. Maybe I'll have Michaels run into him
backstage, asking him if he's better than his 'loser' brother Owen.
The Legion of Doom vs. Money Inc. - Tag-Team Titles
This was really supposed to happen until Hawk was suspended. So let's make it happen now.
Hulk Hogan vs. Ric Flair - World Title
This should have happened, too. Two of wrestling's biggest stars ever at the premiere event of the year... I mean, come on.
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the goon
Sister Act
Posts 6396
Registered 3-13-2004 Location Charlotte, NC Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 2-17-2016 at 02:43 AM |
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Lots of fun and interesting ideas so far and I've enjoyed reading everyone's alternate history cards. I'm going to try my hand at
WrestleMania X-8.
William Regal (c) vs Jeff Hardy, Intercontinental title match: The WWE had been testing the waters with the Hardys as singles wrestlers around
this time, even though they had been put back as a tag team in time for WrestleMania X-8. I would have kept them going in the singles direction and
given Jeff his first big shot at singles gold against Regal here.
Diamond Dallas Page (c) vs Matt Hardy, European title match: Jeff gets the shot at the IC title, so why not do an accompanying match with Matt
going for the Euro title?
Edge vs Curt Hennig: Honestly, I just like the novelty of putting Curt Hennig on the WrestleMania X-8 card (and he actually did wrestle on the
pre-show, so he got that close to making the PPV). But I think this would have been a nice veteran/young guy match up and anything would have been
better for Edge than fighting over a shampoo commercial.
Kane vs Booker T: I have no idea what the storyline would be here, but this could have served as your standard "battle of two uppercarders"
WrestleMania match. And anything would have been better for Booker T than fighting over a shampoo commercial.
Maven (c) vs Rob Van Dam, Hardcore title match: This would have been fairly beneath RVD, but we all know he excels in hardcore matches and
could have busted out a Van Terminator for a nice WrestleMania moment.
Triple H w/ Shawn Michaels vs Kevin Nash w/ Scott Hall, with special referee X-Pac: Okay, so Michaels didn't return to WWE TV until a
couple of months after WrestleMania X-8, but it's not a stretch to think he could have come back here. This match could have been billed as DX
facing off against the Outsiders and/or "The Clique Explodes!" Not to mention that having X-Pac as special referee would add some drama as to
whether or not he'd turn on Triple H or Nash, since he's the only guy to have been in both the nWo and DX.
The Rock vs The Undertaker: Taker was still a heel at this point and it was around this time that the streak was really becoming THE STREAK.
Rock and Taker never had a WrestleMania match and who would have been a bigger threat to the streak at this point than the Rock? Also, it would have
been interesting to see if Rock would have gotten the same heel heat from the Toronto crowd against Taker as he did against Hogan.
Billy and Chuck (c) vs The Dudleys, Tables Match for the Tag Team titles: This is pretty much strictly here to give the crowd a little break
between Rock/Taker and the final two matches of the night.
Chris Jericho (c) vs Kurt Angle, Undisputed WWE title match: Okay, not sure if I'm bending the rules here since I don't know if
we're allowed to switch heel/face roles for the wrestlers, but I'm booking this with Kurt Angle as a face, even though he was a heel at
the real WrestleMania X-8. I would have Angle win the 2002 Royal Rumble (after Kevin Nash cost Triple H the match) and then turn face the next night
after a promo with heel champion Chris Jericho.
Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Hollywood Hulk Hogan: In retrospect, nothing probably would have topped what we got with Rock/Hogan, but I think it
would have been really interesting to see what the crowd reaction would have been like had it been Austin in there instead of Rock. Hogan of
course would have still been massively over I'm sure, but would the crowd have turned on Austin the way they did Rock? One of wrestling's
great "what if's" and something we'll never know the answer to.
This card was a little difficult, mainly because you're hamstrung with Maven, Jazz, and Chuck/Billy as champions (none of whom I would normally
want to use and poor Jazz got left off of my card entirely). Not to mention that DDP is stuck with the third-tier European title, so that limits his
potential opponents to midcarders. Also, you miss out on getting to use Brock Lesnar by one damn day. 
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G. Jonah Jameson
Man of a Thousand Holds
Posts 1164
Registered 12-28-2010 Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 2-17-2016 at 04:18 AM |
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goon, changing face/heel alignments is definitely allowed. It's actually a pretty key storytelling tool in a lot of cases when you have to
rebook the whole card, and your Kurt Angle/Chris Jericho match is a good example. They'd faced off for midcard titles two years before with the
alignments reversed, so matching them up the way you did is a solid way to switch things up.
Fifth Horseman, I dig the Roddy Piper-British Bulldog match-up. It'd be tough to top what we got in the real world with Piper and Bret Hart, but
I think it would have an interesting dynamic, and it might have helped the Bulldog get closer to the top of the card than he ever got in the real
world.
Wrestlemania 5
Jake Roberts def. Dino Bravo w/ Frenchy Martin
It's not an early Wrestlemania if there aren't a few matches that seem to exist for no reason. This is one of those matches. Roberts is
worth more to the WWF than Bravo is, so he wins. Maybe he runs off Martin with Damien afterward or something. I feel kind of bad throwing Roberts in
the opener without a clear storyline, but I just don't have a better way to fit him into the card.
The Hart Foundation def. The Bolsheviks
Eh, we'll just move this match up a year. It's not like there was a reason for it at the real-world Wrestlemania 6, and there's not
a reason for it here except to give the Hart Foundation something to do.
Hercules def. The Honky Tonk Man w/ Jimmy Hart (DQ)
Are you starting to notice a trend here? We'll have Honky Tonk get disqualified when the ref catches him whapping Hercules with Hart's
megaphone, continuing this feud onward for no real reason. Maybe we'll do a tag match down the road pitting Rhythm & Blues against Hercules and
Greg Valentine's opponent for later tonight.
The Powers of Pain w/ Mr. Fuji def. The Rockers
We'll have the Rockers put up a valiant fight here, but they're the skinny guys taking on one of the many monster teams on the roster, so
they're not winning. We'll use this victory to build the Powers of Pain up after they failed to capture the World Tag Team Titles from
Demolition. That feud started building at Survivor Series and I couldn't undo it, so I'm just blowing it off at or around the Royal Rumble
and allowing both teams to move on. Speaking of...
The Twin Towers w/ Slick def. Demolition (c) -- World Tag Team Titles
So with the Powers of Pain dispatched, Demolition's next challenge comes in the form of mega-heel team the Twin Towers. And with a yearlong
reign under their belts, I think it's OK for Demolition to drop the belts here. The Twin Towers would make great dominant heel champions; maybe
they could even do a couple matches against the Mega Powers or somesuch (with a schmozz ending, naturally) before losing the titles back to
Demolition.
The Red Rooster & Big John Studd def. King Haku & Bobby Heenan
Rather than doing Rooster vs. Heenan one-on-one, we're adding in Heenan client Haku and former Heenan client Studd, who is newly turned face.
Studd's usefulness in the ring was deteriorating, but that's OK; most of the match is going to be Haku beating on the Rooster,
occasionally tagging in Heenan to lay in a couple of shots before tagging back out. Eventually, Studd gets the hot tag, does some standard
house-cleaning and sidelines Haku so Rooster can tag in and get the pin on Heenan.
Mr. Perfect def. Brutus Beefcake
Here's another match that would happen a year later in the real world. In that match, Beefcake actually won to end Perfect's undefeated
streak. No way in hell I'm doing that here. Beefcake will put up a good fight, but lose to a feet-on-ropes pin or somesuch to keep
Perfect's perfect record alive.
The Fabulous Rougeaus w/ Jimmy Hart def. Strike Force
This match is really just here to split up Strike Force, which I definitely want to do as heel Rick Martel was a good thing and I want it to happen in
my world, too. The Rougeaus are just happy to be here. So Rougeaus win, Martel turns on Tito Santana and boom, Strike Force explodes.
Ted DiBiase w/ Virgil def. The Ultimate Warrior (c) -- Intercontinental Title
DiBiase was still red hot at this point, and he deserved better than a double countout with goddamn Beefcake. So I'm having him be the one to
end the Warrior's first run with the Intercontinental Title, a goal he sets for himself after he fails to win the Rumble (the Rumble in this
world ends like the real-world one, with Studd eliminating DiBiase). Most likely, this one will end almost exactly like the Warrior's real-world
match, with Virgil holding down his foot so he can't kick out. Warrior can kick the crap out of Virgil afterward while DiBiase flees with the
title. Warrior's almost certainly getting it back at Summerslam.
Jim Duggan NC Andre the Giant w/ Bobby Heenan
Andre's at a point here where he can barely move, and Duggan is Duggan, so this isn't going to be much of a match. But the build-up could
be fairly good, with Duggan standing up to Andre, who's been pushing everyone around. I'm thinking the action spills out of the ring and
leads to a double countout, but Duggan runs Heenan off with the two-by-four to keep the crowd happy.
The Brainbusters def. The Bushwhackers
The Brainbusters just need something to do, and unfortunately for them, the only thing they really can do here is squash the Bushwhackers. Heenan
manages the Brainbusters, but he got chased away by Duggan, so he's not here for this match. Not that the Brainbusters really need him in this
scenario. And besides, he needs to be back for the next match, which is...
Hulk Hogan def. Rick Rude w/ Bobby Heenan
These two have an encounter in the Rumble match, with Hogan eliminating Rude and Rude then providing a distraction that leads to Hogan's
elimination. It all leads up to this match, with Heenan there every step of the way, hoping that maybe Rude can succeed where his previous charges
have not. I'd let Rude make this one competitive, as he is a top contender, but you know it's ending with a Hulk-Up. We'll be
keeping Hogan strong for a possible title program over the summer. More on that later.
Greg Valentine w/ Jimmy Hart def. The Blue Blazer
I want the Blue Blazer to do well, but he's a jobber through and through at this point and he's not about to beat the likes of Valentine.
He will put up a decent fight, though, which will lead to the aforementioned Rhythm & Blues vs. Hercules and the Blazer program. The Blazer should
just be happy to be here tonight; I thought about giving this babyface spot to Ronnie Garvin, but I like Owen Hart an awful lot and Garvin, um, not so
much.
Randy Savage (c) w/ Miss Elizabeth def. Bad News Brown -- WWF Title
I agonized a bit over this one. The explosion of the Mega Powers is off the table, of course, and if you're not going to have Savage turn on
Hogan, I can't think of a good reason to turn Savage heel at all. So who do you match him up with? Andre's too immobile to main-event,
Savage-DiBiase was already the main event the year prior and Rude just isn't on a main-event level yet. I thought about turning Roberts heel and
having him go after the title, but Roberts had so much goodwill at this point and I didn't want to take it away from him yet. But then I
realized Brown would work handily. He and Savage did have kind of a mini-feud going on around the beginning of the year, for one thing. But he's
also a mean bastard with no friends, and unlike a lot of heels of his day, he wasn't afraid of anyone. When he sets his sights on Savage --
they'll encounter each other at the Rumble, maybe with a double elimination or something -- he's relentless, and says he won't let
up until he's champion. I'll even have him menace Elizabeth a little bit. He's not going to attack her, but he is going to scare the
crap out of her and infuriate Savage. Brown gives it everything he's got here, but Savage needs to win this program, and he does, triumphing
over Brown in the end and sending the crowd home happy. But maybe having Elizabeth threatened by Brown makes Savage a little overprotective, and maybe
Hogan finds a way to get involved, and maybe there's tension between the Mega Powers in the coming months. They might even exp-- well, you know.
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Fifth Horseman
Man of a Thousand Holds
Posts 1536
Registered 1-15-2006 Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 2-17-2016 at 08:18 AM |
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I like reading the others as much as I like writing my own. Now onto Wrestlemania X! Another tough one, because of the world title
constraints... AND not being able to do Bret vs. Owen... AND not being able to do Michaels/Ramon...
Owen Hart vs. the 123 Kid
Given enough time, this would be a great opener. Arguably the two fastest high-flyers in the fed, it'd be an excellent showcase for the younger
Hart, and provide ammo for the brotherly feud.
The Smoking Gunns vs. the Headshrinkers
The tag division needs some exposure. One of those "just a match" matches.
Razor Ramon vs. Diesel - Lumberjack Match
Brief backstory - heading into WM X, both Ramon and Michaels held an IC title. The ladder match at the real show crowned the undisputed champ. Here,
I'd play off the Hart/Luger "qualifiers" by having both Ramon and Michaels (later in the card) wrestle individual matches against quality
opposition, with the winners of those matches getting a match against each other "in the near future". Also, this stipulation gets the unused
talent on the card.
Doink vs. Crush
They had been feuding earlier in the year, so to get them both on the card, let's have another match now.
Rick and Scott Steiner vs. the Quebecers - Tag-Team titles
The Steiners weren't even on the real card, and I can't figure out why. Why waste their talent? Why have Men on a Mission as the
challengers in this slot? Not on my card, pal.
Shawn Michaels vs. Randy Savage - Ladder Match
And this would be Michaels' competition. Guaranteed to be an outstanding match, and as his WM match against Crush turned out to be his last WWF
PPV, Savage would undoubtedly be willing to do what was best for business.
Alundra Blayze vs. Luna Vachon
There wasn't really a women's division to speak of back then. Like, at all. But Vachon was there, so let's take her out of the
mixed tag match she was in, and have her compete for the belt.
Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Tatanka
The cooldown match, and my way of getting Bigelow on the card. He was feuding with Tatanka around this time, so at least they'd have good
chemistry in the ring.
Bret Hart vs. Lex Luger vs. Yokozuna - World title
This might be a cheat, and I'm trying not to do matches that didn't exist back then, but it would work. Both Hart and Luger get the title
match they deserve, and between the two of them, they could keep Yoko from blowing up. The first WWF three-way match I could find happened in 1997,
so doing this three years early doesn't bother me so much (it's not like I'm running an Elimination Chamber or anything). Give
"the Hitman" the win, and run the brotherly feud as planned.
[Edited on 2-17-2016 by Fifth Horseman]
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G. Jonah Jameson
Man of a Thousand Holds
Posts 1164
Registered 12-28-2010 Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 2-18-2016 at 04:49 AM |
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Wrestlemania 6
Jimmy Snuka def. The Warlord w/ Slick
This match is just kind of there. With the Powers of Pain split up, Warlord is pretty much only around to job, and that's what he does to Snuka,
who's still fresh off his return.
Tito Santana def. Rick Martel
Strike Force explodes! Well, technically, Strike Force exploded at Wrestlemania 5, and after a long stretch of tag matches, here's where it all
comes to a head. It's a long time for a feud to run, but these two never got a big one-on-one match, and I want them to get it here.
Martel's the one the WWF wants to push, so I'm tempted to put him over, but with an essentially year-long feud, you just can't have
the heel win.
The Rockers def. Rhythm & Blues w/ Jimmy Hart
Why didn't the WWF think to do this feud? (Or did they, and I just don't know about it because it was never a featured PPV bout?) It
basically writes itself. Rock versus R&B;! Which side will triumph? Well, here, it's rock, because the Rockers had a future as a team and R&B; was
basically just thrown together.
The Barbarian w/ Bobby Heenan def. Hercules
Nothing says "filler" like a match featuring both Hercules and the Barbarian. These guys always tended to tangle during Royal Rumble matches, for
whatever reason, so let's give them a singles program. I'm only having Barbarian win because the night is heavy on face victories.
Jake Roberts def. Big Boss Man w/ Akeem (DQ)
This seems like it would be a fun feud. I'm going to keep the Twin Towers together up to this point. Though this feud is officially just between
Roberts and the Bossman, Bossman has Akeem to second him, and he keeps getting involved in their various altercations. Roberts wins by
disqualification after Akeem interferes, and the Bossman has had enough of his partner screwing things up for him, turning face and running Akeem off
with the nightstick.
The Orient Express w/ Mr. Fuji def. Demolition (countout)
With his previous team of the Powers of Pain having failed to beat Demolition, Fuji turns to his new team to get the job done. The Orient Express is
fairly new to the WWF at this point, so I don't want them getting crushed by Demolition right away, but I also don't want to job
Demolition. So I'm giving the newcomers a countout win; have Fuji distract Ax or Smash on the outside, Sato or Tanaka gets a chopblock, and the
face can't re-enter the ring in time. We'll blow this one off later.
Bad News Brown NC Dusty Rhodes w/ Sapphire
On one side, the American Dream. On the other side, a guy with a massive chip on his shoulder. I think this would have been a great feud, and one of
the higher-profile ones on the card. I didn't really want either guy to lose, so we've got a schmozz ending. I don't feel great
about it following a countout, and I feel even less great about it being the same outcome as Brown's real-world match, but it's my only
schmozz ending in a 14-match early 1990s Wrestlemania card, so cut me some slack. Rhodes will eventually win the blowoff when it becomes clear he has
more future with the WWF (if only just barely).
The Hart Foundation def. The Colossal Connection (c) w/ Bobby Heenan -- World Tag Team Titles
If Demolition isn't winning the titles back, I need another face team to do it, as Andre the Giant has nothing left in the tank at this point.
The Hart Foundation is the best option I have. It's not going to be a great match, as Haku can only shoulder so much of the load, but
it'll provide a feel-good moment as the Hart Foundation wins the titles for the first time as babyfaces. Of course, after the bell, you get
Andre turning on Heenan to retire as a face.
Dino Bravo w/ Jimmy Hart def. Koko B. Ware
Ware's just happy to be here. Not as happy as he'd be if he weren't jobbing, but that's basically all he does.
Ted DiBiase (c) w/ Virgil def. Roddy Piper (DQ) -- Million Dollar Title
Now here's another feud I think would be amazing, and one I don't think we ever really got in the real world. Both of these guys were
dynamite on the mic and could go in the ring. We'll do something at the Royal Rumble to push them together -- maybe the same "heel gets
eliminated by Piper, then comes back to illegally eliminate him" thing we got with Piper and Brown -- and then let them have at it. DiBiase proudly
puts his vanity title on the line, and while Virgil distracts the referee, he grabs it and tries to wallop Piper with it. Piper dodges, snatches the
belt away and clocks DiBiase with it to get the pinfall when the ref turns back around. Piper celebrates with the title -- until DiBiase points out
that his title has an instant replay rule, and as the replay shows Piper bashing him with the title, Piper is disqualified and DiBiase retains. Piper
dares DiBiase to come get the belt, and Virgil clocks Piper from behind, allowing DiBiase to snatch the belt while Piper puts Virgil in the
Sleeperhold to the crowd's approval.
The Ultimate Warrior def. Randy Savage (c) w/ Sensational Sherri -- Intercontinental Title
We're doing this one a year early. Savage has his sights set on the title, which he lost three years before, and he's coming for the
Warrior, who's on a dominant run with it. We'll have them encounter each other in the Rumble somehow, too (not that it matters, but
Warrior won the Rumble in this scenario). It's a hard-fought confrontation, nicely pre-booked so the Warrior can't stink up the ring. In
the end, Savage falls short, and the Warrior retains, though he doesn't destroy Savage as thoroughly as he would in the real world the next
year, ensuring the opportunity for a future title match.
Earthquake w/ Jimmy Hart def. Jim Duggan
Earthquake's fairly new to the WWF, and he needs a sacrificial lamb. You're up, Hacksaw. 'Quake wins after a timely distraction by
Hart, and then Duggan runs Hart off with his two-by-four after the bell.
Brutus Beefcake def. Rick Rude w/ Bobby Heenan
Geez, do I have to think of a reason for every match I throw together? Whatever the motivation, these two get embroiled in a feud around Rumble time,
resulting in this bout. It should be fairly hard-fought given both men's status on the card. I want Rude to win, but Beefcake going over seems
more like the sort of thing the WWF would do at the time. Good thing Rude has short hair that's fairly safe from the Barber's clippers.
Hulk Hogan (c) def. Mr. Perfect w/ The Genius -- WWF Title
Perfect gets this title shot by virtue of his year-and-a-half undefeated streak. On top of that, he actually manages to eliminate Hogan from the
Rumble, though in the end the Warrior sends Perfect out to win it. We're going to do a lot to build Perfect up as the man who can end
Hulkamania, with him winning some matches en route that nobody believed he could win. I really, really want Perfect to end up champion, but this is
the main event of Wrestlemania, the fans need to go home happy and they're not going to do that if Hogan loses the title to a heel Perfect. So
Hogan retains. What with Perfect being a heel, we're not getting a post-match handshake like we saw with Hogan and Warrior in the real world,
but what's important here is that this match doesn't end with a standard Hulk-Up. Hogan Hulks Up, for sure, but Perfect somehow survives
and the match continues until Hogan manages to get the Atomic Legdrop in a non-Hulk-Up context. At least that way, we establish Perfect as a serious
threat, allowing him to maybe get a rematch -- and the title -- later, or maybe just take the Intercontinental Title off the Warrior.
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G. Jonah Jameson
Man of a Thousand Holds
Posts 1164
Registered 12-28-2010 Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 2-19-2016 at 04:35 AM |
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Wrestlemania 7
Rick Martel def. Jimmy Snuka
Wrestlemania 7 was really the last Wrestlemania at which there were tons of matches, many of them with limited backstory. And I'm sure you can
tell I'm just all broken up about it. This, then, is part of the last batch of what-the-heck-why-not matches in my rebooking. Snuka was already
getting on in years at this point, and the WWF still wanted to push Martel, so it makes sense for the Model to go over here.
The Texas Tornado def. The Barbarian w/ Bobby Heenan
Another why-not match. The Barbarian is really only around to job at this point, and the Tornado probably needs a win, so he's going to get
one.
The Big Boss Man def. The Mountie w/ Jimmy Hart (DQ)
We're doing this match a little earlier than in the real world, where these two first met at Summerslam the same year. U.S. lawman (well, sort
of) versus Canadian lawman practically writes itself. Mountie is fairly new at this point, so I don't want to job him, but I wouldn't
really expect him to beat the Bossman either, so we'll have him get disqualified for using his cattle prod on the Bossman, leading to a rematch
at Summerslam.
The Rockers def. The Hart Foundation (c) -- World Tag Team Titles
Bret Hart was ready to go singles here, so it's time for the Hart Foundation to lose the belts. But instead of dropping them to the awful Nasty
Boys, I'm going to put over the Rockers, who had more than earned a run with the belts. This one's face-versus-face, and ought to be a
solid match -- probably the first solid match of this 'Mania. And even better, it can be used as a callback years down the road when Hart and
Shawn Michaels get into singles feuds.
The Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer def. Jim Duggan
The Undertaker makes his Wrestlemania debut, taking on a hapless Duggan, who has no idea what he's in for. I think a victory over Duggan would
be more meaningful than a victory over Snuka, and the WWF clearly had big plans for 'Taker, so might as well get started early. It's not
going to be a good match by any means, but the announcers will really put over 'Taker and his dominance.
The Nasty Boys w/ Jimmy Hart def. The Bushwhackers
Of course, if the last match wasn't very good, this is a definite candidate for "worst Wrestlemania match ever." The Nasty Boys are new and
need a win, and I don't have another face team to put them over, so the Bushwhackers actually get on the card. We'll keep this one
mercifully short.
The British Bulldog def. Randy Savage w/ Sensational Sherri
Here's our first "big" match of the night. I'm not going to have Savage cost the Ultimate Warrior the WWF Title at the Royal Rumble;
more on that later. Instead, he enters early and lasts almost the whole way through before being ousted by the Bulldog, and he escalates the war in
the intervening months, leading to this bout. Sherri, in the course of those months, keeps telling Savage over and over that he needs to make an
example of the Bulldog, which distracts Savage more than it helps. Bulldog spends most of the match outclassed; he had a solid push, but not as big as
Savage's. In the end, though, Sherri's badgering of Savage allows the Bulldog to get a fluke roll-up and pull off a major upset.
Post-match, Sherri insults and slaps Savage, leading to Miss Elizabeth's return to run Sherri off, turning Savage face and reuniting the couple.
This way, you still get the Savage-Elizabeth wedding stuff, but without having to "retire" Savage, who we all know is going to be back.
The Legion of Doom def. Demolition w/ Mr. Fuji
Demolition here is Smash and Crush, naturally. It's anyone's guess why we didn't get this match in the real world, but we're
getting it here. The Demolition gimmick is in its final throes and the Legion of Doom is fresh and on a hot streak, so LOD wins here and more or less
sends Demolition packing.
Jake Roberts w/ Andre the Giant def. Mr. Perfect (c) w/ Bobby Heenan -- Intercontinental Title
This is the second time my rebooking has resulted in Roberts winning the Intercontinental Title, and deservedly so, I think. The feud these two would
devise would be far better than anything I can dream up, and the match would be outstanding. Andre is there to counteract Heenan, and he keeps the
Weasel from interfering while Roberts triumphs and captures his first title in the WWF. Perfect had a good long run up to this point, so the loss
shouldn't hurt him.
Genichiro Tenryu & Koji Kitao def. Power & Glory w/ Slick
I've got a card to fill up, so might as well keep the two Japanese cameos on there. We'll be putting them over the never-amounted-to-much
Power & Glory, who should just be happy to be here tonight.
Greg Valentine def. Dino Bravo w/ Jimmy Hart
Shoot! I've drifted back into sure-why-not territory! This match is, um, there. I guess you could try to play off the New Dream Team angle from
a few years before. Bravo's on his way out, so Valentine's taking this one, not that he's going to do much with it.
Hulk Hogan def. Ted DiBiase w/ Virgil
Here, Virgil didn't turn on DiBiase at the Royal Rumble, but there's definitely tension between them. Hogan wins the Rumble, but with the
WWF Title picture occupied -- again, more on that later -- he has nothing to show for it. DiBiase needles him about it, pointing out that he has the
Million Dollar Title while Hogan has none, and that Hogan didn't throw him out of the Rumble (DiBiase beat Dusty Rhodes in a singles match at
the event). That eventually leads to this big match, with the Million Dollar Title on the line and DiBiase periodically sending Virgil to get crushed
by Hogan, rather than attack Hogan himself. This'll be standard big-match fare for Hogan; get beat down, Hulk Up, punch punch punch big boot
Atomic Legdrop. As Hogan celebrates with the Million Dollar Title, a dazed DiBiase gets on the mic and tells him that oh, by the way, this match was
non-title. Then he orders Virgil to go get the belt back from Hogan. A timid Virgil gets in there with Hogan, and Hogan whispers something to him,
then hands him the belt. Virgil makes like he's going to return it, but instead straps it on himself, much to the crowd's approval.
DiBiase enters the ring and demands the belt back, and Virgil waffles him with it, officially turning face before celebrating with Hogan.
Earthquake w/ Jimmy Hart def. Tito Santana
Poor Santana. He puts up a decent fight, but he's not winning this one.
The Ultimate Warrior def. Sgt. Slaughter (c) w/ Gen. Adnan -- Steel Cage Match for the WWF Title
Slaughter beats the Warrior for the title at the Rumble as in the real world, but instead of benefiting from Savage's interference, he gets some
goons to beat up the Warrior behind the ref's back -- maybe his Survivor Series allies Boris Zhukov and the Orient Express, or maybe just some
masked jobbers. Warrior's owed a rematch, and he gets it in a steel cage to prevent outside interference (not that that ever works, but you know
how wrestling logic goes). Adnan tries to interfere, as do the aforementioned goons, but Warrior fights them all off, whaps Slaughter with the Iraqi
flag -- which one of the goons tried to give to Slaughter -- drapes it over Slaughter and hits the Big Splash. Then Warrior climbs out of the cage to
win the match and regain the title. For America. Fuck yeah!
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Fifth Horseman
Man of a Thousand Holds
Posts 1536
Registered 1-15-2006 Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 2-19-2016 at 08:05 AM |
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Here's my Wrestlemania 12. No Hart-Michaels iron man match, but I think I have a decent replacement.
The Bodydonnas d. Bart Gunn/Savio Vega - Tag-Team titles
This would be the finals in a tournament that did take place, as Billy Gunn was legit injured. The Bodydonnas beating a makeshift team is viable, and
the tag division back then was pretty weak.
Steve Austin d. Bob Holly
This would be Austin's first "Stone Cold" PPV, I believe, after dropping the "Ringmaster" gimmick earlier in the year. Not quite the legend
he would become yet, obviously, but on his way; King of the Ring was just a couple of months later...
Jake Roberts d. Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Another match featuring a soon-to-be main event mainstay. However, he was a low priority on the card here, and Roberts would get the win over the
youngster.
The Ultimate Warrior d. Goldust
Warrior made a big (albeit short-lived) return at WM 12, squashing HHH. In this case, I'd have WWE President Roddy Piper set up his (at the
time) foe, Goldust, against a "mystery opponent". Goldust accepts the challenge, hoping to impress Piper (it was a weird, non-PC storyline back
then), and Warrior crushes him.
The Godwinns and Yokozuna d. Jeff Jarrett, Jerry Lawler, and Justin "Hawk" Bradshaw
If anything, it gets Lawler a genuine Wrestlemania match 15 years earlier, and against marginally better opposition than Michael Cole. This is just a
match, but it gets some talent a bonus check.
The Undertaker d. Davey Boy Smith
I wanted to give Taker a tough opponent, someone who'd be in or near their WWF prime, and the pickings were slim. There's no real rhyme
or reason to this one, but I couldn't use Diesel, and am not using Bret Hart. Nonetheless, it'd be a fine match, and a memorable one when
I have Mankind attack the Undertaker afterwards, making HIS WWF debut (in reality, Mick debuted at the post-WM Raw).
Big Van Vader d. Razor Ramon - Intercontinental Title
Vader debuted at that year's Rumble and impressed; Ramon was suspended for drug use and missed Wrestlemania. In this scenario, I'd have
the newcomer pin Ramon (as punishment for his follies, but also because it immediately establishes Vader as a big deal) in a fairly quick match. A
short run with the title, then Vader moves on to bigger and better things.
Shawn Michaels d. Roddy Piper
At the PPV prior to this (In Your House), Michaels put his title shot up against Owen Hart and won. So, now imagine if he lost. In this case,
I'd have a tweener HBK demand a rematch only to be denied by President Piper - infuriated, HBK challenges Hot Rod. It's a high-profile
match, and Piper does the job for the future legend, who "re-earns" his top contendership for "the Hitman's" strap. Post-match show of
respect to put Michaels back over as a true face.
Diesel d. Ahmed Johnson
Both men were seen as future stars - Johnson had just arrived the year before - so this would be sold as a "proving ground" type of contest. This
would make Diesel very angry, given that he was looking for a World title shot at this time, and he'd take care of business after a physical
(and probably ugly) contest.
Bret Hart d. Owen Hart - 60-minute Ironman match for the World title
After all, over here, Hart/Hart never took place at WM X. Thus, they get to do it in the main event, for an hour-plus, here two years later. Even
though Bret left in 1996, I'd still have him win here, because Owen wasn't exactly coming in hot, having wrestled primarily in tag matches
the year before. Still, it elevates "the King of Harts" back to the top of the roster, and Bret could drop it at the next PPV if need be.
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G. Jonah Jameson
Man of a Thousand Holds
Posts 1164
Registered 12-28-2010 Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 2-20-2016 at 04:54 AM |
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Diesel vs. Ahmed Johnson is the perfect example of a match that would have been technically atrocious, but had a super-hot crowd. The kind of thing
wrestling bookers can't get away with anymore, unfortunately. Even though the iron man match between two of the best technical wrestlers of all
time should cancel it out. I knew Owen Hart had no chance of winning at In Your House February 1996, but man, that didn't prevent me from
rooting for him, such was my hatred for 1990s Shawn "World's Worst Babyface" Michaels.
Wrestlemania 8
Tatanka def. Repo Man
Tatanka is freshly debuted and in need of a first real PPV feud. Enter Repo Man, who can try to repossess his headdress or something. Repo Man's
only here to job, and that's precisely what he does.
Money Inc. (c) w/ Jimmy Hart def. Jim Duggan & Sgt. Slaughter -- World Tag Team Titles
Money Inc. had just won the titles. Though there was a definite alliance between Ted DiBiase and Irwin R. Schyster, they were more or less singles
wrestlers up until the point when the WWF needed to get the belts off the Legion of Doom in a hurry. So I think it's appropriate to match them
up against a loosely-aligned-but-still-mostly-singles team in the flag-waving combo of Duggan and Slaughter. The faces are going to look good here,
but Duggan's past his sell-by date and Slaughter's a few months from retirement, so the champions are going to retain here, and unlike in
the real world, they're actually going to win the match, rather than walk out.
Bret Hart def. The Mountie
I'm having Hart drop the Intercontinental Title to the Mountie when Mountie takes advantage of Hart's kayfabe illness, as in the real
world. But here, Mountie goes too far and attacks Hart with his stun stick, putting him out of action for a brief period. So when Hart returns, his
sights are set not on the title -- which Mountie has since lost to Roddy Piper -- but on Mountie. This is where Hart gets his revenge, which I'm
sure you would guess, as Hart's not about to job to the effing Mountie at Wrestlemania.
The Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer def. Sid Justice
Undertaker is still a heel, having never split with Jake Roberts, and Sid is still a face -- more or less. Buckle in, because this one requires some
explanation. So at the Royal Rumble, 'Taker enters No. 30, and the final four are these two plus Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan. 'Taker is able
to eliminate Hogan while Hogan is distracted somehow, and then Sid dumps 'Taker and Flair dumps Sid to win the match and the WWF Title.
Hogan's then named No. 1 contender to Flair's title. Flair and 'Taker form something of an alliance against Hogan, so Sid -- despite
having been passed over for the title shot, even though he outlasted Hogan in the Rumble -- vows to take care of 'Taker. But Sid's bit off
more than he can chew, and thanks to some timely involvement from Bearer and maybe Mr. Perfect as well, 'Taker beats him, going 2-0 at
Wrestlemania. The WWF at the time wasn't exactly hot to job Sid, but considering they had 'Taker pin Hogan just a few months prior -- even
if it wasn't clean -- suggests that this outcome isn't unreasonable. More on this later.
The Big Boss Man, Tito Santana, The Texas Tornado & The Natural Disasters def. Rick Martel, Skinner, The Berzerker & The Nasty Boys w/ Jimmy Hart
and Mr. Fuji
Instead of an eight-man tag for people who have nothing to do on this card, how about a 10-man tag for people who have nothing to do on this card? I
guess you can do some nominal rivalry between the Bossman and Martel, but this is mainly a space-filler. Faces win, as you'd expect. The Natural
Disasters turned face due to Jimmy Hart's screwing them over, as in the real world, but have set their sights on Hart's other team, the
Nasty Boys, rather than Money Inc.
Randy Savage w/ Miss Elizabeth def. Jake Roberts
We're stretching this feud out to Wrestlemania. I think it could easily be maintained that long. Roberts gets slapped by Elizabeth when he tries
to menace her, and Savage beats him clean with the Flying Elbowdrop, finally putting the rivalry to bed.
Shawn Michaels w/ Sensational Sherri def. Roddy Piper (c) -- Intercontinental Title
This is awfully soon to be giving Michaels such a high-profile feud after his split with Marty Jannetty, but he ended up winning the Intercontinental
Title later that year anyway, so clearly the WWF had big plans for him from day one. Here, we'll have Piper challenge him for what he did to
Jannetty and put the title on the line. The cool thing is, you can pretty much combine the finishes of Michaels' and Piper's real-world
Wrestlemania 8 matches. Michaels counters the Sleeperhold with the turnbuckle-walk back flip, and new Michaels manager Sherri holds down Piper's
foot so he can't kick out. Michaels then flees ringside with the title while Piper pursues him, helping Piper keep some of his heat (even though
he was about to disappear for a couple of years).
The British Bulldog def. Papa Shango (DQ)
I'm not involving Papa Shango in the already-crowded main event feud, so instead I'll stick him against the Bulldog, a nice, lily-white
babyface he can antagonize following his debut. Shango was terrible, so I don't want him going over the Bulldog, but he's new enough that
I don't want him to lose either, so I'll just have him get disqualified for choking or using a foreign object or somesuch. Then
he'll pull some spooky voodoo bullcrap after the bell, and it's a wrap.
Ric Flair (c) w/ Mr. Perfect def. Hulk Hogan -- WWF Title
OK, so you all knew this was going to happen. Some of the rivalry here is explained by Flair's interactions with Hogan in late 1991, which I
can't change, and some is explained above in the write-up for the Sid-Undertaker match. So Hogan gets the title shot basically for being Hogan,
over Sid, who actually outlasted him in the Rumble. 'Taker forms an alliance with Flair, Hogan has Sid step up to challenge 'Taker, and
things should be even. The match mostly goes like you'd expect, with Hogan bouncing Flair around and Flair maintaining advantages through
cheating. 'Taker comes to ringside, Sid comes to ringside to stop him from getting involved. But then there's a ref bump. Hogan fends off
an interfering Perfect, no-sells a Flair chairshot, finger wag, punch, punch, punch, big boot, Atomic Legdrop. But there's no ref. 'Taker
enters the ring and grabs the chair, but Sid takes it away from him and tosses 'Taker out. Hogan turns back to Flair, and Sid whacks him with
the chair, then Power Bombs him on it. Flair covers a KOed Hogan to win the match and retain the title. But we can't end Wrestlemania like that,
so while Sid abandons his former friend, 'Taker and Flair double-team a downed Hogan. Then the Ultimate Warrior returns and fights them both
off, and helps Hogan up so the two can stand tall, ending 'Mania on a feel-good moment and establishing the Warrior as the next challenger to
Flair after Hogan leaves TV.
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Fifth Horseman
Man of a Thousand Holds
Posts 1536
Registered 1-15-2006 Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 2-20-2016 at 08:33 AM |
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Onto the next even=numbered Wrestlemania... WM 14. This was a tough one. No Michaels-Austin match, meaning no big first-title-winning moment for the
Rattlesnake - at least, not that night...
Taka Michinoku d. Flash Funk - Lightheavyweight Title
Flash might have been a tad over the 219 lb. limit, but he's close enough. This would be a great, high-action opener to get the crowd
going.
The Legion of Doom d. Cactus Jack and Terry Funk - #1 Contender's Match
In my re-written history, I'd have the 15-team battle royale happen on the Raw before Wrestlemania, and the LOD could make their surprise return
there. After winning, Funk and Cactus would challenge them, declaring themselves as the real top contender; the Wrestlemania match would be the
decider.
Kane d. Bradshaw
Kane was still very new, and already a force to be reckoned with; the future JBL was just restarting a singles career post-New Blackjacks. This might
not be a pretty match, but it gets two deserving guys on the card.
Kama, Mark Henry, and D'Lo Brown d. Ken Shamrock and the Headbangers
The Nation were still a force to be reckoned with, and Shamrock was taking on its various members around that time. With the Rock and Faarooq tied up
(oh, you'll see), this match furthers the feud, and the Headbangers were also still well-regarded as former champs.
Steve Blackman d. Goldust
JUst kinda a match, but I figured this would be quite the contrast between the super-serious "Lethal Weapon" and the, um, "Bizarre One."
The Rock d. Faarooq - control of the NOD
Not exactly an official stipulation, but the situation was boiling over at this point. Just one more match along the way to establishing the Rock as
a genuine star, and undoubtedly a  good one. Rock's IC title would not be on the line in this one.
The New Age Outlaws d. the New Midnight Express - Tag-Team Titles
Maybe it's not the best combination of teams, but you'd get the long-anticipated Gunn vs. Gunn matchup. No? Well, at the very least,
you'd get a convincing NAO victory, setting up their DX membership a day later on Raw.
The Undertaker d. Shawn Michaels (DQ) - World Title
In real life, HBK took four years off after this WM match, assuming his career was over. Here, I'm gonna get one more match out of him
afterwards, where he would do the honors for Austin the next night on Raw. But here, he takes on a worthy contender in the Undertaker, and bumps like
a fiend as usual. However, before 'Taker can pin the champ, his brother Kane viciously attacks, causing the DQ. The streak wasn't THE
STREAK yet, so a DQ win shouldn't tarnish it here (remember, in real life, he wasn't on the WM 10 card, and he also won by DQ over Giant
Gonzalez at WM 9.)
Steve Austin d. Mike Tyson and Triple H - Handicap Match
A mix of real and fantasy here: my scenario is that Michaels avoids Austin here by sending his best friend AND their new best friend, Mike Tyson,
against him in a handicap match. The stip being, IF Austin wins, he gets the champ - whoever it is - the next night on Raw. This gets the main event
slot; Vince loves his celebrity involvement. Austin and HHH carry the action, and Tyson gets in the occasional shot. The endgame is as follows -
Austin rallies, looks to finish off HHH, HHH looks to make the hot tag... and Tyson refuses, discarding his DX shirt for a Stone Cold one. Stunner,
pin, Austin gets Michaels 24 hours later. Tyson KOs Triple H on the way out, just like Michaels was at the real show. The Austin Era begins the next
night.
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the goon
Sister Act
Posts 6396
Registered 3-13-2004 Location Charlotte, NC Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 2-20-2016 at 11:03 AM |
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This has been quite the fun thread so far and I've thoroughly enjoyed reading everyone's re-booked alternate history cards. To follow up
my WrestleMania X-8 card, here is my re-booked card for WrestleMania XIX.
Eddie Guerrero vs Rey Mysterio: I know they opened WrestleMania 21 against each other, but let's just say they did it two years earlier
and the match kicked ass.
Matt Hardy (c) vs Billy Kidman vs Jamie Noble vs Shannon Moore, Ladder Match for the Cruiserweight title: Not unlike most WrestleMania ladder
matches involving multiple wrestlers, you don't need much of a storyline here outside of everyone wanting to win the Cruiserweight title.
Team Angle (c) vs The Dudleys, WWE Tag Team titles match: I don't really recall these two teams having much interaction back in the day,
so this is your de facto WrestleMania tag team title match.
Shawn Michaels vs Chris Benoit: Anytime I use Benoit in a fantasy booking scenario like this, I always want to preface it by saying that
I'm strictly using pre-insane Chris Benoit, the TV wrestler, and not endorsing the guy in any way (though that should probably be obvious by
now). Anyhow, Michaels was still freshly back in the WWE at this point and this match could have been easily played up as a face vs face, mutual
respect type of deal. And the results would have been awesome.
Hulk Hogan vs The Undertaker: Okay, so this match wouldn't win any workrate awards, but Hogan would have seemed like a major threat to
the streak at the time. Not to mention the crowd would have probably popped like crazy when Hogan "hulked up" at the end and nailed the big boot and
leg drop on Taker (of course, Taker would have kicked out at 2 and 3/4, to really pop the crowd).
Kurt Angle (c) vs Booker T, WWE title match: In my opinion, Booker should have gone over Triple H at the actual WrestleMania XIX, but then the
WWE signed Goldberg and Triple H (presumably) hung onto the belt so that he could do the big money feud with Goldberg. This match would right that
wrong, as Angle could have dropped the WWE title to Booker and the match would have been pretty great to boot.
Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock vs Vince McMahon, Chris Jericho, and The Big Show: So I'm way flipping the script here from
how things originally went, so instead of Austin/Rock III with Rock as the heel, we get both guys teaming up as faces in one final battle against
Vince and his hand-picked heel team of Jericho and Show. Not to mention that Rock was basically gone by this point and WrestleMania XIX turned out to
be Austin's last match, so why not throw both guys into a fun but ultimately meaningless match?
Triple H (c) vs Brock Lesnar, World Heavyweight title match: Triple H/Brock wasn't exactly mind-blowing a few years ago, but I think it
would have been a different story had they met back in 2003. Triple H was right in the midst of his reign of terror with the world title and Brock
would have been the perfect guy to end it. The Lesnar/Angle match we got was great, but I think Lesnar hitting the F5 on Triple H and winning the
world title would have been a pretty satisfying end to WrestleMania XIX as well.
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First 9
The Rowdy One
Posts 2559
Registered 1-22-2013 Member Is Offline Mood: Doing the Emma Dance
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| posted on 2-21-2016 at 12:51 AM |
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Hot damn, I forgot how stacked the roster was for WM19. I'll give it a go
WrestleMania XIX.
WWE Tag Team Title and World Tag Team Ladder Match: Team Angle (c) vs Los Guerreros vs The Dudleys vs Storm and Venis(c) Both set of belts are
on the line and I'm keeping the continuity of Regal being injured and replaced by Val since he was the tag team Champion by the time WM rolled
around.
Cruiserweight Six-Pack Title Match: Matt Hardy (c) vs Rey Myserio vs Billy Kidman vs Tajiri vs Jamie Noble vs Shannon Moore
Streak Match: The Undertaker vs Chris Jericho Targeting the Streak is exactly the kind of thing old school heel Y2J would have salivated at and
should make for a great program.
Evolution(Ric Flair, Test, and Rob Conway) vs Kane and Bookdust Insead of putting Evolution on hold when Dave and Orton got injured, Flair just
recruits two new propsects.
Hulk Hogan vs John Cena Instead of sticking Vince against Hogan, why not give a spotlight match to a promising new prospect? Cena as the Doctor
of Thuganomics would make an amazing foil for Red and Yellow running on Nostalgia Hulk Hogan.
StoneCold vs Scott Steiner Steiner is brought in as Bischoff's answer to Austin and there's several outside elements to prevent
both performers limitations from being too obvious. Might not look like much, but this would have a fantastic build up dueling on the mic.
World Title Match:HHH (c) vs Rob Van Dam No dicking around here, RVD was the most over guy besides maybe Michaels on RAW's 2003 roster
and he's solidfied here with a victory over a stale HHH.
The Rock vs Shawn Michaels Nothing needs to be said
WWE Title Match:Kurt Angle (c) vs Brock Lesnar vs Chris Benoit Benoit, coming off his classic match against Angle at the 03 challenges Lesnar
for his WM Title shot at No Way Out. Ambigous ending leads us to this, a match that would likely be WWE's greatest Triple Threat.
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the goon
Sister Act
Posts 6396
Registered 3-13-2004 Location Charlotte, NC Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 2-21-2016 at 05:12 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by First 9
Hot damn, I forgot how stacked the roster was for WM19.
Totally agree and this gave me some trouble when re-booking the card. There were points where I had trouble finding spots for even big names like
Austin, Rock, Eddie, and Jericho and I switched my card around a few times to try and squeeze in as many people as I could. I want to give
WrestleMania XX a try next, just to complete my trifecta of X-8/XIX/XX and because it had possibly the most star-studded roster of any WrestleMania,
which should be fun and challenging.
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G. Jonah Jameson
Man of a Thousand Holds
Posts 1164
Registered 12-28-2010 Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 2-21-2016 at 04:50 PM |
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John Cena and the Undertaker would have been pretty interesting Wrestlemania opponents for early-2000s Hulk Hogan. Rob Van Dam beating Triple H for
the World Heavyweight Title would have been a much better booking move than what we got, too.
Wrestlemania 9
Shawn Michaels (c) w/ Luna Vachon def. Mr. Perfect w/ Sensational Sherri -- Intercontinental Title
We got this match at Summerslam of the same year, so I'm just moving it up, as it seems like it would be an amazing match definitely worthy of
placement at Wrestlemania. And the story would write itself, too. Perfect was Intercontinental Champion right before his injury removed him from
competition, and with his first order of business -- Ric Flair -- completed, he could set his sights on regaining the belt. I thought about having
this one end in countout or disqualification, but I've already got a couple of those finishes on the way, so I'm just going to have
Perfect lose by some sort of interference from Luna. Probably not direct interference, but distracting the referee so Michaels can wallop Perfect with
the belt or something.
Lex Luger def. Rick Martel
I had a lot of heels who needed to maintain momentum going into this event and not a lot of faces to match them up with, so I'm having Luger
debut as a face. The crowds wanted to cheer him anyway. Martel is a sacrificial lamb here, as he was on the downswing in terms of relevance, but he
could definitely get a decent match out of Luger, I would think. Much better than Luger would get out of Giant Gonzalez, who was really my only other
option. I thought about Jerry Lawler, too, but Luger needs to win clean here and I'd probably have to end a Lawler match in DQ or somesuch.
Tatanka def. Doink the Clown
Tatanka -- as a proud, stoic warrior type -- would be a perfect target for some cruel pranks by awesome heel Doink. Putting glue in his headdress,
blasting him with confetti during his war dance, whatever. Tatanka, of course, swears revenge. Tatanka still has an undefeated streak to maintain, so
he has to win here, but he's not going to win convincingly -- flash roll-up, or something. Then you can have a second Doink attack him after the
bell, so Doink's the one standing tall at the end.
The Steiner Brothers def. Money Inc. (c) w/ Jimmy Hart (countout) -- World Tag Team Titles
The Steiners were red hot; it makes sense to give them the title shot now, and not wait until summer. Money Inc. will put up a good fight, but the
Steiners are basically unstoppable. I do want them to chase for a little while, though, so Money Inc. is going to walk out, taking a deliberate loss
to hold onto the titles. On a side note, because the angle with the Mega Maniacs never happens, Jimmy Hart is still managing Money Inc.
Yokozuna w/ Mr. Fuji def. Randy Savage
I'm giving Yokozuna a slower build here. I'm not even going to have him compete in the Royal Rumble; instead, he'll crush someone
expendable (the Big Boss Man, maybe) on the undercard. Eventually, Yokozuna's running roughshod over the roster draws the ire of Savage, and he
decides to step out of the commentary booth and take the fight to the 500-plus-pound behemoth. Savage puts up a valiant effort, but Yokozuna just
overwhelms him and pins him clean as a whistle, getting a huge rub for it. Yokozuna then continues the punishment after the bell, which draws Hulk
Hogan down to the ring -- and even he gets thumped by Yokozuna before Fuji calls him off, setting up a feud for later.
The Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer def. Bam Bam Bigelow w/ Harvey Wippleman (DQ)
This is exactly the same angle as in the real world -- 'Taker vanquished Wippleman's previous charge, Kamala, so he brings in another
monster in an effort to beat the Dead Man. Only here, instead of "worst wrestler ever" nominee Giant Gonzalez, Wippleman's new charge is
Bigelow, who could actually work (which is good, because at this point, 'Taker kinda couldn't). It even ends the same way, with Bigelow
disqualified for using a foreign object, though something less dumb than a chloroform-soaked rag, and then beating down 'Taker after, with a
zombie sit-up to cap things off. We'll blow off the feud at King of the Ring or Summerslam. I always wondered why 'Taker and Bigelow never
got matched up; early 1990s 'Taker had feud after feud with these big slugs, but never with the one big man on the roster who wasn't
terrible. I guess Yokozuna wasn't terrible in general, but he was running out of steam by the time he feuded with 'Taker. Anyway...
Razor Ramon def. Crush
These two guys just need something to do. Make up your own angle to explain it. The WWF was definitely hot to push Razor, and rightfully so, whereas
the flaws in the Crush experiment were beginning to show, so Razor's going to take this one.
Bret Hart (c) def. Hulk Hogan -- WWF Title
Here, Hogan's big return is announced for the Rumble, and he goes on to win the thing. We'll build this one as a face-versus-face contest,
which will make it a lot more ambiguous as to who's going to win. Hogan's not long for the WWF, and Hart is unquestionably the future, so
Hart has to win here. But I'm trying to book from a realistic position, and I know Hogan's not about to submit to the Sharpshooter clean.
So Hart's going to win this with one of the many pinning combinations in his arsenal, and Hogan's taking a pounding from Yokozuna earlier
in the night to give him an excuse for losing. Years later, Hart will kvetch in his autobiography that Hogan refused to put him over strong like he
should have, but whatever, I'm working with what I've got, and what I've got is a means of soothing Hogan's ego. We'll
get a handshake and something of a torch-passing moment after the bell. Then Hogan can have a final feud with Yokozuna, getting crushed by him at King
of the Ring en route to Yokozuna ending Hart's reign at Summerslam.
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First 9
The Rowdy One
Posts 2559
Registered 1-22-2013 Member Is Offline Mood: Doing the Emma Dance
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| posted on 2-21-2016 at 05:46 PM |
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Going to give XX a try now,
WrestleMania XX.
IC Title Match: Randy Orton (c) vs Booker T vs RVD The Tag Champs but chasing singles gold should be a compelling story and this should make a
good opener.
Winner Take All Match: Big Show (c) and The Basham vs John Cena& Too Cool(c) Cena and Too Cool should work well together.
Inferno Match:Kane vs The Hurricane This is pure spectacke and Hurrican's attire should lend itself well for the obvious result. Kane
getting a dastardly win should keep his Monster aura that was lost when Taker squashed him at WM.
Cruiserweight Interbrand Ladder Match:Chavo Guerrero (c) vs Rey Mysterio vs Tajiri vs Matt Hardy vs Jamie Noble vs Christian Part of the
reason I feel the Cruisers weren't succesful in WWE was that while they had the perfect face of the division in Rey, they didn't have a
real strong heel like WCW had with Chris Jericho. Christian bullshitting his way into the division could have been the guy to really bring life to the
division.
Brock Lesnar vs Chris Jericho Always been a Dream match for me.
Team Ange vs The Rock n Sock Connection A newly heel Angle reunites with his two proteges to take on two bonafide legends as Rock and Foley
lend their presence to the struggling SD rather than RAW.
World Title Match:HHH (c) vs Shawn Michaels with Austin as the special ref. After two classic matches so far in the year, these two finally
settle the score with Austin along with the ride as we also pay off a year of Stone Cold vs Evolution.
Streak Match: The Undertaker vs Goldberg
WWE Title Match:Eddie Guerrero (c) vs Chris Benoit Instead of climbing up to the top together, the two best friends find themselves on opposite
sides. Benoit having won The Rumble and staying on SD and Eddie winning the belt at No Way Out.
[Edited on 2-21-2016 by First 9]
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First 9
The Rowdy One
Posts 2559
Registered 1-22-2013 Member Is Offline Mood: Doing the Emma Dance
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| posted on 2-21-2016 at 05:48 PM |
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Now WM goes Hollywood
WrestleMania 21.
Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Edge vs RVD vs Booker T vs Big Show vs Christian vs Kane MITB starts as a interpromotional match instead of a
RAW-only match.
IC Title Match: Shelton Benjamin(c) vs Chris Jericho Jericho looking to break his own record with another IC Title win.
Cruiserweight Title Match:Chavo Guerrero(c) vs Pau London London was one of their more promising projects around that time and a
crowd-pleasing match wherehe got his moment should have gone down well.
Title vs Career:Trish Stratus (c) vs Molly Holly Trish was doing the best work of her career around this time and deserved better competition
than Christy Hemme.
StreetFight: Kurt Angle vs John Cena In 2005 Cena had never beaten Kurt Angle and Kurt was a constantly hovering presence in his career.
Beating him in his debut, beating him in one of his first major PPV matches and being the only person to make him tap out. Using all this history,
these two could have had a strong WM match to give Cena a big win before taking his place as King of the Mountain.
Interpromotional Match: Shawn Michaels vs Eddie Guerrero
Streak Match: The Undertaker vs Chris Benoit One year after fulfilling his dream and winning the World Title, Benoit targets something even
bigger.
World Title Match:HHH (c) vs Randy Orton vs Batista vs Ric Flair Evolution Explodes!
WWE Title Match:JBL (c) vs Rey Mysterio If this gives you a big ''huh?'' reaction, I urge you to watch the Judgment Day
JBL vs Eddie match, the crowd was white hot for it as the JBL character was created to feud with underdog latinos. It's why he never had another
memorable feud after Eddie. Rey would have been the perfect guy to dethrone him and the LA crowd would have gone batshit crazy over it.
[Edited on 2-21-2016 by First 9]
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the goon
Sister Act
Posts 6396
Registered 3-13-2004 Location Charlotte, NC Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 2-22-2016 at 02:32 AM |
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My re-booked WrestleMania XX card:
Kurt Angle vs Chris Jericho: I don't even know what storyline I'd use to get these two in a feud, but I like the idea of them
opening WrestleMania XX and trying to steal the show like Bret and Owen at WrestleMania X.
The Big Show (c) vs Kane, US title match: Before we'd seen these two feud and team up a million times, this would have been a pretty
novel "battle of the giants" match. Not to mention that Kane was still being booked as a monster heel at the time, so he would have been a worthy
adversary for Show.
Chavo Guerrero (c) vs Rey Mysterio vs Ultimo Dragon, Ladder Match for the Cruiserweight title: Like my previously booked ladder matches, no
real storyline needed here. Just give these guys 15 minutes and a ladder and you're good to go.
Booker T and Rob Van Dam (c) vs The Dudleys vs The APA vs Batista and Ric Flair, World Tag Team titles match: Instead of two separate four-way
tag team matches like we originally got, I'm streamlining this into one match using the biggest names.
Brock Lesnar vs John Cena: Lesnar was on his way out here and Cena had officially arrived as an up and coming babyface. This would have been
Lesnar doing the honors and putting Cena over, also giving Cena his first career victory over Lesnar.
The Rock vs Randy Orton: Instead of having it be Rock 'n Sock vs Evolution, I would have this come down to just Rock and Orton. After
Orton and Evolution keep getting the best of Mick Foley, the Rock comes back to challenge Orton to a match and put the young heel in his place.
The Undertaker vs Goldberg: Everyone knowing that Goldberg was leaving would have kinda ruined the outcome of this match, so in my alternate
reality nobody knows about Goldberg's impending departure and the Undertaker faces the biggest threat to his streak ever.
Triple H (c) vs Chris Benoit, World Heavyweight title match: Slightly altering the real-life match that we got, this would just be Triple H and
Benoit one on one. I'd still go with the same ending though, Triple H tapping out clean to Benoit in the middle of the ring.
Victoria (c) vs Trish Stratus, Women's title match: This would have been your cool down match between Triple H/Benoit and the main event,
as the WWE liked to do at the mid 2000s WrestleManias. Though I always did like Victoria as nemesis for Trish, so I think this would have been a fine
Divas match for WrestleMania.
Eddie Guerrero (c) vs Shawn Michaels, WWE title match: Right up there with Michaels/Rock, Michaels/Eddie is one of my dream matches that never
happened. So what better place for these two to meet than in the main event of WrestleMania XX, with the WWE title on the line?
And two thoughts on WrestleMania XX:
One, the card was insanely stacked. Rock, Triple H, Michaels, Taker, Cena, Foley, Lesnar Goldberg, Angle, Jericho, Benoit, Orton, Flair, Batista,
Kane, Big Show, RVD, Booker T, Mysterio...it may be the most star-studded card in WrestleMania history.
Two, not unlike WrestleMania X-8, you're kind of hamstrung by who was holding the belts at the time. I would have loved to have done Rey
Mysterio vs Ultimo Dragon for the Cruiserweight title, but Chavo was champion at the time, so he had to be included in the match. And RVD and Booker
T, who both could have been used in singles matches, were tag team champions, so they're relegated to the tag division (and Rikishi/Scotty 2
Hotty were the other tag team champions, whom I didn't even bother using).
Nash is only a few inches bigger than JBL and depending on how stiff he gets Punk should be able to take it. -JB King, meant in a totally non-sexual
way
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G. Jonah Jameson
Man of a Thousand Holds
Posts 1164
Registered 12-28-2010 Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 2-22-2016 at 03:38 AM |
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Wrestlemania 10
The Quebecers (c) w/ Johnny Polo def. The Smoking Gunns -- World Tag Team Titles
The Quebecers were not the most exciting of champions. Really, I just need a face team to oppose them here that's not their real-world opponents
Men on a Mission. They'd already feuded with the Steiner Brothers and I'm not about to give the title shot to the Bushwhackers, so the
Gunns are your winners. Well, not really, because they lose, but you get the idea. Really, they're just taking up time until the Headshrinkers
turn face and take the titles off the Quebecers. This one will be kept mercifully short.
Lex Luger def. Crush w/ Mr. Fuji -- Falls Count Anywhere
I'll blow off the Crush-Randy Savage feud at the Royal Rumble, then transition into this one, with Crush thwarting Luger's attempt to win
the Rumble and get another shot at Yokozuna. Crush wasn't much of a worker, but he could definitely be an intimidating opponent, so it'll
be all the sweeter when Luger vanquishes him and finally gets a big, meaningful win. A standard match between these two would be garbage, but the
stipulation should make it a little more interesting, as it did for the real-world Crush-Savage bout.
Luna Vachon def. Alundra Blayze (c) -- Women's Title
Luna was far more relevant than a past-her-prime Leilani Kai, so she's better served as Alundra's first real challenger. And I'm
going to have her win, as I think Luna would have been a decent champion, even if she's going to be dropping the title back to Alundra sooner
rather than later.
Razor Ramon (c) def. 1-2-3 Kid -- Intercontinental Title
With Razor well established as Intercontinental Champion, he gets a mutual-respect challenge from the Kid, who beat him several times the year prior
when Razor was a heel. This is a straight-up face-versus-face contest with lots of back-and-forth, and any number of occasions on which it seems like
the Kid might actually pull off the victory. In the end, Razor is able to take this one, though he has to give it everything he has and wins with some
type of flash pinning combination rather than the Razor's Edge. A handshake and (I hope) crowd ovation follows. I really, really wanted to have
the Kid win -- I was a huge Kid fan, and Razor wouldn't be hurt by his reign ending here -- but I think the Kid works better as an underdog, and
he wouldn't be one if he were Intercontinental Champion.
Shawn Michaels w/ Diesel def. Randy Savage
I read somewhere that Savage wanted to work a program with Michaels toward the end of his WWF career, but it never ended up happening. Well, in my
rebooking, it does. These two were good enough that I don't even want to hazard a guess as to the storyline, because there's no way my
haphazard booking would be better than what they came up with. The match should be amazing, naturally, and Michaels wins because he's the future
of the company whereas Savage is on his way out.
Doink the Clown w/ Dink def. Bam Bam Bigelow w/ Luna Vachon
This feud was well established enough that I don't think I can just cancel it, so I'm making it one-on-one, because Luna is busy and who
the hell wants to see Dink wrestle anyway. Bigelow manhandles Doink most of the match, Doink gets a roll-up after a Dink distraction or somesuch, fin.
I'll have to do something in the weeks following to get Bigelow his heat back after a loss to terrible face Doink, but the babyface needs to win
here, so Bigelow can just suck it up.
Irwin R. Schyster w/ Ted DiBiase def. Bret Hart w/ Owen Hart (countout)
I'm holding back the Hart Brothers split that was teased in late 1993. Instead, Bret gets embroiled in an issue with DiBiase, who starts
recruitment for the Million Dollar Corporation a little early. Bret turns him down, so his first recruit -- IRS -- starts targeting Bret, leading to
this match with Owen in Bret's corner to counteract DiBiase. Initially, Owen just stops DiBiase from interfering, but then he starts going too
far, trying to attack IRS behind the ref's back, and Bret keeps scolding him while Owen's ire grows. One such scolding results in IRS
shoving Bret into a chair-wielding Owen on the outside, knocking Bret out long enough for IRS to win by countout. Post-match, of course, Owen turns on
Bret and attacks him, finally sparking that feud. I do feel a little bad about taking away what Bret had at real-world Wrestlemania 10 -- an amazing
match with Owen and a triumphant victory over Yokozuna -- and saddling him with IRS. IRS had more gravitas than people remember, especially with
DiBiase in his corner, but he wasn't the most interesting worker. Hopefully, though, the emotions running high between Bret and Owen will keep
this one interesting enough.
Bob Backlund & The Steiner Brothers def. Jeff Jarrett & The Headshrinkers w/ Afa
This is a throwaway designed to give these guys something to do. It'd be better than that garbage Adam Bomb-Earthquake match we got. The key
storyline here is Jarrett berating the Headshrinkers after the match, leading to their face turn.
Tatanka def. Yokozuna (c) w/ Mr. Fuji -- WWF Title
Man, this was tough. I couldn't use Luger or Bret Hart because Yokozuna faced both at the real Wrestlemania 10, and the Undertaker was injured,
so he's not an option either. But I think I can make Tatanka work. He definitely had the crowds behind him, and he'd been put out of
action -- and had his unbeaten streak ended -- by Ludvig Borga on Fuji's orders the year before. It wouldn't be too challenging to
transfer that animosity over to Yokozuna. Plus, Yokozuna always had this anti-America current when he was a heel, and what's more American than
a Native American? So Tatanka makes his triumphant return from injury at the Rumble and wins the whole thing, setting his sights on Yokozuna, and at
Wrestlemania, he's the one to finally bring an end to the behemoth's reign of terror. Tatanka's no Bret Hart or even Luger, but I
think this would make for a great feel-good moment, and maybe also some good publicity for the first-ever Native American WWF Champion.
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