Save Three

[sleepwalk]

I was having a discussion with some people yesterday about how good Mickey Mantle and Bo Jackson's careers could've been if not for their crushing injuries. This turned later to Lawrence Phillips and his legal issues, Jamarcus Russell's lack of ability to put the fucking fork down, and then people like Shannon Doherty's attitude and Micky Rourke's ill-advised boxing career.

So, in this hypothetical, you are given control over space/time/reality solely for this purpose:
Change the career paths of three wrestlers, Quantum Leap style, for the better.
One you save from injury.
One from their own personal issues.
One from politics, bad booking, etc.

For the purpose of the conversation, we'll eliminate the options of Bruiser Brody, Owen Hart, and Chris Benoit and his family. I think those choices in particular would stop the thread in its tracks.

So what would you do? Keep Brian Pillman from getting on his motorcycle or Kerry Von Erich from getting on his? Think Candido could've done better if he ditched Tammy and the coke? Never put Dr Death in the Brawl For All?

 

[Blackjack]

I was having a discussion with some people yesterday about how good Mickey Mantle and Bo Jackson's careers could've been if not for their crushing injuries. This turned later to Lawrence Phillips and his legal issues, Jamarcus Russell's lack of ability to put the fucking fork down, and then people like Shannon Doherty's attitude and Micky Rourke's ill-advised boxing career.

So, in this hypothetical, you are given control over space/time/reality solely for this purpose:
Change the career paths of three wrestlers, Quantum Leap style, for the better.
One you save from injury.
One from their own personal issues.
One from politics, bad booking, etc.

For the purpose of the conversation, we'll eliminate the options of Bruiser Brody, Owen Hart, and Chris Benoit and his family. I think those choices in particular would stop the thread in its tracks.

So what would you do? Keep Brian Pillman from getting on his motorcycle or Kerry Von Erich from getting on his? Think Candido could've done better if he ditched Tammy and the coke? Never put Dr Death in the Brawl For All?

Save Magnum TA from his injuries from his car accident

Save Kerry Von Erich from his personal issues

Save Shane Douglas from politics and bad booking, the reason being that in ECW he proved he was as good as just about anyone in WWF/WCW but he didn't have their money and marketing behind him to make people aware of just how good he was, especially on the mic. He was cutting the best heel promos in the business in 1996 but only ECW fans knew about it.

 

[Protegejoe296]

Save Bret Hart from the concussion from Goldberg

Save either Chris Benoit or Jake Roberts from their personal issues

Save Mike Awesome from his horrendous WCW booking

 

[gspieler]

Just off the top of my head...

Injury: Hennig-missed prime years to injury, right as he was peaking. Never felt the same when he came back.

Personal issues: Hall-one of the most well-rounded of all time. After the Razor gimmick, and cutting a handful of promos in WCW, seemed like his career became very stagnant. How much of that is due to personal issues remains to be seen.

Booking: so many guys have been screwed to backstage politicking, that were over and should've been booked better. I'll go with Bret because I'm a Hitman mark. His character was obviously mismanged, in a way that was bad for business, on multiple occasions during his career.

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

Injury - British Bulldog

Personal issues - Brian Pillman

Bad booking - Vader in WWF. Should've won the Royal Rumble in 1996, then built as a huge monster to eventually get beaten by HBK at some point later on.

Awesome thread idea btw

 

[Sycho Sid]

Magnum T.A from the injury.

Personal Issues: Vince and Paul Heyman being unable to work together. Paul was doing wonders before he left, and I would have loved to see that going.

And from a personal standpoint, Paul Burchill's booking. I was a massive fan of the guy, and then he became a pirate.

 

[D.R.H.]

Injury: Steiner...The thought of Big Poppa Pump being able to work at the same level as Mullet All American Scottie...holy shit balls!

Personal Issues: Since I can't say Benoit, I'll say Eddie Guerrero. Years of abuse took him too soon.

Booking: Vader...such a travesty.

 

[Wrath of Foamy]

Injury: Brian Pillman
Personal issues: Jake Roberts
Booking: Vader

 

[Wariowokecancel]

I was having a discussion with some people yesterday about how good Mickey Mantle and Bo Jackson's careers could've been if not for their crushing injuries. This turned later to Lawrence Phillips and his legal issues, Jamarcus Russell's lack of ability to put the fucking fork down, and then people like Shannon Doherty's attitude and Micky Rourke's ill-advised boxing career.

So, in this hypothetical, you are given control over space/time/reality solely for this purpose:
Change the career paths of three wrestlers, Quantum Leap style, for the better.
One you save from injury.
One from their own personal issues.
One from politics, bad booking, etc.

For the purpose of the conversation, we'll eliminate the options of Bruiser Brody, Owen Hart, and Chris Benoit and his family. I think those choices in particular would stop the thread in its tracks.

So what would you do? Keep Brian Pillman from getting on his motorcycle or Kerry Von Erich from getting on his? Think Candido could've done better if he ditched Tammy and the coke? Never put Dr Death in the Brawl For All?

Magnum T.A. injury - would have been the NWA babyface champ and totally changed Hulk/Flair/WWE/WCW.

Personal issues - Guerrero - would be a Jericho type dude.

Politics/bad booking - Bret Hart in WCW for obvious reasons could have been the biggest star in the world and stopped the Austin/McMahon train.

 

[Good Ole Stannis's BBQ]

Cool thread, I figure most of the big ones will get named twice so I'll try for some obscure ones. Injury: Ezekiel Jackson. I feel like if he wasn't hampered with injuries they would have pushed him to the moon. They let him slam big show and tried to make him the break out star of the failed core after they gave up on it and the others. Not sure how well he would have done in the spot. Personal issues: Gardison/Lance Cade. It really felt to me like the sky was the limit for this guy when he debuted. Maybe they should have kept him in the tag team with murdoch for a little longer and not have them bitched out by big show and Kane. I thought spending some time working with Jericho and hbk would respark his career but that didn't pan out either and he never got a singles push. Not sure where things went so wrong and at 29 he was a real tragic waste of life. Bad booking: Kevin Thorn/Mordecai now admittedly he might not have had more going for him than the look but man this guy never had a chance with the gimmicks he was saddled with.

 

[sleepwalk]

Lots of good and thought-provoking answers on here. Thanks for the responses.

Injury: "Ravishing" Rick Rude
Just watched some of his '91 WCW work. That was some top flight work and the spectacular match vs Sting where the injury occurred was supposed to cement him as the top heel and top guy in the company. The laundry list of problems that resulted from the injury (including his eventual passing) could've been avoided with one spot.

Personal: Chris Kanyon
This one is a little tough. Kanyon was peaking at a time where being gay would certainly have raised more eyebrows higher than they do today. Still, his confliction, the stress and anxiety from it, and the drug use that he used to cope left him too erratic to make the most of his prodigious talents. Who betta than Kanyon?

Booking: Big Show
His career has lasted longer than anyone would have guessed considering his size and he's gotten plenty of screen time and title reigns. Still, he was a ready made monster heel turned comedy act and occasional transitional champion. You could see him completely checked out for a stretch of years where he unnaturally smiled and waved like an awkward home schooled kid at freshman orientation because he was resigned to collecting a big check to be an "attraction."

Honorable Mention: Marc Mero
Man, did this guy check off all the boxes in positive and negative qualities. Great look, athletic, legit credentials, not bad at all on promo. Injury prone, drug and marital issues, shit gimmicks and storylines. When you're best known for portraying a gay black man when you're neither and for getting powerbombed by your 110lb wife in a domestic abuse angle, doing acrobatics at 235lbs is only going to end in disaster (listening Apollo Crewes?)

 

[Blackjack]

One who doesn't necessarily fit the categories of injury, personal issues, or booking is David Von Erich. He was the most talented of the Von Erich brothers and would have been NWA World Champion had he lived. I suppose you'd have to add the category of premature death due to a serious acute medical condition.

 

[sleepwalk]

One who doesn't necessarily fit the categories of injury, personal issues, or booking is David Von Erich. He was the most talented of the Von Erich brothers and would have been NWA World Champion had he lived. I suppose you'd have to add the category of premature death due to a serious acute medical condition.

There's still some stories that itvwas drugs and not food poisoning or other illness that did him in. So it could be under "injury" or "personal." Excellent choice, either way. His height alone made Dad's claw look effective and he could really move (and even fly!)

 

[Blackjack]

Just 3 wasn't enough. I want to save 3 more!

Save from injury - Brian Pillman - Unfortunately his car accident which resulted in an ankle crushed so badly that it had to be fused into a fixed position virtually eliminated the high flying types of maneuvers that he had become famous for. He was even called Flyin' Brian for quite a while. I think it was just after his ankle injury which eliminated most of his offense in the ring that he developed his "loose cannon" persona. Now his greatest offensive arsenal was contained in his promos. Who would have thought that Flyin' Brian, the consistent and well liked babyface had it in him to become the crazy, just barely in control "Loose Cannon"? His surprise appearance at The ECW Arena was absolutely classic. It tok place in February of 1996 at ECW Cyberslam '96 and helped establish part of the blueprint for the WWF's "Attitude Era" although Pillman went much farther in that promo than even Austin was ever allowed to go in WWF.

Save from personal issues - Jake Roberts - it would have extended the prime of his career and when he got too old to wrestle for WWE he could have been a tremendous booker for them. He also would be a tremendous coach for the guys and girls who are going through the WWE's wrestling school for both in ring moves and especially for teaching them how to make the most of their speaking ability in order to cut effective promos. Jake is universally regarded by his peers as a master of wrestling psychology - both in ring action and on the mic.

Save from politics, bad booking, etc. - Raven. He was used brilliantly in ECW but underutilized in WCW and then utilized far far worse in WWE where he was relegated to Sunday Night Heat! Vince wasn't intelligent enough to "get" the Raven character. It's my understanding that when he found out Raven had been hired after his final run in WCW, Vince asked: "Who re-hired Johnny Polo"? Unbelievable.

 

[A Pennysworth]

I was having a discussion with some people yesterday about how good Mickey Mantle and Bo Jackson's careers could've been if not for their crushing injuries. This turned later to Lawrence Phillips and his legal issues, Jamarcus Russell's lack of ability to put the fucking fork down, and then people like Shannon Doherty's attitude and Micky Rourke's ill-advised boxing career.

So, in this hypothetical, you are given control over space/time/reality solely for this purpose:
Change the career paths of three wrestlers, Quantum Leap style, for the better.
One you save from injury.
One from their own personal issues.
One from politics, bad booking, etc.

For the purpose of the conversation, we'll eliminate the options of Bruiser Brody, Owen Hart, and Chris Benoit and his family. I think those choices in particular would stop the thread in its tracks.

So what would you do? Keep Brian Pillman from getting on his motorcycle or Kerry Von Erich from getting on his? Think Candido could've done better if he ditched Tammy and the coke? Never put Dr Death in the Brawl For All?

The hell...Hes the only one I really cared about. .But for politics and bad booking i would have to say CM Punk. All the dude wanted was to main event WM. Longest reigning title holder of all time and wasnt even the main focus of his own show. As for personnel issues Eddie or perhaps Test. And injury I think Edge neck, was so unexpected. It seemed like he could go another 10 years at least.

 

[sleepwalk]

The hell...Hes the only one I really cared about. .But for politics and bad booking i would have to say CM Punk. All the dude wanted was to main event WM. Longest reigning title holder of all time and wasnt even the main focus of his own show. As for personnel issues Eddie or perhaps Test. And injury I think Edge neck, was so unexpected. It seemed like he could go another 10 years at least.

Well, if I didn't exclude Owen and Benoit, they'd be in just about every post. Benoit especially because it led to the murder of his wife and child and turned the saint of smarks into "he who shall not be mentioned.

Test was in my consideration as well and could've been in the Marc Mero "trifecta" class. Handled poorly throughout his WWF/E run (minus his ECW return,) got fired in his hospital bed when his knee gave out, got on the drugs that ultimately ended him.

 

[A Pennysworth]

Well, if I didn't exclude Owen and Benoit, they'd be in just about every post. Benoit especially because it led to the murder of his wife and child and turned the saint of smarks into "he who shall not be mentioned.

Test was in my consideration as well and could've been in the Marc Mero "trifecta" class. Handled poorly throughout his WWF/E run (minus his ECW return,) got fired in his hospital bed when his knee gave out, got on the drugs that ultimately ended him.

Yeah i know, but i hate the fact that he is defined by his last act. After Eddie and Chris died I stopped watching wrestling. It wasnt entertainment anymore. I was actually invested in these guys and it just got me in a way i didnt expect.

 

[El Dandy]

- Owen
- Benoit
- Seth

 

[sleepwalk]

- Owen
- Benoit
- Seth

 

[BenjaminRandalC]

Injury- this is the toughest one for me, because I want to say Shawn Michaels, but I think Kerry Von Eric not losing a foot would change somethings. Probably still would have shot himself, but Texas Tornado gets a better push.
Personal Issues- Scott Hall
booking- Jake Roberts....should have been at least the IC champ. I think even seriously unwell polo shirt ECW Jake would be better than val venus and Godfather