What If HBK Moved To WCW In 1998?

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Now Shawn was done with WWE for the time being after WrestleMania 14. He didn't end on the best terms but did return as a comissionar and there was friction still.




But what if Micheals had gone to WCW after Mania? Clearly the company was gonna push Austin as champ and against McMahon and HBK wasn't getting a chance at the title. His back wasn't helping his case too.

WCW was notoriously famous for handling clashing big egos, so what would happen if Shawn jumped the rail and superkicked Goldberg?
 
In my opinion, not much. Shawn is bigger today than he was back then. Shawn was the bigger fish in a small pond or the king of a dying kingdom like Cena is today.

The WWE when HBK was at the top was struggling and losing to wCw, when Shawn took a step back and Austin rised with the Attitude era and they had the new DX version the nation of domination that's when the WWE really took off.

Of course if Shawn had leave when he was the top guy it may have been a death blow to the WWE, but I doubt it. The only way this question could be ask with a VERY different result in my mind is "What if Austin never came to WWF or went back to wCw" or "What if Bret never left for wCw, since it create the evil Mr. Mchaon gimmick"
 
If HBK had gone to WCW after WrestleMania 14, then I think Bret Hart's head would have exploded.

In all seriousness, though ... it probably wouldn't have mattered at that point. Shawn couldn't wrestle. He broke his back and thought his career was finished. There wouldn't have been anything for him to do in WCW. The obvious plan for him would have been to join the NWO, but the only role he could have played would have been a mouth piece ... and did the NWO really need another one of those?

Besides ... Austin had the title after 'Mania, and he was embarking on his feud with VKM. Nothing was going to keep people from watching that feud unfold.


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EDIT: A better question would be "What if Shawn Michaels went to WCW in 1997 instead of Bret Hart?" ... Wow how history would be different. Not only would Shawn not have suffered the back injury (occurred 2 months after the MSJ... karma?) but Bret Hart wouldn't have been kicked in the head by Goldberg, causing the concussion that ended his career and led to his stroke.

Think about it. HBK would have been the better signing for WCW anyway. The guy was every bit the star that Bret was ... plus he was friends with the WCW power players (Hall/Nash). Hart looks back on his time in WCW and says he was beaten down by backstage politics ... there's little chance that would have happened to HBK in WCW. Of course, WCW went with Hart for his international appeal and the fact that McMahon was willing to part with him. But the loss of HBK in 1997 probably would have been the death blow to the WWE.
 
I would have hated to see Bret and Shawn in WCW simultaneously; I hated seeing Bret there period. WCW would have tried to cash in on the Montreal Screwjob but would have blown it as they usual would do on angles. Ted Turner was great at buying talent, but had no idea how to promote. I cant forget to mention how bad WCW creative team was too.
 
How would a crippled druggie help WCW or hurt WWE in any way?

At the time Michaels had a major back problem (which is why he left wrestling in the first place), he had personal issues, mostly drug problems which made him difficult to work with. Even Shawn has said the only reason people put up with him is because he was a fantastic performer. Not only that WCW just signed Bret Hart to a lucrative deal and I'm sure he wouldn't have been happy to see Shawn, he most likely would have tried to beat the shit out of him which would have caused unrest in the locker room.

Also if HBK superkicked Goldberg he probably would have been put in a match, gotten destroyed, even more injured than he was. WCW would have released him like they did Bret and he may not have been able to come back in '02 like he did.

The way I see it, if HBK went to WCW after Wrestlemania it wouldn't have helped anything for WCW and WWF wasn't using him anyways so obviously they would have been doing the exact same thing as before.
 
I don't think that Shawn post-WrestleMania would've done WCW any good. Shawn was literally useless then. Couldn't wrestle. End of story.

Now if you asked what if HBK went to WCW prior to getting injured, well then that's a more interesting discussion, isn't it. No doubt WCW would've went down anyhow, as it wasn't because of the roster, but it makes me wonder what would've happened to the WWE. HBK was a crucial part of the late 90's, whether people liked him or not.

What's even more interesting is how HBK would've ended up if he never got injured. His injury and walking away from wrestling all lead to him being "saved" and giving up the shit life. Maybe he'd end up like all the other Kliq cronies who jumped ship. A pathetic drip.
 
After Wrestlemania 14, Shawn Michaels had a broken back. That would have been a waste of time and money by WCW to sign Shawn Michaels. He was damaged goods. And If HBK did got to WCW at the time, what role do you think that Bret Hart would play in that huh? Bret would have acted a fool seeing Shawn Michaels in that WCW locker room!

So no, the words Shawn Michaels and WCW will never be talked up in a conversation. Live with it.
 
Well Shawn wouldnt have been able to wrestle anyway, and his drug problem was so bad at the time that wCw could have killed him, not to mention Brett probably would have done the job first.

In the end Vince would have neen right and wCw wouldnt have known what to do with Shawn Michaels. He was too small for Hogan etc to put over.
 
U are aware the only reason Shawn left in 1998 was because his back was completely fucked and he had to have a series of back operations?????

Shawn coming back to wrestle a full time schedule in 2002 was close to a wrestling miracle. Michaels going to WCW would have been a stupid idea, they would have used him as a mouthpiece only for the nWo and there is no way he would have cohabitated with Hogan in WCW, he would have been buried by Bischoff and Hogans politics. Bret Hart would have had no part of him either, Bischoff would have tried to recreate history like he did with hOGAN VS wARRIOR AND IT WOULD have been another epic fail.
Had Shawn gone in June 1997 though, when he threatened to, Bret stayed in WWE., Montreal wouldnt have happened, Shawns back would not have been brokem, then you have a seriously different playing field. WCW wre well and truly in front and a HBK turning up on Nitro and superkicking Hogan out of the nWo and having the original clique back together, who knows, WCW may have been even more successful and Michaels vs Hogan at Starcade 1998 may have been the bullet that killed WWE. We will never know but to answer the thread, going after he hurt his back and could not wrestle, nor go as he was still under contract to WWE, STUPID IDEA.
 
If Michaels moved to WCW then im willing to gaurentee WWE would have been taken over by WCW or at least WCW would still be around because who knows who else Michaels could have convinced to jump ships...for awhile anyway he was the backbone or ''the big draw'' for WWE and without him we wouldn't have had the epic Michaels vs Undertaker feud let alone their amazing matches at wrestlemania..i can't help but wonder if we'd be watching WCW now instead of WWE
 
HBK had already had to leave well b4 WrestleMania 14. When he returned they put him in as the main event guy and he had a near broken back b4 WrestleMania 14 rolled around, so the fact that he even went into that match and still put on one hell of a match to put Austin over sais how much he truly cared for the buisness and it wasn't bitterness against Austin or WWE

was there bitterness that he was ontop and had to give it all up, no doubt, but it had nothing to do with Austin specifically being primed for the top spot, this isn't the early HBK we were talking about, least that's my opinion

HBK would've moved to WCW ONLY if
A) he was healthy and WWE was dying, which it wasn't.
B) by 1998 WCW was on it's self imposed downward spiral.

If he had jumped ship when WCW was winning in the height of it's monday night ratings then it may be a different story
 
When did a drug problem or a physical ailment inhibited WCW from signing a big name or any name just to stick to the WWE?



I get what you guys are trying to say but if they would offered millions to HBK to come and just do run-ins and be a mouth piece, and maybe throw in a rare much hyped tag team match where Shawn works minimum, he still could've done good.
 
as someone else said, this question is more interesting if shawn jumped ship BEFORE he was injured. even assuming he did, he had to many problems to thrive anywhere. his ego was way too huge and wcw at the time was a parade of egos.
 
Yah HBK back then would have done more harm than good!! For fucks sake imagine Bret hart having HBK in the locker room again!! Damn not good. Hart didnt belong in WCW but thats another story!! HBK life was a complete and utter mess wrestling should have been the furthest thing from his mind and it was good thing. It probably saved his life!
 
i really dont think he would've had any long term effects. He was injured so he couldnt really do much at the time. Maybe create some shock value for a bit but other than that he wouldve been pretty much useless at the time, or at least not anything that wouldve overshadowed austin or the rest of the attitude era. Plus the differences between how the two companies did business wouldve outweighed all anyway
 
Yah HBK back then would have done more harm than good!! For fucks sake imagine Bret hart having HBK in the locker room again!! Damn not good. Hart didnt belong in WCW but thats another story!! HBK life was a complete and utter mess wrestling should have been the furthest thing from his mind and it was good thing. It probably saved his life!

he worked with Hogan there who was even worse :)
but yeah, HBK, Nash, Hogan and Bret all there at the same time = Ego explode :)
 
HBK would have been a disaster in WCW in 1998 - the drug problems were out of hand, his personal behavior towards many of his co-workers was out of hand, and if their was one place on the planet where drug problems and back stage politics went untreated and grew cancerous it was late 90's WCW.

Plus, as at least one poster pointed out, Michaels didnt leave WWE in 1998 due to problems with McMahon or the company, he seriously was injured and could not wrestle. Other than a mouthpiece what good would he have done in WCW, he could not get in the ring. He likely would have driven Brett Hart bonkers but that's another story.

Realistically, he never should have wrestled at WM 14 in the first place, but he did, supposedly after being threatened by Vince that he'd never work in WWE again if he did not go out and cleanly put over Austin as champion after the huge build up for the event and Austin's title shot had recieved. Remember HBK had forfeited titles before when he was asked to lose and suddenly developed "injuries" - It was always portrayed as Vince was unsure if Shawn was telling the truth this time or pulling another fast one to avoid a high profile loss. In any event HBK did what was best for the company, and McMahon always made sure anytime he needed or wanted work he had it, even though he could not wrestle.
 
The WCW needed HBK in 1998. By that time, more so on into 99, they ran out of ideas of what to do with Nash, Hall, and Hart. HBK would have revitalized their characters storylines.
 
First of all, Michael Hickenbottom could have used the name "Shawn Michaels" if he went to wcw right? I mean he used that name since the beginning of his career. I think wwe trademarked "Heartbreak Kid" so he wouldn't be able to use that, but that's no big deal. Anyway if he would have gone there I think maybe he would have taken over the NWO as the leader. Nash and Hall maybe would have kicked Hogan out for Shawn thus turning Hogan back to a babyface. I think it would have been interesting.
 
I've always wondered this too. However I looked up the "Shawn Michaels" trademark and it was indeed owned by WWE since the 90's. As well as "HBK".

Such a great question to wonder. I'm assuming they either go with Shawn Hickenbottom or something completely different like Michael Shane, which is an alias used on the TV show "Pacific Blue" when he guest starred.

First of all, Michael Hickenbottom could have used the name "Shawn Michaels" if he went to wcw right? I mean he used that name since the beginning of his career. I think wwe trademarked "Heartbreak Kid" so he wouldn't be able to use that, but that's no big deal. Anyway if he would have gone there I think maybe he would have taken over the NWO as the leader. Nash and Hall maybe would have kicked Hogan out for Shawn thus turning Hogan back to a babyface. I think it would have been interesting.
 

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