What If: Mankind Lands on His Head at HIAC

[Burst]

I'll let Mick explain the context for this scenario, as quoted from Have A Nice Day!:

"Looking back on it now, it was both the worst chokeslam and the best chokeslam that I'd ever taken. The worst because it was the only time in my association with the Undertaker that I haven't gone high for the goozle. As a matter of fact, one of my feet never left the cage. The best, because if I'd taken it correctly, I very well might have been dead. As it was, I landed hard on my back, my neck, and the back of my head. If I'd gone higher, I would have landed directly on my head and I probably wouldn't be here--or at least not in control of my limbs."

As much insane damage as the man took at Hell in a Cell, he's pointed out that with one small tweak things could have been much, much worse. Neither of the two potential outcomes of this what-if, either a fatally injured Mankind or a permanently paralyzed Mankind, bode well for the WWF. It'd almost be like having Owen's death a year sooner, but even worse since it would have been during an actual match and definitely would have been picked up by the cameras, vs. off-camera.

I almost see it sort of being a career-killer for a number of things, obviously Foley, which changes an awful lot of the decade by itself, likely Undertaker, and definitely the Hell in a Cell match. Instead of cementing Foley as a star, this is the sort of thing that would've totally deflated the WWF's resurgence, and may have wound up killing it. Which, assuming WCW made the same business mistakes, wouldn't bode well for televised wrestling in general.

Much like Triple H staying with Chyna, this would shatter the alternate timeline in so many ways vs. the real timeline, so much that it's really damned hard to think of just how many ramifications there would be.

Either way, it's just a nice reminder of how damned lucky Foley actually was...

[chunkylover53]

Kinda like how lucky Austin was continuing his career after that botched piledriver Owen Hart gave him. His career could've ended right then and there and we wouldn't see The Texas Rattlesnake reach his potential.

But you're right, any slight alterations can change the course of history.

[Krimzon]

Had he taken that how he wanted, he certainly would've never been the same again, if not dead altogether. Going through the table probably saved him, as he was probably too hurt to commit to the jump.

[misconduct was wrong]

Or how about what if he landed on the monitor when Taker chucked him off the cage? There are many very close calls that could be mentioned throughout wrestling history where an inch this way or that means potential career ending or just sore or worse.
To name a few: Jericho landing on his head from a botched lionsault.
Austin's and Owen's botched piledriver.
Lesnar's faceplant shooting star press.
Droz's and D-Lo's injuries.
Owen's fall.

[celtics543]

I think if this had gone poorly for Mick and he had either been fatally injured or paralyzed things would be quite different.

The most major change I can think of is that I believe Owen Hart wouldn't have died. You have to think that if you had just had an accident of that magnitude in 1998, there would have been added pressure to not have a superstar get lowered from the rafters a year later. Case in point would be that now, even 13 years since Owen's accident there are no longer wrestlers repelling down from the rafters or even taking large falls from high places.

Of course there's also the fact that Mick Foley played a huge role in the WWF from 1998-2000 and that would have to be completely different.

[Sam Punk]

Owen would still be alive, for one.

[zackattack]

Yeah , my first thought was Owen wouldn't have died !

[flatsdomino]

If Foley had died? It would have killed the wrestling boom right then and there, as there was already an outcry over the shows being too violent - to have possibly THE most brutal match anyone had ever seen, culminating in a man DYING in the ring, would have gotten endless media coverage and wrestling likely would have never recovered, as that moment would be what it would be associated with. The backlash would have been nuts. WCW would have closed down earlier, Undertaker would have retired immediately, among other things. It would've been horrible.

[SAJ Forth]

Countless close calls in Undertaker vs. Foley. I can only imagine the reaction of Foley's wife if she watched that match instead of him vs. Rock.

[chunkylover53]

May 5, 2012 20:33:01 GMT -5 celtics543 said:

I think if this had gone poorly for Mick and he had either been fatally injured or paralyzed things would be quite different.

The most major change I can think of is that I believe Owen Hart wouldn't have died. You have to think that if you had just had an accident of that magnitude in 1998, there would have been added pressure to not have a superstar get lowered from the rafters a year later. Case in point would be that now, even 13 years since Owen's accident there are no longer wrestlers repelling down from the rafters or even taking large falls from high places. Of course there's also the fact that Mick Foley played a huge role in the WWF from 1998-2000 and that would have to be completely different.

Wrestlers have taken high risk moves every since then. Shane McMahon fell off one of the towers at Summerslam 2000, Edge speared Jeff Hardy from the ladder at Wrestlemania X-7, Jeff Hardy did a swanton on Randy Orton from the setting of RAW.

Nobody has ever came down from the rafters though.