The Conspiracy

[spinningtorturerack]

I was browsing through wikipedia, trying to work out why Big Show wasn't on "WWF No Mercy" the N64 game when I came across this:

At Judgment Day, Shane defeated Wight in a Falls Count Anywhere match following interference from Big Boss Man, Bull Buchanan, Test, and Albert. Wight returned two months later, apparently intending to gain revenge on Shane. Instead, he became a villain again and attacked The Undertaker thus siding with Shane once more, forming a short-lived stable known as "The Conspiracy" with Shane, Chris Benoit, Kurt Angle, and Edge and Christian.

Now obviously this is Wikipedia, so I don't really know how true it is. But all of these people, apart from Shane and Christian (so far), have held the world title at least once. I'm also sure that E&C were tag champs at the time.

So would it have been a successful group? And if so, what kind of impact could this stable have had?

Keep in mind this was in the Summer of 2000, so bear in mind what kind of things were going on at this time, storyline wise.

 

[DaNewGuy]

I'm going on memory here, so bare with me.

Benoit and Shane had an association of some sort when Benoit had a World Title match with the Rock at Fully Loaded that year. Angle, Edge and Christian were together, and were joined by Rhyno, though that may have been after this stable. Big Show was linked with Shane going into Wrestlmania. I don't remember much of what the Big Show was involved in between the Giant Killer angle with shane and wresting for the Hardcore Title at Wrestlmania the next year.

That said, to answer the question, I don't see why this couldn't have been a successful group. Benoit or Angle would likely have been the star of the group - most likely Angle given that he went on to become World Champion later that year, whilst Benoit had to wait another four years before acheiving that. Shane was really over at the time, coming off the Corporation/Corporate Ministry angle, as well as the 'Mcmahon in every corner' WM main event. A heel, non-wrestler authority figure type seems to have been a prerequisite for heel stables at that time (Corporation/Corporate Ministry, McMahon-Helmsley Regime etc.). There's a tag team in E&C, and Big Show could play the enforcer.

However, given what we know was to come, Austin-Rock at the next year's WM with Angle relegated to the midcard until the Invasion angle kicked in, it seems unlike it would have been long term. E&C's fued with Undertaker and Kane, and the Hardyz and Dudleyz could still have happened, Big Show's featuring in the Hardcore Division wouldn't have been affected particularly. It could maybe have affected Benoit's angle with Jericho and the Two Man Power Trip, but that's looking a long way into the future.

 

[Swarles Barkley]

I pride myself on my good memory, but I have no recollection of this group. I remember when Show came back in the summer of 2000 and chokeslammed Taker, but I don't recall a group ever being formed. I also remember Show was gone not too long after that episode of Raw.

This potential group just seems to be a hodgepodge of guys, akin to the Union in 1999. I don't think much would have come from it, nor do I think it would have mattered in the long run. I don't think much would have changed. Angle still would have been in the title hunt, E&C still would have been a tag team, and Benoit still would have been a midcarder. I don't think this group would have had much impact.

And the Rhyno stuff was about 6-8 months after. ECW was still around in the summer of 2000.