Shawn Michaels @ WrestleMania 14

[johncasey]

It was widely known about Shawn's back injury but we're WWE really sure whether he would be able to go in the Main Event against Austin.

If he wasn't, then what would have been the back up plan for the main event (Paul Orndorff at WrestleMania 3)

Triple H wasn't established has a main eventer, neither was The Rock.

Undertaker and Kane had their feud and we're already accounted for.

Austin's challenger for the next 2 PPV's hadn't turned heel yet.

Could have they brought somebody in as a McMahon Henchman or just have Austin squash Triple H (Who was a sidekick at the time)




Savio Vega is not a option this time but it did show that in early 98, whilst people were over, there wasn't many true main eventers

[chazraps]

I can't see a scenario where Shawn doesn't still compete in the main event. Austin is world class and could have worked around Shawn's limitations, but anything short of missing limbs I don't see Shawn Michaels not making that match in some capacity.

That said, IF Shawn had to be replaced, I think your one and only option is to make the Tyson vs Austin match. You still have the spectacle, you have the build built-in so the pivot is very slight, and you have someone willing to play ball in Tyson and - as mentioned - an expert in the ring in Austin who could put together and work around a match.

And given Tyson's status as a multi-time boxing world heavyweight champion, it wouldn't be that convoluted to make him and Austin the two #1 contenders for a vacant belt.

["Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay]

It depends on what you mean by 'couldn't work the match.' I'm not sure he should have worked it at the time anyway, but you could have just made it even safer for him.

Make it no DQ, and make it so that Austin gets the shit beaten out of him by Shawn, Hunter and Chyna for the whole thing. Make it an overbooked clusterf***. Tyson doesn't have to do anything, he is an enforcer, he can just be like 'oh I can't see anything' and do nothing, given he's meant to be allied to DX. Shawn doesn't take a bump for ten minutes. Then when it seems like Austin is really screwed, Tyson finally intervenes. He wipes out Hunter, that kills a minute or two while Shawn is reacting to that in the ring. Another minute or two while Austin finally makes it to his feet. Shawn turns around, gets flipped off, Austin punches him in to the corner, Shawn again takes no bumps because he can just be rocking in the corner. You work out something where Shawn makes a comeback without jumping around much, set up for the Sweet Chin Music, and then takes the Stunner, his one bump of the match (which he could take pretty lightly if done the right way). Tyson makes the count.

Nonsensical? No less than most Attitude Era swerves, tbh

[yokohamacpfc]

If it happens it happens just hours before the main event as it wouldn’t be due to him being unable to put on a match as posters above have proved but him storming out of the arena over some slight or being so pilled up that he cannot walk.

I think Vince addresses the crowd and shoot fires Micheals stripping him of the title. Austin v Tyson is booked for the main event in a smoke and mirrors affair and a tournament for the new champion begins on Raw the next night.

In this timeline the Mr McMahon character doesn’t take off, HBK and Vince never talk again, HHH is punished for not keeping Shawn under control and ends up becoming a Jarrett like main eventer in WCW. Austin still rises to the top because he was lightning in a bottle at that time. Bret is still saying “I told you so” to this very day.

[tirtefaa]

D-X was kind of loosely aligned with both the New Age Outlaws and Los Boricuas.

With the Outlaws tied up with Foley and Funk, I guess you could use Savio Vega as a backup...but that just sounds incredibly dull.

You could potentially use Hunter...but he was still a year away from being taken seriously and I don't think it works on any level.

If we're talking a true hotshotting?

I'd go with Ken Shamrock. Feeds off of "who is the baddest dude" by playing Shamrock, Tyson and Austin all off one another.

Shamrock could remain as an intense face, or you could turn him heel, but either way I think it's a credible enough main event with the people you already have attached.

[OGBoardPoster2005]

I'm not sure how any of you really think Tyson vs Austin would have happened.

Austin wasn't going to lose and neither would have Tyson. Tyson being asked to job to Austin would have likely resulted in Tyson walking out.

As for a substitute, Triple H would have sufficed. He wasn't a name but there would at least be some logic. Perhaps a backstage segment where Sarge puts him in the match, or its announced as HHH vs Austin vs Owen in a Triple Threat.

[Urn Anderson]

I feel sure it would have been Austin/Tyson, in an incredibly screwy match with tons of interference that ended with Tyson turning face and the whole thing being thrown out before Vince eats a stunner and a knockout punch.

[Aceorton]

Jan 14, 2024 18:26:30 GMT -5 OGBoardPoster2005 said:

I'm not sure how any of you really think Tyson vs Austin would have happened.

Austin wasn't going to lose and neither would have Tyson. Tyson being asked to job to Austin would have likely resulted in Tyson walking out.

I also don't see Mike Tyson as the type to be walked through a main-event match on the biggest show of the year with little notice (which is what it would have been -- Shawn was a wild card at the time and allegedly had some people worried he wouldn't show up and do the honors). It might take weeks of prep to come up with a formula and key spots that Tyson could handle, and to make sure he could actually work like a wrestler without legit KO'ing Austin in the middle of it all.

I think the smartest thing would be to "Wrestlemania 10" it. The belt is declared vacant at the start of the PPV. Austin will still get his opportunity -- in a final against the winner of the Undertaker-Kane match, with Tyson as the enforcer still. But to make it fair, Austin needs a first opponent. That's where you could use Triple H, not yet main-event caliber, to be Austin's "warmup" opponent. Taker beats Kane by the skin of his teeth. Austin beats Triple H (with loads of Chyna interference). Just one problem: Tyson is still believed to be a DX member. The commentators play how he'll naturally want to take out Austin as revenge. Instead, Tyson immediately KO's Triple H running to ringside to show he's not really DX, and declares the match will be called straight down the middle. Then Undertaker puts Austin over and can give him the "respect" rub as Austin has his celebration with Tyson.

[sandrock]

Shamrock seems like the best choice. Maybe Austin vs Vince.

A funny one to think about is what if Vince offered a freakin truckload of money to Warrior to job to Austin, but Warrior ends up getting the bigger pop somehow.

[Cranjis McBasketball]

As long as they could haul Shawn to the ring, he was dropping to Austin. Get Shawn in the ring, wild brawl with Austin, Tyson, and DX and whoever else you think you need, ends with HBK getting pinned.

Shawn can get laid out with the Tyson punch first thing, no in the world would object to Tyson being able to knock out Shawn. Shawn gets up, Tyson throws another punch, into the Stunner. 1-2-3, new champion.

You surround it with enough stuff and Mike Tyson, everyone would still be happy.

[chazraps]

Jan 14, 2024 18:26:30 GMT -5 OGBoardPoster2005 said:

I'm not sure how any of you really think Tyson vs Austin would have happened.

Austin wasn't going to lose and neither would have Tyson. Tyson being asked to job to Austin would have likely resulted in Tyson walking out.

Based on what? Tyson respected wrestling and Don King likes money. Tyson was never going to have a high profile fight on the level of Holyfield after the ear biting, so why wouldn't he?

[thecrusherwi]

Yeah unless Shawn was in the hospital and couldn't walk, you make it a No DQ, have Shawn running from Austin, and have Austin spend the match brawling with Hunter, Chyna, the New Age Outlaws whoever. Heck turn the whole thing into a mess. Have the Nation come out too and have Cactus, Chainsaw, Owen, and Shamrock get involved. You could even have Tyson turn face early and start knocking out a bunch of heels like an action movie. Can you imagine a brief Tyson/Rock staredown. The crowd would've eaten it up. Finally after the dust settles, Austin has Shawn alone, double bird, Stunner, new champ.

[OGBoardPoster2005]

Jan 15, 2024 1:56:27 GMT -5 chazraps said:

Jan 14, 2024 18:26:30 GMT -5 OGBoardPoster2005 said:

I'm not sure how any of you really think Tyson vs Austin would have happened.

Austin wasn't going to lose and neither would have Tyson. Tyson being asked to job to Austin would have likely resulted in Tyson walking out.

Based on what? Tyson respected wrestling and Don King likes money. Tyson was never going to have a high profile fight on the level of Holyfield after the ear biting, so why wouldn't he?

Based on the mystique and legitimacy of Mike Tyson. That was still a thing in 1998 and a key reason why Mike was still a draw.

This isn't today's era where more people are likely to push it aside knowing its a work. He may have liked money but a reason he made that money was because there was an image of Tyson being this unstoppable fighter that could not be beaten.

Having him lose to Austin, even though its "scripted" doesn't help this mystique of Mike Tyson, which was the draw and reason he still was relavant at that point in spite of losing to Buster Douglas and not being as great as he was in 1988. Don King and Mike Tyson wouldn't have accepted that.

And doing it the day off or days leading up wasn't gonna pass. Mike going from no actual physical contact to working a full match wasn't going to work for what Tyson and King would have looked for and what the WWF needed as an effective crowning moment for Austin.

[Venti]

I can't remember the exact reason why, but apparently Tyson wasn't going to be allowed to wrestle.

Like, he wasn't even allowed to be the referee, hence why he was the "outside enforcer." Something to do with the boxing commission I think?


So that's out.
Honestly? I have no idea what they would have done if Shawn couldn't compete.

As long as Austin left with the title it probably would have been fine though. I think that's all the crowd would have cared about. Could have done some big schmozz match.

[Non Banjoble Tokens]

Time to bring back the Ultimate Warrior so he could get that sweet WM spot against Austin.

[lildude8218]

Make Wrestlemania a one night tournament for the vacant title. I have no other ideas.

[The Thread Barbi]

Hot shot the title to Owen Hart and use the history between them and Montreal Screwjob to tie in the loose ends?

I don't think HBK or DX were the selling points in this feud. Austin's coronation and Mike Tyson were the main sells. HBK was just a placeholder champion all things considered.

[dirtyoldman]

They really only had themesleves to blame if Michaels no showed. Was it not just over a year when he pulled the 'lost my smile' and vacanted the title?

[Stu]

Instead of wrapping his fists, Undertaker would've used tape to wrap Shawn's back and keep him steady.

[Gunhaver]

Jan 17, 2024 2:56:11 GMT -5 lildude8218 said:

Make Wrestlemania a one night tournament for the vacant title. I have no other ideas.

I could get behind this if it were a small tournament where matches had time to breathe. Deadly Games and Mania IV suffer a bit from time crunch.

But honestly, you could drop a bomb on Shawn and he'd still put on the match. He couldn't tell himself "no" at that point.