Why not put the WWF title on Davey Boy?

[TGM]

In thread from a few months back, people were speculating on Vince McMahon's list of six guys who he was planning to put the WWF title on, with it eventually being given to Bret Hart. I don't remember Davey Boy's name coming up in the speculation, so was he not considered? Could he have theoretically been given the title? He was insanely popular in 1992 and still very mobile, despite his huge size. Was his contract coming up and Vince new he was leaving, because he was in WCW by 1993? Or didn't they trust him to carry the WWF while he was a known drug abuser?

Any thoughts?

[EoE: Well There's Your Problem]

He was pretty much on the way out of the company at that time. As a matter of fact, he might have already been gone after dropping the IC Championship to Michaels.

EDIT: Nope, that match happened two weeks after Bret beat Flair for the WWF Championship.

[Deleted]

The whole idea behind giving the belt to Bret was that the company would have a smaller guy with the belt during the steroid trial. Putting the belt on Smith who was pretty big would have giving the media more ammo against Vince. Plus him and Warrior were caught getting HGH form England.

[Deleted]

Sept 5, 2013 8:29:47 GMT -5 EoE: Well There's Your Problem said:

He was pretty much on the way out of the company at that time. As a matter of fact, he might have already been gone after dropping the IC Championship to Michaels.

EDIT: Nope, that match happened two weeks after Bret beat Flair for the WWF Championship.

I do recall there being some issues with him and drugs during his IC reign. That compounded with the steroid trial gave Vince several good reasons to not run with Davey Boy as champ, and in fact ditched him after he dropped the belt to HBK.

[dav]

Yeah, Bret was around so he was going to get the belt while Davey Boy was better for the midcard/upper-midcard. Fantastically over considering his limitations on the microphone and a natural Face, but there were other choices Vince went for. Could have probably gone for a run in '95 though, better than the rather bland Heel turn.

[Baldobomb-22-OH-MAN!!!]

he was too bizarre.

[Deleted]

He was destined to be IC champion, whether he wanted to or not.

[RedDevil]

Yeah the steroids trial was a pretty popular theory talked about back then as to why Bret was given the title, which obviously wouldn't work for Davey Boy Smith (though I think it's a bit disrespectful to Bret, as it makes it sound like he wasn't worthy of being the champion then, like the theory that Booker T and before him Ron Simmons got the WCW champion due to their race - completely disrespectful to them as wrestlers).

I did wonder a few years ago if Bulldog could've worked as a transitional champion in 1997 to avoid the Montreal screwjob - something like after losing the European title to Shawn Michaels at One Night Only, Bulldog goes after Michaels in the run-up to Survivor Series to the extent that the WWF championship match is changed to include him and Triple H in a four-way (Triple H was well below the championship picture at the time, but he did beat Bret by count-out on Raw, and he would've worked as an "equaliser" in a way: i.e. two Hart Foundation guys and two DX guys involved in the title match).

Then you could have Bret drop the title to someone other than HBK, but still send the Canadian crowd home happy since Davey Boy was clearly a favourite there anyway. If you make it an elimination four-way, then you can have it end as Bret vs. Bulldog, but I'd prefer something like:

• Have Triple H eliminate Bret first (I'm a huge Bret mark, but if he's going out then I'd like him to put someone over, and Triple H could've benefited from the rub at that point, ignoring the monster he would later turn into);
  
• Like at One Night Only, Bulldog is now faced with fighting-off DX, with Chyna and Rude interfering, but this time Bulldog gets the upper-hand and manages to eliminate Triple H;
• Owen and Anvil can then come out and attack DX, until the agents get them all out of the arena - leaving Bulldog vs. HBK for the title;

• Then finally have Bulldog beat HBK in a big match (he was certainly due a win) - if HBK wants to be a prick, then maybe work a finish with Diana getting involved to stop Chyna, and costing HBK the match. Bottom-line: Bulldog is the new champion.

• Then have HBK attack Bulldog after the match, which brings Bret back out to dispose of HBK. Bret then hands the belt over to the Bulldog as Owen and Anvil return to the ring. Happy ending.

• Bret goes to WCW without too many problems, Bulldog stays in the WWF and drops the belt to HBK at the DX PPV, or the Rumble.

Other than that time and maybe in 1992 before the steriod issue, I'm not sure there was really a time to give Bulldog a title run. Maybe 1995 against Diesel? 1996 against Shawn Michaels? I don't really see it, despite as I said before being a Hart mark.

[Phil Parent]

If I remember the names were Hart, Michaels, Martel, Tatanka, Mr. Perfect AND Davey Boy.

With the knock on Davey Boy being drugs and roids.

[Deleted]

Sept 5, 2013 12:32:30 GMT -5 Phil Parent said:

If I remember the names were Hart, Michaels, Martel, Tatanka, Mr. Perfect AND Davey Boy.

With the knock on Davey Boy being drugs and roids.

I would have loved to have seen a serious Martel push in the WWF.

[nickcave]

I swear Tito Santana was one of the choices as well

[Phil Parent]

Actually yeah, Santana was the last one instead of Davey Boy,

[Phil Parent]

Sept 5, 2013 13:09:45 GMT -5 @wvguitar said:

Sept 5, 2013 12:32:30 GMT -5 Phil Parent said:

If I remember the names were Hart, Michaels, Martel, Tatanka, Mr. Perfect AND Davey Boy.

With the knock on Davey Boy being drugs and roids.

I would have loved to have seen a serious Martel push in the WWF.

What I remember is that they would have turned him face as The Role Model Rick Martel and he would have played exactly that, a role model for the children. Which is something he had done before and he was great at it and very credible doing it, but the thing is, WWE had already been doing the role model deal for 20 years with their aces with Backlund and Hogan, so they wanted something different because the fans would have likely crapped all over it.

Bret gave them that, because he wasn't preachy about being an exemple to anybody. He was just a good wrestler who wanted to be the best at it.

I'm surprised Martel's not in the hall of fame, because they think highly of him. Vince offered him office jobs a bunch of time, and they even made him honorary WWE champion at a show in Quebec City when Brock was champ.

At the end of the day, Martel wasn't world champion outside of the AWA because of Hulkamania, and because of loyalty to the WWF. If he would have went to the NWA after leaving the AWA, he would feuded with Flair and probably won the belt. But WWE had given him a shot early in his career so he was loyal.

[Unocal 76]

Couldn't you have had him take the belt from Diesel in October 1995 In Your House, then Bret gets it back at the December PPV in their great match?

[mrtuesday]

Sept 5, 2013 12:17:08 GMT -5 RedDevil said:

I did wonder a few years ago if Bulldog could've worked as a transitional champion in 1997 to avoid the Montreal screwjob

Bret suggested dropping the title to Shamrock on their Raw match prior to Survivor Series, but he idea was nixed.

Vince wanted Bret to drop it to HBK, and that's the way it was going to go.

[The Ichi]

Not gonna lie, I would have marked for a Tatanka title run.

[Chuckie Finster]

He was never stable enough to be a World Champion. Always had legal problems and of course the drug problems.

[The Dark Order Inferno]

The Bo Derek Cornrows were what gave Bulldog his power, without them, he lost his ability to show personality. He just wasn't the same with short hair, his promos were awkward and the charisma that he'd shown in his earlier work as a solo performer had gone... His final WWE stint where he was a short, muscular guy in jeans was just sad.

[Deleted]

Sept 5, 2013 12:32:30 GMT -5 Phil Parent said:

If I remember the names were Hart, Michaels, Martel, Tatanka, Mr. Perfect AND Davey Boy.

With the knock on Davey Boy being drugs and roids.

Martel is an interesting choice since he was initially implicated for having steroids sent to his house when it all began.

[bootytea]

Davey Boy was an awful speaker from what I have seen and that would not have gone over very well.

Maybe with a manager, but that does not look good for the top representative of the company to need someone to speak for them

Back then, being the WWE champion meant leading the show and being the lead.

If the WWE had a similar model back then, Davey Boy would probably get a month reign at best while Bret Hart main evented all the pay per views and got most of the focus.