What if Hall and Nash had stayed with WWF?

[MisterRob]

We all know the history here: Hall and Nash chose to sign contracts with WCW for big money and jump ship from the WWF, and from theret they "invaded" WCW, formed the nWo, were huge stars during the Monday Nigh Wars and heled WCW almost kill off the WWF.

But what would have happened if they had stayed with the WWF?

Where would their careers have gone in the WWF? Would Scott Hall have ever been World Champion if he remained in the WWF? He was already high on the card and had all the tools to make that transition to a main event player.

Would WCW have gained the momentum they needed to create the environment that became te Monday Night Wars and give th WWF the run they did?

Would WCW still be alive today?

Would the nWo angle still have happened, albeit much differently? Eric Bischoff stole the idea from Japan, so its very likely he still could've had the idea and gone through with it in some fashion in WCW even if it didn't consist of the same names, or become the nWo we now know and remember.

Would Bret Hart have ever been forced to leave WWF? If not, its likely he would've remained in the WWF his entire career and never had it ended due to a Goldberg kick to the head. How would that have changed things?

There are so many things that would have been different if Hall and Nash had never left the WWF and jumped to the WCW. Discuss!

 

[justtxyank]

Nash would have defeated the Undertaker at Wrestlemania 12 and then had a more protracted feud with HBK that he would ultimately lose. He would have been a major player in the WWF going forward as he and Vince are very close.

As for Hall, no, he would never have been World Champion. Hall was already on the outs with the WWF before he signed with WCW due to substance abuse issues.

WCW would not have reached the heights it did and would have been the second rated show for the entire run of the Monday Night Wars with spurts of success here and there until the AOL merger. At that point WCW would have been killed off very quickly and all the internet fans of today would be pulling their hair out not knowing who to blame.

 

[asiatic7]

That would have been a major shift in the dynamic of the modern day product. There would have been no NWO, DX. WWF would have never felt the need to get an "Attitude". WcW would have never killed WWF in ratings and wrestling period would have never experienced the boom it did in the late 90's. there would have been no Rock or Stone Cold....

Man...start a thread about how thankful we are that Hall and Nash DID go to WcW.

 

[OYDK]

Weird but I find myself thinking about this a lot... The landscape of wrestling would have been DRASTICALLY altered had Nash and Hall decided to stay in the WWF. First of all Nash was already a main event player and Hall was RIGHT there, they both would have been probably multiple time WWF Champions.

WCW probably would have gone ahead with the NWO angle and replaced Hall and Nash with whoever, and WCW probably still would have pulled ahead of WWF but for a much shorter time span. WCW would still be down the tubes because it was a piss-poor run company by people who didn't know the first thing about wrestling, hell it probably would have been gone a few years ealier.

I don't even want to get into the implications it could have had on other things such as the Montreal Screwjob and the Streak because I would be here forever. All in all I'm glad the way things turned out... Hall and Nash were a couple of the biggest douchebags around and I'm glad they killed WCW before they were able to kill the WWF.

 

[bioshock]

Not only Hall and Nash but what about Bret. But anyway on topic, I liked what WWF was doing with Diesel, we was a pretty boring face, but as a heel he was great, I would of liked to see his feud played out with HBK for a few months, rather then I think the one match they had at IYH before he left.

I would imagine had they stuck around when DX was made up it would of included Diesel and Razor along with Triple H, and who knows maybe they stick around create DX and go over the top with it like WCW did with NWO, and lead to the downfall of WWF. It would of been fun to see. I know Razor was due some title matches with HBK, not saying he ever actually wins the belt, but I think once he gets to the point of being in the title matches again, and by then he would of most likely turned heel to feud with HBK.

 

[legendkiller1979]

Two of wrestlings worst moments would not have taken place had Hall and Nash not signed with the WCW. The Montreal screw job doesn't take place because Vince probably isn't getting his ass kicked by WCW. Furthermore, Vince doesn't feel the need to humiliate Owen Hart. Vince doesn't make him go up into the rafters in Kansas City and Owen is still alive today

 

[justtxyank]

The Montreal Screwjob didn't happen because WCW was kicking Vince's butt.

Contrary to popular opinion, the WWF financial problems were not a result of WCW's success. WWF had been having financial problems since the early 1990s when the business took a downturn. Those problems got significantly worse when the WWF was rocked by scandals including sexual charges against Vince, the harassment charges against Pat Patterson, the major steroid crisis, etc. They were made worse by Vince's failed WBF attempt.

The Montreal Screwjob happened because Vince decided that the way to fix the WWF's money issues was to take his company public. In order to do that he had to clean up the books and that means clearing out Bret's contract.

 

[closet_fan]

If Nash and Hall hadn't have left, the MSG incident never would have happened. Therefore HHH would have been pushed like he was supposed to be instead of taking the punishment the year Austin won King of the Ring.

Austin wouldn't have given his 3:16 speech and likely wouldn't have been the Stone Cold we knew. Not to mention the politics that would have continued backstage. I don't even know if the Rock or Mick would have been pushed like they did. I think Hart still would have left since he was tired of the Kliq anyway.

As for the NWO, that storyline hinged on Hall and Nash. No one else at the time would have been good enough to make it worthwhile.

So many, too many other possibilities. But the one thing I do know is that Austin would have been kept down big time if those two stuck around.

 

[ProWrestlingFan]

Where would their careers have gone in the WWF? Would Scott Hall have ever been World Champion if he remained in the WWF?

Both Hall and Nash were not making much difference in the WWF.
Scott Hall would have remained at the IC title level. Maybe, a transitional world champ.

Would WCW have gained the momentum they needed to create the environment that became te Monday Night Wars and give th WWF the run they did?

Since its inception in 1995, Nitro had already beaten RAW for 17-18 weeks and this was before the NWO. The NWO angle just made them gain even more momentum, making WCW the#1 wrestling company for the next 2 years.

Would the nWo angle still have happened, albeit much differently?

During an interview recently Scott Hall said that Sting was the backup plan to join the nWo if Hogan hadn't so it was happening without Hogan, but without Nash/Hall?....maybe.

Would Bret Hart have ever been forced to leave WWF? If not, its likely he would've remained in the WWF his entire career and never had it ended due to a Goldberg kick to the head. How would that have changed things?

With Kliq running things backstage, Hart would have left WWF sooner or later.


The NWO angle started the wrestling boom of the 90s.
So in conclusion,
No Hall/Nash joining WCW = No NWO = No wrestling boom of the 90s = No Attitude Era/Rock/Austin.

 

[obamartins]

Would the nWo angle still have happened, albeit much differently? Eric Bischoff stole the idea from Japan, so its very likely he still could've had the idea and gone through with it in some fashion in WCW even if it didn't consist of the same names, or become the nWo we now know and remember.

Eric Bischoff didn't steal sh*t pal. He saw the UWFI invasion of NJPW, took the concept & made it into his own. WCW's nWo angle was vastly different in terms of execution & presentation to NJPW's UWFI angle. Ask yourself genius why in 1997, NJPW didn't copy WCW's version of the nWo, but imported it lock, stock & barrel - they used the exact same name, same logo, same attitude & even some of the same talent.

As for Hall, no, he would never have been World Champion. Hall was already on the outs with the WWF before he signed with WCW due to substance abuse issues..

Hall was never at any point on the outs with WWF prior to handing in his 90 day notice. Hall's substance abuse issues (which he shared by a lot of his peers also at that time) were not a problem in the WWF. It wasn't until April 1997 did it become known to outsiders that Hall had a problem when he took time off WCW to go to rehab. As Eric Bischoff stated in his book Controversy Creates Cash:

"Scott Hall was one of the most talented, creative people I’ve ever known in the wrestling business. When his head was on straight, he was an extremely creative guy. The problem, as we all know, was that Scott had demons that he couldn’t overcome. But for a year, year and a half after the launch of nWo, Scott came up with a lot of great ideas."

Man...start a thread about how thankful we are that Hall and Nash DID go to WcW.

Kevin Nash & Scott Hall don't get anywhere near the credit revolutionising the business. Kevin Nash & Scott Hall were instrumental in WWF offering downside guaranteed contracts. They helped increased the pay scale of the industry while in WCW. They were the catalyst for the 90's wrestling boom. They helped book arguably the greatest angle in wrestling history while participating in it. Kevin Nash & Scott Hall were the originators of the cool heel. WCW merchandised the nWo, heel fans were encouraged - it was pioneering. Kevin Nash & Scott Hall were influential behind pro wrestling's shift to more reality based content. In the 90's white boys now listened to rap, Tupac bandana wearing Nash knew demographic had changed & tried to crossover. Even little things such as wearing jeans & leather jackets was rarely seen until The Outsiders did it & it became accepted as the norm.

WCW probably would have gone ahead with the NWO angle and replaced Hall and Nash with whoever, and WCW probably still would have pulled ahead of WWF but for a much shorter time span. WCW would still be down the tubes because it was a piss-poor run company by people who didn't know the first thing about wrestling, hell it probably would have been gone a few years earlier.

You don't understand how crucial Kevin Nash & Scott Hall were to the nWo angle. You can't just replace them with two guys like Bret Hart & British Bulldog (who were in negotiations with WCW around the same time period before resigning with WWF) for example & expect the same results. As Eric Bischoff stated in his book Controversy Creates Cash:

"Scott and Kevin really contributed the key elements of nWo’s feel and attitude. I’d like to take most of the credit, but that would be a lie. Scott Hall and Kevin Nash had more to do with the attitude and tone of what the nWo represented than anybody."

If you want a better understanding of how important Kevin Nash & Scott Hall were to the angle then I highly suggest to watch Kayfabe Commentates WCW Timeline 1996 with Kevin Sullivan who was WCW booker at the time. Basically to cut a long story short...practically EVERYTHING was Nash & Hall's idea...it's fascinating insight. FTR Hulk Hogan jumped on their bandwagon (Mark Madden would concur) but that's a different story for a different time.

 

[JCBaggee]

No Austin as we know it, as Hunter Hearst Helmsley is King of the Ring 1996. He continues with his Connecticut Blueblood gimmick, and never becomes "The Game".

Owen is likely still alive, as Bret would likely have never jumped ship to WCW. Owen would eventually take on The Game gimmick and languish in the midcard for a year or two before retiring as he supposedly wanted to.

 

[obamartins]

Both Hall and Nash were not making much difference in the WWF. Scott Hall would have remained at the IC title level. Maybe, a transitional world champ.

I disagree. Diesel & Razor Raman were 2 of the top 5 guys on the WWF roster & were semi main event & main event on every house show. They were making a difference otherwise they wouldn't have been in the positions they were.

Since its inception in 1995, Nitro had already beaten RAW for 17-18 weeks and this was before the NWO. The NWO angle just made them gain even more momentum, making WCW the#1 wrestling company for the next 2 years.

The nWo angle created an unprecedented level of success & increased attendance, gate receipts, TV ratings, PPV buyrates, merchandising, licensing, mainstream crossover...etc. to unthinkable levels. To claim WCW had beat WWF in the TV ratings on some occasions & the nWo simply gave WCW more momentum is overlooking the impact nWo had.

 

[ProWrestlingFan]

The nWo angle created an unprecedented level of success & increased attendance, gate receipts, TV ratings, PPV buyrates, merchandising, licensing, mainstream crossover...etc. to unthinkable levels. To claim WCW had beat WWF in the TV ratings on some occasions & the nWo simply gave WCW more momentum is overlooking the impact nWo had.

RAW ratings (1995)
http://www.twnpnews.com/information/wweraw1995.shtml
(1996) http://www.twnpnews.com/information/wweraw1996.shtml

Nitro ratings: http://www.twnpnews.com/information/WCW/wcwnitro.shtml

Nitro had beaten Raw 19 times before Scott Hall debuted on Nitro (May 27,1996) compared to RAW 15 times.

I am not downplaying the importance of NWO. It solidified WCW's position on top for more than 80 weeks, but as the ratings show Nitro was already a solid wrestling product even before the debut of NWO.
NWO just took it to a whole new level and caused the wrestling boom of the 90s.

 

[GoatfaceKiller]

The alternate universe...the bizarro world...the twilight zone. In the world of wrestling, they are all quite real, if only in the mind of GoatfaceKiller. This is not the WWF...this...is the WW"iF"!

Ok, let's say that Scott Hall and Kevin Nash DON'T jump ship and join Ted Turner's WCW back in the summer of 1996. At that time, the WWF was starting to usher in a new wave of talent that would later go on to springboard the company into its famed "Attitude Era". The other guys down south were beginning to sign big talents that made their marks in Japan, Mexico and a little known northeastern promotion based out of south Philly called ECW.

"Uncle" Eric Bischoff was wheeling and dealing like nobody's business, while Vince "Grapefruits" McMahon was starting to languish in mediocrity, as the past few years had produced nothing but various scandals within his company, sad and cartoony gimmicks that would send even Hulk Hogan into a tailspin that he'd never recover from, and a noticable decrease in the Nielsens and PPV buyrates for his shows.

Enter two rather sizeable players in the WWF scheme of things...Scott Hall, aka Razor Ramon...and Kevin Nash, aka Diesel. Both of them were much larger than the average man, or even wrestler. They both had unique styles and a decent repetoire of moves to hit opponents with. Razor had held the Intercontinetal Title 4 times, which was unheard of back then...and Diesel had been a 3 time WWF Champion, also no small feat. They both drew crowds and their merchandise was a hot commodity among folks of all ages.

Now, I don't know if they become disenfranchised with the direction the company was moving in...not really my place to say one way or the other. I just know that Turner's money was guaranteed, while McMahon's was anything but. It's not like he was bouncing checks as if his name was Paul Heyman or anything, but to wrestlers that work grueling schedules and have families to support, it was basically impossible to turn down guaranteed dough. So they signed with WCW, ended up forming the New World Order, turned the wrestling world literally upside down...and the rest, as they say, is history.

But what if they had decided to remain loyal to the Genetic Jackhammer and stay at Titan Towers up north? Well, let's just say that even the hardcore bingo hall would have felt massive ripple effects...well, ok, not massive...but damnit, they wouldn't have been able to give us the phenomenon that was the bWo! *sigh*

Anyway, so Razor and Diesel go on to have good years in 1996. Razor doesn't get caught up in the web of drugs and alcohol, because Vince cracks down on the shinanegans...speaking of which...the Kliq's "hug heard round the world" never takes place either. We'll get to the after-effects of that in a minute. Razor, not Ahmed Johnson, goes on to regain his Intercontinental Title from Goldust at the King of the Ring PPV. Diesel enters the tournament, but ends up losing to eventual champion, Stone Cold Steve Austin in the finals...as he doesn't just "injure" Jake Roberts, but he pins him as well.

Diesel then starts a feud with the new friend of Shawn Michaels, Ahmed Johnson. Johnson never gets his kidneys "blasted in" by Faarooq, but he does take 3 Jacknifes at Summerslam and gets 4 months leave for "massive back spasms". When he comes back, he joins up with Faarooq and the Nation, and they, along with D'Lo Brown and The Rock, enter the Attitude Era as the dominant faction in the company. Michaels, wanting revenge for the vicious attack by Big Daddy Cool on his new buddy, puts his newly won WWF Title up for grabs against Diesel in a "Hair vs Career" match at Survivor Series. Yes, this pushes Sycho Sid out of the title picture...I neglected to mention that Nash had started throwing his weight around backstage...not that that's a surprise to most of you.

Diesel loses, Shawn moves on to Bret Hart and him and HHH do their thing with the Canadian flag, and that outstanding feud goes on for about another year. Bret does NOT go to WCW, as him and Vince are able to iron out a different paper deal. Bret, while unsatisfied with how things are in the locker room, would rather stay loyal as long as possible and keep busy, than move to an unfamiliar territory and wrestle for a company that caters to the old farts.

Razor keeps his winning ways alive, and staves off challenges from Mankind, Austin and Owen Hart for his Intercontinental Title. At the December In Your House PPV, he loses the Title in a shock, as Triple H counters the Razor's Edge and Sunset Flips the Bad Guy for the pin. One month later, Razor comes into the Royal Rumble at #27 and wins it, miraculously eliminating both Steve Austin and Rocky Maivia. He marches on to Wrestlemania, and in one of the most stunning matches of the '90s decade, he edges out Shawn Michaels with a Razor's Edge off the 5th rung of a ladder in...yep, you guessed it, a Ladder "Rubber" Match!

Transitional champion? Perhaps, but the fans are behind this title change...and so begins the "Attitude" Era, with some new faces, new champions and perhaps a new "hope"...HEH. Vince and Turner go back and forth winning TV ratings on both weekly shows and PPVs, and fans just about lose their heads turning the channels back and forth on their TVs, trying to catch each product just as its show is peaking. There is no Monday Night War, no WWF buying out of WCW...oh, but there IS one last thing. Paul Heyman and ECW suffer a great loss. Tommy Dreamer dies in a match at the ECW Arena when Raven gets a bit too "strong" on one of his Evenflow DDTs...he hit 3 of them in the match...but the straw that broke the camel's back came on the outside of the ring, on the unprotected, cold concrete floors. The wrestling world is aghast, saddened, and bitter. In response, both WWF and WCW hike up their wrestler safety and security...and Owen Hart never falls out of that harness and to his death at the Kemper Arena.

And that's the way things go...in the WW"iF"!

 

[RicSpade]

The realistic view of it all is it would've been Razor Ramon and Diesel, not Hall and Nash, I feel once they broke the mold of their characters and started being more of themselves its what made Hall and Nash bigger stars, if they were able to do away with a gimmick like most top stars do now I could see them bigger I honestly think Hall could've been a champion eventually under the Razor gimmick but only as a heel because in this era there wasn't enough big heels in WWF, NWO wouldn't have happened unless two bigger stars in WWE jumped ship, but more then likely it wouldn't have been as big as it was

 

[Rhodes2TheFuture3313]

I think the curtain call becomes a scripted moment and the KLIQ feud with each other before this angle is booked at the end of a PPV leaving fans saying WTF??? D-X forms with HBK, HHH, Razor, & Diesel. D-X goes on to feud with the Hart Foundation. Razor & Diesel still form a tagteam calling themselves Outsiders because they've never been truly accepted by the public coming out of the crowd and mocking Vince etc. while HHH begins a feud for the IC title with Stone Cold Steve Austin & The Rock. Razor takes his shot at the Undertaker at WM 13. Shawn doesn't lose his smile and faces Bret Hart in a re-match of WM 12. Diesel goes onto feud w/Sycho Sid in a battle of the skyscrapers. The Montreal screwjob still happens. HBK/Stone Cold still goes down as the main event of WM 14. The Rock faces HHH for the IC title. Razor & Diesel face Kane & The Undertaker for the Tagteam titles. HHH assumes leadership of D-X after HBK leaves. WM 15 Main Event is Razor vs. Diesel vs. HHH for the WWF Title. Stone Cold vs. The Rock still happens, but not for the title. Kane vs. Undertaker happens here. Mankind vs. Big Show. Austin still leaves for injury. Undertaker still leaves for injury. WM 16 Main Event becomes Razor vs. HHH vs. The Rock vs. Mankind. Diesel vs. the Big Show. WM 17 features Stone Cold vs. The Rock re-match for WWF Title where Rock becomes Corporate Champ. HHH battles The Undertaker. Mankind vs. Razor. Kane vs. Diesel. Big Show vs. Y2J vs Kurt Angle for the IC title. I could go on, but I'm getting tired, lol.

 

[FlairFan2003]

This is a great follow up thread to previous "What If..." threads regarding Hogan & Flair staying in WWE.

One thing about Vince, he only makes changes to his product when he has to due to competition. There is no doubt in my mind that if there was no Hall-Nash in WCW, there wouldnt have been an NWO Invasion, and without the change in tone to a darker, more violent, adult oriented product and its subsequent success in WCW, you never get Attitude, DX, and probably dont get the phenom of Stone Cold.

As for the direction of the product, 1996 WCW pre NWO was making good use of several main event stars (though still Hogan-centric, just not as bad as previously). They produced their first big non WWE & NWA star in The Giant (aka Big Show) and were pushing cruiserweights and giving significant play to under card feuds, not just the World Title. In short, they were producing very good TV, and it showed in the ratings where Nitro beat Raw several times and was virtually even every other week, which other posters have pointed out. The fact that WCW was competitive pre NWO wouldnt have been enough I dont think for Vince & WWE to go all in with Attitude and abandon their family oriented Disney style of presentation. He may tweak things a bit but as long as the two were close I dont see WWE radically changing much. That gives us HBK's star continuing to rise, HHH continuing to rise, Nash would have remained a major star, Hall would have been an upper mid carder at best with his cheezy cuban gimmick and drug issues.

I Think Brett Hart still has trouble with the Clique but Im not sure how bad it gets. Part of the rise in tensions and Brett's subsuquent coming up short against them was the creativity for more adult storylines and raunchy humor that HBK displayed, he simply was more creative than Brett, at least for a more "Attitude" oriented presentation. This became a major issue as WCW started surging ahead post NWO as Vince was more receptive to change. However, no NWO, WCW just ahead or even instead of surging forward, Vince may not have been as receptive to HBK or Nash pushing him to "push the envelope" which would have insulated Hart a bit. Not sure how that affects Hart's contract which lead to his termination and WCW run, although with no Nash-Hall to WCW switch and the resulting business shifts maybe Vince isnt compelled to way over pay Brett and the whole Montreal Screw Job never happens. Brett remains a major player in WWE though he maybe eclipsed by HBK & Nash in the main events.

Im not sure what happens in WCW. Bischoff didnt bring in The Outsiders to start the NWO story, he saw a chance to sign to major WWE free agents who by coincidence fit the NWO story mold. Not many others could have played those roles. With no NWO story I see WCW largely staying the course with it's programming. The question here is Hogan, though still prominent, was not THE STAR in the company, WCW was relying heavily on Flair, Luger, Giant, Sting, Savage, and doing well. With Flair dominating the World Title Scene much of the pre NWO 96 and Sting being positioned as the #1 Contender to The Giant, its hard to say Hogan was carrying as much clout as he had previously, add to that his salary (twice for one PPV what Flair & Savage earned for an entire year). Im not sure how that plays out but its entirely possible Hogan finds himself leveraging a return to WWE by 98-99.

 

[Wald]

It's a very interesting What If as it touched on so many careers, looking at the main ones:

Scott Hall: His own personal demons were holding him back from true greatness in the ring so I think he holds his upper midcard spot but does not climb any higher. I see him leaving the WWF in 1997/98 anyway and probably heading to WCW but not as the nWo.

Kevin Nash: He was playing the nWo Nash before he jumped to WCW so I think his heel turn brings him a second WWF title in 1997 and also I don't think we have the Streak today as Nash wold have likely defeated the Undertaker at Wrestlemania 12 had he been sticking around.

Shawn Michaels: Could honestly be dead today if those two had stuck around. He might never meet his wife, never turn his life around and with Hall being on the road with him in 1996/97 when his demons started really catching up on him he could easily be just another wrestling statistic for the mainstream media to bash the company with.

Bret Hart: If you've read Bret's book you'll have seen that his plans were to have semi-retired by 1999/2000 anyway and to transition to the back office if possible. I think that has a lot more chance of happening if WCW weren't pounding the WWF so hard in 1996/97 with the nWo but don't rule out Vince cutting him lose purely to prove that he is the boss. It all depends on Hart's leverage in 1996 in getting a new contract and how much Nash & Hall jumping allowed him to get more clauses added in. The Montreal Screwjob incident itself was purely to do with Vince taking down a wrestler who had gained too much control in his contract after all, it wasn't about the money.

Triple H: Is the toughest to call. On one hand it looks good for him as MSG doesn't happen and he wins the King of the Ring, on the other he was very much seen as the lackey of the Kliq so whether Nash, Hall and Michaels get out of his way is another matter. The cream always rises to the top though I figure he makes it to the main event level in pretty much the same time frame/

The Rock: Similar story as reports were that HBK tried to torpedo the Rock's career a few times and it was Bret who used to champion the guy. With Nash and Hall backing him up to Vince it might hinder him for a while but, like Triple H, he makes it by 1998. Jim Ross is on record as saying he. and others in the back, saw massive dollar signs the moment they laid eyes on the guy and I don't think Shawn's insecurities cloud that for too long.

Hulk Hogan: I honestly figure he quits WCW by 1997 and possibly returns to the WWF by 1998/99 for a final run. His face character was beyond stale in WCW and Kevin Sullivan had been trying to come up with a pitch for turning him since 1995. He'd resisted all suggestions and I think he continues to do that without the nWo.

Monday Night Wars: Still happen obviously, they begun in 1995 after all but wrestling as a whole doesn't take off in the way it did in the late 90s. Ratings stay good for both Nitro and Raw and they keep trading wins back and forth (Raw had a 10-7 record against Nitro in 1996 up until Hall debuted) but, ultimately, WCW goes out of business because of the Time-Warner merger and Raw still floats on the stock exchange, still becomes a powerhouse but maybe on a slightly smaller scale.

Steve Austin: I'd actually be worried about Austin's WWF career without the Attitude Era. Reports were that Vince wasn't really high on Austin in 1996 and had to be convinced of his worth even after the King of the Ring. That said, if Bret Hart comes back and selects him anyway for their classic at Survivor Series and if Austin is allowed play Stone Cold to some extent than he definitely still gets over. That feud with the Hitman put him on the map. I'm not sure he becomes the megastar he became though, particularly as the main event roster is more stacked with Nash and Hart still around

Mick Foley: No Attitude Era means Foley is stuck playing Mankind instead of transitioning into a more real character. King of the Ring 1998 match with Undertaker never happens and I honestly think Foley is probably released in 1998 instead, going back to either WCW or ECW as Cactus Jack for a few more years.

 

[CrucifiedRaven]

It's really hard to say. But I think at some level, the evolution to a more realism style still happens. Whether Diesel becomes "Big Sexy" Kevin Nash, who knows. But even if he's still Big Daddy Cool... I still think you see Kevin Nash's real personality shine through as a cool heel, just like it had already started to in late 1995/early 1996.

Shawn Michaels and Hunter would still be pushing their brand of blending kayfabe with reality, just like they did with D-X in 1997. So, I still think the evolution of the business to this style happens regardless. D-X could literally have been the entire kliq perhaps and include Nash and Hall. Or who knows, maybe Nash ends up feuding with D-X in a kayfabe storyline.

With Hall around, Shawn Michaels may have been dead by 1998. And while things wouldn't have been easy for Austin, Bret and Undertaker.. I think their fates still play out as is for the most part. Austin and Undertaker were respected in the back, even if they weren't members of the kliq. Would Bret and Austin still have feuded? If they did, I bet Austin still gets over as Stone Cold.

One major question is, would the screwjob have happened? What would Bret's incentive be to go to WCW if they weren't the obvious #1 company and weren't throwing money around at everyone? If Bret and Shawn's feud continued to escalate, maybe it happens regardless, especially if Shawn has more backstage influence, but that's a BIG "what if".

The biggest casualties would be The Rock, Mick Foley and WCW. Wrestling may not get as hot as it did, but the Monday Wars would still happen though with a completely different landscape.

 

[whoopin' ass]

WCW would probably still be around, WWF might still be around but neither would be what wwe is today. Just look at things before they jumped - WCW had Hogan but there was kind of a balance between the 2 and WCW wasn't totally destroying WWF like people thought would happen. rumor was Hogan wasn't happy so he might have left WCW. At that point, I don't think Vince would have invited him back too quickly but with Turner backing them, I don't see WCW closing with him gone. On the WWF side, some talent wouldn't have gotten pushed but others would have so things would have continued. I think the key difference is that without the nWo and Monday Night Wars, neither company would have grown like they did. I think both would have grown but not like they did so quickly so we would probably have 2 larger organizations and a bunch of smaller ones like ECW was.

 

[Hakushi]

Interesting question. My take may be a little different, but here goes:
Nash/Hall would have continued a successful run in WWF, No doubt. Both Diesel and Razor charectars would have fit well into the Attitude era WWF. I think each man would have had the ability to improve their charectar, yet had the vision of VKM. I would guess Diesel for another WWE Title or three, and Razor with maybe one, plus runs with the IC/Tag titles.
This is where my school of thought leaves common opinion. I think WCW would have been sucessfull longer without these two. The "NWO" could have, and probably would have, still happened without these two. Arguably Bischoff already had the idea and would have been able to fit another two WWF names into those roles. Remeber, Hall and Nash were part of the clique and acquired alot of the Over valued self worth before leaving WWF. Once they arrived in WCW, The destruction had already begun. Not to be the morale police, but perhaps if the angle, "NWO", Had began with two men with more of a .........team oriented set of ideals, could have grown the entire roster. WCW had the pieces in place, but let a couple inmates run the asylum. This maybe would have been avoided if it were, say Luger and RVD.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

It's not overly complicated to see what would have occured...

The Kliq would become an onscreen group but Shawn would have not been happy playing 2nd fiddle to Nash, he would have been the one to jump to WCW and begin the NWO angle instead...and he wouldn't have lived long.

WWE would still make the talent raids it did, Pillman, Austin, Simmons and Foley but with the exception of Pillman probably wouldn't have gotten over to the level they did. Pillman if he was brought in to replace Shawn would make the Kliq almost the NWO in reverse- how in 3 years or so 4 WCW guys can come in and run the show in the WWE and ran off Shawn Michaels in the process.

The one who probably would have had their life change most would be Hunter, no MSG curtain call, so no punishment, his push would have proceeded with the KOTR win but he would have quicky reached a plateau... Nash and Hall wouldn't want him rising higher than them, nor would Bret or Taker... If the reason Hall never got the belt was the shooting stuff as I suspect, then that IC role is his, so Trips isn't getting that. If Shawn is gone there is no DX... Unless he and Pillman got something going.

He'd never gain Vince's respect from the punishment, get into his ear, or be in the position to marry Steph... indeed Trips would probably do the Jeff Jarrett thing of switching every contract.

Austin would have been something but it all hinges on Pillman... make no bones about it, if Pillman didn't crash right after signing his deal...if he came in as the worker he was in WCW.. HE was gonna be the front runner and guy feuding with Bret/leading Attitude not Austin... Pillman just clued his buddy in so one of them could benefit from what was planned.

 

[Hakushi]

It's a very interesting What If as it touched on so many careers, looking at the main ones:

Scott Hall: His own personal demons were holding him back from true greatness in the ring so I think he holds his upper midcard spot but does not climb any higher. I see him leaving the WWF in 1997/98 anyway and probably heading to WCW but not as the nWo.

Kevin Nash: He was playing the nWo Nash before he jumped to WCW so I think his heel turn brings him a second WWF title in 1997 and also I don't think we have the Streak today as Nash wold have likely defeated the Undertaker at Wrestlemania 12 had he been sticking around.

Shawn Michaels: Could honestly be dead today if those two had stuck around. He might never meet his wife, never turn his life around and with Hall being on the road with him in 1996/97 when his demons started really catching up on him he could easily be just another wrestling statistic for the mainstream media to bash the company with.

Bret Hart: If you've read Bret's book you'll have seen that his plans were to have semi-retired by 1999/2000 anyway and to transition to the back office if possible. I think that has a lot more chance of happening if WCW weren't pounding the WWF so hard in 1996/97 with the nWo but don't rule out Vince cutting him lose purely to prove that he is the boss. It all depends on Hart's leverage in 1996 in getting a new contract and how much Nash & Hall jumping allowed him to get more clauses added in. The Montreal Screwjob incident itself was purely to do with Vince taking down a wrestler who had gained too much control in his contract after all, it wasn't about the money.

Triple H: Is the toughest to call. On one hand it looks good for him as MSG doesn't happen and he wins the King of the Ring, on the other he was very much seen as the lackey of the Kliq so whether Nash, Hall and Michaels get out of his way is another matter. The cream always rises to the top though I figure he makes it to the main event level in pretty much the same time frame/

The Rock: Similar story as reports were that HBK tried to torpedo the Rock's career a few times and it was Bret who used to champion the guy. With Nash and Hall backing him up to Vince it might hinder him for a while but, like Triple H, he makes it by 1998. Jim Ross is on record as saying he. and others in the back, saw massive dollar signs the moment they laid eyes on the guy and I don't think Shawn's insecurities cloud that for too long.

Hulk Hogan: I honestly figure he quits WCW by 1997 and possibly returns to the WWF by 1998/99 for a final run. His face character was beyond stale in WCW and Kevin Sullivan had been trying to come up with a pitch for turning him since 1995. He'd resisted all suggestions and I think he continues to do that without the nWo.

Monday Night Wars: Still happen obviously, they begun in 1995 after all but wrestling as a whole doesn't take off in the way it did in the late 90s. Ratings stay good for both Nitro and Raw and they keep trading wins back and forth (Raw had a 10-7 record against Nitro in 1996 up until Hall debuted) but, ultimately, WCW goes out of business because of the Time-Warner merger and Raw still floats on the stock exchange, still becomes a powerhouse but maybe on a slightly smaller scale.

Steve Austin: I'd actually be worried about Austin's WWF career without the Attitude Era. Reports were that Vince wasn't really high on Austin in 1996 and had to be convinced of his worth even after the King of the Ring. That said, if Bret Hart comes back and selects him anyway for their classic at Survivor Series and if Austin is allowed play Stone Cold to some extent than he definitely still gets over. That feud with the Hitman put him on the map. I'm not sure he becomes the megastar he became though, particularly as the main event roster is more stacked with Nash and Hart still around

Mick Foley: No Attitude Era means Foley is stuck playing Mankind instead of transitioning into a more real character. King of the Ring 1998 match with Undertaker never happens and I honestly think Foley is probably released in 1998 instead, going back to either WCW or ECW as Cactus Jack for a few more years.

Well done! Hard to argue any of your points!