Bob Backlund's second reign..Should Owen have got it?

[dirtyoldman]

or Bulldog even?

Backlund only held it for a few days before jobbing to Diesel in 3 seconds so obviously they had no plans for him with it.
So wouldn't that have been better used to give someone else newer a rise up to the main event? It would have added a bit more extra to the Bret/Owen fued which they could have continued to Wrestlemania 11 instead of the meh I quit match with Bob.

Diesel wouldn't even need to squash Owen, have a proper match where Bret interferes and costs Owen the title.

[auph10imitated]

YES! I said this recently, Owen would have made a million times more sense as a transitional champion, and would have fuelled his winy character even more dropping it so soon, but i dont think they saw his as World Champion material where Backlund was a former champion.

[thecrusherwi]

I actually like the dynamic better of Owen being unable to beat Bret so he acts like a crybaby and helps someone else swindle it from Bret instead. It's makes him look like such a brat.

The only problem was that they went with the Bret/Backlund blowoff at Wrestlemania and had the Bret/Owen blowoff on Raw. Bret's beef, even when fighting Backlund, felt like it was with Owen. Backlund was just a crazy old man that underneath all the layers of crazy probably didn't have an opinion on Bret one way or another. Bret probably found Backlund annoying and dangerous but he wasn't his brother who betrayed him and convinced his crying mother to forfeit a match on Bret's behalf. I thought Survivor Series was perfect, but the follow up wasn't executed well.

[Deleted]

Should Owen have been the guy to transition the title to Diesel in a 10 second match? No. The answer is no.

That was the role for the person in that spot. Not to have a long, competitive match first. It was someone to lose quickly to get the big guy over in that manner. Owen would not have been the answer. It was fine the way they did it.

[The Dark Order Inferno]

Nope, the aim was to shift the belt to the still green Diesel without going over anyone that he may have gotten a negative reaction beating in a decisive fashion.

[SmashTV]

If it was done in the same way, then no. Owen had been billed as a thorn in Bret's side for the whole year; if he won the belt only to be destroyed in ten seconds, then it makes both him and Bret look bad.

[Futureraven: Beelzebruv]

Honestly, with the lack of top tier superstars they had in 1994, I'd have given Owen the belt at Summerslam 1994 to build up the ranks, it would have made sense after the WM win, King of the Ring plus him having an outside ally in Neidhart, Bulldog could have come in as a World title contender rather than Bret's B-Team backup, SS have crazy Bob Backlund v Bret Hart, with Jim playing the Owen role, and Owen v Bulldog, Owen retains, gets squashed by Diesel, but he's had a couple of months so he's not just a transition reign you can ignore, now you have 5 main eventers coming out of Survivor Series week 1994 rather than 2 so you're in a better position.

[Deleted]

Owen was not World Champion material. He was in the right spot on the card.

[Deleted]

I'd have had Owen win it at SummerSlam and then transition it to Diesel a few months later, and do it with an actual build instead of just, "Oh, there, he's champion now out of nowhere." Could still have it be a crushing victory, but maybe do a thing with Owen talking shit and swearing he's going to slay the beast then just being destroyed in under five minutes or something, and have that be the catalyst for Michaels and Diesel fully splitting with the groundwork laid for the Mania match in the process.

[Mozenrath]

I think Owen could have worked, but Backlund was on fire in the role. Besides, as mentioned earlier, they wanted someone Diesel could beat without getting turned on by the crowd. Bulldog would have possibly been a problem there, and Owen, I dunno, could work, but the way it played out worked.

[edgestar]

I thought Bob Backlund was terrifying

[thecrusherwi]

Dec 15, 2016 22:25:47 GMT -5 edgestar said:

I thought Bob Backlund was terrifying

I was in 2nd grade at the time, and me and my friends thought he was both terrifying and hilarious. We used to run up behind each other on the playground and slap on the Crossface Chickenwing and scream like a mad man.

[Milkman Norm]

I think calling however beat Bret at Survivor Series a transitional champion a stretch. The plan all along was for Diesel to get the belt in Sammartino style win at The Garden at the next show. There was literally 0 chance of the heel keeping the belt beyond the next Monday.

[Magnus the Magnificent]

Dec 15, 2016 22:25:47 GMT -5 edgestar said:

I thought Bob Backlund was terrifying

NAME ALL US PRESIDENTS AND TERMS SERVED OR I WILL PUT YOU IN THE CHICKENWING AND SQUEEEEEEEZE!!!

[government mule]

Backlund was the greatest heel they had in 1994, and should have had a longer title reign than what they did with him. No problem with them giving it to Diesel in the end, but Bob deserved better.

However, I love Owen and if he were to get a stint, then he should have won at Summerslam and gone back and forth with Bret, have Backlund win at the Rumble and Diesel have his WM moment. As stated before, there was a chance to elevate all 5 people instead of just 2.

[Deleted]

Dec 15, 2016 9:27:12 GMT -5 thecrusherwi said:

I actually like the dynamic better of Owen being unable to beat Bret so he acts like a crybaby and helps someone else swindle it from Bret instead. It's makes him look like such a brat.

In hindsight, knowing it was probably Owen's only real shot at a title reign, it seems like the better choice, but at the time, the way thecrusherwi described it was spot-on.

[lws]

Backlund's victory promo is one of my all time favorites. Crazy Bob was the best. He deserved another four years as champ.

[HMARK Center]

Dec 15, 2016 9:27:12 GMT -5 thecrusherwi said:

I actually like the dynamic better of Owen being unable to beat Bret so he acts like a crybaby and helps someone else swindle it from Bret instead. It's makes him look like such a brat.

The only problem was that they went with the Bret/Backlund blowoff at Wrestlemania and had the Bret/Owen blowoff on Raw. Bret's beef, even when fighting Backlund, felt like it was with Owen. Backlund was just a crazy old man that underneath all the layers of crazy probably didn't have an opinion on Bret one way or another. Bret probably found Backlund annoying and dangerous but he wasn't his brother who betrayed him and convinced his crying mother to forfeit a match on Bret's behalf. I thought Survivor Series was perfect, but the follow up wasn't executed well.

I think part of the problem was that they seemed to be building to Backlund vs. Savage at WM 11, but Macho left not too long beforehand, so Bret got shuffled and the whole blow off to the Owen feud got wired oddly. Another great what-if scenario.

[chazraps]

Dec 15, 2016 9:20:36 GMT -5 dirtyoldman said:

or Bulldog even?

Backlund only held it for a few days before jobbing to Diesel in 3 seconds so obviously they had no plans for him with it.
So wouldn't that have been better used to give someone else newer a rise up to the main event? It would have added a bit more extra to the Bret/Owen fued which they could have continued to Wrestlemania 11 instead of the meh I quit match with Bob.

Diesel wouldn't even need to squash Owen, have a proper match where Bret interferes and costs Owen the title.

1) Diesel win had to be a squash to kick start his legitimate world championship credibility. Backlund's selling for Diesel was absolutely essential to his title reign.

2) Owen losing the title to Diesel is such short order would have horrifyingly damaged him.

3) Bret costing Owen the title would have been completely out of character for Bret, compromising his character and ruing the remainder of his Owen feud.

4) A veteran former world champion in Backlund has the believable credibility to be victorious over Bret and doesn't hurt Bret.

5) A veteran who'd been at the top as long as Backlund isn't hurt by the Diesel squash as he'll always be Backlund. He's too established, you don't lose your second-longest title reign ever mystique in one squash.

Not to mention, Owen-Bret did continue, but a better course of action would be things happening exactly as they did except swapping the March '95 Raw Bret-Owen match for the Mania I Quit Backlund match. Then you have a better match on the bigger stage with the on-going feud wrapped up in a bow. Not sure what would become of the tag titles, maybe Owen pulls double-duty that night and can say the only reason Bret beat him was because he had already had a match, fitting in with his character's hypocrisy as Bret had won the world title the previous year after losing to Owen earlier in the night.

[gatordone]

I don't think Owen was heel enough to really make the fans react to any baby face that beats him. And having him job out in ten seconds in his first title defense only devalues his character more.