Would Bigelow/Undertaker been better in 95 than Diesel/Mabel

[Eddie Brock]

I was just thinking about this earlier today and wondering if it had been Undertaker who beat Backlund for the title right after Survivor Series 1994 instead of Diesel and went on to defend the title against Bam Bam Bigelow at SummerSlam 1995 rather than King Mabel?

Would business have been better than it was at the time with Undertaker as champion for one year? Bam Bam ended up turning face shortly after WM XI, but if he remains a heel instead would he make a better choice to win the King of the Ring tournament? Would Bam Bam challenging for the belt at SummerSlam vs. Undertaker been a better match or done a better buy rate than Diesel defending vs. King Mabel? Do you think business would stay the same in 1995, regardless who holds the title?

[arrogantmodel]

Uhhhh...yeah.

Literally anything else would have been better.

[Can you afford to pay me, Gah]

Bam Bam is a much better worker than Mabel ever was so, yeah it would have. Hell give me Diesel vs. Bam Bam would been a solid program.

[stevec484]

Diesel as champion wasn't a problem. Changing his character and giving him terrible opponents was the problem. People all talk about "it's not the wrestlers fault it's the booking!" for the current day roster when in reality Nash in 1995 had it worse than anyone

[Deleted]

you need a ring general in every match

[robferatu]

You know, I just realized... The Undertaker and Bam Bam Bigelow never had a feud, or at least a proper feud that culminated in a PPV match.

I feel like the Phenom and the Beast from the East would have had amazing chemistry, and it would have played right into that monster vs. monster dynamic that Vince McMahon loved when it came to booking the Undertaker.

Anyway, I can only assume if it weren't for the involvement Lawrence Taylor, Bam Bam and 'Taker would have shared to the ring at "Wrestlemania XI" instead.

[2coldMack is even more baffled]

May 16, 2019 21:50:14 GMT -5 robferatu said:

You know, I just realized... The Undertaker and Bam Bam Bigelow never had a feud, or at least a proper feud that culminated in a PPV match.

I feel like the Phenom and the Beast from the East would have had amazing chemistry, and it would have played right into that monster vs. monster dynamic that Vince McMahon loved when it came to booking the Undertaker.

Anyway, I can only assume if it weren't for the involvement Lawrence Taylor, Bam Bam and 'Taker would have shared to the ring at "Wrestlemania XI" instead.

It's for sure a big what-if. A properly motivated Bam Bam vs. an Undertaker who was ready to roll after feuding with schmucks for a solid three years is an interesting concept.

[chronocross]

They had some decent matches in 93, one of them is on the Network for the March to WM9, I think it would have gone over better.

[rnrk supports BLM]

Every time a fantasy rebooking '95 WWF thread comes up on here, I always say Bam Bam should've stayed heel, and the loss to LT should've lead to him snapping and getting more vicious, culminating in winning King of the Ring and challenging Diesel at Summerslam.

His face turn was a terrible idea, because with Bret/Shawn/Diesel/Taker/Razor all ahead of him the best Bam Bam could aspire to be was the 6th biggest face on the roster, when they had such a dearth of credible heels that he could've easily been slotted into a higher-profile program against any of those guys.

[arrogantmodel]

I think Undertaker and Bam Bam was the main event of the first Monday Night Raw I ever saw.

[EyeofTyr]

Yes. It would've been a significant improvement and could've possibly been the best big man feud wrestling ever saw if it happened.

[Celexa Bliss 54]

May 16, 2019 22:03:37 GMT -5 rnrk supports BLM said:

Every time a fantasy rebooking '95 WWF thread comes up on here, I always say Bam Bam should've stayed heel, and the loss to LT should've lead to him snapping and getting more vicious, culminating in winning King of the Ring and challenging Diesel at Summerslam.

His face turn was a terrible idea, because with Bret/Shawn/Diesel/Taker/Razor all ahead of him the best Bam Bam could aspire to be was the 6th biggest face on the roster, when they had such a dearth of credible heels that he could've easily been slotted into a higher-profile program against any of those guys.

Turning Shawn and Bam Bam at the same time was really a stupid idea in hindsight. They had just shoved Yokozuna and Owen Hart into the midcard as Tag Champs, leaving, crazy to say, Jerry Lawler of all people as the only heel with serious heat, and he was a part-time wrestler. After that, you had Sid, who was credible, but unreliable. Shawn was going to go face eventually, but Bam Bam could have been a great Vader-style monster heel who just killed everyone en route to the money matches with the top faces.

[auph10imitated]

Quality wise? Absolutely and then some.

Business wise? No. Business was in the toilet across the board for the wrestling business, nothing would have picked it up at that point. It needed a resurgence which is got in 1996-1998.

[The Dark Order Inferno]

Better match and feud, sure. Better business? Probably not because there were bigger issues at play than who was at the top of the card.

[Aceorton]

I never realized until now that Backlund and Undertaker never crossed paths. Backlund reacting to Undertaker sitting up would have been a fun moment.

[Celexa Bliss 54]

May 17, 2019 12:25:14 GMT -5 Aceorton said:

I never realized until now that Backlund and Undertaker never crossed paths. Backlund reacting to Undertaker sitting up would have been a fun moment.

I once did a fantasy booking that had them facing each other at WrestleMania. I had one promo that was just Backlund in the ring ranting that he's not afraid of the dark.

[jason1980s]

Diesel had so much momentum during late 1994 it seemed like the most logical thing to put him at the top of the card with the title. Undertaker was still in that phase where he was more of a gimmick guy who had to face the monsters/big guys and he didn't really need the world title. I think Bam Bam would have been a better choice for Diesel but you'd have to rebuild Bam Bam after the Million Dollar Corporation "stink of failure."

[Deleted]

Taker/Bammer would have been so, so much better.

Nash, well I think he always sucked but his push made sense. Mabel's did not. Putting him against Nash was frankly stupid.

[Celexa Bliss 54]

So, during Money in the Bank I was playing EWR and posting some of my more... interesting... decisions in the live thread. This may be a more appropriate setting, seeing as how The Undertaker had so many viable marquee matches in 1995, but instead they thought King Kong Bundy, Kama and Mabel were the way to go. Anyway, I just finished an Undertaker/Razor Ramon feud that went from shortly after the Rumble to the first In Your House, with a Casket Match to close out the rivalry.

It's amazing that they had so many potential matches for Undertaker that could have been really great. Razor, Bam Bam, Backlund, Waylon Mercy, Evil Doink... hell, I once fantasy booked Undertaker vs. Jean-Pierre Lafitte because Lafitte stole the urn and that would have been better than most of what they did irl.

['Foretold' Joker]

Surely Diesel vs Davey Boy Smith would have been better. Heck crowing the British Bulldog as King would have made more sense than Mabel (In fact most choices would have been better than Mabel.)