What If HBK Came Back As The Same Old HBK In 2002?

[anakin]

As we all know, when Shawn came back in 2002, he was a completely different person. Well, except for the Hogan match…

Anyway, I was watching some good ol’ HB Shizzle matches earlier from his second run, and it got me thinking, how would his second run have gone if he was still the same old asshole that left in 1998? No Rebecca, no God.

I think he would have a fun more title runs. I don’t think Triple H would have got his reign of terror, unless one of them went to SmackDown.

I could see him winning another Royal Rumble and equalling Austin.

If the triple threat match at Mania 20 happened the same way with Shawn signing the contract, I could see him walking out as champion.

If 2009 goes the same way, would he have ended The Streak?

If the DX reunions still happen, would they be equal as they were, or would Shawn play the leader again? Seeing as he wouldn’t have God in his life, how risqué would he have gone?

Would Bret Hart come back in 2010?

Lastly, and very morbid, would he have retired or died? Would he still be on the drugs?

What do you think?

[XIII]

Brock would have beat his ass at some point

[Allie Kitsune]

If he came back as a raging coke fiend in 2002? He wouldn't have lasted very long, and he'd be hanging out with Marty wondering if he f***ed his own daughter.

[fw91]

Vince wouldn't have brought him back. He sent him home and said "I'm done with you," the night of the Doink incident where he was pilled out of his mind.

[tirtefaa]

Considering a lot of people have a relatively warped sense of Shawn, I doubt many of the listed things listed regarding Shawn would have happened.

Yeah, if he was still on drugs, he likely wouldn't have lasted that long. But Shawn was never the belt mark that people try to claim that he was, outside of the egregious European title win. Otherwise you had a small group of talented guys in the New Generation that won the majority of the belts, and an otherwise lackluster roster who weren't draws.

[britishbulldog]

I always wished he’d have had the same edge character wise. But personally had he not cleaned up I doubt he’d Last a year

[Bo Rida]

Basically CM Punk's AEW return.
Not exactly, of course, especially if you're talking about drugs, but a great run which self-destructs at the first hurdle.

[Can you afford to pay me, Gah]

If he was coked out like he was in that time. He was never really comeback or if he did he wouldn't lasted before either gets sent home, Taker and Brock wouldn't put up with it and Vince was much harder on the users as we saw around that time Eddie Guerrero. Remember they scrapped HBK return in 00 because he was still having issues. The run wouldn't have lasted and as bad as he was at points, he may not even be with us which I hate saying that but he was that bad at one point before he got help and changed his life around. While he still be a HOFer but his legacy wouldn't be what it is. He came back better than ever IMO because he was clean and was Mr. have a banger just about every match he had. A bad match in his second run was very rare when you look back on it.

[hassanchop]

They'd rehire Buff Bagwell or Ahmed Johnson and put either in Shawn's place just to spite him.

[Mozenrath]

"Raw is Shawn" in the mid-2000s when he OD's in like 2-3 years or wraps his car around a telephone pole.

[The Rick Jericho]

If the Shawn in 2000 of October came back though. He physically looked amazing when Foley brought him back for one night. He probably with that mindset of his at the time, would definitely want to be WWF champion again, no questions asked.

[Cranjis McBasketball]

Apr 14, 2023 21:27:32 GMT -5 fw91 said:

Vince wouldn't have brought him back. He sent him home and said "I'm done with you," the night of the Doink incident where he was pilled out of his mind.

Piled out his mind doesn’t make it any less true they never should have made Jericho be Doink.

[fw91]

Apr 16, 2023 18:56:38 GMT -5 Cranjis McBasketball said:

Apr 14, 2023 21:27:32 GMT -5 fw91 said:

Vince wouldn't have brought him back. He sent him home and said "I'm done with you," the night of the Doink incident where he was pilled out of his mind.

Piled out his mind doesn’t make it any less true they never should have made Jericho be Doink.

well played

[Hit Girl]

Dead by 2003

[salz4life]

Just from a on-screen perspective... the WWE was in a position where Michaels wasn't necessarily needed. Of course, when he came back he was a top guy and was arguably better than ever, but the company was in a position where he wouldn't have lasted long as the old HBK. It wasn't 1996-97 where Michaels was a must have talent.

[Mochi Lone Wolf]

He’d have been dead.

[Gunhaver]

Apr 14, 2023 21:27:32 GMT -5 fw91 said:

Vince wouldn't have brought him back. He sent him home and said "I'm done with you," the night of the Doink incident where he was pilled out of his mind.

What is the Doink incident and when did it happen? I thought I was all caught up on my Doink lore. 

[Magic knows Black Lives Matter]

Honestly? He’d probably be dead by now, tbh.

[fw91]

Apr 17, 2023 19:33:27 GMT -5 Gunhaver said:

Apr 14, 2023 21:27:32 GMT -5 fw91 said:

Vince wouldn't have brought him back. He sent him home and said "I'm done with you," the night of the Doink incident where he was pilled out of his mind.

What is the Doink incident and when did it happen? I thought I was all caught up on my Doink lore. 

The last night “Old Shawn” was involved with the company was the RAW, where Jericho disguised himself as Doink The Clown for whatever program he was in, HBK, highly inieberiated couldn’t understand that this was a one-off for Jericho and not a complete gimmick change and kept saying “They should never had made you Doink” repeatedly despite Jericho reassuring him that he wasn’t

[Natural Born Farmer]

He wouldn't have lasted long.  World was already changing and the locker room wasn't going to put up with a drug addict trying to big league them.

Sooner or later someone like Brock would've said "it's him or me", and McMahon would've had to let his man crush go.