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Post by sungod2020 on Dec 28, 2022 18:50:48 GMT -5
So we all know the story of how WWF suddenly pushed Lex Luger to the moon in preparation to his WWF championship match against the Almighty Yokozuna. They even paraded around the Total Package all across the country with a bus dubbed "The Lex Express."
With Hogan gone, the company was hellbent on filling the void of an All-American Hero, and while Luger looked the part, it felt forced especially since for the first six months with the company, he was dubbed "The Narcisist" a cocky heel who loved looking at himself in the mirror. It also didn't help matters that he(and the rest of the babyface locker room) looked like a total doofus CELEBRATING A COUNT-OUT WIN WITH BALLOONS FALLING FROM THE CEILING. HE DIDN'T EVEN WITH THE CHAHMPIONSHIP. Not to mention he signed a contract that it would be his only title shot in the foreseeable future, making him look like a bigger idiot.
According to insider sources however, that wasn't the originally planned main event. The planned main event was supposedly Hulk Hogan defending his WWF championship against Bret "The Hitman" Hart, however Hogan backed out, preferring to drop the belt back to Yokozuna at King of The Ring and leave the company shortly thereafter.
However, let's say sharing a ring with The Excellence of Execution, where would that leave Luger and Yokozuna? I know it's hard to picture Hogan agreeing to submit to the sharpshooter, let alone doing it, so I'm not so focused on the outcome. How would that affect the rest of the card? I can picture much of it staying the same, but I'm wondering where Luger and Yoko factor in.
Thanks.
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Post by dangerousdanpotato on Dec 28, 2022 23:00:58 GMT -5
Interesting "what if".
Maybe they would have still run the Bodyslam challenge, with Crush actually being successful, leading to a full match between Crush and Yokozuna at Summerslam. This would culminate in the post-match injury angle that played on out on RAW with Crush getting squished and sent away for a few months.
Lex would remain heel, and assuming that Bret wins the WWF title from Hogan, would be set up as his next feud and title challenger (the seeds having been sown at the WrestleMania press conference). If Vince could swallow his pride and let Randy Savage wrestle, he'd be a great choice to put Lex over here. Otherwise it's Bob Backlund, Jim Duggan or maybe Owen Hart to transition into the Bret feud.
That leaves Jerry Lawler with nothing to do, but I don't think Jerry necessarily needs a match; I always assumed he was brought off the commentary desk and into the ring to placate Bret for not being in the title picture.
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PrimeTyme
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Post by PrimeTyme on Dec 29, 2022 4:22:38 GMT -5
Interesting what if here.
I guess Bret vs Hogan is set up as a face vs. face match with maybe Hogan stating that Bret lost the title due to Fuji and that he’s offering up the title match with Bret.
This could also be made official at the King of the Ring pay per view with a live contract signing.
That takes Bret out of the tournament which is now going to look like this:
Razor Ramon
Mr. Perfect
Bam Bam Bigelow
Tatanka
Yokozuna
Jim Duggan
Crush
Lex Luger
Perfect defeats Razor
Bigelow defeats Tatanka ends the undefeated streak earlier than original
Yoko defeats Duggan in about 10min and ends that feud for good
Crush and Luger have a match that goes to a double DQ after Mr. Fuji comes to ringside and throws salt in both mens eyes. Yokozuna then attacks both men and hits Banzai drops on them both and they are taken out on stretchers and off television.
Perfect defeats Bigelow and then goes on to lose to Yokozuna in the finals.
Yokozuna is the inaugural King of the Ring.
On July 4 aboard the USS Intrepid we still have the bodyslam challenge. Crush returns and answers the challenge, but his ribs are still taped up and he’s unable to lift the mighty Yokozuna.
At the end of the day, a helicopter arrives and out steps Lex Luger who body slams Yoko and sets up a big match at Summerslam.
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Post by Mozenrath on Dec 29, 2022 7:52:36 GMT -5
I feel like even if Hogan put over Bret, he wouldn't have agreed to tapping to the Sharpshooter. It'd have probably been some kind of reversal into a pin from Bret, or maybe taking Bret's piledriver or maybe Bret's second rope elbow, but submitting strikes me as super not happening.
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Post by tafkaga on Dec 29, 2022 10:36:14 GMT -5
I feel like even if Hogan put over Bret, he wouldn't have agreed to tapping to the Sharpshooter. It'd have probably been some kind of reversal into a pin from Bret, or maybe taking Bret's piledriver or maybe Bret's second rope elbow, but submitting strikes me as super not happening. Nor should it. I'm not the biggest Hogan fan and would have liked seeing him put over Bret, but tapping to the sharpshooter would do Hogan's character so much damage. They could have come up with a really good finish though, like Bret vs. Piper, where Bret can go over without the other guy losing face. |
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Post by Cranjis McBasketball on Dec 29, 2022 11:28:19 GMT -5
I feel like even if Hogan put over Bret, he wouldn't have agreed to tapping to the Sharpshooter. It'd have probably been some kind of reversal into a pin from Bret, or maybe taking Bret's piledriver or maybe Bret's second rope elbow, but submitting strikes me as super not happening. Bret was also slated to wrestle Warrior at Rumble or Mania 9, depending on the story you believe, where he also stated he was gonna win the Sharpshooter. So, he wrestles Hogan in a Land of Chocolate Match….on the Moon! Because there’s no chance in Hell Warrior and Hogan are tapping in the span of 6 months or ever. |
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Post by horsemen4ever on Dec 29, 2022 14:00:31 GMT -5
I feel like even if Hogan put over Bret, he wouldn't have agreed to tapping to the Sharpshooter. It'd have probably been some kind of reversal into a pin from Bret, or maybe taking Bret's piledriver or maybe Bret's second rope elbow, but submitting strikes me as super not happening. Nor should it. I'm not the biggest Hogan fan and would have liked seeing him put over Bret, but tapping to the sharpshooter would do Hogan's character so much damage. They could have come up with a really good finish though, like Bret vs. Piper, where Bret can go over without the other guy losing face. Well he had no problem submitting to the torture rack nor this exact same hold at Starrcade 97. |
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Post by MolotovMocktail on Dec 29, 2022 14:08:26 GMT -5
Luger would’ve kept the Narcissist gimmick and probably would have won King of the Ring. Maybe he ends Tatanka’s streak in the finals. He probably would’ve been the one to win the title from Bret some time after Summerslam (I seem to remember him attacking Owen at a press conference to set up a feud).
As for Yoko, I’m guessing Hogan gets to slam him at King of the Ring, but it would be interesting to see if they still incorporate the photographer with the exploding camera, maybe making the match a DQ finish. If they reveal it to be Whippleman, that could set up Hogan vs. Giant Gonzalez.
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Post by cjh on Dec 29, 2022 14:38:15 GMT -5
Luger would’ve kept the Narcissist gimmick and probably would have won King of the Ring. Maybe he ends Tatanka’s streak in the finals. He probably would’ve been the one to win the title from Bret some time after Summerslam ( I seem to remember him attacking Owen at a press conference to set up a feud). As for Yoko, I’m guessing Hogan gets to slam him at King of the Ring, but it would be interesting to see if they still incorporate the photographer with the exploding camera, maybe making the match a DQ finish. If they reveal it to be Whippleman, that could set up Hogan vs. Giant Gonzalez. Luger knocked out Bret on the morning of WrestleMania IX during a press conference. |
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Post by fg on Dec 29, 2022 14:44:15 GMT -5
Nor should it. I'm not the biggest Hogan fan and would have liked seeing him put over Bret, but tapping to the sharpshooter would do Hogan's character so much damage. They could have come up with a really good finish though, like Bret vs. Piper, where Bret can go over without the other guy losing face. Well he had no problem submitting to the torture rack nor this exact same hold at Starrcade 97. The only slight thing is that by 1997, Hulkamania was long dead (1st incarnation that is) so him submitting in 1997 didn’t harm him much. 1993 during Hulkamanias first incarnation is a slightly different story. |
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Post by ThankGodForSidJustice on Dec 29, 2022 15:24:11 GMT -5
I feel like even if Hogan put over Bret, he wouldn't have agreed to tapping to the Sharpshooter. It'd have probably been some kind of reversal into a pin from Bret, or maybe taking Bret's piledriver or maybe Bret's second rope elbow, but submitting strikes me as super not happening. Bret was also slated to wrestle Warrior at Rumble or Mania 9, depending on the story you believe, where he also stated he was gonna win the Sharpshooter. So, he wrestles Hogan in a Land of Chocolate Match….on the Moon! Because there’s no chance in Hell Warrior and Hogan are tapping in the span of 6 months or ever. I can't believe that Bret actually believes he was going to submit Hogan and Warrior. Even if that's what Vince actually wanted there's no way either of those two would agree to that. Heck I'm having a tough time envisioning Bret even pinning either of them. I don't how they would even do that. I guess it would have to be on some kind of cradle move. |
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Post by Cranjis McBasketball on Dec 29, 2022 16:34:38 GMT -5
Well he had no problem submitting to the torture rack nor this exact same hold at Starrcade 97. The only slight thing is that by 1997, Hulkamania was long dead (1st incarnation that is) so him submitting in 1997 didn’t harm him much. 1993 during Hulkamanias first incarnation is a slightly different story. And the combined reigns of Luger and Sting were 8 days I believe. So, not exactly a giant loss to Hogan. |
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Post by Mozenrath on Dec 29, 2022 16:42:38 GMT -5
I feel like even if Hogan put over Bret, he wouldn't have agreed to tapping to the Sharpshooter. It'd have probably been some kind of reversal into a pin from Bret, or maybe taking Bret's piledriver or maybe Bret's second rope elbow, but submitting strikes me as super not happening. Bret was also slated to wrestle Warrior at Rumble or Mania 9, depending on the story you believe, where he also stated he was gonna win the Sharpshooter. So, he wrestles Hogan in a Land of Chocolate Match….on the Moon! Because there’s no chance in Hell Warrior and Hogan are tapping in the span of 6 months or ever. Warrior feels more possible, at least, but I still wonder if it'd be a submission. Maybe the "passes out in the hold", but yeah, even with Vince pushing Bret, having both guys submit to Bret feels like a long shot. I do recall Warrior liked Owen a lot, so maybe he'd have been cool with it, but he would not have done it cheap. Nor should it. I'm not the biggest Hogan fan and would have liked seeing him put over Bret, but tapping to the sharpshooter would do Hogan's character so much damage. They could have come up with a really good finish though, like Bret vs. Piper, where Bret can go over without the other guy losing face. Well he had no problem submitting to the torture rack nor this exact same hold at Starrcade 97. Correct, but the difference was that he was a heel by then, along with knowing he'd be getting his win back in the case of Luger, especially. Putting over his successor was a different thing entirely. |
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Post by tafkaga on Dec 29, 2022 16:55:14 GMT -5
Nor should it. I'm not the biggest Hogan fan and would have liked seeing him put over Bret, but tapping to the sharpshooter would do Hogan's character so much damage. They could have come up with a really good finish though, like Bret vs. Piper, where Bret can go over without the other guy losing face. Well he had no problem submitting to the torture rack nor this exact same hold at Starrcade 97. He was playing a completely different character. |
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Post by bluebeach25 on Dec 29, 2022 18:02:51 GMT -5
Bret was also slated to wrestle Warrior at Rumble or Mania 9, depending on the story you believe, where he also stated he was gonna win the Sharpshooter. So, he wrestles Hogan in a Land of Chocolate Match….on the Moon! Because there’s no chance in Hell Warrior and Hogan are tapping in the span of 6 months or ever. I can't believe that Bret actually believes he was going to submit Hogan and Warrior. Even if that's what Vince actually wanted there's no way either of those two would agree to that. Heck I'm having a tough time envisioning Bret even pinning either of them. I don't how they would even do that. I guess it would have to be on some kind of cradle move. The Bret/Warrior match being planned for 93 is known for decades at this point, it's just unclear how close it ever was to really happening! There is no way Warrior would have been cool with losing to Bret or even worse losing to him by tapping out... Bret said that Jim always treated him with Respect so there was no heat, but still Warrior wouldn't have jobbed to Bret in early 93! Bret pinning Hogan at Summerslam 93 would have been a mistake, i'm glad that never took place. |
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Post by sungod2020 on Dec 31, 2022 12:47:16 GMT -5
Interesting "what if". Maybe they would have still run the Bodyslam challenge, with Crush actually being successful, leading to a full match between Crush and Yokozuna at Summerslam. This would culminate in the post-match injury angle that played on out on RAW with Crush getting squished and sent away for a few months.Lex would remain heel, and assuming that Bret wins the WWF title from Hogan, would be set up as his next feud and title challenger (the seeds having been sown at the WrestleMania press conference). If Vince could swallow his pride and let Randy Savage wrestle, he'd be a great choice to put Lex over here. Otherwise it's Bob Backlund, Jim Duggan or maybe Owen Hart to transition into the Bret feud. That leaves Jerry Lawler with nothing to do, but I don't think Jerry necessarily needs a match; I always assumed he was brought off the commentary desk and into the ring to placate Bret for not being in the title picture. Crush seems like a viable choice to bodyslam Yoko, but in order to look credible in his upcoming feud with him, he'd have to beat Doink first. If he can't outsmart a clown, what chance does the Native Hawaiian have against a former WWF champion 500 plus pound bohemeth? |
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Post by dangerousdanpotato on Dec 31, 2022 13:04:03 GMT -5
Interesting "what if". Maybe they would have still run the Bodyslam challenge, with Crush actually being successful, leading to a full match between Crush and Yokozuna at Summerslam. This would culminate in the post-match injury angle that played on out on RAW with Crush getting squished and sent away for a few months.Lex would remain heel, and assuming that Bret wins the WWF title from Hogan, would be set up as his next feud and title challenger (the seeds having been sown at the WrestleMania press conference). If Vince could swallow his pride and let Randy Savage wrestle, he'd be a great choice to put Lex over here. Otherwise it's Bob Backlund, Jim Duggan or maybe Owen Hart to transition into the Bret feud. That leaves Jerry Lawler with nothing to do, but I don't think Jerry necessarily needs a match; I always assumed he was brought off the commentary desk and into the ring to placate Bret for not being in the title picture. Crush seems like a viable choice to bodyslam Yoko, but in order to look credible in his upcoming feud with him, he'd have to beat Doink first. If he can't outsmart a clown, what chance does the Native Hawaiian have against a former WWF champion 500 plus pound bohemeth? I totally agree. I think that whole feud was bad for Crush; from a booking point both guys were relatively new and it was each man's first proper feud. Better for each to go up against a veteran that can absorb losing a feud. e.g. if they could have kept him, Boss Man would have been a good feud for Doink. Anyway, they still could have given Crush a win and a decisive blow-off to make him look like less of a chump. Instead they had Crush beat Doink by countout on Superstars and then get battered again in a post-match beat down. |
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Post by sungod2020 on Dec 31, 2022 13:24:32 GMT -5
Crush seems like a viable choice to bodyslam Yoko, but in order to look credible in his upcoming feud with him, he'd have to beat Doink first. If he can't outsmart a clown, what chance does the Native Hawaiian have against a former WWF champion 500 plus pound bohemeth? Anyway, they still could have given Crush a win and a decisive blow-off to make him look like less of a chump. Instead they had Crush beat Doink by countout on Superstars and then get battered again in a post-match beat down. I never thought of that. The seeds were right there when Doink tripped Bossman. Just drag it out to Wrestlemania IX and have Doink go over him there. You can even do it with the Double Doink chicinary. Bossman can leave shortly thereafter, and Doink can go onto his next feud(not Crush). To keep Crush's white hot babyface momentum going, he can go over heel veteran Ted Dibiase after refusing his offer to buy him. He can beat Ted Dibiase at the show of shows in preparation to his feud with Yoko. During his feud with Yoko however, do you have Crush beat him and keep his heat going, while subsequently killing Yokozuna's, or do you have Yoko get his heat back and sabotage Crush's? To me, that's booking yourself into a corner? TBF though, I don't think Yokozuna should've had that monster push to begin with, or at least not to the extent that they did(Royal Rumble win, headlining Wrestlemania, winning the championship/losing it to and winning it back from Hulk Hogan etc etc). Especially given what we know now about his neverending weight gain afterwards. How I would do it is have him debut the same way he did. Beat Virgil(or better yet, someone slightly above the totem pole, say Tito Santana) at Survivor Series, and have a dominate performance at the Royal Rumble, where he can be runner up against "Macho Man" Randy Savage who pulls down the ropes after he comes charging in and goes over them. He can then beat Bob Backlund at Wrestlemania IX and then go from there. Just goes to show you and switching the main event/someone else's push can have a ripple effect on the entire landscape. |
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Post by eudypfohl on Jan 6, 2023 0:13:35 GMT -5
I was in attendance that day on the Intrepid for the bodyslam challenge.
Once the helicopter started to descend, the crowd began chanting Hogans name (though they did cheer when it was revealed to be Luger. But I can honestly say there was a huge energized chant for Hogan that grew louder and louder.
Regarding Summerslam 93...Hogan should've agreed to drop it there. It could've been a true passing of the torch moment (albeit an out of order torch passing since Bret had already won a WWF Title from Flair)
It would've had to have been some kind of schoolboy finish where Bret uses his smarts, gets a bit of luck etc. Hogan is not going to give up in the Sharpshooter
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