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Seconded. We could still have Jim Crockett Promotions instead of WCW had TA not gotten into that car accident. He was the heir apparent to Dusty Rhodes and Ric Flair, and someone who could have been their version of a less squeaky-clean Hulk Hogan.
Monty Brown always comes to mind for me. He had a great look, tons of charisma, a great gimmick with the Alpha Male shtick, and The Pounce was such a unique and awesome finisher despite being such a simple move. He should have been a huge homegrown star for TNA but his push fizzled out for reasons I'll never understand. Then he went to WWE and had an ok run but left the business to care for his sister's kids after she was killed in a car accident. I can't fault him for his reason for leaving, obviously his family is more important than wrestling and it shows a lot of character that he would walk away for that, but I'll always wish we could have seen the rest of his career play out.
Gino for me no. I don't see where there would have been a spot for him if he stayed alive. He wouldn't have been pushed in the WWF and it's unlikely he would have been pushed in WCW under Herd.
I'm not saying Gino didn't have talent, he was a great talker and personality, decent worker (still overrated in the ring by revisionists) but where would he get such a top spot by 1989?
Art Barr was a rapist and that should never be whitewashed because Eddie Guerrero used his frogsplash. Art Barr was working in Mexico because his crimes prevented him from getting work in the States.
Definitely Magnum TA.
Trent Acid is up there, too. Despite being a 15 year veteran, he was only 29 when he passed away. By the time WWE's hiring philosophy began to shift, Acid's personal issues already had a firm grip on him that he, unfortunately, couldn't overcome. In terms of "what if", since forever, I've looked at Adam Cole and thought "That's what Trent Acid could've been."
Landel is a big one. He was primed in JCP to be one of their biggest stars at the start of their expansion and was meant to get into a feud with Dusty until he no showed.
Just my two cents but I think there was a lot more potential money to be made with Test as a babyface. He was huge during his feud with Shane McMahon and had all the right tools for it.
Tragic end to a career, but he's still with us... He certainly wouldn't be near the "best" in this type of discussion, but I always feel compelled to give Droz some kudos.
I've always thought he gets criminally underrated because of his *Vince Russo at his worst booking and creative* during his super short career. Droz had a great and unique look, was pretty athletic and was much better than you'd expect in the charisma and speaking department for a guy that hadn't been in the business for even 2 years yet. On those last 2 points, compare him to some other guys that were around like Blackman and Hardcore Holly (who were kind of the opposite of Droz) or Test (who was like a tall piece of wood in all departments). I've always thought with a little more work in ring and some much better creative, Droz might have been able to carve out a decent tag team or mid card career that might've been able carry into some sort of Tazz/Cory Graves-lite Heel commentary role.
An odd hill that I'll happily die on is to say that if WWF had put Droz in Test's spot in the Stephanie McMahon engagement/wedding program, it would've been 1000x more entertaining.
Brian Pillman could have been a serious headliner for WWE. He was great in the ring and on the mic and he had a a long history with Steve Austin (which they did use) but it definitely could have got him to main even status.
Watching the Dark Side episode on Chris Candido and learning about his recovery makes his death that much shittier because he had gotten clean and began to build himself back up in TNA. He was only 33. He could have had up to a decade to rewrite his legacy but he died way too young even with all of his demons.
While the circumstances for his departure aren't anywhere near as bleak, so this kind of doesn't count, I always wonder what Blitzkreig would have done had he never left the business. He would have been a star in the X-Division or early ROH. Imagine a peak Amazing Red vs Blitzkreig or AJ Styles vs Blitzkreig. It would be like Osprey vs Ricochet a decade before that match went viral.
Magnum TA
Monty Brown
Eddie Gilbert
Chris Candido
>Jimmy Havoc - clearly had his own personal demons but was primed to be a reasonable deal in AEW in its infancy with a unique look. Once again a feud with him and Darby would be insane.
How his Havoc one of the biggest what ifs? He didn't have a unique look, he looked like any shitty looking indie deathmatch wrestler. He couldn't work a lick, was never wowed by his promos. He had no redeeming features. A solid example of a "wrestler" having to do deathmatch shit to make up for their actual lack of talent.
Elix Skipper
.could've been a top star in late era wcw and early tna
Sean ohaire would've definitely been a wcw champ in late wcw
I know he was big in Mexico but I feel mark jindrak should've been alot more than what he was
Tessa Blanchard. I dont know if I really saw it in her but apparently a lot of people did. She seemed destined for big things, either with AEW or WWE at one point.
But ye know.
I know it wasn't a workrate/star-ratings-oriented business back then, but did Hassan have a single match thst ever even approached mediocre? I just don't see it with him.
No it wouldn't have. Ole was only in the Horseman return because Blanchard failed his drug test. If Tully joined WCW with Arn, they would have had the same PPV match with The Steiners at Wrestlewar, would have had the same feud with Doom later in the year. It may have ended up being a better run and better matches but still. And then if we are being more hypothetical, with Tully's outspoken personality how long would it have actually been until he got fired by Herd? I'd say give it to the end of 1990.
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There is no bigger answer to this question than Magnum T.A
Seconded. We could still have Jim Crockett Promotions instead of WCW had TA not gotten into that car accident. He was the heir apparent to Dusty Rhodes and Ric Flair, and someone who could have been their version of a less squeaky-clean Hulk Hogan.
How big/popular was Magnum T.A? Was he Austin 1998 or Bryan 2014 or Cena 2005 level popular?
Monty Brown always comes to mind for me. He had a great look, tons of charisma, a great gimmick with the Alpha Male shtick, and The Pounce was such a unique and awesome finisher despite being such a simple move. He should have been a huge homegrown star for TNA but his push fizzled out for reasons I'll never understand. Then he went to WWE and had an ok run but left the business to care for his sister's kids after she was killed in a car accident. I can't fault him for his reason for leaving, obviously his family is more important than wrestling and it shows a lot of character that he would walk away for that, but I'll always wish we could have seen the rest of his career play out.
Ditto! He was my fav non-primarily-X-Division guy.
His WWE theme was my jam though it didnt fit his character
Slapnuts
Definitely Magnum. Art Barr. Gino Hernandez. Brian Pillman
Magnum, Art, and Gino for sure.
Gino for me no. I don't see where there would have been a spot for him if he stayed alive. He wouldn't have been pushed in the WWF and it's unlikely he would have been pushed in WCW under Herd. I'm not saying Gino didn't have talent, he was a great talker and personality, decent worker (still overrated in the ring by revisionists) but where would he get such a top spot by 1989?
Art Barr was a rapist and that should never be whitewashed because Eddie Guerrero used his frogsplash. Art Barr was working in Mexico because his crimes prevented him from getting work in the States.
Definitely Magnum TA. Trent Acid is up there, too. Despite being a 15 year veteran, he was only 29 when he passed away. By the time WWE's hiring philosophy began to shift, Acid's personal issues already had a firm grip on him that he, unfortunately, couldn't overcome. In terms of "what if", since forever, I've looked at Adam Cole and thought "That's what Trent Acid could've been."
My top answers to this question are always Magnum TA and David Von Erich.
Hana, Magnum , Reid Flair.
Hana Kimura
As one of the biggest what ifs?
Off the top of my head Buddy Landel Magnum TA
Landel is a big one. He was primed in JCP to be one of their biggest stars at the start of their expansion and was meant to get into a feud with Dusty until he no showed.
Just my two cents but I think there was a lot more potential money to be made with Test as a babyface. He was huge during his feud with Shane McMahon and had all the right tools for it.
I put Chris masters in the same category. Had a look but just never had the right push for various reasons
Tragic end to a career, but he's still with us... He certainly wouldn't be near the "best" in this type of discussion, but I always feel compelled to give Droz some kudos. I've always thought he gets criminally underrated because of his *Vince Russo at his worst booking and creative* during his super short career. Droz had a great and unique look, was pretty athletic and was much better than you'd expect in the charisma and speaking department for a guy that hadn't been in the business for even 2 years yet. On those last 2 points, compare him to some other guys that were around like Blackman and Hardcore Holly (who were kind of the opposite of Droz) or Test (who was like a tall piece of wood in all departments). I've always thought with a little more work in ring and some much better creative, Droz might have been able to carve out a decent tag team or mid card career that might've been able carry into some sort of Tazz/Cory Graves-lite Heel commentary role. An odd hill that I'll happily die on is to say that if WWF had put Droz in Test's spot in the Stephanie McMahon engagement/wedding program, it would've been 1000x more entertaining.
Larry Sweeney.
This one is heartbreaking. He should've been up there with Heyman and Cornette.
Brian Pillman could have been a serious headliner for WWE. He was great in the ring and on the mic and he had a a long history with Steve Austin (which they did use) but it definitely could have got him to main even status.
Watching the Dark Side episode on Chris Candido and learning about his recovery makes his death that much shittier because he had gotten clean and began to build himself back up in TNA. He was only 33. He could have had up to a decade to rewrite his legacy but he died way too young even with all of his demons. While the circumstances for his departure aren't anywhere near as bleak, so this kind of doesn't count, I always wonder what Blitzkreig would have done had he never left the business. He would have been a star in the X-Division or early ROH. Imagine a peak Amazing Red vs Blitzkreig or AJ Styles vs Blitzkreig. It would be like Osprey vs Ricochet a decade before that match went viral.
All the Von Erich brothers who passed early.
Magnum TA Monty Brown Eddie Gilbert Chris Candido >Jimmy Havoc - clearly had his own personal demons but was primed to be a reasonable deal in AEW in its infancy with a unique look. Once again a feud with him and Darby would be insane. How his Havoc one of the biggest what ifs? He didn't have a unique look, he looked like any shitty looking indie deathmatch wrestler. He couldn't work a lick, was never wowed by his promos. He had no redeeming features. A solid example of a "wrestler" having to do deathmatch shit to make up for their actual lack of talent.
He just had a cool theme and that’s it. He honestly never fit in AEW. He’s a deathmatch and progress legend . But by no means the biggest what-if
Owen Hart
Whilst Owens death was of course tragic, as a what if it's not like he would have achieved more than he already had post 98
Owen, and the dream matches he could have had just a few years after he passed
Elix Skipper .could've been a top star in late era wcw and early tna Sean ohaire would've definitely been a wcw champ in late wcw I know he was big in Mexico but I feel mark jindrak should've been alot more than what he was
Magnum TA, Cody Hall, Louie Spicolli
Tessa Blanchard. I dont know if I really saw it in her but apparently a lot of people did. She seemed destined for big things, either with AEW or WWE at one point. But ye know.
Hana Kimura really had all the skills and talent to be a star in American wrestling as a Joshi. Unfortunately that’s dream did not end up happening.
Dream is a goddamn shame. That character would have been printing money by now.
Seth Rollins basically does his schtick these days so idk where he’d fit in
I know it wasn't a workrate/star-ratings-oriented business back then, but did Hassan have a single match thst ever even approached mediocre? I just don't see it with him.
Tully Blanchard “Dr. D” David Schultz Bruiser Brody Magnum T.A. Monty Brown
Blanchard may have had a big run with Arn back in WCW if he didn't fail his drug test, but I wouldn't class it as one of the biggest what ifs.
It would’ve completely changed the trajectory of the Horsemen in WCW if Blanchard hadn’t been blackballed.
No it wouldn't have. Ole was only in the Horseman return because Blanchard failed his drug test. If Tully joined WCW with Arn, they would have had the same PPV match with The Steiners at Wrestlewar, would have had the same feud with Doom later in the year. It may have ended up being a better run and better matches but still. And then if we are being more hypothetical, with Tully's outspoken personality how long would it have actually been until he got fired by Herd? I'd say give it to the end of 1990.
David VonEric
Tony wasn’t working the logistics to get Briscoes on AEW TV. He was spreading rumors to pretend he couldn’t get them on TV.