HBK in WCW

[THe WHoLe FuCKiN SHoW]

Lets say its a month after the Montreal Screwjob, sometime between the Hell in the Cell match and the Coffin match with Taker and HBK decides to leave the WWF for WCW. Seeing as how HBK has been refered to as the glue that held the WWF together while they were losing the ratings war with WCW, my question is this: What happens if HBK joins WCW at the beginning of 1998?

Keep in mind that HBK does not pass the torch to Stone Cold at WM14, Bret Hart has already joined WCW (who wouldnt want to see those 2 in the same ring again) and the only legitamite stars the WWF had at this time were Taker, Kane, Foley and maybe even Vader. Guys like SCSA, Rock and HHH were still midcarders at this point. Also, perhaps HBK never hits his back on that coffin and doesnt have to take all those years off.

Its hard to beleive WWF would have been able to keep up with WCW had they found a way to bring in HBK. Basically, I want to hear your thoughts and ideas on what WCW could have done with HBK had they brought him in, how or if the WWF would have survived with losing the showstopper and any other thoughts you may have on this notion.

 

[jpickens]

The same thing they did with Brett briefly push him as a face, stick him in the NWO, and put the belt around his waist. The WWF would have survived without him after all everyone thought that when Hogan left that the WWF would fold but it didn't the only thing that would have change would be that the Rock, SCSA, and HHH would have been pushed a little more sooner than they were. Had HBK had not been sidelined other than Foley not having three title reigns and him and Austin feuding until Summer Slam as well as the eventual feud with HHH things would have pretty stayed the course.

 

[HBK-aholic]

The WWE wouldn't have collapsed, they still had enough wrestlers to keep up, however if Shawn had moved to WCW, they would have lost a huge fan base. Shawn wasn't the only thing that held the company's head above the water, however he was the most important. His contribution to WWE during this time would have been irreplaceable. He had a lot of great matches, and was doing so whilst everyone else was either finding their feet or finishing their career.

For WCW, I think the consequences will have been a lot better. Personally I think WCW would have stayed on top a lot longer, and they really could have done with someone with Shawn's skill and passion.

However, passion is the reason I think this never happened. Shawn has a passion for the WWE second to none. He's devoted so much of his life to it, that he would never jump ship over to the WCW. I doubt he would wrestle with the same energy and passion he does now.

 

[StInGeR-HBK]

Personally, I don't think a lot would have changed. The WCW really didn't know how to use their superstars which is, I think, one of the biggest reasons that WCW collapsed. They had a lot of talent and did nothing with it. You would have just had more politics with Shawn Michaels reunited with Kevin Nash and Scot Hall, they would have just stick him in the NWO and put the belt on him as someone said previously and WCW would have still collapsed. Maybe they would have lasted a bit longer due to the fanbase that followed Shawn Michaels. The WWF would have just focused on pushing other talent a bit harder such as The Rock, Undertaker, Kane, Mick Foley, HHH and others. I really don't think Shawn Michaels would have fit well in WCW with all the politics going on at the time. I mean Shawn Michaels already had problems putting people over in WWF. What do U think he was gonna do in WCW? Eric Bischoff would have given him complete creative control just as he did with all the other big timers. So he would have gone in there with his ego which would have clashed with the egos of Nash, Hall, Hogan, Goldberg, etc.......... Just to sum all this up, overall, WWE would still be as big as they are today, WCW would be as dead as it is today. Which hurts me to say cuz I loved WCW.

 

[RuKDaD]

WCW should still be around today, but Shawn Michaels wasn't the one that was going to have to save them. He would have helped keep them around longer but it was going to end the same way anyway. If WCW management wanted to succeed they would have cut Nitro to two hours, thus releasing the lesser talent and some of the disappointing higher priced talents. They would have pushed guys like Jericho and Benoit harder and sooner with bigger and better talents instead of wasting them with nobodies. Finally, they shouldn't have given creative control to anyone that knew how to spell it. These changes would have made the company more money ( we all know companies that make money don't get shut down) and they would have had far better story lines (which would keep viewers watching). Jesus Christ and all his disciples couldn't help WCW so forget about Shawn Michaels. The only thing that would have saved WCW is common sense.

 

[The_Real_WrestleManiac]

It would've made for great TV. Shawn would've been on top of the pack. Unlike Bret, one of Shawn's best friends was the booker (Nash). Could he have kept WCW together? No one knows but I know people would tune in to see what he did weather it was wrestling or promos.

 

[rKo0019]

I think Shawn would have fit in well with the nWo, and it wouldn't have been long before he had the belt, no doubt...but the loss of Shawn Michaels would not have been too significant for the WWE...
Just think, he was the champ and headlining PPV after PPV, and they were still behind in the ratings wars....this is not to knock HBK's ability or charisma, but people were tuning in to Nitro to see the marquee value of the nWo and who was gonna get run over by, or take it to, the nWo that week.
HBK was one of the WWE's most solid performers during this era, but he was not without backstage troubles and domestic troubles...he was not always a happy camper in Hartford. Had he left, they would have put the belt on Taker or pushed someone else, just like they had done numerous times before with other talent...IMO.

 

[THe WHoLe FuCKiN SHoW]

so does anybody here think that eric bischoff could have ever gotten HBK and Bret Hart to put aside their differences an particiapte in a match against each other one more time on WCW television???

or how bout maybe even teaming them up?? think of how much attention it would grab to see those two guys on the same side after the screwjob.

and for those who think WCW would have failed regardless, how would HBK in WCW have affected the invasion storyline after WWE bought them out? this is assuming he came back as part of the alliance.

any ideas???

 

[ExtremeIronChef]

No doubt WCW would not have known what to do with him. The prime example of this is Bret Hart. They brought him in and hyped him up so much only to dissapoint us all by doing jack shit with him until the company was already in trouble. HBK would have immediately joined the nWo, something I don't think anyone can doubt. He would have played second fiddle to Hogan just like all the other nWo guys did. I don't think he would have gotten the belt right away or even a few months down the road. Remember, WCW was still doing Sting/Hogan at this time and there was no way Hulk would have let HBK come in and take his spot right away. He may have even tried to hold him down. HBK's biggest positive factor would have been his friendship with Hall and Nash, which may have been able to save him from ending up what WCW did to Bret Hart, but Hogan was top dog so I have my doubts there.

I think HBK would have had the belt sooner than Hart got it, but maybe only by a year or less. Bret Hart was a huge name who could have helped WCW tremendously. They should have given him the belt almost immediately, but look what happened, so who's to say the same wouldn't have happened to HBK. He would have also been in on all the nWo reformations, probably taking Hart's place as leader of nWo 2000. There is also no doubt in my mind that the heat between Hart and Michaels would have been so great that one of them would have quit possibly. The politics would have been out of control. There would have been no way in hell Bischoff could have gotten the two of them to work together, no chance.

Bottom line: I think HBK would have just gotten lost in the shuffle in WCW. When you have guys like Hogan who have 100% creative control and don't like it when their spots are potentially threatened, you have lots of guys who get buried. I think it's a very good thing that HBK never left the WWF/E, because at least there he was the top guy.

 

[rockofhysteria]

I think WCW would have taken over the WWE is Shawn would have went to wcw just think of the possible matches that could have possibly happened in this situation HBK vs Hollywood Hogan which back then wouldn't have sucked like their match a couple of years ago did. of HBK vs Sting think about how great a match that would have been. I believe HBK would have swayed the viewership of the monday night wars if he had gone to wcw and Austin certainly wouldn't have reached the heights he did since Shawn wouldn't have been there to put him over at mania.

 

[Stunner 3:16]

I think just like Bret, they would not have known what to do with Shawn or never use him to his potential and have him Job to the top NWO until he got fed up cuz he never got his way

 

[TheeGrave]

They would have thrown him into nWo, and there would be promos each week by Hogan, Hall, Nash and HBK...not what I would have done, that's like an NFL All star team playing against a semi pro team...it would be cool to see for a short time but would get old FAST. You need to have some balance to make things work.

WWE - they would have been in big BIG trouble, BUT Vince is a smart guy plus the fact that WCW would have destroyed themselves like they ended up doing. Things would have smoothed out. HBK made WWE better, and he's one of my fav wrestlers...but WWE would have survived. I guarantee you Vince has a plan in store if anyone leaves...you dont think he had a plan instore if someone got hurt? Look at Shawn, he got hurt and they passed the ball to Stone Cold.

 

[hbkbesttwa]

Lets say its a month after the Montreal Screwjob, sometime between the Hell in the Cell match and the Coffin match with Taker and HBK decides to leave the WWF for WCW. Seeing as how HBK has been refered to as the glue that held the WWF together while they were losing the ratings war with WCW, my question is this: What happens if HBK joins WCW at the beginning of 1998?

Keep in mind that HBK does not pass the torch to Stone Cold at WM14, Bret Hart has already joined WCW (who wouldnt want to see those 2 in the same ring again) and the only legitamite stars the WWF had at this time were Taker, Kane, Foley and maybe even Vader. Guys like SCSA, Rock and HHH were still midcarders at this point. Also, perhaps HBK never hits his back on that coffin and doesnt have to take all those years off.

Its hard to beleive WWF would have been able to keep up with WCW had they found a way to bring in HBK. Basically, I want to hear your thoughts and ideas on what WCW could have done with HBK had they brought him in, how or if the WWF would have survived with losing the showstopper and any other thoughts you may have on this notion.[/QUOTE ummm buddy the hell and cell was a month before the screwjob.

 

[Deexter Jorgan]

To me his time in the wwe was a stepping stone, shawn michaels was able to find himself after he passed the torch to stone cold steve austin, IMO if shawn went to wcw i think we would of never seen him again in this great sport, i think he would have basically not only killed himself but lost the battle to drugs, just remember it was the wwe and vince mcmahon who got shawn clean no one else did, his wife and child where apart of that too but vince really drilled that into shawns head and helped him back on his feet.

 

[joeravenb]

would of made a short good storyline in wcw, remember Hart joined JJ, nash and hall in the new NWO to win the world title from Goldberg and he turned Heel.. well if wcw got HBK i could see him show up acting like he was going to try and stop the NWO only to superkick Bret and Join his buddy's Hall and Nash making him the Heel and and Hart the Face. Now i'm sure after alot of talk with both parties backstage they could come to some agreement to work together to make the storyline work and leading up the the huge PPV match in ring promos would have to bring up the screwjob and everything the went one between them in wwf. but the it came to figure who put who over could we see the same thing in wcw with Nash being the booker. if so maybe Hart could return to the wwf or just retire not get put out by a kick to the head from Goldberg. or who knows maybe they would see the money and rating this could bring to wcw and Hart go over keeping the Belt and then Job it HBK at the next PPV.

 

[The_Real_WrestleManiac]

I think they would've brought him in and not only put him in the nWo but made him the fourth member of the wolfpac. The wolfpac would've gone on to continue where DX left off. The kliq would've taken over in full force. I don't think Hogan's stroke would've been anywhere near powerfull enough to go against Nash's (who he was already butting heads with) aligning himself with Shawn Micheals and basicly everyone else in the kliq. Shawn probably would've saught out Flair and his clique and worked with these guys a lot. I always found Shawn liked to surrond himself with guys who could bring something to the table. Guys like benoit and flair etc would've worked well with Shawn and he would've used that as a chance to have as many great matches as he could to stay on top. The wolfpac would stray from the nWo, maybe even opposing it similar to the red and black nWo angle only with just the 4 members in the wolfpac. I think at this point the nWo would go stale and most people would think that it's whole edge was from the wolfpac anyway. Bischoff probably would've thought on his feet and altered the storyline to be one about how the kliq (although he would've called it the wolfpac) had made a masterplan to take over the wrestling world and just used Hogan as a stepping-stone. Most of the audience would know this to be atleast a half shoot anyway since it's more or less what the kliq even said they planned on ruling the main spots on both companies when they split.

Shawn's drug problems would have progressed to be a LOT worse than they were in real life. His drug problems stemmed a lot from hanging around the kliq in the early to mid 90s. He would be around them again. His drug problems progressed in real life without having to be around them so imagine how much worse they would've gotten with his old partying buddies around to encourage him. Add the fact that Hall was going into a black hole with his own personal problems that we all know about and you have two guys enabling each other and spiraling out of control.

He still would've met his wife, but probably a lot sooner. Maybe this would've helped him get away from his vices but not even Shawn could tell you that for sure.

As far as Bret, I'd imagine the two would eventually get into a fist fight or two. Bret would've been held down, probably even worse. It wouldn't have been above Shawn to ridicule Bret on TV. No one would've stopped it, in fact Bischoff probably would have encouraged it. Eventually the two would've had to have a match. I assume both of them would be professional and get through the match but as soon as it was over I can only assume they would have been in a fist fight backstage. Bret would probably end up taking the brunt of the punishment, maybe even getting fired or walking out on the company at this point.


Back in the WWF/E I can only assume Wrestlemania 14 would've been headlined by either Undertaker or HHH against Austin. Maybe even a triple threat. The specifics of how shawn leaves are kind of vague in this thread so I can only assume he some how walked out and got out of his contract and was able to work for WCW by some miricle. Logically, storyline-wise Austin should fued with HBK's lakey which would be HHH. The title could be vacated once Shawn leaves. The oppertunity to have a vacated title decided at Wrestlemania would be a great way to put the torch into Austin's hand but I think there would be too many PPVs without a world's title to do this. I think things would probably play out with Taker facing Austin in the main event at mania. I think the WWE would want someone established to pass the torch on to Austin. With that said I can only guess that the PPV following HBK's departure you would see HHH subbing in for Shawn and dropping the title to Taker. From there Taker would turn heel... Kane has just arrived so the WWE at the time was being really smoke an mirrors with this storyline. They probably would've written it with Kane making few appearances and the 'pressure' of the situation would drive Taker to the darkside (turning him heel) and he'd take it out on his #1 contender Austin. On the raw after wrestlemania, while Austin and McMahon are off starting their own storyline on this night Taker could finally confront paul barrer and his brother Kane by calling them out to a huge face turn at which point they could resume their storyline.

Hunter I can only assume would form the new DX months earlier (minus Xpac) and group up with the outlaws. This would turn Hunter face (as it did when it happened in real life) and would probably happen before he subbed in for Shawn against Taker which would then help Taker turn heel as well.

 

[bountyhunter]

long term i think he wud of got lost in the shuffle like a few people have said, his entrance to WCW would of been 1 of the biggest things ever imagine him screwing hart in wwe AND wcw even though bret probs never would of allowed it, even tho with michaels joining dont think anythin else that happened wud of changed

 

[zimzimma7]

having him go there would have made alot of disgruntled wcw wrestlers come to the E...maybe goldberg woulda got his start in the E, maybe ddp woulda been bigger...maybe even buff bagwell, what if he became the next "rock"....what if's.

 

[Wackbag1]

Plain and simple-
WWE collapses
WCW wins the War
WCW would then be the big Company. Eric would probably bring Vince on board because Eric is a class act, and then it would be like it is today but WCW and some differences that are obvious. thats all.






unblock Eddie619

 

[HBK-aholic]

Plain and simple-
WWE collapses
WCW wins the War
WCW would then be the big Company. Eric would probably bring Vince on board because Eric is a class act, and then it would be like it is today but WCW and some differences that are obvious. thats all.






unblock Eddie619

You honestly think Shawn Michaels would have kept WCW up and his departure would have made WWE fall? There is no chance of that happening. Shawn Michaels didn't carry the WWE on his shoulders, no wrestler ever has, or ever will. He is great, valuable to the company. But it would have gone on without him.

The problem, was that WCW didn't know how to use talent. So Shawn Michaels, or anyone else being there for that matter wouldn't have helped. It has never been about what talent WCW had, it's always been about how they used it. And WCW never got the hang of utilizing talent to their full potential.

 

["Rush" GSP]

I think he would NOT have joined the NWO because it would be to predictable. I think all viewers know he is coming at the start of Nitro...nwo comes out says he's joining..then we have a main event of hall and nash vs two guys..out comes hbk and out of no where superkicks nash and hall cause remember at this time shawn was the best performer out of both wwf and wcw he wouldnt need the nwo to further him. i think he would become the main guy along with sting against the nwo.

BUT sadly i honestly think if he did go to wcw i think his drug problems would have gotten even worse ultimately leading to his death. God bless his wife and kid coming into his life to save him.

 

[Shon]

Well, the time frame would have been bogus anyway. Shawn got injured in the beginning of 1998 and he had to stop wrestling. I think the REAL question is what if HBK went to WCW along with Hall and Nash? At anytime however, it's obvious that HBK would have just been put in the nWo. I think they would have just buried him by putting him as a midcarder. He wouldn't have gotten very many opportunities in WCW. They would have just kept him at the same level as guys like Chris Jericho. Shawn would have been overlooked constantly in WCW.

As for the WWE/F. They simply would have just pushed stars sooner. Stone Cold Steve Austin would have got pushed up the ladder much sooner. The Rock and Triple H would have got pushed sooner as well. In the meantime, the WWE, would have had to rely on the Undertaker, Kane, Vader and Mankind (Foley), to probably be the dominant guys in the company. If Shawn left for WCW in 1996, the screw Job with Bret would have never happened. Bret would have eventually came back to WWE assuming he never got injured in WCW.

 

[Tully Blanchard]

Would have made the Wolfpac vs B & W angle more interesting...we would've been spaired Sting and Luger as NWO mates. Personally, though I think Luger should have been in the B & W NWO. Imagine this Wargames...Hogan, Hart, Luger, & the Giant vs HBK, Nash, Hall, and Macho.

 

[wwefanshaheer]

i really think stone cold would have got a bigger push and he would have helped the WWE because that was the whole Attitude Era and stone cold definitely had attitude.
i also think HBK would have had an amazing career in WCW because you had Hogan, Nash, Hall, Sting, Goldberg, Bret Hart, DDP and etc.

 

[FlairFan2003]

Shawn Michaels in WCW in the late 90's would not have changed anything - by 1999 WWE would have been solidly on top and Bischoff and company would have collapsed. Seriously, would Michaels ever have gotten a push to the top over Hogan - NEVER. Not even Nash when he was "in charge" of booking (was anyone really in charge when Hogan was around at that time) couldn't get over Hogan, Hulk would not allow it, regardless of what it did to business or their programming's popularity.

HBK likely would have wanted to be teamed with Hall & Nash, making him another stooge for Holllywood Hogan. Worse yet, since he was clearly the best performer of the group Hogan would have lobbied hard to keep him on the midcard, jobbing him out to the WCW guys who routinely got buried by Hogan. Since HBK was notorious back then for not putting over ppl this would have created HUGE friction within the Nash/Hogan/Bischoff power structure. Hogan had the mega million contract though so he likely wins in the end. Nash gets P@#$%, HBK probably leaves and returns to WWE.

Meanwhile, if HBK goes WCW circa 1996 Brett Hart never leaves WWE. Granted, Hart was never as entertaining as HBK and would have lost the top spot inevitably to Steve Austin all other things being equal, but instead of jobbing out to the NWO and being booked horribly at the end of his career Hart likely would have had a very nice run, an exceptional run if he could have learned to accept the fact that Austin had surpassed him.

Not sure what happens to HHH, maybe he leaves for WCW later on when his contract is up. Since he was not a main event star in 1996 if he went WCW around that time he almost certainly joins The Clique but ends up like X-Pac, great promos, great matches, few wins to show for it. He probably never reaches the heights his career is at now, all of which started by getting over with fans while associated with HBK in D-X.

I do think McMahon would have swung at least one major deal between 97-98 to steal one of the WCW guys and swingthe momentum back his way, probably Flair who he tried to get back both years but failed. Not sure if Sting would have left (however if Flair did leave Sting may have followed since they were tight and Sting was constantly second banana to anyone NWO). Imagine, Stone Cold, The Hitman, The Rock, Mick Foley, Sting, and Flair - that lineup would have ruled while WCW imploded in much the same fashion it did in real life, under the weight of Hogan's poor judgement and excessive power.

HBK to WCW would not have benefited him, not have won the war for WCW, and McMahon would still be standing tall today.