Chris Benoit's Death

[Adam Rush]

Remember when Benoit killed his kids and wife? Benoit was set to win the ECW title and feud with CM Punk and RAW was set to launch a game-changing storyline. Instead, Benoit died. RAW had a tribute to Benoit. Well,
the week before, Mr. McMahon "blew up" in a limo. Here's the video, sorry the commentary isn't in English:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEHO1zSYCSk&feature=related

Something you should notice: Paul London's smile.

Supposedly Paul London was supposed to be the reason the vehicle blew up. He was supposed to go against all the McMahon's and defeat Shane, then feud with Triple H, maybe even catapulting himself to the WWE title! Vince would eventually come back saying he exited the limo before he could be blown up and fire London. London would eventually be resigned to Smackdown or ECW.

Here's the actual site:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/80243-the-huge-paul-london-storyline-that-never-happened

Personally, I think London would still be in the WWE today. I think he'd be a grand slam champion. Kendrick would have been forced to go to singles competition sooner, unless he, too, was revealed to be part of the plan somehow. The Benoit-Punk feud would have been, hands-down, the only way to save ECW. I think that ECW would be alive today. I think Benoit would have retired this year, possibly being inducted into the WWE HoF next year.

So after seeing this evidence, what would have happened if Benoit hadn't died? Would London still be in the WWE or perhaps Impact Wrestling, maybe Ring of Honor? What would have happened to Brian Kendrick? Would the Benoit-Punk feud have been money? Would ECW still exist today? Would the
WWE be more or less popular? Would Benoit still be wrestling?

P.S. Sorry if this forum causes extreme controversy, I'm just curious.

 

[ヒュー　G.　レックション]

I was always told London was on his way out and smiled in the segment to mock management. As for what you say about being a grand slam champion I highly doubt that. As for Benoit I think he'd have probably retired now or a couple of years ago losing against Taker at Mania.

 

[johnny_hardcore]

well ryan i would say alittle early to be drinking,but if you up all night thinking of stuff like this is it really morning for you. Ecw was doomed once the last original walked away not too mention the whole tv ratings. extreme championship wrestling would not be around today. the wwe failed at it in a big way. london would be where christian is today he would have one top championship run and that would be the end of it. yes christian is a 2 time heavy weight champ but its all basically in 1 run/fued. the whole shane/mcmahon thing is too far fetched. london didn't have that "it" factor about him maybe he had a tna "it" factor or else it would have been scrapped at the last minute

 

[Low_Ki]

I guess we have two factors here:

1) We are not sure how credible the source of this piece is, and

2) Why Paul London?

If this is what they were going for, and that is a big if, I guess to a certain extent it has the same feel as the storyline from 2000, 'who ran down Stone Cold Steve Austin?'. At least with that storyline, they chose someone who was relatively over with the live crowd in Rikishi.

Unfortunately that backfired massively and ultimately led to his release from the company a short time later.

To get back on topic, and to answer your questions, if Benoit hadn't died, IF this was the creative plan, then I guess they would have executed it. London would have stepped forward, and in my honest opinion as a fan, I would have very little interest in seeing Paul London at the top of the mountain. That's just my opinion though. I thought he and Kendrick were an excellent team, and they did good things for the tag division, but I just couldn't buy into London as a main event player.

Would London still be in one of the top three companies? I guess that would be up to his employer, and him. And that question is wholly dependant on the success of the angle.

Brian Kendrick would have been treated no differently and would have ended up with his pink slip, the Benoit-Punk would have been excellent, maybe not quite money, but as far as pure wrestling goes, a top player.

ECW would not still exist, because no matter what, the resurrection of the company was not self sustainable and Benoit would without a doubt still be wrestling.

PS: No controversy created.

 

[dudedudedude]

Didnt Bryan Alverez(sp?) say this was full of a shit and it was just Paul London marking himself out?

 

[#heel420]

I was watching a Paul London shoot interview and London commented on the smile and said he had no clue what was going on.
Skip to about 1:20 he talks about it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMOQiPF2Eqg

 

[wooooo]

No, just no. Jesus no.

No.

London was just being a prick because everyone was told to act serious so he decided to be a "rebel" and have a stupid smile on his face.

 

[mrpops]

So after seeing this evidence, what would have happened if Benoit hadn't died? Would London still be in the WWE or perhaps Impact Wrestling, maybe Ring of Honor? What would have happened to Brian Kendrick? Would the Benoit-Punk feud have been money? Would ECW still exist today? Would the
WWE be more or less popular? Would Benoit still be wrestling?

P.S. Sorry if this forum causes extreme controversy, I'm just curious.

-London would still be gone.
-Brian would still be gone.
-Benoit/punk feud wouldnt have effected the ratings that much. Maybe a small boost but ECW2 was doomed to fail.
-No ECW was doomed to fail.
-WWE would be slightly more popular if benoit was still alive...again only a tiny ratings boost. Most people didnt even know who he was until he died.
-Benoit would still be wrestling. He wouldve wrestled until he ended up in a wheel chair or dead...

 

[vampirek]

Wait, London was suppose to be the guy behind it... laughable at best. London was not suppose to be smiling in the first place and pretty much confirmed his F.E. from the company.
If Benoit hadn't have died, he would still be in prison or locked up to deal with his mental difficulties (if they did ever pick up on this, had he lived). If the crimes he committed didn't take place, Benoit would have won the ECW title feuded with Punk. Punk would win the title at some point and ECW would still be doomed. Really the only thing that changed was Nitro filled in Benoit's place and was later renamed Morrison to try and push him quickly.

What would Benoit being doing now, considering his mental state either where he is now or seeking a lot of help.

 

[The Eighties]

I can't imagine WWE giving London a singles push let alone a main event singles push. He was a talented athlete who maybe could have been a mid card champion but lacked the focus and maturity.

 

[The Brain]

I was watching a Paul London shoot interview and London commented on the smile and said he had no clue what was going on.
Skip to about 1:20 he talks about it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMOQiPF2Eqg

Ok I guess that answers the question. I don't know if the OP was serious with this thread as the topic seems ridiculous. If London was supposed to receive a huge push why not just find another way to push him? Anyway, the question was answered from the man himself so thread closed.