WWE without HBK, HHH, Batista, Undertaker

[waylonmercy]

When they retire will the WWE be that much better? Will the WWE be more fresh? I think if they were to retire tomorrow the WWE would be a lot better from a optimism standpoint. I am tired of HHH, Batista being in the title picture and Cena, Edge, Orton are getting a little stale and really do need up and coming talent to freshen things up. Miz fueding with Cena is fun because Miz is fresh and given a chance to bring up his stock and he has done a great job in my opinion. I'd love to see Morrison fued with Edge and have Morrison given a serious chance and have him pull out all his great moves. As for Orton I'd like to see him fued with Kofi or MVP and have a program with them. Something to create optimism and bring new talent to the main event picture....

I don't see any problems with it except the notice that its a complete overhaul.

 

[TSG]

Well lets see what happens when they retire.

Triple H- A loss on the side of wrestling and promos. A loss on money to, cuz he's a big draw. He won't hog up the championship anymore. Out of the two main shows (because we all know HHH would quit before working on ECW full-time) one of the champions, more often than not, is HHH. But I have to admit he is a great champion and when he's a heel I like seeing him as champ, but I hate him as a face. Will be a moderate-big loss.

Shawn Michaels- A HUGE loss. A tremendous wrestler, has good promos, and one heckuva a guy. Also a great draw. Plus when he leaves, Kane will also likely be retired or close to it (he's getting up there too) so there will be no veterans willing to put over young guys. I'll truly hate to see him go, and I'm sure WWE will too.

Batista- Not a big loss really. 4/10 on wrestling, 5/10 on a good day. Decent on the mic and in charisma, never impressed me. But a big draw Vince will miss in his wallet. I won't miss him though. Moderate loss when he's done.

Undertaker- I'm not sure who'll be a bigger loss, Taker or HBK. Taker is one of, if not the biggest, draw WWE has. He is a very good wrestler and does his job AND his character extremely well. Will be sorely missed by everyone.

But on the bright side, it'll be a fresh, exciting overhaul for the E. Opens up some space. without HHH or Batista or HBK or Taker taking up ME space, young guys like Morrison, Kofi, MVP, Miz and others can move on up. In my opinion, there retirements will be huge losses and huge gains at the same time.

 

[Slam Master]

It would be a huge loss because the young guys you mentioned haven't really been established yet, and it isn't because of lack of exposure. They NEED those guys to do the job. Shawn Michaels is still one of the best workers they have along with the Undertaker. HHH is a good draw and does his job well. For some reason the fans can't get enough Batista, but I think he stinks the ring up and isn't that great on the mic. It would hurt in the beginning because they are the showcase guys of the company along with Edge, Orton, Jericho, and Jeff Hardy. I think 2009-2010 will be the years when they start breaking the young guys in with the main eventers. I just can't picture a sudden retirement of those guys, and then you have Kofi Kingston and Priceless headlining PPVs. Too soon.

 

[Paradox100]

Well, I wasn't on these wrestling boards 5 or 6 years ago, when Stone Cold and The rock were on their way out. It was different, but we got through it. Shawn and Undertaker will be their biggest lost. Triple H will be a huge pay loss. Batista will be a loss, but not a huge loss. Shawn Michaels will be a bad loss, because he puts young guys over. Not many people at his level do it. Or if they do, they don't sell. Shawn is good at both. So, The losses will be bad for business for awhile. In 15 years, we will be discussing the losses of Orton and Cena.

 

[pepentorresHHH]

it really depends...
If tomorrow we woke up and all this guys are gone it would be a huge loss for the wwe
i mean shawn michaels and Undertaker are two of the best workers and entertainers in the WWE... and they do what others dont.. put youg talent over..... also apart from HHH and john cena are the biggest draws....so rioght now it would be a great loss

as for HHH without him really there would be more of a chance for younger guys to shine but he, in my opinion,is the best in the wwe right now, wrestling and promo wise, and he is the standard of excellence in the wwe.. because when you beat HHH you know its because you re one of the best ....
as for batista well i always have had a aplit opinion about him.... never liked him much but delivers and draws big and thats what matters in todays business....

But like with the loss of austin, the rock, hogan, bret hart, etc we know the compnay keeps rolling, so in their last few years this guys are the ones who have to prepare the young talent right now so they ll be ready to support the company when they are gone.

 

[gregfj2]

I thought I could never live without Steve Blackman, but others have still made my night. Billy & Chuck made me switch channels, but (Victoria?) reaching under the mat for Brie Bella and getting a Little Bastard instead was awesome! I honestly believe that every wrestler could shine better if allowed a day off from travel to watch match tapes at home. Extreme Rules was great cause my son & I could laugh about Jericho fighting the fake midget Mysterio from Thunder. Seriously, any wrestler put through a table should be considered having their dues paid. (Which might make Taka & Funaki the greatest tag team ever - ?) Kane, Jimmy Yang, Shelton, Haas, Rhodes - every single character is just a push away from legend. (Sorry Brian, 'The' Legend - but too bad you'll never be a Grandmaster like my favorite Brian!)

 

[HBK-aholic]

Shawn Michaels - HUGE loss to the business. It will take me a very, very long time to stop expecting him to stwp into the ring. Shawn isn't hogging the title scene now, and is providing attention away from the main event with stars who haven't been there as long. I don't really see how he will help make the product more fresh. His matches and promos are often my favourite part of a show.

Triple H - Maybe if he moved from the title scene a while, but I still like him enough not to want him to leave. I know Triple H has a lot of criticism for being champion so much, but often it's at a time when there aren't many other options, and regardless, he's not a bad draw, and fans outside of the internet still like him.

Batista - Sure, go ahead.

The Undertaker - The man is weird. I love him at times. He has some great primes, then goes straight back down again, and his primes are so far apart as well. I don't think him leaving would release any fresh talent, because all the younger talent simply aren't ready to be champion. We need to use these 4 to make that happen.

 

[Gallops]

Someone brought up The Rock and Austin leaving 5 or 6 years ago and how we got through it. That's because at the time, the WWE had a ton of main event talent (2001-2002). They had Triple H, The Undertaker, Big Show, Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit was getting into the main event scene, plus Brock Lesnar was getting his push, Hogan was back for a little while, and Shawn Michaels was returning. Plus, there was no brand extension really at the time, or it was brand new, so the top spots, you really only needed a few other guys.

When Triple H, HBK, Undertaker, and Batista do retire, they'll be missed. But of those four, only 2 of them have really been big in the title scene as of late, Trips and Batista. Michaels gets his occasional shot and comes up short, and Taker comes and gets a shot, holds the belt for a little bit, and loses it again. Right now, the WWE is trying to build up it's main event scene for when the time comes when these guys retire. That's why The Miz and Cena have their little fued on. That's why CM Punk got the Heavyweight Title, and why Jeff Hardy got his push. You look at it right now, each brand has about 4 legitimate main eventers with Triple H, Batista, Orton, Cena, and Big Show on RAW, and on Smackdown they have Edge, Jeff Hardy, CM Punk, and Chris Jericho. Plus, don't forget guys like Christian and Jack Swagger who in the next couple years could play big roles in the WWE.

HBK, HHH, Undertaker, and Batista will be missed, well, maybe not Batista as much, but the WWE will definately still go on without a hiccup and have pleanty of established stars.

 

[WOLFPACK0524]

HBK, Undertaker - Have we missed them? Have we begged for them to come back? I haven't. They both are older and need time off. As fans..err Universers (???) we should take that into consideration. Undertaker did come back for a bit but left to have hip surgery and has not been missed on Smackdown. There are many people that have taken the show over to make it entertaining (Punk, Hardy, Morrison, etc). When he comes back, that's cool. He has no one to feud with that I can see but when he comes back, I'll welcome him back to the show. HBK has NOT been seen since Wrestlemania. When he does I will welcome him back more but I would not mind if he went to Smackdown too. There is a lighter schedule from reports I have read. That would be great to see and there can be the HBK-Morrison battle that people want. When the WWE loses both of these guys for good? They'll be missed but we will get over it.

HHH - I'd like to see him go soon so others will have a chance in the Main Event but I can see him being like Ric Flair so with him being involved like that and then a future backstage, I don't see him truly going away.

Batista - He has been the guy that I tell people that I enjoy his theme song more than him. "I Walk Alone" is one of my favorite themes but yet, I can't stand the guy in the ring. He's too big and stiff. His "Batista Bomb" is horrible. I liked the move when Ahmed Johnson used it more. When you hit it, you are supposed to sit. It is a sit out power bomb yet he never sits, he goes half way down and rolls backwards after he hits it. He hurt Cena with the move and possibly his hamstring that caused his last surgery. I don't/won't miss him.

 

[Pimpin]

HBK- A HUGE HUGE loss. Shawn is a tremendous wrestler despite his age, his promo skills are good & he is the only veteran that I know of that is willing to do the job to the younger guys & he does that well. I'm gonna hate the day that he goes, but in time i'll get over it.

Undertaker- I'm actually trying to figure out if HBK or Taker will be WWE's biggest loss cause both of them are very valuable assets to the company & Taker is like a leader on the Smackdown roster & he helps out the younger guys that are on that show. Taker is one if not the biggest draw out of the 4 as he is an extremely great wrestler, his character is to perfection & it is not stale & he does his job very well. Everyone will solely miss him & I will shed a tear on the day that he retires.

Triple H- A loss in wrestling & promo wise, he will also be a huge loss on money cause he is one of the biggest draws in the WWE today. The brightside of all this is that he won't hog up the title picture anymore as out of the two shows(we all know he won't ever be on ECW), 9 times out of 10 he is the champion on one of those two shows. I hate him as a face, but his heel character has always brought out the best in him. I would say that he will be a big loss, but his loss won't be something to cry about like the losses of Taker & HBK.

Batista- I know I will be jumping up for joy once he leaves for good as I won't have to see him on my tv ever again. On his best day in the ring, he is average, but mainly he sucks in the ring as his Batista Bomb is one of the worst powerbombs i've ever seen in my life. His promos are lame & he ain't got much, if any charisma at all, but he is a huge draw to the company & that's what matters to them anyways. I know RAW will be better for me once his ass is gone.

HBK, HHH & Taker will be the ones missed as each of them 3 are a vital part of why the WWE is on top. Batista, meh not so much, but the WWE will still go on without a huccup & develop new stars. Hell if they survived Hogan, Rock & Austin leaving, then they definitely will survive when these 4 leave.

 

[King Patrick Star]

Plain and very very simple, it would be exactly like when Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock left. Business as usual. Not one man, not two or three men, not four men, not these four men are above the business. You have to consider the fact that they are employees of the company, not the company itself. Now, here’s something to think about. What if, these four men were to go to ECW or TNA?? Wouldn’t’ that be great??

 

[CH David]

We all know that HBK will be a huge loss. He is quite possibly the best big match wrestler, (entertainer?) in the business, and can still do it at his age. It was always cool to see Shawn in the ring against pretty much any opponent. He puts over younger talent and doesn't look weak, which is a huge plus.

Taker is like HBK. He has had roughly the same gimmick for almost 20 years, and even at his age he is still able to kick ass and move well in the ring. He helps out younger wrestlers backstage, and sometimes puts them over in the ring. He will be missed, but right now on Smackdown they are doing fine because they have young talent that is already known to the crowd. From a company moving forward standpoint, HBK and Taker are going to be missed a lot because they put over the younger talent.

Triple H will be a big money and big draw loss. He is arguably one of the best all around wrestlers, promos, in-ring ability, etc. The only thing that would possibly make him a huge loss is if he started to back away from the title scene and put over younger guys. He will be missed from the money aspect, but he won't be as big a loss for the company as Taker and HBK.

Batista is a different story. I don't really care about Batista, so it won't be a loss for me, but for Vince's pockets and the E it will be. He is too often injured and to me a little stale for me to really care about him.

HBK and Taker will be big losses as they are able to put over the younger stars, and Triple H can do this if he was able to realize what is best for Raw right now, as most of these men are on Raw, and if he doesn't then he will be a money and draw loss. Batista is just a money and draw loss, as he is too injured for me to really remember when he put someone young over.

The WWE will be fine on Smackdown when Undertaker is gone, they are doing well without them right now because there are established stars on there already. Raw will be hell unless the younger talent gets put over soon by Triple H, and if he returns in 4 months, Batista. The young talent is key to the success of the WWE and Raw in particular, so hopefully they are over by the time these men retire.

 

[zags]

Since WrestleMania to some extent we have seen what the WWE will be like. Now with Batista gone had HHH not returned (though he had to for WWE's sake) we would see exactly what it would be like. Is it refreshing to see some of the different talent used? Yes. At the same time then we wouldn't have that big name, long standing, event selling, locker room leading superstar. Yes there is Cena, but he can only be used in a main event scene so often. The WWE will move on with guys like Orton, Jericho, Morrison and others but only if the writers start pushing the younger guys consistantly to feud with them so we get to see these guys. I like the MVP/Kingston/Miz push we're seeing on RAW. Yes we'll have Orton/HHH/Cena leading the show, but the exposure of the others is what is setting the foundation when the others are gone.

 

[Razor]

I'm assuming you mean these mid-carders are established main-event players before HBK, HHH, Batista, and Undertaker retire. Because if they're not, the WWE is going to be in for some rough sailing.

As far as the WWE as a whole, they'll feel the hurt from losing HBK the most. Because he's the only one who seems like he can actually put over the mid-carders who will be taking his place. Alright, so HHH helps out sometimes.

But yeah. I think most of the whining about Cena and Edge going "stale" is that they've run out of opponents. Edge can only fight Hardy/Undertaker/Batista for the title for so long. Cena can only overcome Big Show and Orton so many times. Though, really, Cena hasn't fought Legacy yet. Can't wait for that one, honestly. It'll be awesome.

Have HBK, HHH, Batista, and Undertaker leave when they're supposed to, (and that's definitely not within the next year. Except for HBK i suppose) with the appropriate precautions taken to make the new upper card, and we'll have a good 2 years or so before the usual cries of "Booooo, main event is stale" come back.

 

[XxXEGfanXxX]

I wouldnt care much for batista being droped,neither would i care 4 trips being droped.just because i hate stale stars hogging up the limelight, now HBK and undertaker on the other hand tremendous lost.

 

[Sasori]

Well HHH would be a HUGE loss to profits but a HUGE gain to the superstars of tommorow! HBK would be a HUGE loss to profits and superstars of tomorrow because HBK is good at putting people over! He put Cena over at WM 23. And he has done it well and amazingly as Cena only has 5 moves lol. And Batista will be a pretty big loss not a HUGE loss though as he is not a great wrestler or mic worker! Undertaker is a HUGE loss he is arguably one of the top 10 wrestlers of all time (so is HBK) so for him to go away would be a loss of A LOT OF MONEY!

 

[hatehabsforever]

Obviously it would be a big loss if all four of these guys were gone suddenly and at the same time. But likely their departures will happen at different times and will occur gradually so that people will evolve to fill their shoes, as has always been the case when guys retire from the WWE.

Filling Batista's shoes will be easy. If his current injury were to be career-ending, I doubt many would even notice.

As much as I love the Undertaker, filling his shoes will be easy too. He works such a reduced schedule anyway, his appearances on SD are infrequent and have been for years. He will be missed on the PPV's but he's hardly irreplaceable.

It's a non-issue with HHH as due to his family involvement I doubt he'll ever be gone. He may work a diminished capacity or move more behind the scenes, but he'll be like Flair and will never be gone until he is either severely injured or is dead.

HBK will be big shoes to fill. I'm a little surprised, though, that so many posters have commented on him putting younger talent over. When the hell has this happened, I have always felt that he NEVER puts younger talent over, and I wonder if he will when he actually retires, ie, will he lose his final match as typically guys do. Personally I don't think he will, his ego is too big to allow him to do it. HBK has been invaluable to the WWE and will surely be missed when he leaves, but it's laughable to suggest that will be the case because of him putting younger talent over. I've been reading a lot of people talking about wanting a HBK/Morrison feud. I would love this too but if it were to happen does anyone here actually think Michaels will put him over? Because I think he will assist in the development of Morrison but will never actually put him over.

 

[Fizzy]

It really depends on who steps up. When they all retire there will be a huge gap in the main event spots. WWE will lose 4 of their biggest draws. That is the prime time for people like MVP, Morrison, Kofi, Miz, and a few others to step up and take the WWE by the horns. WHen they go these guys just need to show how much they improved. If they don't however than that will leave WWE with little star power. So when their gone it all depends on who's willing to step up to decide whether them leaving will actually have an affect.

As for their impact on leaving.

HBK: This won't have a huge effect on main event scenes. HBK hasn't had a title in years, and now mainly focuses on feuds. Sure he is a draw. He makes the WWE a shit ton of money, which will prove to be a loss there, but on Raw maybe the ratings drop just a tad(doubt that) but in terms of main event effect it isn't a huge loss. However they will lose one of the greatest of all time. They lose someone who puts on great match after great match, and someone who people pay attention to out of the main event scene. Nobody will be able to fill HBK's shoes ever. He is one of a kind, and will be a huge loss to the WWE.

HHH: Obviously a huge loss to the main event scene. The man holds the title most of the time, and when he isn't holding it he is fighting for it. People complain about this, but really who else is there to give it to? Nobody is ready for the title besides Cena, Orton, Batista, and Trips. He deserves to hold it. It will be a huge loss when he retires, because that's one main event talent, who can put on pretty good matches gone. Ratings won't slip. Merchandise sales won't slip, but without him there goes a good main event wrestler.

Batista: Batista is a big "meh". His retirement won't impact the main event scene much because half the time he isn't in it. He is a huge draw, and is pretty damn over, but still it won't affect Raw much.

Undertaker: WWE loses one of it's finest. Taker even at his old age plays his gimmick so well, and still puts on great match after great match. His match with HBK was for me the best at Mania by far. Every match this man wrestles in I love. He doesn't hog the title scene, and is massively over. Taker is still at his age better than 99.99% of the smackdown roster(excluding Edge, and that's a HUGE MAYBE.) He will be missed big time.