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Post by hesgotabithycle on Sept 14, 2017 17:03:18 GMT -5
Seems impossible right now. The UT character in WCW during the Monday night wars. But surely sometime between 1990 and the death of WCW you had a few windows of opportunity open to get him. UT is a Vince McMahon lackey now but how strong were his loyalties then?
Picture Shiavone, Tenay, and Heenan in the broadcast area talking about some match later in the card. You hear some cheap knockoff casio keyboard funeral music in the backround as some sputtering smoke machine blasts away nonsensically. Finally as he's two thirds of the way to the ring, the camera cuts from Tenay and onto UT...who's name is given on the screen as just "The Taker" now...hailing from The Valley of Death. Tonight he will defeat his very stingy challenger Hugh Morris with what Tony Shiavone refers to as the DEATH DROP PILEDRIVER. ONE OF THE MOST DEVASTATING MOVES IN OUR SPORT.
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Post by ANuclearError on Sept 14, 2017 17:05:55 GMT -5
If it was during the Monday Night Wars, we'd have probably just gotten biker Mark Callaway like we just got Curt Hennig. But I don't see Taker tolerating the backstage environment much really.
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Post by eJm on Sept 14, 2017 17:07:45 GMT -5
I'd be genuinely shocked if each company didn't at least call each of their biggest stars at some point during the War.
Like, Vince wanted Savage and Hogan in the late 90s and Bischoff tried to get Michaels at least twice. I'd be shocked if Eric didn't try and call Austin for example (and got immediately hung up on but still).
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Mozenrath
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Post by Mozenrath on Sept 14, 2017 17:10:12 GMT -5
I've heard that there was one or two periods where Undertaker may have considered it, and I am sure they'd have liked to have him, but I don't know how serious it ever got.
I know that, at least supposedly, WCW's death prevented D'lo Brown and Road Dogg from likely working there, and that Godfather would have apparently gone to WCW, but Virgil told WCW he'd gladly work for a significant pay cut under what they were going to pay Godfather to do it. None of these would be on the level of Undertaker signing, but they are still kinda interesting to hear.
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Post by Joe Neglia on Sept 14, 2017 17:10:38 GMT -5
After the Bossman/Boss fiasco and the Outsiders lawsuit, WCW would never have even tried to put Calloway in a UT gimmick. According to Kevin Nash (so take that for what you will), UT was considering it around 1999/2000 and it's supposedly one of the reasons he toned down the UT gimmick and changed into a biker - that version of UT would be hard for WWE to hold claim over since it wasn't a "character". Nash played middle man and was trying to get WCW to offer him some ungodly amount of money to come in, but he finally opted to stay with WWF instead.
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Post by Welfare Willis on Sept 14, 2017 17:17:44 GMT -5
After the Bossman/Boss fiasco and the Outsiders lawsuit, WCW would never have even tried to put Calloway in a UT gimmick. According to Kevin Nash (so take that for what you will), UT was considering it around 1999/2000 and it's supposedly one of the reasons he toned down the UT gimmick and changed into a biker - that version of UT would be hard for WWE to hold claim over since it wasn't a "character". Nash played middle man and was trying to get WCW to offer him some ungodly amount of money to come in, but he finally opted to stay with WWF instead. Most likely the best decision by the Taker. Can you imagine Taker in Russo era WCW? Fat chick thriller Mark Calloway.
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Post by Mozenrath on Sept 14, 2017 17:19:54 GMT -5
After the Bossman/Boss fiasco and the Outsiders lawsuit, WCW would never have even tried to put Calloway in a UT gimmick. According to Kevin Nash (so take that for what you will), UT was considering it around 1999/2000 and it's supposedly one of the reasons he toned down the UT gimmick and changed into a biker - that version of UT would be hard for WWE to hold claim over since it wasn't a "character". Nash played middle man and was trying to get WCW to offer him some ungodly amount of money to come in, but he finally opted to stay with WWF instead. I could buy that to a degree, along with just character burnout, since I think that period of time was something of an unhappy one for him creatively and I think was also around his first divorce, if I am remembering right.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 14, 2017 17:26:51 GMT -5
not enough tape in the world for Taker's fists in the WCW locker room
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Post by tigermaskxxxvii on Sept 14, 2017 18:08:40 GMT -5
After the Bossman/Boss fiasco and the Outsiders lawsuit, WCW would never have even tried to put Calloway in a UT gimmick. According to Kevin Nash (so take that for what you will), UT was considering it around 1999/2000 and it's supposedly one of the reasons he toned down the UT gimmick and changed into a biker - that version of UT would be hard for WWE to hold claim over since it wasn't a "character". Nash played middle man and was trying to get WCW to offer him some ungodly amount of money to come in, but he finally opted to stay with WWF instead. Most likely the best decision by the Taker. Can you imagine Taker in Russo era WCW? Fat chick thriller Mark Calloway. "No, bro! It'll be hilarious! She'll ride bitch on your bike, which will then weigh it down. I swear to gawd it'll pop the crowd!"
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Post by GuyOfOwnage on Sept 14, 2017 18:25:04 GMT -5
not enough tape in the world for Taker's fists in the WCW locker room WCW would've went out of business a year ahead of time, because literally everyone would've gotten their asses beat and they'd have no one to put on TV.
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Post by Alice Syndrome on Sept 14, 2017 18:26:41 GMT -5
They actually did!
If you go through the network late in the Ministry run, you'll notice he gets less Taker like every week, and starts being a sarcastic asshole. He was seriously considering going to WCW and just being Mark Calaway, but he got injured and during that time he saw WCW start its slide into the insanity that was 2000 WCW
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Post by hesgotabithycle on Sept 14, 2017 23:58:02 GMT -5
not enough tape in the world for Taker's fists in the WCW locker room WCW would've went out of business a year ahead of time, because literally everyone would've gotten their asses beat and they'd have no one to put on TV. People say that, and that's the reputation he seems to have...but there would be guys in that locker room that could beat up Undertaker. You think Meng and Harley Race care about fist taping? Meng would bite his nose off
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Post by TGM on Sept 15, 2017 1:32:05 GMT -5
I can't buy that Undertaker ever considered going to WCW in late 1999 when he WWF was doing so great, he was a locker room leader and well respected, and was likely the second highest paid wrestler behind Stone Cold (maybe third after Rock).
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Post by OVO 40 hunched over like he 80 on Sept 15, 2017 3:00:57 GMT -5
I had the impression they were negotiating but without The Undertaker character, ol Mark Calloway had no leverage and wasn't offered a huge deal so he decided to stay at the wwe.
Even if the Kevin Nash story is true, I can't see bike riding Mean Mark Callous doing anything of value in WCW. Realistically he would've been introduced as an nWo member without a long term plan.
Taker made the right decision at the end, wcw would've died no matter what and even if he returned later to the wwe, he would never be featured as a main event guy because he left. Taker is also lucky that Bischoff and Russo were never his bosses.
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Post by OVO 40 hunched over like he 80 on Sept 15, 2017 3:02:41 GMT -5
I've heard that there was one or two periods where Undertaker may have considered it, and I am sure they'd have liked to have him, but I don't know how serious it ever got. I know that, at least supposedly, WCW's death prevented D'lo Brown and Road Dogg from likely working there, and that Godfather would have apparently gone to WCW, but Virgil told WCW he'd gladly work for a significant pay cut under what they were going to pay Godfather to do it. None of these would be on the level of Undertaker signing, but they are still kinda interesting to hear. Road Dogg apparently was backstage at the last nitro lol talk about horrible luck.
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Post by Oh Cry Me a Screwball on Sept 15, 2017 3:07:48 GMT -5
I would laugh if they revealed that Mark Callaway was the one who drove the Hummer or something. (note: this would be impossible as that angle occurred on a live week for Raw, and it happened the same night of the Higher Power reveal)
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Post by Futureraven: Beelzebruv on Sept 15, 2017 3:16:29 GMT -5
I can't buy that Undertaker ever considered going to WCW in late 1999 when he WWF was doing so great, he was a locker room leader and well respected, and was likely the second highest paid wrestler behind Stone Cold (maybe third after Rock). Yeah, at most I can see him using the threat as leverage to get a bit more money.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2017 7:20:45 GMT -5
Even if the Kevin Nash story is true, I can't see bike riding Mean Mark Callous doing anything of value in WCW. Realistically he would've been introduced as an nWo member without a long term plan. I also see Paul Bearer in the NWO, as Percy Pringle, because of reasons.
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Post by MichaelMartini on Sept 15, 2017 10:55:21 GMT -5
I can't buy that Undertaker ever considered going to WCW in late 1999 when he WWF was doing so great, he was a locker room leader and well respected, and was likely the second highest paid wrestler behind Stone Cold (maybe third after Rock). I could believe it. Taker had been around a long time in WWF and already worked with all the Attitude era main eventers by that point. Maybe he thought there was nowhere left to go but down. WCW could have offered fresh main event matches with Goldberg, Sting, Steiner, etc
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Post by TGM on Sept 15, 2017 11:27:58 GMT -5
I can't buy that Undertaker ever considered going to WCW in late 1999 when he WWF was doing so great, he was a locker room leader and well respected, and was likely the second highest paid wrestler behind Stone Cold (maybe third after Rock). I could believe it. Taker had been around a long time in WWF and already worked with all the Attitude era main eventers by that point. Maybe he thought there was nowhere left to go but down. WCW could have offered fresh main event matches with Goldberg, Sting, Steiner, etc He had done everything possible with Austin and Foley and Kane granted, but he still hadn't had high profile programs with Rock, HHH and Big Show. There was a lot left for him to do as is evidenced by his work with Angle the following year. I don't believe Mark Calaway would give up his position in the WWF (backstage and on screen) and his Undertaker character that had made him a star and millions of dollars, all to go and brave the political warzone of a tanking WCW.
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