If Triple would have won the 1996 King Of The Ring?

[theBusiness]

How much would that have changed WWE's future? Because thanks to HHH getting punished for the MSG incident, Stone Cold got the push which lead him into the main event scene. So, if HHH got the push as originally intended, Stone Cold would have had to wait longer. And thanks to the push that he DID receive at that specific time, many can say that was one of the deciding factors in the Monday Night Wars. In other words, would we have had to wait longer for the "Attitude" era to come, or would it have came at all? Would Stone Cold have ever gotten the push and if he still would have, would he have been as big as he ended up being?

 

[D-Man]

I think this is a GREAT thread starter. Kudos, theBusiness.

Without Austin taking part in the KOTR the way that he did, I think everything would have changed. If Austin never coined his famous phrase, "Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass," his push may have come later, but it wouldn't have been as effective. It's just amazing how one simple catch phrase can change the way people view wrestling or specific characters.

I'll go as far as saying that without SC winning KOTR that year the WWE might not have gained the momentum it needed to win the Monday Night Wars. And even if they were always meant to win, without SC's KOTR speech, it would have taken longer. That one line changed wrestling fans everywhere.

And I'm not even that big of a Stone Cold fan, but I call it like I see it.

 

[psychedelicgranny]

Yes good thread. I've wondered this myself. Austin probably wouldn't have won the royal rumble in 97. Also HHH probably would have been the one to feud with Bret and Hunter at that point just wasn't ready. I also figured the feud would have led to HBK vs Bret anyway but with either HHH or Shawn turning face to feud against each other after Bret was out of the picture.

Basically it wouldn't be as successful as what actually happened. Thank god for the MSG incident.

 

[blkbrucewillis]

I was at that KOTR and a local indy wrestler was working backstage that night and told me and a couple friends later that the king's robe and crown was actually taylored for Vader's and that's why Austin didn't put it on. But if Trips was actually supposed to win that KOTR I personally don't think he was ready for main event spotlight back then and I think Austin still would have become a star but might have just took longer.

 

[RATED R CHAMPION]

Uhmfff, Though Question, Men If Austin Never Won The Kotr '96, Maybe We Will Have Been Watching Wcw This Days....... And Maybe Wwe Would Have Been Beaten By Wcw In The Monday Night Wars, Ahhmmm, If Triple H Would Have Won, Maybe He Will Have Been A Good Star Still But Not As Great As Stone Cold, Simply Austin Would Have Waited More To Receive His Main Event Push But That "more Time Waiting" Could Have Cost The Wwe The Monday Night Wars.........

 

[rowdy ruben]

the attitude era probly would of happen in 2000. i think austin would have not broken his neck in 97 which means he would still b wrestling today. wcw would have won the monday nite wars nd will would probly never had the monteral screw job. thing would have been way diffrent

 

[bulldog76]

I dont think Triple H is where he is today if he wins in 96. He was able to take that incedent and the fact that he faced the consequences alone, and use it to his advantage. JR trying to reason that that was 4 years ago and Triple H replying (paraphrase) "Your damn right it was 4 years ago. And it eats a f%cking hole in my stomach. You talk about being a student of the game? I am the f&cking game." We probably wouldn't have The Game. We don't have Triple H's title chase in 99. We don't get the McMahon/Helmsley era. We dont get the Street Fight with Cactus Jack (one of the best segments ever to me was Mankind metamorphing into Cactus). We don't get anything from Stone Cold; especailly Austin 3:16. Heck, we probably do not get DX. Plus, it might have made Triple H mature so he wasn't losing out on opportunities like that again. It's amazing how we can find diamonds in the rough.

 

[healyz84]

The way I look at it is, if HHH would have won the '96 KOTR, I really don't think it would have changed much. My understanding is if a guy is going to be great he is going to be great. Austin would have found some way to get his badass persona out there and the attitude era would be on. It was only a matter of time in my opinion. Would this have had an effect on WCW. Nope, and the simple reason for that is because WCW killed WCW, you can say what you want about the attitude era of WWE and how it shifted the ratings onto the WWE side, but the fact of the matter is that WCW paid way too much money for wrestlers who were past their prime (ie Hogan, Hart, Luger and so on). They had one really good idea and just kept trying to jam it down people's throats instead of coming up with anything new, and internally they were a mess. Austin's ascent into his HOF career would have been delayed a bit, but I think there would have been a not too distant opportunity. If he was the next after HHH, I think that shows how close he was already. Maybe it would have been different for HHH. If he would have won the KOTR that year, maybe his ascent would have been different. Maybe there would not have been a DX, as HHH would have gotten the KOTR brush sooner.