Elseworld 52

Mattywood · May 3, 2018

No, you are not seeing a mirage. You can pinch yourself if you're not convinced that this a new thread being posted by yours truly in the Mods Section post-mod retirement. After spending time playing the game, I've been getting my motivation back and have thought of a few ideas for a new project, and now I'm pulling a Terry Funk and coming out of retirement for now. I have decided on a wrestling world set the day after WrestleMania 32 in 2016 that's a bit different from the world we were actually in two years ago. And before I go on, I should mention that I have already discussed this idea with Fleisch and he is on board, giving me full permission to use his RWC data as a base. I also have permission from joemurphy, who's Super Awesome Modern Picture Pack will be used in conjunction with this new mod, Elseworld 52.

Now, you might recall the Hall of Fame speech the Freebirds gave for their induction in 2016. Specifically, the story Michael Hayes told of he, Terry Gordy and the Von Erichs hitting up a... let's just say less than savory club in Texas. "Michael, he's got a wooden leg." POW-POW! POW-POW! POW! "What's so funny?" "He missed."

What on earth does this story have to do with this mod, you ask? Because this is where things start to go down a different path. In the original telling of the story, Michael Hayes was playing Pac-Man before the biker slapped him on the back. But in this timeline, Michael plays for just a few seconds longer. Other than that, the story plays out exactly the same way, complete with "wooden leg" and "he missed" punchlines. Yet somehow, those very few extra seconds change the wrestling world as we know it in 2016. Stay tuned to this thread to find out what all has changed with those few extra seconds.

On a side note, this means that I also have motivation to get my Locations file finished, which I will release as a standalone data set along with those locations being part of the data. The locations file will be basically for those who want to use these locations across all mods as they should be compatible with any and all real world mods, alternative history or real life.

Mattywood · May 3, 2018

February 1984

Everything had played out in the wrestling world up to this point as it did in real life. The Freebirds/Von Erichs rivalry kicked off with Terry Gordy slamming the cage door on Kerry Von Erich's head on Christmas night; Hulk Hogan left the AWA for the WWF and became the new WWF Champion; and Ric Flair won the NWA World Title from Harley Race at the first annual Starrcade. But here is where history starts to diverge from reality. David Von Erich was set to go on a tour of Japan, but was feeling ill. His doctors would not clear him to make the trip, and David had to let Giant Baba know that he would not be cleared to make the trip. Thankfully, Baba was understanding and made adjustments along the way.

David made follow up doctor visits and was diagnosed with enteritis. David followed his doctor's recommendations and was back to feeling 100% not long after the diagnosis. However, he did not return to the ring until Memorial Day weekend of that year, where he would face Ric Flair inside Texas Stadium at the NWA's first annual Parade of Champions. This event was a spring time companion event to November's Starrcade, featuring NWA talent from various regions and hosted by World Class, much like how the Mid Atlantic territory hosted Starrcade. After a thrilling 30 plus minute bout, David would win the title using Flair's very own Figure Four Leg Lock against him. Finally, a Von Erich had won the NWA World Title. It was truly inspiring considering what preceded this event...

March 1984

With the World Class TV show being aired on KXTX channel 39, which at the time was an affiliate of televangelist Pat Robertson's CBN, the Von Erichs could use their connections to go on the 700 Club anytime they wanted. David opted to go on the show to come clean about his cocaine habit, which never caused him problems as far as putting on a good match was concerned. In fact, he never showed up to any show drugged up to the gills. But he did use it recreationally. He talked about how he believed it was the cause of his enteritis, and if his doctor hadn't stopped him from making the trip to Japan, he very well might not be alive today to tell his testimony. He talked about how his life flashed before his eyes, and how if he didn't do something now to change his life, things could get really bad in a hurry.

He knew he was taking a risk coming out and admitting all this with the fans in Texas being so in love with the Von Erichs that any sort of scandal might cause irreversible damage to their prestige, but David thought it was more important to come clean about this and if even just one person turned their life around, it was all worth it. Kerry and Kevin would soon follow suit, talking with pastors and counselors in order to kick their own bad habits and turn their lives around when they saw that younger brothers Mike and Chris had always looked up to them and didn't want them to pick up on their bad habits.

Come to find out, the fans did NOT turn on the Von Erichs, but in fact loved them even more for having the courage to come out and admit their shortcomings. And through hard work and determination, the Von Erichs were able to kick their bad habits, and became even better workers for it. While still not the best talker in the world, at least Kerry now didn't forget what he was to talk about in his promos. And he wasn't forgetting spots in matches either. Fritz was also relieved that he didn't feel the need to cover for his boys anymore.

Mattywood · May 3, 2018

A Champion Crowned, and a Big Time Offer

The NWA Board of Directors met once again to discuss plans for the NWA World Title. Ric Flair was on board with dropping the belt as had been discussed, and was even more on board with David Von Erich being the heir apparent than before. On TV, Bill Mercer and Marc Lowrance would hype up the pending NWA Parade Of Champions on WCCW's TV shows, World Class Championship Wrestling and Championship Sports, respectively. Tickets for the Memorial Day weekend event sold out with more than a month to go before the event, headlined by David Von Erich winning the NWA World Title form Ric Flair when he used Flair's very own Figure Four to beat him as the he passed out and had his shoulders down for a three count. David would also go on to win Pro Wrestling Illustrated's "Inspirational Wrestler of the Year" award for his courage to go on national television and admit to his problems, clean himself up and become NWA World Champion.

However, his reign was short lived as he received a phone call from Vince McMahon. In this timeline, the Fabulous Freebirds didn't have that short run in McMahon land in September of 1984. Instead, David got the phone call. It was a tough decision to make, but Fritz reassured David that now was the time to make a go of it in New York and that the family territory would be fine with Kerry and Kevin holding down the fort. Fritz was also making some investments to help maybe possibly expand the World Class territory. David thought long and hard, and finally decided to accept McMahon's offer. David would give his notice to his father and to the NWA Board of Directors. The NWA Board decided that David would drop the NWA World Title back to Ric Flair at that year's Starrcade on Thanksgiving Night in 1984. The two would go back and forth in another classic, and this time, David would return the favor to Flair by allowing him to go over using the famed Iron Claw, with David passing out from the hold and being pinned much like Flair had passed out and was pinned with his own Figure Four.

On the December 22, 1984 episode of WWF Championship Wrestling, Rowdy Roddy Piper was hosting yet another edition of Piper's Pit, as he and Cowboy Bob Orton were set to hand WWF Intercontinental Champion, Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, an award for being the best champion in the WWF. "Better than that big cowardly brute, Chump Hogan!" Piper exclaimed. Greg and his manager, Jimmy Hart, talked about how they practically had no competition left because they broke Tito Santana's leg, and had already beaten the Junkyard Dog. The crowd went bonkers as none other than David Von Erich walked onto the set. Remember, World Class was shown in the New York area and was garnering just as big, sometimes bigger, TV ratings as the WWF, so the fans in attendance knew exactly who David Von Erich was. The heels all looked like they had seen a ghost, and Vince McMahon and Bruno Sammartino both wondered out loud just what on earth David was doing here as he stared the heels down. After about a minute, David yanked Roddy's microphone from his hand and told Valentine that he spoke too soon about having no competition, because he came to win some WWF championship gold this time around, and he had his eyes on that Intercontinental Title.

The feud would go all the way to the first annual WrestleMania at Madison Square Garden, where David would finally get the better of the Hammer and win the IC Championship. David and Valentine were turning fans away with their classics on the B cards, which were now rivaling the A cards that Hulk Hogan headlined. Their feud finally culminated on the first ever Saturday Night's Main Event on NBC, where David defeated the Hammer inside of a steel cage. David would then feud with the likes of Don Muraco, Nikolai Volkoff and the Iron Sheik before feuding with possibly his greatest opponent to date: "Macho Man" Randy Savage. They went back and forth, trading disqualification and count out victories on the house show loop before blowing off their feud at WrestleMania 2, where they stole the show at the Rosemont Horizon in Chicago, with Macho Man winning the title. David would disappear off TV for a few months until some familiar faces showed up...

TO BE CONTINUED

Mattywood · May 3, 2018

All in the Family

While David was tearing it up in New York, Kerry and Kevin Von Erich had several babyface allies they could rely on to keep their feud with the Freebirds going. From Bruiser Brody, to Chris Adams, to Iceman King Parsons, World Class definitely did not suffer from a shortage of good babyfaces. And with everything going well, Mike Von Erich was never pressured to get into the ring. Instead, he got to do what he wanted to do: work behind the scenes as a producer for the show. Chris Von Erich, however, wanted to be a wrestler, but was a bit depressed that he knew he would never be as big as his older brothers. To help cheer himself up, he would start doing impressions of various workers backstage. But not only was he cracking himself up, everyone else backstage was cracking up as well. Kerry and Kevin took notice, and pitched the idea to their dad to give Chris his own interview segment a la Piper's Pit, with the difference that this segment was being hosted by a babyface. Chris' time hosting the talk segment known as Youth Movement was a turning point in him battling and overcoming his depression of never getting to be a wrestler as now he realized he could be a part of the show in other ways. He also had a mind for the business as he had some rather creative ideas, such as Chris Adams and Gino Hernandez wearing masks after they had their heads shaved by Kerry and Kevin Von Erich at the 1985 Cotton Bowl Extravaganza.

Fritz meanwhile was making investments in hopes of expanding the World Class territory. However, he and many other people were swindled by a shady money man who was sent to prison for money laundering. Now in dire need of money, Fritz had to do something he never foresaw himself doing: selling the territory to an outsider. In August of 1986, Fritz Von Erich made a phone call to his former booker Ken Mantell, and worked out a deal for Bill Watts to purchase the territory. Watts would merge Mid South and World Class together to form the UWF, with the company holding TV tapings in Oklahoma and Texas. Receiving more money than he thought imaginable, Fritz was able to retire and this time invested some of his money in better assets that insured that he never had to work another day in his life. Meanwhile, Kerry and Kevin would join their brother David in the WWF, as did the Fabulous Freebirds. The Von Erich/Freebird rivlary was about to reignite in the World Wrestling Federation. Mike and Chris would be hired on to the WWF production staff, working as apprentices under Kevin Dunn before going on to help produce the WWF's revamped syndicated shows of Superstars of Wrestling (formerly Championship Wrestling) and Wrestling Challenge (formerly All Star Wrestling).

Mattywood · May 3, 2018

New Surroundings

David had taken some time off after WrestleMania 2 to heal some nagging injuries. This couldn't have come at a better time as his brothers, Kerry and Kevin, debuted on Superstars of Wrestling in October of 1986. After an otherwise ordinary squash victory over Steve Lombardi and Mario Mancini, the Von Erichs were attacked by newcomers the Fabulous Freebirds. All looked lost until David Von Erich made a triumphant return, blasting all of the Freebirds with right hand after right hand, and even locking Buddy Roberts in the famed Von Erich Claw.

As was mentioned, Mike and Chris took jobs on the WWF production crew. In this timeline, Bruce Prichard never came to work for the WWF. Instead, he stayed on with Bill Watts as the head booker for the UWF, and would also book other territories (we'll get there). So instead of Bruce working the Gorilla position at some shows and helping to pitch storyline ideas, Chris Von Erich was the one who would work Gorilla and pitch storyline ideas. It was Chris' idea for Bobby "The Brain" Heenan to be the linchpin in Andre the Giant turning heel and challenging Hulk Hogan in front of a record-setting crowd in the Pontiac Silverdome at WrestleMania III. It was also Chris who pitched the idea for Macho Man to injure Ricky Steamboat's larynx to set up their show stealing bout at WrestleMania III. Mike, meanwhile, showed a talent for putting together promo videos that helped sell the fans on upcoming big events, as well as video packages that highlighted the WWF superstars at their very best. In later years, Kevin Dunn would see Mike as a threat, but again, we'll get there.

Since Bruce Prichard never worked for the WWF in this timeline, that means there was no Brother Love... no Brother Love character portrayed by Bruce that is. Vince had seen Chris Von Erich doing his impressions and saw the headlines corrupt televangelists were making for all the wrong reasons. Vince, ever the one who likes to seize on real world issues and make money off of them, pitched the idea of Brother Love to Chris. It was a chance for Chris Von Erich to make a name for himself on WWF TV without having to live up to the Von Erich hype. If the character got over, he got it over on his own merits. If it fell flat on its face, he still had his production job and could live with the fact that he failed on his own and didn't bring shame to the Von Erich family name. In February 1987, the Brother Love Show premiered on Wrestling Challenge after Jake "The Snake" Roberts kayfabe put the Snake Pit on hiatus to get revenge on the Honky Tonk Man for blasting him over the head with his trusty guitar.

In the Hulk Hogan/Andre the Giant storyline, it would be revealed that it was Brother Love who helped Andre to "see the light" about how Hulk was holding him back, and how the only reason Bobby Heenan sent the Heenan Family after Andre was to try and beat sense into him to try and see the light. Thanks to being thrust into one of the hottest angles going on in the WWF at that time, Chris Von Erich was able to get the Brother Love character over like Rover. So much so that when Rowdy Roddy Piper left for Hollywood after WrestleMania III, the Brother Love Show was promoted to Superstars, and the Snake Pit made its return to Wrestling Challenge. The Brother Love Show had its share of big moments, but none would be bigger than what was to come in late 1987...

TO BE CONTINUED

DatIsraeliGuy · May 3, 2018

A millennial here, what Michael Hayes story were you talking about?

Mattywood · May 3, 2018

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="DatIsraeliGuy" data-cite="DatIsraeliGuy" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="45365" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>A millennial here, what Michael Hayes story were you talking about?</div></blockquote> <div class="ipsEmbeddedVideo"><div><iframe frameborder="0" width="480" height="271" src="https://www.dailymotion.com/embed/video/x41pmfl?pubtool=oembed" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div> Straight from the horse's mouth himself.

The Lloyd · May 3, 2018

Just. Wow!!!!

I want more!!!!

SomeLazyMagic · May 3, 2018

Following the hell out of this. I've always had a love for the "what ifs" about WCCW and the Von Erichs, and this preview already has me happy and excited like nothing before!

Mattywood · May 3, 2018

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="SomeLazyMagic" data-cite="SomeLazyMagic" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="45365" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Following the hell out of this. I've always had a love for the "what ifs" about WCCW and the Von Erichs, and this preview already has me happy and excited like nothing before!</div></blockquote> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="The Lloyd" data-cite="The Lloyd" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="45365" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Just. Wow!!!! I want more!!!!</div></blockquote> Fear not, good sirs, more is on its way. As a matter of fact... Survivor Series By 1987, the WWF had come into a Golden Age in terms of popularity. Hulkamania was running wild; Honky Tonk Man had enormous heat as a heel IC Champion, selling out B shows as Hogan sold out A shows; and the Von Erichs/Freebirds rivalry hit a fever pitch, with the Freebirds inadvertently costing the Hart Foundation the WWF Tag Team Titles on an October edition of Superstars that saw Kerry and Kevin Von Erich win the Tag Titles. The rivalry came to a head in a Badstreet Match at the first annual Survivor Series. While the rest of the roster would participate in five vs five matches (and the 20 man five tag teams vs five tag teams match), the Von Erichs and Freebirds did battle in a six man Badstreet Match fought under Survivor Series elimination rules. Vince understood the risk he was taking allowing these men to work such a match in front of the WWF audience, but it was well worth it as it was now starting to rival Macho Man vs. Ricky Steamboat for Match of the Year honors. As a matter of fact, the voting was practically split down the middle as Ricky Steamboat/Macho Man won the honors in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. However, the Badstreet Match won the honors in Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Something that many thought was interesting was how much more vicious that David had been than ever before. In fact, when the Von Erichs had the Freebirds down 3-1, with Michael Hayes the lone Freebird left, David would shove both Kerry and Kevin on his way out of the ring after he got eliminated when Kevin accidentally hit him with his cowboy boot. Now at this same Survivor Series event, Hulk Hogan led his team of Hulkamaniacs against Andre the Giant's team, with Andre claiming that he would retire if he could not defeat Hogan. Hogan would be the lone survivor, and Andre would ride off in the sunset by going back to being a babyface after slapping Bobby Heenan around when the Brain berated him for losing the bout. In reality, Andre's size and years of wrestling caught up to him, and he was ready to step away from competition, with Vince giving him a job behind the scenes as a road agent. The Main Event And still on the subject of Survivor Series, there was a special PPV edition of the Brother Love Show, where "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase, who was now a financier of the show (in kayfabe), proclaimed that he would buy the WWF Championship. Two weeks later on Superstars, Hulk Hogan got choked up, acting as if he was sad to let Hulkamaniacs know that the money was too much to turn down, only to shout "HEEEEEELL... NOOOOOOOOO!" With that, DiBiase was infuriated, but being the smart man that he was, he had a Plan B. The following week on the Brother Love Show, he claimed that he knew someone who had all the tools to be a champion, and was being held back by President Jack Tunney from challenging Hogan because he knew that this man could beat Hogan. When Brother Love asked DiBiase just who he was talking about, he brought out none other than... David Von Erich! The crowd was practically speechless in shock, hoping against all hope that David was coming out to tell DiBiase that he was a liar. But instead, David proclaimed that DiBiase was right, that Hogan had ducked him for these past few years, but he was so busy trying to fight his rotten brothers' battles for them because they couldn't leave well enough alone with the Freebirds that he didn't have the time to protest President Jack Tunney never once naming him #1 contender. That comment brought out Kevin and Kerry, who were as shocked as everyone else, trying to figure out just what had gotten into David. Kevin said that if this was about him accidentally hitting him with his cowboy boot at Survivor Series, that he was truly sorry. But David said this had nothing to do with any of that, and everything to do with finally doing things his way. He told Ted DiBiase that he would beat Hulk Hogan for the title, and he would gladly give the title over to him with all the money he was going to make. The Von Erichs had enough and were about to go after David and Ted until the Freebirds showed up and attacked! Ted DiBiase had built his own gang known as Money Inc., with Virgil serving as bodyguard, David serving as enforcer, and Buddy Roberts serving as manager for Michael Hayes and Terry Gordy as Buddy retired after Survivor Series. At the Royal Rumble, which was shown on the USA Network, Mean Gene Okerlund hosted a live contract signing for the big match between David Von Erich and Hulk Hogan to be broadcast on NBC. This was seen as a big money match because David had a run as NWA World Champion and was seen as a real wrestler that could give Hulk Hogan a run for his money (no pun intended). All of Money Inc. was out there, and Hogan was out there by himself as Macho Man (now a babyface) was working a house show over in the States as the Rumble took place in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. After the contract was signed, Ted told his men to put their official stamp of approval on it by attacking the Hulkster. It was a gang-style attack unlike any other, but fortunately for Hogan, Kerry and Kevin came running down to chase Money Inc. out of the ring. It was time for the big bout on NBC, and it was living up to everyone's expectations. In fact, it still stands today as the largest network television audience to watch a professional wrestling match with a 15.2 rating and over 33 million viewers tuning in to watch this showdown. The Freebirds inevitably came down to try and distract the Hulkster, but out came the Von Erichs to brawl with them at ringside. With all the ruckus that was going on, referee Dave Hebner was distracted and yelling for security to run down and get everyone separated as Hogan had David pinned following his patented leg drop. You could count to twenty, but the ref would not turn around. Hogan tried to get the ref's attention, but Hebner kept telling him he had to get everyone away from ringside. Hogan turned around, only to get locked in the Iron Claw. David was able to bring Hogan down, and Dave Hebner turned around in time to make the three count... except Hogan got his shoulder up at one! Hogan was double crossed out of the WWF Title, and David Von Erich surrendered the WWF Championship to Ted DiBiase. Amidst all the commotion, there was another Dave Hebner in the ring yelling at the original Dave Hebner... who turned out to be Dave's twin Earl! "HOW MUCH FOR THE PLASTIC SURGERY, MAN?! THEY WERE IDENTICAL! IDENTICAAAAAALLLLL!" All of this set the stage for what would go down as one of the highest grossing (for that time) WrestleMania's of all time. But the WWF is not the only place that has had changes in its timeline. Just what has happened with the UWF? With Jim Crockett Promotions? With other territories? Don't worry, we will get there soon enough.

The Lloyd · May 3, 2018

Good lord this is awesome!!!

smurphy1014 · May 4, 2018

This looks spectacular.

Mattywood · May 4, 2018

Thanks for the kind words, folks. Hopefully when this is released, it doesn't disappoint.

Now let's tie up a loose end that I'm sure has been on the mind of at least a few people. "Ain't that Chris Von Erich too young to be workin' in the Dubya-Dubya-F!?! What about school?"

If you recall in one of the previous posts, the rest of the Von Erichs did not arrive until October 1986. Chris had already turned 17 by this point. In this timeline, there wasn't much of an issue with him working in World Class since it pretty much stayed in Texas and he was able to attend class. Also in this timeline, by the time the 1986/87 school year starts, he was home schooling and had done well enough that he would graduate early. Just a loose end I wanted to tie up.

So what on earth was going on in other territories while the WWF was doing well?

UWF

After Fritz sold World Class to Bill Watts, the Cowboy merged both his Mid South territory and the World Class territory to form the UWF. They had two TV shows in syndication: Power Pro Wrestling, and Championship Sports. Ken Mantell had been head booker, but right before Christmas 1986, he and Bill Watts had a falling out over the direction of the company, as well as paranoia that a young Bruce Prichard was going to backstab Ken. So Ken quit, leaving Bruce to be the head booker of the UWF. Ken would go on to form Wild West Wrestling and ran in opposition to Watts, holding shows at Billy Bob's in Fort Worth, Texas and managing to take some of Watts' talent. By 1987, UWF talent was heading for greener pastures in the WWF and Jim Crockett Promotions. While there was no oil crisis in this timeline, fans eventually began to notice the drop off in talent. It didn't help that Bill Watts was budget cutting and using the cheapest talent possible. Jim Ross had already given his notice and went to work for Crockett, calling matches with Tony Schiavone, while the UWF had to settle for Joel Watts calling the matches all by his lonesome. By August of 1987, Bill Watts sold his UWF assets to Jim Crockett Jr., which leads us to...

Jim Crockett Promotions

The Mid Atlantic area was doing well thanks in part to having the likes of Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, Magnum TA, Nikita Koloff, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, the Road Warriors, the Rock 'n' Roll Express, the Midnight Express and more on their roster. Dusty & Friends vs. The Four Horsemen was guaranteed money night after night. In this timeline, Magnum TA never had his car accident, and he would win the NWA World Title at Starrcade '86. It was unheard of at the time for a babyface to be the flag bearer of the NWA for a lengthy amount of time as NWA territories had always been about the babyfaces chasing the heels. But this experiment proved to be a success with Magnum TA's natural charisma and good looks. But at a house show in August of 1987, Magnum TA hurt his arm, and he was going to have to take some time off to let it heal up. So Dusty Rhodes made the call to have Magnum drop the title on a special televised edition of World Championship Wrestling on TBS that aired on Labor Day, taking full advantage of kids being out of school and adults being off work. Magnum won the locker room over by working the match hurt, putting on a performance that rivaled his I Quit steel cage match against Tully Blanchard, and making Ric Flair look like a million bucks as he repaid the favor of doing the honors.

But Magnum's injury wasn't the end of the world, as a face turn for Nikita Koloff had been teased for some time, with the story being that he started noticing that America wasn't such a bad place, and how hospitable everyone was to him no matter how mean and nasty he had been to them. After losing a tag match on NWA Pro Wrestling to the Rock 'n' Roll Express, Ivan blew a gasket and blamed Nikita for the loss, then slapped him in the face. Nikita had enough, and the crowd inside the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium erupted when he laid Ivan out with a vicious Russian Sickle. But Nikita wasn't the only babyface being groomed for a top spot. Ric Flair had his eyes on a face painted man who while still a bit green, had been showing steady improvement. Flair felt all this man needed was some guidance...

TO BE CONTINUED

Mattywood · May 4, 2018

Painted Protege

There was a face painted young man that Ric Flair had his eyes on who was part of the Blade Runners in Mid South/UWF. He was managed by Eddie Gilbert, and had a good look, along with natural charisma. After the UWF folded in 1987, he signed on with Jim Crockett Promotions and was getting a number of wins over enhancement talent, but hadn't been put in a major angle yet.

<div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="3AgBkHm.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/3AgBkHm.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div>

Jim Hellwig, who was known in the Mid South territory as Blade Runner Rock, signed with JCP after the UWF's closure, but did not debut until mid September of 1987, growing his hair out and changing his look, being repackaged as a kayfabe protege of Paul Ellering and the Road Warriors, christened the Ultimate Warrior. Flair saw money and took him on as his protege. Jim Crockett Jr. had inked a deal with TBS to air a new series of periodic TV specials known as the Clash of the Champions, with the first one taking place the day of WrestleMania IV to get back at the WWF for airing the Royal Rumble on USA Network in opposition to the Bunkhouse Stampede. The main event, which had not been announced to the public yet but was made knowledge to those behind the scenes, was going to be Ric Flair defending the NWA World Championship against Nikita Koloff. However, Nikita's knee got hurt in his match against Terry Taylor at Starrcade '87. It was initially thought that he could just take time off and cut promos on TV then work through the pain at the Clash event. However, after a second doctor's visit, Nikita had to break the devastating news that he had torn his left quadriceps and would have to get surgery, taking him out of action until at least the summer of 1988, if not later.

Needing a challenger, several ideas were bantered about. David Crockett suggested Dusty Rhodes. After all, Dusty vs. Flair was money, and was usually a guaranteed great match. However, even Dusty himself felt that the fans wanted a fresh challenger. So Dusty suggested Lex Luger, but Flair mentioned that turning Luger suddenly could damage his career, and thought it would be better to build up Luger's turn as the payoff would be much better. Plus, the Four Horsemen were white hot at this point in time. Finally, someone asked Flair about "the painted musclehead" that he took under his wing. Flair nodded his head and had stated that this was the time to put a spotlight on the Ultimate Warrior. Flair would be retaining the title anyway, so if Warrior flopped, they could move on. And if he succeeded, they would have yet another top flight babyface. If ever there was a time to make or break the Ultimate Warrior, this television special on TBS would be it. Warrior was already aligned with the Road Warriors, who were no strangers to the Four Horsemen. And Warrior had shown some improvement, but some wondered if working a longer match would expose the Warrior's weaknesses, though some felt that working with someone the caliber of Ric Flair would hide those weaknesses.

TO BE CONTINUED

Larrikn · May 4, 2018

Looks great! Just wondering will all these changes just be in the US or will the entire wrestling world feel the effects?

The Lloyd · May 4, 2018

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Larrikn" data-cite="Larrikn" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="45365" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Looks great! Just wondering will all these changes just be in the US or will the entire wrestling world feel the effects?</div></blockquote> This is a great point. I'd predict that since David Von Erich never went to Japan in '84, Japan would be hugely affected. Maybe that's where Sting ended up, since Warrior took his spot with Flair. Can't wait to see this grow and grow towards and through periods of time I'm more familiar with. and then all the way up to Wrestlemania 32!! Just, if you could maybe post like an update every ten minutes?!

Fleisch · May 4, 2018

You already know my thoughts on the mod, so I won't bore you but if you want someone to bounce ideas off of, PM's are always welcome.

Jaysin · May 4, 2018

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Fleisch" data-cite="Fleisch" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="45365" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>You already know my thoughts on the mod, so I won't bore you but if you want someone to bounce ideas off of, PM's are always welcome.</div></blockquote> I'm echoing this sentiment. You and I seem to have similar, yet very different ideas on wrestling. Plus, I've had thousands of ideas for an alternate universe that never gets done.

Skywalker1976 · May 5, 2018

You should write a book! Great story and makes it a feel good read knowing how the Van Erich's lives could have been!

Mattywood · May 6, 2018

Japan

David Von Erich not making the trip would eventually have a bit of a ripple effect on the Puroresu scene in Japan, as Bruiser Brody would stay loyal to All Japan, teaming and then feuding with his longtime friend, Stan Hansen. Speaking of Brody, he is alive and well in this timeline, but we'll get there. After a heated feud in World Class that exceeded expectations, Chris Adams and Gino Hernandez would kayfabe patch up their differences and have a go of it as a top flight tag team in All Japan Pro Wrestling. Yes, you read that right. Gino is still alive too! How? That'll be explained later on.

New Japan, meanwhile, would reap the benefits of Bill Watts' budget cuts. While the Ultimate Warrior stayed in the Mid South area until its closing, Sting, Eddie Gilbert and Rick Steiner would all go to New Japan Pro Wrestling, with Rick's younger brother, Scott, joining along for the ride. Sting would make a name for himself in New Japan, being one of only a handful of American workers to win the IWGP Championship, winning it for the first time at the Tokyo Dome in January of 1989. He would drop the title to Big Van Vader, who jumped from All Japan to New Japan after a falling out with Giant Baba, right before he entered into a feud with possibly his greatest opponent in New Japan, Keiji Mutoh, who after his US excursion, had returned as The Great Muta.

Puerto Rico

Bruiser Brody would make appearances in Puerto Rico whenever All Japan would take time off in between tours, and his friend, Stan Hansen, made it a point to go with Brody in the summer of 1988 as he had a bad feeling about it. Sure enough, he was right as Jose Gonzalez, better known as Invader #1, went to stab Brody. But Stan was able to stop Gonzalez, and he and Brody beat the tar out of Jose before storming off and walking out on the show. Carlos Colon didn't throw up much of a protest over Bruiser and Stan leaving, as he had suspected Jose Gonzalez might eventually try to power play him down the road. His suspicions got bigger when Gonzalez confided in him his plan to take out Brody because of how difficult he could be to work with. Unbeknownst to Gonzalez, Carlos had made connections with law enforcement in Puerto Rico and began wearing a wire. Authorities made it to the stadium, and Gonzalez was arrested on attempted murder charges. He would be found guilty, and was blackballed from the business. Jose tried to start up his own outlaw promotion, but it never got off the ground as no one wanted anything to do with him.

Bucktooth Producer

Kevin Dunn, thinking that he would have a job for life after Vince McMahon Jr. promised Vince McMahon Sr. that his loyal employees and their offspring would be taken care of, began burying various people to Vince. However, he made the mistake of burying Mike Von Erich, whose video production skills helped to make the WWF stand out as the premiere wrestling organization in North America. Kevin Dunn would leave the WWF in the early 90s, and many thought he was thrilled to be out of the business as apparently, according to rumor and innuendo, he hated wrestling and wanted to be seen as a real TV guy. He received such an opportunity and succeeded as the producer and director of NYPD Blue on ABC. The controversial network television show quite possibly changed the way adult content was received by network TV audiences. Upon the show's final airing in March 2005, Kevin Dunn would actually re-enter the wrestling business. Global Force Wrestling premiered on Spike TV in the fall of 2006, and had more of an entertainment slant than even the WWF. You read that right... the WWF never became WWE in this timeline.

Some Quick Hits

As part of Bill Watts cutting budgets, Jack Victory, John Tatum and Missy Hyatt would all leave the UWF and go to the Pacific Northwest territory, feuding with the Scott Peterson and Steve Doll, the Southern Rockers.

Gino Hernandez and Chris Adams were known to be party guys, but a timely warning from Michael Hayes about some women who were acting like they wanted them when in reality they were looking to make their significant others jealous might have saved their lives. Gino never had cocaine found in his stomach, that's for sure.

David McLane turned down Matt Cimber's offer of helping to fund his all women's wrestling project, instead hooking up with Jerry Jarrett and founding the LPWA, a sister promotion to the CWA.

Matt Cimber would find another willing partner in Howard Stern, who quit radio to form GLOW: Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling. While the in-ring product wasn't all that great (heck, it was downright awful most of the time!), the skits were something else, and it's risque product developed quite the cult following. Cable companies were quite happy with this as the number of subscribers to Showtime increased after GLOW's first episode in September of 1986. However, the promotion would cease to exist as of January 1990 after a falling out between Matt Cimber and Howard Stern.

Mattywood · May 7, 2018

Replacing the Mastodon

Giant Baba needed a replacement for Big Van Vader, and he didn't have to look for very long as Big John Studd, after taking a hiatus upon his departure from the WWF, was looking to get back into the business. Studd first returned to the WWF as a villain in mid 1988 (more on that later), but eventually he would receive a phone call from Giant Baba. While there was only one Big Van Vader, there also was only one Big John Studd, and it didn't take long for him to fill the void that Vader had left, forming a four man gaijin stable consisting of himself, Bruiser Brody, Stan Hansen and Terry Gordy, known collectively as "Amerikanmonsutā," which translated to English is "American Monsters." The four big men would run roughshod over the company, with Giant Baba, Jumbo Tsuruta, Genichiro Tenryu and Toshiaki Kawada got together and formed The Four Dragons to feud with the big men.

Super Duper Sunday

March 27, 1988 was a day filled with all sorts of wrestling action for wrestling fans. After holding the Royal Rumble on the same day Crockett held the Bunkhouse Stampede, Crockett held Clash of the Champions on the same day as WrestleMania IV. While the Clash was headlined by Ric Flair defending his NWA World Championship against fast rising up and comer Ultimate Warrior, WrestleMania was holding a tournament to fill the vacant WWF World Championship. The original plan was for "Macho Man" Randy Savage to win the tournament, but plans had to change when he accidentally hurt his knee as he came jumping down from the top turnbuckle to the floor as he nailed Honky Tonk Man with his patented flying double axe handle on the live NBC Main Event special.

Thankfully the injury was not as serious as Nikita Koloff's, but it did mean that Vince McMahon had to put someone else into the World Champion slot for the time being. Ted DiBiase had gained monster heat as the Million Dollar Man, and Hulk Hogan surprisingly had no qualms about putting DiBiase over on the biggest show of the year as Hogan felt that he owed Ted a debt of gratitude for helping him out years earlier when Hogan debuted in Madison Square Garden. As seen by his original decision to have Macho Man walking out as the champion, Vince was uneasy about ending WrestleMania with a heel victory. But it turned out to be good move as the WWF was doing record business on the house show loop with a heel world champion.

Meanwhile, many were wondering if the Ultimate Warrior would be able to hang with Ric Flair, and hang he did. He went the entire 45 minutes, with the match ending in a draw after one of the judges ruled the match as a draw. Warrior would team with the Road Warriors and Dusty Rhodes to battle the Four Horsemen, and along the way, Lex Luger would hint at a face turn after dropping the NWA United States Championship to the Ultimate Warrior on the 1988 Great American Bash Tour. His turn toward becoming a face was further cemented when he "blacked out" from Dusty Rhodes' sleeper at the War Games in the PPV edition of Great American Bash. The Horsemen would blame Luger for the loss, and he would quit the group, making him a surefire babyface and eventually a formidable challenger to Ric Flair's NWA World Title.

The Lloyd · May 7, 2018

Super Duper Sunday

Amazing!! More more more!!

Mattywood · May 8, 2018

Totally Ultimate

Ultimate Warrior's showing at Clash of the Champions had everyone buzzing, but they knew he wasn't quite ready to be THE guy just yet. However, he was ready to take that next step, and take that step he did when he defeated "The Total Package" Lex Luger for the NWA United States Championship. Then there was the War Games, which the Four Horsemen blamed Luger for losing, and Luger quitting the Horsemen on World Championship Wrestling the very next week. That event of course prompted a verbal confrontation with Arn Anderson, followed by a sneak attack by Tully Blanchard. Ric Flair was conspicuous by his absence as he was actually off on a tour of Japan for New Japan Pro Wrestling, defending the NWA World Title. Barry Windham ran out, seemingly to help Luger, but instead he joined in on the beatdown as well! The Road Warriors and Ultimate Warrior ran out to chase them all off. Arn and Tully, however, were on their way to the WWF, so they dropped the NWA World Tag Team Titles to the Road Warriors on an August edition of Clash of the Champions from the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois.

There were also rumblings as to the future of Jim Crockett Promotions itself. Crockett had been spending way too much money, from buying the now defunct UWF from Bill Watts; to leasing office buildings in Dallas, Atlanta and Charlotte; to picking up more than a few bar tabs for Ric Flair (well, it was Flair's money, but Crockett was the one paying him); to spending too much on luxury air travel. It all became too much for Crockett to bear, thus JCP was sold to Ted Turner and would become known as WCW, though they still used the NWA branding for their titles for a few more years.

The stage was set for Starrcade '88. Lex Luger would be challenging Ric Flair for the NWA World Title, and the Ultimate Warrior would be defending his United States Championship against Barry Windham. JJ Dillon would get involved, holding onto the Warrior's feet out of the referee's eye sight, helping Barry Windham win the US Title. However, Warrior would beat up JJ after the match, taking him out with his patented Gorilla Press Slam. We would get updates from the backstage area as to the condition of JJ, and he was kayfabe out for the night, which meant Lex Luger now had Ric Flair one on one. It was a hard fought battle, with Flair grabbing the ropes as Luger had him up in the Torture Rack. However, Luger would eventually get Flair back up in the Rack again, this time in the middle of the ring, and Flair would submit as the crowd inside the Norfolk Scope would go crazy as a new NWA World Champion was crowned.

Luger turned out to be quite the box office attraction as he continued to improve his skills while champion. He fought off Ric Flair, Barry Windham, a recently returned and once again heel Nikita Koloff. On a side note, Koloff's career was never the same after he tore his quad. Luger would also fend off "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff, who had arrived in what was now known as WCW. Luger had quite the run as NWA World Champion, but if there was something he loved, it was being a heel, and he got the opportunity to go back to being a heel after a tag match with the Ultimate Warrior. It was the first ever Halloween Havoc, and Luger and the Warrior were facing off against Ric Flair and Barry Windham inside a Thunderdome Steel Cage. Luger and Warrior would win the match after Warrior pinned Flair (Flair's idea as he felt Warrior was ready for that next level). Warrior and Luger were celebrating with their titles when BAM! Luger smashed Warrior in the head with the big gold belt.

Luger would come out on TV and go on about how the Warrior was stealing his spotlight, so he was making sure that Warrior knew his role. Warrior would issue the challenge to Luger, pointing out that by being the NWA United States Champion, he was the #1 contender. Luger would go on about how Warrior wasn't at his level, but Warrior being willing to put his NWA US Title on the line in the same match was all the convincing Luger needed. At Starrcade '89, it was Champion vs. Champion, and Title for Title. While not quite as good as Luger vs. Flair the year before, the match was still very good, and the Ultimate Warrior would win the NWA World Championship after a grueling 20 plus minute bout. However, whereas Luger thrived as NWA World Champion and having very good matches with anyone not named Ric Flair or Bary Windham, the Ultimate Warrior seemed to struggle. While he had fairly good stamina and a good grasp of the basics, it seemed that the Warrior couldn't carry anyone to a good match. Sure there were some signs that him carrying the ball might flop back when he was NWA US Champion, but at the time, many felt that he would improve, and it wouldn't hurt the prestige of the US belt as it was usually a stepping stone. His best match was a title defense against Barry Windham, which many people felt was carried by Barry. Warrior would drop the belt to Ric Flair at the Great American Bash in June of 1990 in Baltimore, Maryland, and Warrior was never quite the same until a trip to Japan rejuvenated him. Warrior would stay in Japan for some time, working for Giant Baba's All Japan promotion, and learning a new style helped the Warrior in ways that his protege down in WCW couldn't help.

Mattywood · May 11, 2018

Working on building up title lineages, and right now I want to focus on that before I make more narrative posts. But I will give an update on where the WWF is right now... well, April 2016, the day after WrestleMania 32 in Arlington, Texas:

World Title Situation

AJ Styles is your new WWF World Heavyweight Champion, winning it for the first time against 8-time title holder John Cena, who had been working as a heel dating back to when he turned heel in October of 2014 on Saturday Night's Main Event, which airs periodically as a special event on the WWF Network. Daniel Bryan, who was a 2-time champion after defeating Damien Sandow at WrestleMania 30, retained the championship against the man who was seen as the WWF flag bearer for the last several years. Cena did what fans expected him to do: shake Bryan's hand in a show of respect, only to floor him with an Attitude Adjustment. Cena wouldn't stop the beating, slamming a steel chair over Bryan's back over and over again. He drove the chair into Daniel's ribs several times, then threw the chair down when he felt he delivered his message. Dolph Ziggler would take the opportunity to cash in his Money In The Bank contract for a second time (more on that later) and became the new champion. Cena would team up with his real life girlfriend, Nikki Bella, to feud with Daniel Bryan and his real life wife, Brie Bella, the feud culminating at WrestleMania 31 in Santa Clara, California. Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella would win the match, and they, along with Nikki Bella and John Cena, would take some time off.

They returned in time for Daniel Bryan and John Cena to get involved in the World Title picture, with Bray Wyatt now the champion after he defeated the Undertaker at Backlash back in May 2015 (more on that later). They, along with former Shield members Seth Rollins (the reigning IC Champion at this point in time), Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns (who was the one who turned heel and broke up the Shield) challenged Bray Wyatt for the title inside the Elimination Chamber at the 2015 Survivor Series. There were no eliminations until all six men had entered the ring, with Roman eliminating Dean and Seth back to back after spearing both at the same time. But Daniel Bryan would catch Roman with a running knee to eliminate the self proclaimed "Big Dog." Bray Wyatt had Daniel Bryan dead to rights, but the lights went out, and the gongs sounded. But Undertaker was nowhere in sight, and Bray Wyatt laughed him off. But he wasn't laughing much more as Bryan caught him with a running knee as well for the 1-2-3. Things were looking great for the leader of the "Yes!" movement, who had actually gotten it over as a heel a few years back, but just like in real life, it organically turned him face in this timeline as well. And there were no 28 second humiliations at WrestleMania this time around. Bryan had Cena reeling, but Cena nailed him with a low blow, which was perfectly legal inside the Chamber, hit him with an Attitude Adjustment, and John Cena was your new champion. Did I mention that he was also part of the Authority stable with Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, Roman Reigns and Kane? And now Cody Rhodes as well, but we'll get there.

This set the stage for one of the most anticipated main events in quite some time. AJ Styles had won multiple titles in WCW, including the WCW World Heavyweight Title, before arriving in the WWF as Evan Bourne's mystery partner at WrestleMania XXVI, defeating Lance Hoyt and Mike Foxx, better known as the Star Attractions, for the WWF Tag Team Titles. Along the way, AJ would win the Tag Titles one more time with Evan in the midst of their feud with the Hart Dynasty (David Hart Smith and Tyson Kidd), as well as winning the IC Championship on more than one occasion. Now he was ready for that next step up, and behind the scenes, John Cena was a big advocate for the Phenomenal One. AJ would win the 2016 Royal Rumble match to earn himself a shot at the title, and in front of the largest indoor crowd for a WWF event at WrestleMania 32, AJ would win the title after a grueling bout that had the fans giving both men a standing ovation. Rumor has it that John Cena may go back to being a babyface with the newest Authority member, Cody Rhodes having won the Money In The Bank ladder match. Cody had made a name for himself in WCW before he gave them his notice, dropping the WCW World Title to Drew McIntyre at Starrcade 2015. But it'll be up to you, the player, to decide if you want Cena to go back to being a babyface or stay heel.

The Streak... Is Over

The Undertaker and Bray Wyatt had been locked in a bitter rivalry ever since Bray Wyatt won the title from the Undertaker at Backlash in May of 2015. Taker had previously won the title from Dolph Ziggler at WrestleMania 31 in a bout that Dolph was originally slated to win and be the one to end Taker's WM streak (nope, Brock didn't end it here in this timeline). However, we'll get to why those plans changed in a moment. The Undertaker was never meant to be a long term champion, and the WWF brass noticed the reactions that Bray Wyatt had been getting with the push they gave him and his Wyatt Family. Undertaker would cost Bray Wyatt the title at Survivor Series 2015, and they would take turns costing each other title opportunities against reigning champion John Cena. To finally settle the score, Bray Wyatt and the Undertaker would face off inside Hell In A Cell. Bray would insist that his Wyatt Family members not get involved, giving us a good bout considering Taker's age and the toll his body had taken over the years. One mistake is all that was needed for Bray Wyatt to hit the Sister Abigail to end the impressive 23-0 WM streak of the Undertaker, whose WM record was now 23-1. Fans were in legit shock, and after Bray Wyatt left the cage, Undertaker valiantly got back to his feet as the cell was being lifted back up. He walked over to grab his jacket and hat, placed them down on the mat, then took off his gloves and set them down as well. He left the ring like he did every match, looked back, but instead of raising his arm and going down below the stage, he walked on to the back, seemingly retired. But is he?

Here to Show the World

Dolph had a sitdown with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. Vince handed over the reins to focus on relaunching the XFL, and Shane McMahon felt he was better suited to help the company with their business efforts such as securing TV deals, license agreements, etc. In the sitdown meeting, Dolph told them that he felt was starting to get burned out from the WWF schedule, and eventually wanted to work elsewhere to give himself fresh matchups. Both Triple H and Stephanie understood and felt that maybe he should take some time off, and all three agreed that Dolph's contract would run out in August of 2015. That's when he signed a deal with New Japan Pro Wrestling and took over leadership of Bullet Club after taking some much needed time away from the ring.

The American Nightmare

Cody Rhodes made a name for himself in WCW, forming a successful tag team with Ted DiBiase Jr., or as he was better known as, Theodore DiBiase. Theodore would turn on Cody, turning Cody babyface in the process, and went on to win the WCW World Title on two separate occasions. Cody would eventually gain revenge, winning the title himself on two separate occasions as well. His second reign would see him revert to being a heel, dropping the title at Starrcade 2015 to Drew McIntyre and never being seen WCW television again. Cody did a great job kayfabing what he had been up to, keeping his negotiations secret and also teasing going to work for either New Japan or All Japan, or even showing up at an indy near you. Instead, he showed up as a surprise entrant for the 2016 Royal Rumble. Not long after, he became part of the Authority stable, and tensions have been mounting with John Cena, with Cena doing his best to be the leader, and Cody ever being the rebel who feels the group should go a new direction. Cody went on to win the 2016 Money In The Bank, and rumors are flying that he could either cash in the night after WrestleMania, or even go the full year and cash in at next year's WrestleMania.

SIERRA. HOTEL. INDIA. ECHO. LIMA. DELTA. SHIELD.

The Shield burst onto the scene at SummerSlam 2012, attacking Rey Mysterio and John Cena after their memorable bout to crown a new WWF Champion after CM Punk won and then "left" the company when his contract expired. CM Punk's contract did legitimately expire, but a new deal was struck right before Fully Loaded. However, the WWF wanted Punk to take time away and even appear at other shows to sell the whole idea that he left the WWF with the title. To fill the vacancy, a tournament was held, with the final two going on to SummerSlam. Rey would win over Cena, but the Shield would attack them both after the match, allowing Dolph Ziggler to cash in Money In The Bank and become the new champion. The Shield would feud with Mysterio, Cena and Chavo Jr., who returned to help even the odds. Cena would go on to headline WrestleMania 29 against the returning CM Punk, and the Big Show was added to the mix, with the Shield defeating Mysterio, Chavo and Big Show. Along the way, Dean Ambrose would win the IC Title, and Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns would win the Tag Team Titles. Dean would drop the title upon receiving an injury, and would serve as a manager of sorts for Seth and Roman. After the Usos defeated Seth and Roman for the Tag Team Titles at WrestleMania 30, Roman Reigns decided to take matters into his own hands. The Monday Night Raw after WrestleMania, he slammed Seth Rollins from behind with a steel chair as Triple H came out to berate the group for dropping the ball, then mentioned "Plan B." Roman would take out Dean as well, and a new heel was born.

Roman would win the IC Title from AJ Styles on a Decemeber 2014 edition of Raw, holding the title until he lost it back to AJ in a Fatal 4-Way that also featured Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 31. Truth be known, Roman needed to take some time off to deal with nagging injuries, but was back by the fall of 2015, not missing a beat as the boos were now to the point of deafening. The boo birds came out in full force in a Shield Triple Threat when he defeated both of his former Shield brethren to become the new IC Champion at WrestleMania 32, thanks in part to help from the newest member of the Authority, Samoa Joe.

Larrikn · May 11, 2018

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Matt Shannon" data-cite="Matt Shannon" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="45365" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>That's when he signed a deal with New Japan Pro Wrestling and took over leadership of Bullet Club after taking some much needed time away from the ring.</div></blockquote> oh no it is the WORST timeline! in all seriousness this looks so freakin' good man

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