Risk / Reward

[IrishCanadian25]

If there is one thing professional wrestling has taught us, its history is replete with massive risks, huge disappointing busts, and massive bank-breaking rewards. This thread is to look back at some of professional wrestling's biggest risks that resulted in the biggest windfalls of success for wrestling companies?

WCW Turns Hulk Hogan Heel. The branding was already there for them. Terry Bollea owned the rights to the Hulk Hogan name, and the legend was already in place. By making Hogan "The 3rd Man" in the Outsiders plot to invade WCW and turn him into the biggest heel in wrestling history, they took a massiv risk.

First of all, they risked turning away fans with a slap in the face. Children cried when Hogan lost to The Undertaker. Children cried when Hogan lost to Yokozuna. By having Hogan turn his back on those same kids, they risked losing that market altogether.

In addition, WCW risked losing MILLIONS in merchandise sales. The yellow and red was a hallmark from house shows to WalMart. But WCW put that on the line.

And nearly put WWF out of business. And sold MILLIONS in nWo shirts.

WWF Makes Bret Hart Champion. Hogan was always a safe bet, but he was gone. Warrior was a less-safe bet, but he was gone. Ric Flair was a safe bet, but he was going back to WCW following his tag team match at Survivor Series. Razor Ramon would get a shot, but wasn't a stable enough choice to put the belt on. Instead of sticking the belt on Savage or The Undertaker, WWF took a risk.

Bret was only months removed from dropping the Intercontinental Title to The British Bulldog, who was about to lose that belt to the upstart Shawn Michaels. With Flair on his way out, WWF made the call to slap the WWF Title on the waist of Bret Hart with an untelevised submission victory over Flair in Saskatoon, Canada. Hart had been with WWF since 1984, and showed the poise and athletic ability to be a "fighting champion." But it was a HUGE risk.

And Hart went on to be WWF's top guy, off and on, through 1997.

 

[Monkey_Mania]

I got one. That also includes Hulk Hogan.

He was still relatively new when he came back to the WWF. He started catching on like fire with the fans. The risk was to put the belt on him. It was well worth the reward. He made MILLIONS, as did the WWF. He created Hulkamania which is still being felt to this day. A big risk that delivered enormous results and the rest is history.

 

[Handsome Dribble]

Batista and Randy Orton in Evolution.
two of the biggest names in wrestling (HHH and Flair) teaming up with two relative unknowns?!? sounds insane but both Batista and Orton are now HUGE because of it, and both are multi-time world champions. its a shame they didnt do HHH vs Orton for the title at Wrestlemania culminating the breakdown of evolution though.