What If ? There was No Austin, Triple H or The Rock

[tripleddd]

What if the characters of Austin , The Rock or Triple H never existed ? Lets face it these 3 guys characterized what was best about the attitude era. But if these three werent in the wwe/wrestling - what would of happened - were there 3 superstars to step up to the plate ? Would the WWE have gone all out for say Goldberg? Or would they have lost Monday night wars and gone bust?

Personally I think they would have lost the monday night wars - not gone bust but the product today would have been different - I suppose stories would have centred around Undertaker, Y2J and Angle.

I think we need to remember for every Austin/Rock we need a Triple H -

Your Thoughts.

 

[Mr. Book This Section]

Then WWE wouldn't have much money (All there money came from Austin's T Shirt sales) and it wouldn't be here.

 

[CraigThe13th]

I reckon HBK wouldn't have 'retired' had Rock and Austin not taken his spot. He would have been back working around '99 maybe. WCW would probs still be about today instead of TNA.

 

[ITrippedTheShockmaster]

Here are my thoughts:

1) Many wrestling fans (and wrestlers, honestly) wouldn't be here, because Austin brought a whole generation of fans into sports entertainment through the Attitude era and his battles with Vince McMahon and The Rock became such a famous figure as well. Triple H, I believe, didn't have as much impact as Rock and Austin, but still played a major role. Many younger wrestlers who grew up watching wrestling back then got hooked because of these three and wound up in the industry and are making names for themselves now.

2) The WWE itself wouldn't be here, because those three were the faces of WWF in the 90s who brought that company back into prominence after the 80s-early 90s boom with Hogan, Warrior, Andre, Bret Hart, Roddy Piper, etc. This relates to my previous point as wlel.

3) WCW might still be here (but wouldn't have been what it became), because the Attitude Era would likely have never happened in WWE to spark the Monday Night Wars. ECW might have never happened, or might still be around. This is because Vince might not have had as much of the power back then to start buying out companies. You know, Butterfly Effect and all that.

4) TNA probably would have never existed, because Jeff Jarrett wouldn't have had to start his own company to become a headliner. He'd probably have been a headliner in WCW or even WWF/E. Not because he's a great talent or anything, but because you'd have a significantly more shallow talent pool from which to choose.

5) Shane McMahon would still be with WWE, because he would have stayed in line to be the successor to Vince, not Stephanie and Triple H. That's just my opinion.

 

[silrock316]

Here are my thoughts:

1) Many wrestling fans (and wrestlers, honestly) wouldn't be here, because Austin brought a whole generation of fans into sports entertainment through the Attitude era and his battles with Vince McMahon and The Rock became such a famous figure as well. Triple H, I believe, didn't have as much impact as Rock and Austin, but still played a major role. Many younger wrestlers who grew up watching wrestling back then got hooked because of these three and wound up in the industry and are making names for themselves now.

2) The WWE itself wouldn't be here, because those three were the faces of WWF in the 90s who brought that company back into prominence after the 80s-early 90s boom with Hogan, Warrior, Andre, Bret Hart, Roddy Piper, etc. This relates to my previous point as wlel.

3) WCW might still be here (but wouldn't have been what it became), because the Attitude Era would likely have never happened in WWE to spark the Monday Night Wars. ECW might have never happened, or might still be around. This is because Vince might not have had as much of the power back then to start buying out companies. You know, Butterfly Effect and all that.

4) TNA probably would have never existed, because Jeff Jarrett wouldn't have had to start his own company to become a headliner. He'd probably have been a headliner in WCW or even WWF/E. Not because he's a great talent or anything, but because you'd have a significantly more shallow talent pool from which to choose.

5) Shane McMahon would still be with WWE, because he would have stayed in line to be the successor to Vince, not Stephanie and Triple H. That's just my opinion.

Please do NOT undervalue the importance of HHH in this trio. Austin is by far my favorite wrestler of all time but during the peak of WWE's rise and Austins run, Austin got hurt badly and because of HHH and of course The Rock, WWE was able to tread water and not just tread water, one could argue, became much more popular because of The Rocks ascention. HHH was HUGE in the Rocks rise to stardum. In a way the WWE lucked into Austin, as Austin was a fringe wrestler before breaking bank.

While I agree with most of what you said, the HHH thing is where we differ. He stepped up HUGE. He was a HUGE villian for both Rock and Austin and because of his heel play the fans bought into the Rock and Austin even more. So I ask we not discount what The Game meant to the trio.

I truely believe WCW is still here now if Vince and company didnt strike the perfect cord at the perfect time. Whether or not WWE lost the monday night wars forever is too hard to predict but one could argue WRESTLING would be in better shape right now as a whole had the trio not been so successful because lets face it, i dont know if TNA will ever reach WCW marks, let alone WWE. I sure hope they do, but I have my doubts at this point.

 

[Skinsley]

I see what you are saying, and without a doubt these guys were a onetime only selection of talent that's fame will never be repeated. But In my personal opinion, they were all guys who happened to be in the right place at the right time.
If there was no Stunning Steve Austin, in all likelihood considering the ERA that WWE was in. Vince Mcmahon would have created a similar character in appearance or fame which would have had a similar outcome.

The Rock was a god on the mic and a god with the people. But if the Rock was not around, somebody else of similar talent or in all likelihood lesser talent would have done a similar job for the roster. The rise of WCW and the feint threat from ECW was what made these stars who they were, because the direct competition demanded that each company stepped up their game.

Would HHH have been as big if he hadn’t married the daughter of the BOSS? How will we ever know? No doubt the man was and is good at what he does....but how many other people have passed through the gates that could have done a similar if not better job of what HHH does if they were thrown the same bone that he was?

The thing is hindsight is a wonderful thing, and to speculate that if these guys didn’t even exist would it have been just as good or even better if another guy in the same position....is just something we could never ever know.

My feeling is that people like Ziggler and CM Punk have more talent than the roster of yesteryear. But creative and the need for strong competition and those who pine for the old school who are already established will always hold them back.
These two guys back in the 90s 00s could have been stars in their equal right? Yes? No? How could we ever know?

To Summarise, I think without these huge stars of the 90s 00s I seriously believe that others of equal value would and could have done just as good a job.
I also think someone is going to break my balls for saying so.

 

[wrestlingfanatic98]

I disagree that without austin the WWF would not be here. Yes in 97/98, the main event scene evolved around austin undertaker kane and mankind. But undertaker and kane storyline was a bigger indication the company was going dark.

But the level of talent in the WWF was at an alltime high, we take austin out of the attitude era. What do you have? undertaker, kane, HBK and DX, mankind, the nation, new age outlaws, the shit DX were doing when HHH was running DX in 1998 and their feud with the nation was pure gold.

In 1999 we saw Y2J introduced to us, the tag team division improve, in the dudley boys, hardy boys, edge and christian APA, So for me this idea austin saved the WWF is utter crap, the talent level and writing levels were really starting to hit the all time high. It was not all austin, the WWF had allot strength and depth especially late 1999/2000 when eddie benoit and co came into it in 2000, do not forget HHH and the rock were fighting over the IC title at summerslam 1998. So the attitude era was more than just stone cold. But I say austin was crucial in 1998 than say at times 1999 and 2000. But 98 main event scene was built around vince, shane, the stooges, undertaker, kane, mankind in terms of the one big storyline that we saw

 

[whoopin' ass]

this is a bit of a vague question. you can't just pull them and say wwf would have collapsed or that sales would have gone down because who knows what might have happened without them. had Austin stayed in wcw, maybe the Hollywood Blondes would be the greatest tag team of all time. Owen Hart might have become WWF champ. Bret probably would have stayed in wwf. HBK might have jumped to wcw but then again, his final back injury might not have happened because it might have been him vs Bret or Bret vs Taker. or that feud might not have happened at all. someone like Goldberg wouldn't have been a thought because he was a nobody in the business before wcw pushed him. there are just too many variables to make any kind of accurate prediction. it's like saying what would have happened to the computer industry had microsoft never been created and apple followed IBM's business model and allowed clone computers - either on their own can be answered somewhat accurately but there are just too many possibilities with both.

 

[jared96]

If there was no rock then they wouldnt be many of the talent there is now.
for example cena, orton, or even stone cold.
cause they are learn the ring mic skills

 

[ireese85]

I disagree that without austin the WWF would not be here. Yes in 97/98, the main event scene evolved around austin undertaker kane and mankind. But undertaker and kane storyline was a bigger indication the company was going dark.

But the level of talent in the WWF was at an alltime high, we take austin out of the attitude era. What do you have? undertaker, kane, HBK and DX, mankind, the nation, new age outlaws, the shit DX were doing when HHH was running DX in 1998 and their feud with the nation was pure gold.

In 1999 we saw Y2J introduced to us, the tag team division improve, in the dudley boys, hardy boys, edge and christian APA, So for me this idea austin saved the WWF is utter crap, the talent level and writing levels were really starting to hit the all time high. It was not all austin, the WWF had allot strength and depth especially late 1999/2000 when eddie benoit and co came into it in 2000, do not forget HHH and the rock were fighting over the IC title at summerslam 1998. So the attitude era was more than just stone cold. But I say austin was crucial in 1998 than say at times 1999 and 2000. But 98 main event scene was built around vince, shane, the stooges, undertaker, kane, mankind in terms of the one big storyline that we saw

Don't forget Austin was the main reason the attitude era started (Jake the Snake v Stone Cold) w/o the attitude era WcW would have probably bankrupt WWF....

 

[xavyer]

If there were no Austin, Triple H or Rock, i think the WWE would have still made it, they would have came up with something different, and remember, during that era the WWE had a lot of talent to chose from, and they could have came up with something big with Taker, Kane, etc. But there's no denying that Austin and Triple H were a big part in the attitude era, in my opinion the Rock just got lucky, Austin at the time was the biggest name in wrestling and Triple H was the biggest heel, and dispite what a lot of people say about Triple H becoming big because he married Stephany, he would have become a big star even if that would have never happened, because the man has talent, in my opinion the Rock will allways be second to Austin, or third after Austin and Triple H........

 

[EastCoastFan]

If Austin, Rock and HHH had never existed:

1) Bret Hart would not have left the WWF. Part of why Vince was willing to let Bret go was because the emergence of Steve Austin made him expendable. With other stars defecting to WCW, Vince couldn't have afforded to lose Bret.

2) They would have followed through on the "Test and Stephanie" storyline and would have had them marry instead of the swerve of HHH marrying her at the drive-thru chapel. Whether or not Test would have gotten over if they did that, I can't say.

3) Edge would have probably become a main-eventer sooner.

4) Chyna would have dated someone else, most likely someone who wasn't going to dump her in favor of becoming "Mr. Stephanie McMahon" and wouldn't have become a basket case like she is now.

Certain things would not have changed, namely Eric Bischoff's inability to run WCW properly, leading to many disgruntled employees leaving/getting fired and going to the WWF. WWF would have still wound up with Chris Jericho and the Radicalz.

 

[RJJ]

Don't forget Austin was the main reason the attitude era started (Jake the Snake v Stone Cold) w/o the attitude era WcW would have probably bankrupt WWF....

Actaully the nWo was the main reason why vince started the Attitude Era. That group(Hogan, Hall, and Nash) turned the wrestling business upside down. People started to boo the babyfaces, and cheer the heels(SCSA included) because of them. In other words, they made it cool to be the bad guy.

The original DX is another big reason why we had the 'tude era. Hell, it was all Shawn's idea to make "it' a little bit more edgy, and it's one of the reason why bret left the company.


To say that "Austin was the Attitude Era" is just plain stupid. Without the "Mr.McMahon" character, he would never made it that big. And as far as I know, The Attitude Era reached its peak while Austin was out..that says alot...

 

[Barnett114]

Everything would be different.

They are some of the most rememberable wrestlers from that time and many story lines revolved around them. Without someone else would have to have filled that void.

They were the reason people tuned in.

 

[Fansince1992]

People just got bored of the colourful gimmicks. The Red and Yellow of Hogan and the Pink and Black of Bret Hart, to name two of them.

Add Hogan to this question aswell, people bash him all the time, but he was still able to draw from his Colourful Hulkamania gimmick to his Heel nWo run. Infact (just my opinion) Hulk Hogan will always be ahead of Triple H, Austin and The Rock in terms of Wrestling legends.

 

[#BabyFace]

We would still be watching WCW every moday night. PERIOD.
Point blank that simple.
WWE was losing the ratings wars for months until Austin started to take off. Then Rock on the back up. Finally Triple H to wrap it up.

Without these 3, WWE would not be around.

 

[DirtyD79]

I dont know if WWE would have gone under compeletely but I definitely don't think it would have been anywhere near as big. Make no mistake about it WWE needed to change. People were sick of the hokey one dimensional saturday morning cartoon character gimmicks like overgrown boy scout babyfaces and "USA haaawwk `tooey" heels. They were sick of the childish family friendly atmosphere of WWE at the time.

WWE had Mick Foley with his Mankind, Dude Love, and Cactus Jack personas and his insane bumps. But the thing is while Mick Foley was a big player in the Attitude Era, he couldn't have gone it alone. Not without guys like Austin, Triple H, and The Rock. Those four were the cornerstones of that era for WWE.

 

[itbewilly]

Managers would still be alive and well.

Wrestlers who can actually wrestle would headline pay per views with their managers and those who can just spit out a few clever lines on the mic and do 4 moves would be brooklynn brawler status(no offense to BB-without him and guys like him many younger talent would never learn the trade)

 

[ireese85]

no no no.... Austin was the start plus the Montreal Screwjob.....Then Came the Attitude Era Austin was alll Attitude and VKM saw that ppl responded positive to it and then cam the screw job, but that wasnt enuff so then DX, which was WWF's response to WCW's NWO. DX debut after Austin and After the Screw Job......

 

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

Everything else happening as it did without the emergence of main event Austin, Rock and Trips would have been the end of the WWE. If 95-97 were tough times for the WWE 98 would have been a disaster. The whole year was built around Austin. It started with the continuation of his path towards the world title, then him getting the title, fighting the odds to keep the title, then the whole Kane KOTR/Raw title switch thing, back to Austin fighting the odds to keep the title, finally getting screwed out of the title, screwed out of it again, then back on the path toward the title. You could make the case that the only time in 98 when he wasn't in the forefront was during Rock's title run at the end of 98 but that wouldn't have been possible either. In short, 98 would have been the year that killed the WWE had Austin not been main eventing, so really Rock and Trips don't factor in because there time came really from 99 on which would have never been there had Austin not blazed the trail in 98.

Now, if as a result of Austin, Rock and Trips never reaching main event status changed certain outcomes (Bret getting screwed and Michaels not facing Taker at the Rumble thus not being injured) then I could see the WWE surviving. Without getting into too much detail of how it would play out, I think the most interesting outcome from this scenario would be Taker having his streak ended. WWE would have needed a new bad ass heel to challenge Hart and Michaels. With them having already faced Taker, Kane would have been the logical choice. I believe this would have made WWE have Kane go over at WM XIV to set him up for a real title reign and a legit threat for Hart and Michaels.