https://youtu.be/IOnCpNADPd8
This is a really weird list on WWE's part, because it's part kayfabe and part "insider" stuff. Like the 10-man from Wrestlemania X that was cancelled is suddenly an obscure trivia question? And the Hogan-Flair match at #1 was never gonna happen, obviously, but they do the kayfabe "Jack Tunney changed it" explanation. And HHH v. Tyson? Um, no, never even talked about. Whatever, it's their list, I guess.
Brock Lesnar Vs Daniel Bryan? *sniff*
ReplyDeleteI DO remember there was some talk of Hogan vs. Zeus at WM6 and even more about Austin vs. Tyson because of Shawn's back injury.
ReplyDeleteI remember HHH/Hogan being rumoured for 17 before they went with Undertaker.....and I recently read a rumour that HHH used Metallica at WM27 because they'd already secured the rights to a song for Sting before he backed out.
ReplyDeleteHHH vs. Tyson? For the last time Hunter, Austin was the Attitude Era superstar, not you.
ReplyDeleteWM17 was going to be HHH v. Shawn and was pretty much set in stone until Shawn showed up bombed that day.
ReplyDeleteAustin, Rock, Taker, Kane, HBK, Foley, then Triple H
ReplyDeleteI'd also throw Bret in there somewhere, oh and Vince.
ReplyDeleteYou mean I am not supposed to believe propaganda produced by the WWE themselves!?!?!
ReplyDeleteIn reference to the Tyson/HHH "match," I'm not sure why Tyson would not have done it because he only fought tomato can Brian Nielsen that October. I have to agree that was probably made up to a) put HHH on another list and b) to fill out that top 5.
I'd put Chyna head of Triple H, too
ReplyDeleteI think Shawn was supposed to be involved but not wrestling. It was the Smackdown before WM Shawn was bombed at if I recall. That whole period is interesting to me because I recall Shawn being rumoured to return and wrestle but he's talked since that it wasn't a consideration until 2002.
ReplyDeleteMaybe this was the conversation on the corporate jet:
ReplyDeleteVince: Hey Paul, wanna fight Tyson at WrestleMania?
HHH: What are you, nuts?
Vince: Okay pal, don't go all Bret on me!
That day? They put the UT match together quickly but the did promote it for a couple of weeks at least right (with HHH doing the thing where he sat on the chair while it was covering the UT throat)?
ReplyDeleteThe rumor I recall is that Shawn was supposed to cost Taker the match and give HHH the win. I vaguely recall this being the rumor at the time, too, and have no recollection of HHH v. Shawn rumors.
ReplyDeleteI came here to say this. This forced idea of HHH being the leader of the Attitude era and the slayer of WCW is just sad.
ReplyDeleteWHAT YOU DID JACK TUNNEY WAS BOGUS!!!!
ReplyDeleteTHE MOST BOGUS ACT YOU EVER PULLED!!!!!!!
Triple H vs Tyson? Wow. Shame it got cancelled, or Triple H might have single-handedly destroyed WCW and Mike Tyson in the space of 2 weeks!
ReplyDeleteHHH was a big deal; objectively, I'd say Austin, Rock, and Vince were bigger, then HHH. But trying to make out like HHH and DX were the driving force of Attitude is just pathetic.
ReplyDeletethere was a thought at the time (which seems crazy now) about Hogan vs Perfect at 6.
ReplyDeleteHHH needs to get over not carrying the Attitude era.
ReplyDeleteI seem to remember Shawn was going to help HHH win and they'd form a stable but when he was set home it was changed to HHH losing, partly as punishment for trying to bring Shawn back.
ReplyDeleteI have been watching wrestling for about 25 years. I have been reading the backstage gossip for well over 15 of those years.
ReplyDeleteI have literally never heard one rumor about a Triple H vs. Tyson match.
Hogan vs. Tyson? Yes.
Triple H vs. Tyson? No.
Yeah from what I recall Shawn was supposed to be on the WCW Raw but was bumped for time, went on a bender and showed up a mess to Smackdown, so it was after the Undertaker match was announced. Random rumor - I met a guy online that swore he worked in the music department for WWE and he said he was told to work on Shawn's entrance for his return but Shawn said he'd always use the same music - probably just some guy fucking around but he did send me a studio version of The Game the day after Hunter debuted it.
ReplyDeleteI remember hearing talks of them doing HHH vs Ray Lewis at WM17 that fell through, but Tyson? Why does it not surprise me that HHH would be the one they choose to kayfabe look like a bad-ass up against Tyson in a match?
ReplyDeleteThat's not true. HHH v. Shawn was set to be the feud after Wrestlemania.
ReplyDeleteTaker was always going to win
ReplyDeleteI doubt he meant the day of WrestleMania -- Michaels showed up bombed the day the angle leading to HHH vs. HBK was supposed to start
ReplyDeleteNo he didn't. He showed bombed the SD before Mania after his segment on the RAW before Mania was cut.
ReplyDeleteI think Foley was bigger than HHH. Taker, maybe. Not Kane or HBK. Not even close.
ReplyDeleteYou haven't been watching enough of the Network. HHH vs Andre the Giant at WM III and the pedigree heard 'round the world! Which is amazing because HHH fought Ricky Steamboat in a ***** match earlier in the show setting the bar for all WM matches that follow. HHH then disappeared for awhile and was a key part in kicking off the nWo in WCW. Finally he came back to kick off the Attitude Era by beating up Foley and Funk the night after WM. HHH has been on top of the wrestling world (Stephanie) ever since!
ReplyDeleteI loved that Hogan-Perfect feud. At the very least, it would have been cool for SummerSlam.
ReplyDeleteHHH vs. Tyson? I hope they don't mean at Mania 14. HHH was just a lackey at that point. No way they waste MIKE TYSON on a match with HBK's sidekick at Wrestlemania. The only way I could see a variation of that happening would have been if HBK/HHH vs. Austin/Tyson was possible for Unforgiven '98.
ReplyDeleteAh, okay. So I guess the Mania Taker-HHH match would've set up a HHH-Michaels feud?
ReplyDeleteCena could have been Benoit's tag partner at WM 19, instead of Rhyno. Probably good that he wasn't, but once Edge went out hurt, I think Cena might have made more sense than Rhyno
ReplyDeleteYea, basically.
ReplyDeleteHow about that Bigelow vs. Kamala match that was cancelled at Wrestlemania IX?
ReplyDeletemy understanding is that it bombed on the house show circuit.
ReplyDeleteCena was still heel.
ReplyDeleteWhat's the story on WM X8? Did Austin turn down working with Hogan or did Rock get picked over him?
ReplyDeleteThey're showing it as WM17.
ReplyDeleteWho knows, if Kamala had won, maybe he would have gotten the main event of WrestleMania XI.
ReplyDeleteThey wanted to do Austin/Hogan. However, Austin and Hogan could not agree to terms on the match... and they both secretly thought the match would suck. Austin was in the middle of a nervous breakdown and probably wouldn't have sold shit for Hogan.
ReplyDeleteI've heard of the Triple H/Tyson rumors before, but never thought anything of it.
ReplyDeleteThe meeting probably went like...
Vince: If we can get Tyson again... who should w...
Triple H: ME! ME! ME! TRIPLE H!
Vince: ... sounds good, pal. Moving on.
Austin turned it down.
ReplyDelete>And the Hogan-Flair match at #1 was never gonna happen, obviously.
ReplyDeleteNever going to happen? It was announced on tv, until Vince got cold feet over low gates for their house show feud,weak Hoosier Dome sales and or Hulk won't put Ric over/Top Heel can't lose to a guy essentially leaving deal.
All major problems but none that were impossible to ignore/work through if he was stubborn enough.
Well, considering that he was booked as a bad ass for 2 years leading to it...I dunno, makes perfect sense. That and considering that the only thing that would keep HHH from using my head as a basketball is professionalism and a positive degree of sanity and priorities, tend to scream bad ass to me. Only speaking for myself obviously.
ReplyDeleteScott...what makes you think that Tyson/HHH was never even talked about? Pat Patterson make specific reference to you that they never even talked about it? Out of the blue? No, in honor of credibility, explain this tonne.
ReplyDeleteWell, its kinda fuzzy math. He did carry 2000, but that's the ass end of Attitude...but Attitude lasted 2-3 years. Calling it an era is kinda lofty to begin with.
ReplyDeleteThat's about right. Foley didn't become HUGE and WWE legendary until RR 00. As in where they acknowledged him as a legend.
ReplyDeleteSid Hogan was always the plan
ReplyDeleteSo evidently Vince is handling the main event personally and no one other than Brock Reigns and HHH are going to know what is happening.
ReplyDeleteOk, but you don't think that, say, Fandango could beat you up?
ReplyDeleteKane is way at the end of that list.
ReplyDeleteI look at it like this:
ReplyDeleteAustin/Rock
HHH/Undertaker
Foley/Kane
Triple H pinning Tyson with a Pedigree would've been funny.
ReplyDeleteWho dances?
ReplyDeleteLOL at the thought of LT vs. Kamala.
ReplyDeleteWWE will never mention nowdays that Owen Hart's mystery tag team partner against Smoking Gunns @ WM 11 was gonna be Chris Benoit.
ReplyDeleteSid vs Hogan @ WM 8 was the plan before Flair showed up with Hogan/Flair taking place the next year @ WM 9.
Hogan vs Warrior rematch planned for WM 7 if they did LA Coliseum to "break" WM 3 "93000" crowd. However when Warrior wasnt selling out during the A/B and C shows like WWE used to do, they switched it up by signing Slaughter and doing Hogan/Slaughter instead. WWE knew they couldnt sell out the LA Coliseum with that, so they moved to the smaller venue where the LA Clippers played.
SHUT up you fat bow headed little oaf
ReplyDeleteAlso Hogan claims him and John Cena were going to have an match @ WM 25 but was cancelled. I can somewhat believe this, as the Cena/Big Show/Edge match came outta nowhere and was poorly planned in the weeks before WM 25.
ReplyDeleteto me it's austin, rock,Foley,HHH,taker,kane in that order
ReplyDeleteFoley was very big he main evened alot he was austin and rocks first guy to work with and when HHH needed to get some serious heat Foley put him over. That and he was in chef boarder commercials and his autobiography really put him over.if he was healthier I belive he would have been used more
ReplyDeleteYeah, you're probably right.
ReplyDeleteNo. No, I don't think he could. Maybe...I mean, few things are impossible...but no, I'd put money on me in that one.
ReplyDeleteNobody in the match is black, so I'm guessing nobody.
ReplyDeleteI remember reading somewhere a long time ago that HHH/Tyson was discussed as a 'Mania match, so I don't think it's something they just made up for this.
ReplyDeleteThat was a red herring. Hogan-Sid was the plan at least as soon as Sid's fit at the press conference, possibly as soon as the Rumble. The Hogan-Flair announcement was just to give Sid further motivation to turn on Hulk.
ReplyDeleteAny thoughts about Hogan-Zeus were quashed when Zeus did the job at SummerSlam. I don't think Perfect was given serious thought as anything other than a (unsuccessful) house show program.
ReplyDeleteNo, they Wrestlemania 7, cause terrorists
ReplyDeleteWow, that video SUCKED.
ReplyDeleteYeah I had heard the Lewis and HBK ones for 17 but never Tyson til recently
ReplyDeleteThere are basically three theories -- #1) The match was not a draw on the house-show circuit #2) Sid was always promised the main event shot against Hogan and #3) The impending steroid/drugs/sex scandals put tons of heat on Hogan, and they wanted him to lay-low.
ReplyDelete#1 seems to be the company line now, but it's not really true -- while Hogan/Flair didn't set business on fire, it did better than everything else they were putting out there in late 1991.
#2 seems like a total retcon to me -- Meltzer didn't specify that tidbit at all until years and years later and I wonder where he got that info.
#3 seems far and away the most likely reason to me. Things were getting hot steriod-wise over the summer, especially after people started Hogan a liar for his big AH appearance and really ramped up leading into WM. I think Hogan was gonna give Flair the legdrop until they realized they needed to get him off TV.
So Brock's not getting an entrance?
ReplyDeleteI'd slip HBK ahead of Kane and maybe ahead of Taker. Early DX was a big, big, big deal. So was Montreal, and so was WM 14.
ReplyDeleteit was the plan maybe once the rumble eliminations were decided but hogan-flair was the original plan. Hogan-flair was what flair was brought in for not for house shows but for the main event for wm.
ReplyDeletePoorly planned? Yeah, had to be a rewrite.
ReplyDeleteBritish Bulldog vs The Berzerker!
ReplyDeleteHHH vs. Tyson? If the idea came up before 2001 I don't remember hearing it, and it doesn't really match up with what had been going on with Tyson in his life & career. After 2001 I couldn't say, because once I stopped writing about wrestling I stopped following insider stuff as diligently.
ReplyDeleteStill madness. HHH was still great at that point, but wasting MIKE TYSON'S first pro-wrestling match on Hunter seems foolish.
ReplyDeleteno the original paln was hogan vs flair and savage vs jake. all tv in fall into winter that year were building to those matches. there was talk of sid/hogan when sid signed wwf may 91 but once flair signed july 91 they were full steam to hogan/flair until they needed to change it up nc hogan was taking time off to lay low with the steriods issues
ReplyDeletehhh/taker was thrown together at the last minute for wm 17 so they were clearly trying to do something else with him. I do remember talk of HHH/hogan for the show.
ReplyDelete