Could the Four Horsemen have worked in the WWF/E?

[It's...Baylariat!]

This is a interesting thought that came across my mind. At one time, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Ric Flair, and Barry Windham were in the Federation in the late 80's/early 90's. What if they were in the WWF AT ONE TIME? Imagine that. They could form the Four Horsemen with Bobby Heenan. See, the Brainbusters (Arn and Tully) were managed by Bobby Heenan and were Tag Champions. Flair was managed by Heenan at first until the Brain wasn't able to work a full schedule anymore thanks to his neck, and Barry Windham was stuck with a 'Widowmaker' gimmick that was just God awful.

Would it have worked? On TV it would have. In real life? No. Vince wouldn't let them get the upper hand on Hulk Hogan, who was the biggest star during this era. Back then, Flair was it. Flair was the champion and the Horsemen would work to keep it on him. Whereas, in the Federation, the Horsemen would be working to get the belt off of Hogan. It could have been pretty good. Flair, Anderson, Blanchard, and Windham as the Four Horsemen in the WWF could have made for some great TV and some great feuds. Have Arn and Tully as Tag Champions, Windham as the Intercontinental Champ, and have Flair go after Savage/Hogan for the WWF Championship.

So, any thoughts on this? Could it have worked? Would it have been popular with the WWF fan base? Would Flair have ever been able to be champion if this happened?

 

[NSL]

I'm going to go with no. The WWE and the NWA/WCW were a very different animal, and played right into the hands of the Four Horsemen. The company went as they went.

The Four Horsemen, behind all of the promos and segments, were about wrestling. Every single member (except Roma) was a technical wrestler that could work with anyone, at any time, and make them look bad., They routinely beat people in their own games.

In the WWE, it would have been all promos and segments, and a few over-written matches. It would have lasted a while, but not as long, and not to the standard we hold it to today.

 

[Toroc102]

Yeah, I don't think anything involving Flair/Hogan feuding with each other would have ever worked, mostly because of Hogan. Like, nothing ever works with Hogan unless he's willing to do the job at some point and the 4 Horsemen would need to get wins in order to be credible.

Mostly the same reason they didn't work when Hogan was in WcW. Whenever he was around he always overshadowed the Horsemen, whether it was as a face or the heel leader of a bigger better faction in the nWo. Its probably the way it should've been though imo, atleast with the nWo, they completely overwhelmed the Hosemen in popularity.

Also, the Horsemen never quite worked as well after the early 80's because they had all aged and were mostly product of the 80's. Out of all of them I doubt any could get over except for Flair in todays day and age, or in the early to mid 90's. They really didn't look like they should be competing with the WWF stars of that time either. However I do think a new Horsemen still revolving around Flair could've worked in the WWF. You know, put Rick Rude in their, Mr. Perfect and I dunno, maybe Michael Wallstreet and you have a refreshed stable.

 

[WHATWHATWHAT]

4 men taking over a promotion would not have worked in the WWE. The stables that existed in the WWE were 5 members and up. Plus lets call a spade a spade name one of the 4 horsemen who could have had a real chance in the ring with the like of HBK,Undertaker, and some of the other guys in the WWE. Not to take away from the impact the horsemen had on wrestling, but aside from the Horsemen and Sting and later on the NWO WCW really didnt have anything behind the machine except Ted Turners vault. If they were in WWE the horsemen would have lasted just long enough to watch them become a jobber like Barry Horowitz and the Brooklyn Brawler.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

4 men taking over a promotion would not have worked in the WWE. The stables that existed in the WWE were 5 members and up. Plus lets call a spade a spade name one of the 4 horsemen who could have had a real chance in the ring with the like of HBK,Undertaker, and some of the other guys in the WWE. Not to take away from the impact the horsemen had on wrestling, but aside from the Horsemen and Sting and later on the NWO WCW really didnt have anything behind the machine except Ted Turners vault. If they were in WWE the horsemen would have lasted just long enough to watch them become a jobber like Barry Horowitz and the Brooklyn Brawler.

Are you serious? Did you just compare the FOUR HORSEMEN to Barry Horowitz and Brooklyn Brawler? And it's not the Four Horsemen exactly 'taking over'. It would be using the Four Horsemen in the main event with the likes of Hogan and Savage, which would have been feasible. And Flair, Anderson, Blanchard, AND Windham could hang with HBK and the Undertaker back in the Horsemen's hey day. I'm not saying would it work TODAY. Of course not. Those guys are way past their primes. I'm saying back in the early 90's when they were still in peak condition with Hogan and Savage. Nothing about using the Horsemen of today and if you're going to argue that point, EVERY Horsemen could have been in the same league as HBK and Undertaker.

And the Horsemen had enough pride not to become jobbers. They would have left before that happened. But the fact that you said the Horsemen would have ended up jobbers is dumbfounding.

 

[dansaint]

I don't think it would have happened. Stables were never a big thing in the WWF/WWE. Yeah, you had the Nation...DX, Corporation, and others...but only the Corporation were ever part of the main event picture as a group.

Plus remember...Vince had the Freebirds in 84 and wanted to split them up which lead to them leaving the WWE and heading south.

 

[Mr_billy]

No. WWF, which it was called at the time was full of over the top cartoon characters, while the NWA/WCW seemed more to be more about wrestling, hence it was called Wrastlin'. The Horsemen were always Elitists but they were still People, no Hulks, Giants, Undead, Natural Disasters, and so on. I'm surprised the Hart Foundation lasted in the WWF as long as they did. I was secretly hoping that Beniot and Flair would have done something with a Horseman, but it never happened.

 

[Super Crazy]

I think the Horsemen could have worked in the WWF against the likes of people such as Hogan and Savage. It actually gave me an idea. Let's say the Four Horsemen were in the WWF around the time of Hogan and Savage. Imagine this, the Horsemen are going after Hogan, while they are dominating other divisions, Flair is still championship-less. Eventually Hogan, whose tired of the constant gang attacks, recruits Savage and the Ultimate Warrior, and forms his own stable to take them on. It wouuld be like a larger version of the Mega Powers. You could have them face off in Survivor Series-esque matches, and have them facing off in all sorts of variations.

So my answer is yes, the Horsemen could have worked in the WWF, it would have just been done differently. It would have been more focused on guys who are more about talent and ability against the world of over the top gimmicks and things of that sort. Just imagine if this had happened, how different things may be today.

 

[Tenta]

In a Word.... No. No, they would not have. And though there's plenty of reasons why, I'll try to boil them down to just a few.

1. They were far too adult themed.

They really were, when you consider it. I doubt you could have Flair using all of the insinuations he'd use in the NWA, nor could he go on constantly about his sexual exploits. As a matter of fact, the only time I heard Flair use sexual innuendo was when he was aluuding to sleeping with Miss Elizabeth. Also, they were far too violent for the tastes of the WWE. I don't think the WWE would have allowed the Horsemen to leave Hulk Hogan bloody in the parking lot, or break Randy Savage's leg on screen. They were just more violent than your typical fold, in any promotion not named ECW. They were a renegade bunch, and quite frankly, that would not have fit in the WWE until far later.

2. They weren't colorful enough

Say what you will about Flair, but all of the other Horsemen just didn't have that same type of personality. Ole and Arn were stern motherfuckers, and Tully or Barry just didn't strike me as that kind of womanizing type that Flair was. They weren't carcatured people, which the WWE had craved at this point. Instead, they were just wrestlers, and that was the backbone of their stable. They didn't need lavish gimmicks, which just about everyone in the WWE needed at this point.

3. They Wouldn't Make Good Fodder To Hulk Hogan

Stop me if you ever heard this match:

Monster comes out to challenge champion. Champion looks weak for a little while, and is pounded on by the monster. Monster finally asserts dominance, before champion rises from the ashes, to overcome his great challenge. Posing ensues.

Sound familiar? It should, because that's a typical Hulk Hogan match in the 80s. And while it works against Kamala and the one Man Gang, it doesn't work for the Horsemen. Their greatest gift was the ability to sell the shit out of a move, and to make the match look realistic. And when you have two sellers like Hogan and a Horseman, typically you don't have good matches. The combination just wouldn't have meshed. Plain and simple.

4. They would have been overlooked

Again, unless you were a gargantuan, or looked good, you didn't get a second glance from Vince. And aside from Flair, none of the Horsemen really stood out in the looks department. None of them really separated themselves from the crowd, which while it works in the NWA, surely would have bombed in the WWE.

Anyway, while in theory this is a dream, it'd actually be a bookers nightmare. So I enthusiastically say no.

 

[WHATWHATWHAT]

I never once compared them I said that they will be good enough to then job them. If you looked at how WCW talent was treated for the most part they ended up as jobbers. I do respect that the horsemen were perhaps the best stable assembled. But I am simply stating that they would not be the bid deal they were in the WCW in the WWE.

 

[salopstick]

the brain busters were never really over in the wwf and they were doing nothing with the widowmaker charachter also at that time tully had been fired for drugs before flair arrived.

vince never percieved the nwa as a threat and as such would never have stolen one of their gimmicks

also when the wwf had stables in those days, outside of survivor series the members of those stables never interfered with other members of their stables

for the horsemen to work in wwf it would have meant a complete change of direction for vince and one he would not have taken

 

[FiveTymeWCWChamp]

The fans would have made the Horsemen work. The Horsemen were a heel stable that got cheered because they were so cool. The gimmick was were were the best. Acted and partied like stars. That is what the WWF/e was about...Stars. I think I could have worked, but Vinny Mac would have fucked it up.

 

[Dre Guevara]

I don't think the Horsemen would've worked in the WWF, just like the homie Tenta said, the Horsemen were about jumping their rivals in parking lots & leaving them beaten down & during that time, I don't think Vince would've been keen on his champion getting jumped on like that, the 4 Horsemen were perfect exactly where they were....in the NWA/WCW

 

[Spillz3000]

I agree I believe the fans would have totally made the Horsemen work! It would have been revolutionary in a way. Cause the Horsemen didn't care they would fight faces and heels which would be an interesting dynamic in WWE at the time. Facing the likes of Hogan, Beefcake, Savage, and Warrior would have made for great fueds in WWE. Also if were talking around the late 80's/early 90's things were changing even in that period. It would have worked at least for a short period till Vince decided to throw it away. But my overall opinion would have been that it would work. I'm going to take it from Survivor Series and move on.

Survivor Series(insert date here)
IV Horsemen
Manager: Bobby "The Brain" Hennan
World Champion: Ric Flair
Intercontinental Champion: Barry Windham
World Tag Team Champions: The Brain Busters

Vs.

The Mega Powers
Manager: Miss Elizabeth
Hulk Hogan
Ultimate Warrior
"Macho Man" Randy Savage
Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake

That match in itself would be huge for that time period and I think would have generated massive buyrates! It would keep people at the time interested because it would truly look like WCW/NWA Vs. WWE and at a time with no internet to ruin anything this would have been huge. I would say have The Horsemen win that Survivor Series Match(in the cheating ways that they do) to further build the tension between the two factions and also have the fans chomping at the bit to want to see The Horsemen lose their gold.

Both teams would continue fueding for a while leading to Wrestlemania(where at that time the Heroes usually rised above to slay the preverbial Dragon at the time). During the Royal Rumble lets say the Main Event was Warrior Vs. Flair. Warrior dominates most of the match till Flair slips out the ring and when Warrior chases Flair around the ring out of nowhere comes Barry Windham who knocks Warrior out with the IC title while the ref looks at Flair who slides into the ring. Windham then proceeds to roll Warrior into the ring and Flair pins him.

Later on in the Royal Rumble you'll have the remaining members of the Mega Powers and the IV Horsemen(mostly to make sure Flair is still champ) involved. In the middle of the rumble when they're a good amount of people in including the six remaining men from each stable Warrior will haul ass down to the ring and start knocking everybody down to get his hands on Windham. Eventually Warrior costs Windham the Rumble as they continue fighting all over the arena. Eventually we get down to the final six which might be something like
Hulk Hogan
Brutus Beefcake
Randy Savage
Arn Anderson
Tully Blanchard
and for shits and giggles lets say either Dino Bravo, Ravishing Rick Rude, or Mr. Perfect.

While the last six battle it out you'll have The Brainbusters locked in the ropes with Beefcake and Savage and from behind Mr. Perfect eliminates all four of them as they continue to battle on the floor. Then Hogan who "took a beating earlier" Hulks up and takes out Perfect becoming the Royal Rumble winner and setting his sights on Flair's gold for Wrestlemania.

The three big matches announced for Wrestlemania goes as follows:
Hulk Hogan Vs. Ric Flair for the WWE Championship in a steel cage
The Ultimate Warrior Vs. Barry Windham for the Intercontinental Championship
Savage and Beefcake Vs. The Brainbusters for the World Tag Team Titles

I can see the road to Wrestlemania being very interesting for all parties involved with each getting the leg up on each other with a lot of variations of tag and singles matches between all parties leading up to Wrestlemania. Basically at when Wrestlemania is all said and done you'll have every single Mega Power member sporting gold and at the end of Hogan's match they'll all pose in the ring with their gold and Miss Elizabeth closing out a great wrestlemania sending the fans of that time period home very happy.

The possible storylines and rematch options could be very well written and the eventual break ups of each stable can play out well.

Sorry for the long posts but my creative juices were flowing like a mad man which in turn I truly believe the IV Horsemen could have very well worked in WWE.

 

[klunderbunker]

I'm not sure. The Horsemen were never billed as over the top characters. They were billed as the elite of the elite and that's what they were. When your worst wwrestler is arguably Barry Windham or Arn Anderson, you have one hell of a team. The problem was they were too basic. Now I'll pause for people to gasp and take that out of context. What I mean is that the audiences were far too different. Crockett's audience supported the old school basic stories that were more athletic based and ended in 25 minute matches. Vince's audience was interested in Hogan doing the same match over and over again but always winning and leaving with the belt. With the Horsemen being held down by Vince's more over the top style, I don't think it would work as the fans wouldn't be able to accept an athletic based style that often.