The Biggest 'What If's' in WWE WrestleMania History
WWE history is brimming with "what if" scenarios, and WrestleMania is no different.
Over the 40 years that the company has produced the event, fans have often been left to ask "what if" regarding main events, marquee Superstars and match outcomes.
In preparation for WrestleMania 41 on April 19-20, let's relive some of the biggest "what ifs" in the show's history.
What If Andre the Giant Beat Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania III?
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Hulk Hogan loves to tell anyone who will listen that there was mystery surrounding the WrestleMania III main event and whether Andre the Giant was going to "do business" and put him over as expected.
History tells us that the did, succumbing to the bodyslam and big leg drop as Hogan won, retained his WWE Championship and posed to close out the show.
But what if he hadn't?
If Andre had defeated Hogan in the main event of one of the most historically significant events in WWE history, what might the company's trajectory have looked like?
For one, the build to WrestleMania IV is almost certainly centered on the gigantic rematch, with The Hulkster spending most of 1987 and early 1988 chasing the big man and another shot at the championship.
That would seem to affect "Macho Man" Randy Savage's push, which culminated in him winning the title at the fourth installment of the show and, by proxy, the Mega Powers storyline that dominated headlines in WWE for the better part of two years.
Does Savage ever get that push and does one of the greatest storylines in WWE history even happen if Andre is the champion and Hogan chases him for the next 12 months?
Probably not and most definitely not on the schedule that it did, which would ultimately cost the company a top-tier babyface at a time when Hogan was sniffing around Hollywood and other mainstream media ventures.
The only potential for Savage to continue his upward trajectory at that point would have been if Vince McMahon used him as a filler opponent between the Hogan matches.
Finally, what becomes of The Main Event, the major primetime special the company produced for NBC, which saw historic ratings for the Hogan-Andre rematch. If that is the plan for WrestleMania, surely the company doesn't book the match for free television just before it.
In hindsight, the ripple effect of Andre defeating Hogan at WrestleMania III, which was never a realistic option in anyone's mind other than the Hulkster's, is greater than it may seem on the surface.
What If Hulk Hogan vs. Ric Flair Happened at WrestleMania VIII?
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In 1992, Vince McMahon had at his disposal the two biggest professional wrestling stars in North America in Hogan and Ric Flair.
The two stars who led the wrestling boom of the 1980s were under one roof and the potential for a dream match no one ever thought they would see at WrestleMania was right there for him to promote for his biggest show of the year.
Instead, lackluster house show returns for early previews of the match, as well as The Hulkster's impending departure, changed McMahon's mind, leading to him booking Hogan vs. Sid Justice and Flair vs. Randy Savage in a double main event in Indianapolis.
Had he stuck to the originally planned main event, however, who knows what it could have meant for his promotion.
WWE was nowhere near as hot in 1992 as it was the year before, and 1991 was a far cry from the height of the company's popularity in 1980. Fans had turned out, tired of the same old, same old in which Hogan vanquished the big bad and moves onto the next.
Had McMahon sat aside the formulaic "Hogan vs. giant" creative and built the match against Flair as a first-time ever dream match featuring the two most significant competitors in professional wrestling history, he may have drummed up more interest amid dwindling star power elsewhere in the promotion.
Booking that main event on that stage may have also given Flair more confidence that he was valued as a top-tier competitor rather than leaving within the year to return to WCW, robbing fans of matches between him and the stars of the New Generation that McMahon would push heavily within the next 12 months.
Imagine what the Nature Boy could have done for competitors like Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Razor Ramon, and Diesel in high-profile matches and how valuable he may have been in getting Lex Luger over as a legitimate main event attraction.
There was potential for a stronger WWE product, both at WrestleMania VIII and beyond, had McMahon booked Flair and Hogan in the main event spot, as everyone expected would be the case the moment the former entered the company in the summer of 1991.
What If 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin Battled Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania X8 Instead?
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Hogan's matchup with The Rock amid his return to WWE in 2002 is one of the most iconic showdowns in WrestleMania history, and it's understandable if an entire generation of fans would not want that match touched, altered or otherwise rebooked.
With that said, McMahon had another opportunity to book a bout between two era-defining Superstars and let it slip through his fingers when he failed to book The Hulkster against "Stone Cold" Steve Austin at WrestleMania X8.
The man who led the Rock and Wrestling revolution squaring off with the leader of the Attitude Era was a contest that should have happened, resulting in monster pay-per-view buys and renewed interest in a product that had waned over the past two years.
More importantly, that match essentially ends any hope of the Hogan nostalgia tour we got in the wake of the event.
While there was mounting Rock fatigue, as evidenced in the match with The Hulkster in Toronto and later in the year during his feud with Brock Lesnar, fans never tired of Austin in the same way.
The Texas Rattlesnake was an antihero for some but a folk hero for others; a beer-swilling, middle finger-flipping, no-nonsense badass they loved seeing drop fools with the Stone Cold Stunner.
The same fans who cheered on Hogan over The Rock in the SkyDome would not have been as inclined to do so had the leader of the nWo battled Austin instead. It likely would have been more split, if not more in favor of Stone Cold, which likely would have changed how Vince McMahon and WWE Creative approached the fallout from the show.
Hogan likely does not get the massive red and yellow nostalgia tour, including beating Triple H for the Undisputed WWE Championship a month later, while the creatively frustrated Austin may have been more satisfied with his role in the company than he was battling Scott Hall in what was essentially an undercard spot on the biggest show of the year.
It may well have prevented him from walking out over his dissatisfaction with WWE Creative and spared fans from missing Stone Cold in what amounted to his last year as an active professional wrestler.
Sure, that means taking The Rock out of a marquee match at a time when he was preparing for a career in Hollywood, but booking him against Hall in a match between two guys with incredible natural charisma arguably would have been a better contest than what we got with Austin in that spot.
As for Hogan, he probably sticks around WWE but as a heel and in more attraction-based matches instead of as a full-time babyface at the top of the card, a spot he had no business being in at that point in his career.
What If Brock Lesnar Did Not Break The Streak?
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Brock Lesnar did the unthinkable in 2014, snapping The Undertaker's unbeaten streak at WrestleMania, becoming the "one in 21-1."
It was a monumental moment that left fans stunned and believing the referee had messed up his count because there was no way The Beast Incarnate was beating The Phenom. He did, it was intentional, and the graphics that went up around the arena proved as much.
But what if Lesnar had not accomplished that feat?
For one, it would not have hurt the former UFC heavyweight champion to lose to Undertaker. He was a made man, a legitimate badass and someone WWE could have gone right back to as a contender for the world title without needing to beat The Deadman.
He would have been just fine heading into SummerSlam, squashing John Cena, enhancing his aura and kicking off a run as WWE champion.
For Undertaker, retaining his unbeaten streak would have allowed him to remain one of the biggest draws at WrestleMania, his annual program with a top star being as important (if not more so) than the world title match.
It also would have allowed both The Deadman and WWE to use that momentous occasion on someone who could have better benefited from it.
Someone like Roman Reigns, who has a WrestleMania win over 'Taker, but beating an opponent on that stage for the second time instead of being recognized as the guy who broke the streak does not carry the same weight it would have.
What If We Got Undertaker vs. Sting in 2015?
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Perhaps the greatest missed opportunity in WWE came in 2015 when, fresh off of Sting joining the company for the first time and amid the desire for a long-awaited showdown with The Undertaker, The Icon was instead booked against Triple H while The Deadman squared off with Bray Wyatt.
WrestleMania 31 ended up being one of the most memorable in company history, thanks to Seth Rollins' unforgettable Money in the Bank cash-in in the closing moments, but it should have been the setting for the battle between the hearts and souls of WWE and WCW.
Had that match happened, the show would likely have generated more viewership on WWE Network, probably encouraged more traditional pay-per-view buys and served as the true nostalgia trip fans wanted instead of the half-assed walk through the Monday Night Wars (again) that we got, with D-Generation X and the NWO running in on behalf of The Game and The Stinger, respectively.
Was there any long-term value to the company in booking Sting vs. Undertaker? No, but it would have delivered a match that would have been a success simply on the staredown at the opening bell alone.
Instead, Sting's lone WrestleMania appearance was the most head-scratching loss to Triple H of all time.
