The "Changer" Match

[asanders93]

I want you to think of a match , any match you think has any meaning to the way pro wrestling has change. Once youve done that, reverse the outcome and describe how things would be currently.
Mine would be, just outta the flip'n blue, Jarret vs cyna for the Int. title. womens wrestling, in my eyes, is a nothing devion. a lot of pll think thats worng, but think, when was the last time you were excited about a divas match. ive seen old matchs of cyna when battleing with that belt. it gave it a shine that alot of pll say it hurt the title and the womens divion. it strengens both of things, plus it puts over cyna like a husben-beater haha. so for it not to happen would have kept the Qusten of a women wrestling a men.
for conversation sake, please dont bring that match up if u have a problem with it, as it would turn into a big parrty of feminest haha.

plus- no rock vs stone cold matches. idk y thats the frist match that pops in my head that i no everyones going to say, but it makes this topic more fun. the less ovious the better! ha

 

[TheGreatSPAMbino]

lmao first thing that popped into my head was the survivor series 2001 winner take all match between the Alliance and the WWF. The reverse outcome of the match is the alliance victorious. Imagine that, we'd be getting like ECW RAW and WCW Smackdown or something. Shane and Steaphanie would be the GMs or Commisioners and the wrestling industry would be complteely ridiculous and all fucked up.

 

[RazorsEdge666]

Cena vs Michaels WM 23. ratings kept goin down after that cuz cena had no competition and honastly, even his little 8 year old fans were getting sick of it. i mean c'mon? they hyped lashley like he was the next goldberg. and lashley talked like a little boy on the mic, and botches almost as bad as batista. everyone wanted ortan to win, and honestly probably would of been a great feud, but cena got injured and fucked it all up. soooo, i say if HBK would of won 3 things would of been better. 1. a new rebirth of HBK, he hasnt had a major title in years, at least have him lose it the next night, make huge ratings or something. 2. The little 8 year olds would of had nightmares. 3. I would of drove home a satisfied man... sooo, all in all i could probably think of a million circumstances in which cena has ruined my life, but thats just the one that popped into my head...

 

[Jesse Logan]

The match that pops up in my mind is Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair at last year's Wrestlemania. Imagine if Flair pulled the upset and actually won the match. Who would have eventually been chosen to finish Flair's career?

 

[CantTakeTheTaker213]

What if the Undertaker would have lost to Kane a few years back when he made his return? Wouldn't that be something? Kane takes hold of the WWE and actually is successful. Has the title reign he deserves. I would not like this idea, but what if? Maybe people would have some respect for him, and not think of him as the The Big Red ****** that jobs for Rey Rey.

I like the idea of Flair beating Michaels. i personally do not care for Michaels at all. If he takes the undertakers streak (which he is not going to do) i will be disgusted. I would think that if anyone else were to retire Flair, it would have to be the Undertaker. I think it would build up more hype that last years match too. Or maybe Trips with their history in Evolution. Anyone got anyone else that could have retired Flair??

 

[gateway425]

What if scott hall and kevin nash had resigned with wwe back in 96 and the nwo would have never formed? would wcw lasted longer or died sooner? I know its not a match but just think about it for a second...

 

[tman2019]

Take it back to Survivor Series 1997. Instead of THe screwjob happening, (which I do understand why Vince did what he did as much as I love Bret Hart as a wrestler) Bret Hart wins by DQ or whatever. After that there is there a tournament for the title? Do they just have HBK vs. Undertaker? Who knows. Then if Bret left on good terms from WWE whos to say he wouldn't have been back in a few years once WWE started winning in the ratings again. Bret Hart feuding again with Austin. And who knows Bret Hart isn't forced into early retirement and he is still loosley associated with WWE. Maybe the whole Benoit tragedy is averted because Bret Hart was a friend of Benoit and for some reason he doesn't do what he did. Maybe the Hart foundation is formed again and Owen doesn't go back to the Blue Blazer and die before his time. Plus I haven't even gone into the career Bret Hart could have finished up with. Definitely more title runs and maybe even a rejuvenated feud with Flair leading up to Flair's retirement last year.

 

[muxiroger]

I'm going back to King of the Ring 1998 in a Hell in a Cell match between Undertaker and Mankind. What if Mankind won that match. I believe we would have maybe only five of these matches in history instead of 16. No one would remember the two falls Foley took that night, and people would look at the cell as just a cage match on steroids.

It would have tarnished taker's career a little too. He loses his own match the first two times he enters the cell. His next match against the Big Boss Man at XV would have possibly cost him his streak as well. Its a lot to think about.

 

[The C. Hicks]

I would probably say Diesel vs. HBK from In Your House: Good Friends Better Enemies and Mankind vs. HBK from Mind Games were “changer matches” because they ushered in those types of matches that were rarely seen on WWF television. While they weren’t necessarily huge or classic encounters, they did make a statement at that point. Honestly, not much would’ve changed had these matches not took place. HBK probably would’ve had a worse first title run had these matches not took place.

Sting, Macho Man, and Lex Luger vs. Nash, Hall, and “the third guy.”
Bash At The Beach 1996
If this didn’t happen, there would be no Monday Night Wars…point blank.

Bret vs. Austin from Wrestlemania 13 (Submission Match)
Stone Cold probably would’ve gotten popular anyway, but not as much. Bret would’ve eventually turned heel cause he was turning stale. Possibly, the Hart Foundation wouldn’t have reunited. Montreal may not have happened.

HBK vs. Bret Hart from Survivor Series 1997…another obvious choice.
Bret probably would’ve eventually left the WWF, but on better terms. He would likely return after a lackluster run in WCW.

Vince McMahon vs. Steve Austin from Raw. Vince’s very first advertised match…Nitro viewers switched to Raw immediately. Granted the match officially didn’t happen due to interference by Dude Love, but if this didn’t occur, Nitro would’ve continued on their streak of defeating Raw in the ratings.


The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels: Badd Blood (Hell In A Cell)
This match debuted the Hell In A Cell. Imagine if this didn’t happen. Kane wouldn’t have made such a devastating debut. Think about it…the next year, The Undertaker wouldn’t have thrown Mankind off the Cell…years later, Tim White would still be refereeing.

Triple H and Stone Cold vs. Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit
If this happened differently, Triple H wouldn’t have torn his quad and he would’ve been around for the whole Alliance angle.

I got more, but I'm at work right now...lol.

 

[MikeKillam]

I was having trouble thinking of a good "changer" match, when it just...hit me.
What if John Cena LOST to JBL at Wrestlemania? The momentum behind that was incredible, and if Cena had lost, would he have ever been pushed to the extent that he is now?
JBL's title reign goes on, Cena may have won the title at Backlash or something, but would it mean as much? John Cena was arguably the biggest face at that Wrestlemania, and everyone wanted him to win.

John Cena not winning at Wrestlemania may have caused his momentum to dissapear, and with it, the future Superstar of the WWE. Would JBL still be the "wrestling god?" Would Cena be "the Champ?" Wresling might be completely different if Cena had never gotten that push.

 

[Queers and Steers]

The Rock vs Brock Lesnar summerslam 2002- if brock would have never won the title he would have never gotten as big got to beat all the legends he destroyed just to walk out on the WWE

 

[BrewCrew]

Stone Cold vs Jake the Snake KOTR 1996.......Austin's off the cuff remark never happens, plus he gets jobbed by Roberts.....changes the next 10-12 years of the WWE.

 

[highdroGrizz]

What if The Rockers would have "really" won tag team gold and the ring not get destroyed. Would HBK have still broken out when he did?

 

[The Mark of Zur-En-Arrh]

What if you were to take Khali out of..... er..... ANY match ever featuring Khali? Then we'd have been spared watching Taker get humiliated repeatedly, as well as not having to watch any Punjabi Prison matches ever, Kane could have had a WHC run after Edge got hurt and we wouldn't have Kisscam segments with a 7 ft man kissing the ugliest girls the camera man could find!

There's literally like ONE thing that some may have wanted to see that we never would have and that was Kane body slamming him at WM 23 to echo what happened at WM 3. tbh, was it worth it all just for that? Really?

 

[JerryvonKramer]

What if the Iron Sheik had won his title defence against Hogan in 1984 (and made him humble)? Hulkamania would have been dead before it had even started (nationally) and we probably wouldn't even be having this conversation right now. There probably wouldn't even be a wrestlezone. Who knows.

I've read and heard plenty of interviews where people say that Vince was very very close to going under after the first Wrestlemania, it almost bankrupted him. If Hogan hadn't have been such a massive star then Vince would have gone bust: no WWF, no end to the territory system and the NWA, no Ted Turner and WCW, etc. etc.

As for a match which is the most significant historically and which has had the biggest legacy, it's got to be Iron Sheik vs. Hogan. I can't think of a single match that comes anywhere near that -- it's like the defeat of Old School Wrestling by Modern Era wrestling. Iron Sheik was your typical 70s Evil Foreigner, who'd just beat your typical hardworking 70s babyface (Bob Backland), and there was Hogan, rock and wrestling, superman gimmick -- that's the moment wrestling as we know it now was born. Just imagine how much Sheik going over in that match would have damaged Hogan's momentum. There it is: the ultimate "changer".