Greetings, fellow members of the No Homers Club.
Today's question comes from Rick, proposing a 'what if' scenario involving the Blade Runners.
"Sting & Ultimate Warrior were once the "Blade Runners" tag team in UWF, if I recall. When they split, Sting goes to NWA, Warrior ends up in WWF. What happens if the roles were switched, and Sting starts in WWE, Warrior to NWA?
I feel Sting goes onto become a great star maybe not initially, but over time, say 5-6 years. Has a WrestleMania Moment and wins the title over Hogan, much like Warrior did. Warrior fits right into the babyface role that Sting had in NWA, maybe teams as a powerhouse tag team with Luger and they have all great roundabout matches with RNRX, MX, Tully/Arn, Road Warriors, etc. Luger & him split of course over who spilled the protein shake in the locker room and feud over the World title in due time, or for the #1 spot to contend with Flair. But, given his history in WWF at that time, who knows what kind of ruckus he has with the Four Horsemen politics, Dusty Rhodes politics, etc.
I see Sting & Curt Henning having some 5-star matches if Sting took that path, along with Bret Hart down the road too."
I have a feeling that Hogan would have tried to cut the legs off the man called Sting. I would think he'd be rather intimidated. Sting had the same look, same charisma, and was a much better worker. So he may have just hung out in the mid-card.
Warrior in the NWA? I don't even know where to begin picturing what happens with him.
How say you?
Today's question comes from Rick, proposing a 'what if' scenario involving the Blade Runners.
"Sting & Ultimate Warrior were once the "Blade Runners" tag team in UWF, if I recall. When they split, Sting goes to NWA, Warrior ends up in WWF. What happens if the roles were switched, and Sting starts in WWE, Warrior to NWA?
I feel Sting goes onto become a great star maybe not initially, but over time, say 5-6 years. Has a WrestleMania Moment and wins the title over Hogan, much like Warrior did. Warrior fits right into the babyface role that Sting had in NWA, maybe teams as a powerhouse tag team with Luger and they have all great roundabout matches with RNRX, MX, Tully/Arn, Road Warriors, etc. Luger & him split of course over who spilled the protein shake in the locker room and feud over the World title in due time, or for the #1 spot to contend with Flair. But, given his history in WWF at that time, who knows what kind of ruckus he has with the Four Horsemen politics, Dusty Rhodes politics, etc.
I see Sting & Curt Henning having some 5-star matches if Sting took that path, along with Bret Hart down the road too."
I have a feeling that Hogan would have tried to cut the legs off the man called Sting. I would think he'd be rather intimidated. Sting had the same look, same charisma, and was a much better worker. So he may have just hung out in the mid-card.
Warrior in the NWA? I don't even know where to begin picturing what happens with him.
How say you?
I believe Sting was born of of necessity. Sting has very few promos where you can say "man he made me want to buy this pay per view". Sting does not get a Warrior push and mostly likely fizzles out over time. The Warrior with all his bullshit would not have been tolerated by Flair, Rhodes and the other guys at the top. They didn't even give the belt to Luger until 91 and I don't think Warrior would have lasted that long. Sting debuted in 87 but even if you take his real push which started in 88 with the draw against Flair. Warrior couldn't even last in the WWF for three consecutive years without quitting or getting fired. No way would Warrior last three years in the NWA.
ReplyDeleteAll in all both guys needed to be where they ended up. The NWA needed a bleached blonde body builder and the WWF needed the crazy charisma that Warrior had and they were in a position where they could put up with his non sense a lot more than the NWA would have.
Somehow I see Warrior flaming out even faster in NWA than he did in WWF. With a much smaller spotlight, I think he gets frustrated with the business and gets turfed fairly quickly, and Vince sees money with him and Sting together in the same place.
ReplyDeleteOne way or another, Sting ends up in WWF. With him and Sting, there's no need for Demolition to last as long as they did, and we end up having an epic program between the Blade Runners and the LOD.
Eventually, there would be a Warrior-Sting feud for the WWF strap. With all the muscled-up masked men, Vince turns on Hogan a bit faster, and he ends up in the NWA/WCW before 1994.
Now that I've answered, slight threadjack: Anyone in the NYC area going to the TNA event at Coney Island tonight? With nothing else to do tonight, I just bought my ticket.
Sting basically becomes Bret Hart in 92 instead of Bret. Sting didn't have the physical presence of the Warrior which I. ould see hampering his rise to the top and I can't visualize Hogan putting him over as he was a legit threat in every sense. In time as the WWF main eventers dwindles he gets the strap as the company moves in a new direction.
ReplyDeleteI see Warrior being Luger but for a shorter period... and I think he'd still be called the Dingo Warrior because the Nwa knew nothing about marketing.
Sting was only a better worker than Hogan because he had Flair, the Horsemen, and the NWA's stacked '80s undercard to help develop his abilities as he was moving up the card. He wasn't awful, but he also wasn't anything special before that.
ReplyDeleteI think the look and charisma alone propel him to the top of the card. I just think it becomes a matter of time for him. I don't think he gets Warrior's megapush. I think it happens a year or two later for him. The real questions here are, who dethrones Honky Tonk Man and when/who does Hogan the belt to instead of Warrior?
Warrior's charisma as perfect for the WWF's personality.
ReplyDeleteLook at how Hogan treated Warrior. Yeah, Sting doesn't make it that far because he'd always have the "Hogan-clone" stigma. At least in the NWA he got to take on Ric Flair in primetime, which was a showcase of what he could do, or at least how he could be carried. Sting was wild enough, but somewhat realistic enough for the NWA fans to get behind. Flair carrying Warrior through a 45-minute match, when he got blown up running to the ring against Hogan at WM VI? Not good.
Warrior was just over-the-top, which wouldn't have fit well with the NWA Southern-style mentality.
Ultimately, neither guy would've ended up being as popular as they were if they switched. They fit exactly where they were supposed to be.
Agreed; Sting became a good worker BECAUSE he went to the NWA.
ReplyDeleteCan you imagine the money in Warrior chasing Flair? Smell the ticket sales! Luger, while being a better worker than Warrior, had a lot less charisma. Sub-in Ultimate Warrior into that spot and man...
ReplyDeleteSting on the other hand could've had great feuds with all the guys he already feuded with in WCW in the late 90's, but in their primes.
Warrior was definitely no amazing worker, but he at least proved to be carry-able, thanks to his matches in WWF with Hogan and Savage. Flair would've easily been up to that task.
ReplyDeleteSwitch their positions, and they both flop. Sting wouldn't have Flair to put him over, and Warrior wouldn't have Hogan to put him over (nor would he have the WWF's marketing machine behind him). It could be argued that both of them would have been out of the business within a few years.
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to picture Warrior in a TV title match at GAB against Muta, and it's not happening.
ReplyDeleteWell.. If you remember Ultimate Warrior was named Roc at first. it wasn't until he went to World Class in 86 that he developed the Dingo Warrior persona. We can't be sure that WCW would have allowed Hellwig to be the Warrior when they already had the real Road Warriors AND the Powers Of Pain under contract. I think they might have changed his gimmick. I think he still would have taken off, probably feuded with Luger and worked his way up the ladder.
ReplyDeleteThe Road Warriors had the hottest gimmick around then and with them NOT being in the WWF, it made it easier to push guys like The Ultimate Warrior, Demolition and Powers Of Pain. I don't think Sting could have taken the UW's spot as he wasn't big enough. He migth have had to change his name and gimmick and would have probably ended up like Ricky Steamboat and settle for winning the IC belt a couple of times. If he stuck around he might have flourished in the post-Steroid era.
If he was in the Lita/Snitsky storyline, they could say "The DINGO ATE YOUR BABY"
ReplyDeleteIf Hogan puts over Sting as strongly as he did Warrior in 90, he becomes the biggest wrestling star of all time. But Hogan probably sees that coming and doesn't let it happen.
ReplyDeleteI think they would have probably given it to Jake The Snake Roberts or Brutus Beefcake. I think both would have feuded and Rick Rude would have still won the IC title from either one.
ReplyDeleteBy the time Wrestlemania came around they could have elevated Jake or Rude to take on Hogan, turned Brutus heel, and maybe they could have taken Dusty Rhodes seriously and made that dream match. If they had given Dusty the Ric Flair treatment, he might have taken over for a while...
I think Sting would have made it to the IC title and eventually gotten the World title after Hogan stepped away. This would have really changed history for Bret Hart however. Not only would Sting have usurped his spot, but also Bret would have never assumed the Sharpshooter as a finisher since Sting would have been using it first.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Warrior would have fared as well as Sting. The Ultimate Warrior persona is what made him a star and Vince urged that along. Had he taken that next step as the far more restrained "Dingo Warrior" I can't imagine him capturing the fans' attention the same way he in the WWF.
"The Dingo is MAD and he's gonna get REVENGE. We're standing in the locker room right now, getting ready to go out in a HALF HOUR OR 45 MINUTES!!!"
http://youtu.be/IyuOS0Wrjak?t=38s
To be fair, every interview I've seen with the various parties involved regarding the subject was that (whether he was convinced by someone else or thought that himself) Hogan actually thought UW was potentially that guy. But the flakiness and lack of box office showed itself pretty early after the title win at which point he/Vince/etc. had their doubts.
ReplyDeleteFlair - Warrior. Is that one of those "dream matches"* that never happened? I'm trying to think of an instance where it would've...
ReplyDelete* obviously "dream" depends on your definition of "dream" =)
Interesting. Does Warrior become a better mat worker because of his exposure to Flair and the Horsemen? How good does he potentially become?
ReplyDeleteI have *no idea* who would dethrone Honky. And even if they did I don't think they'd get the rocket push that Warrior did - frankly, I don't think anyone else on the roster could have pulled off the 30 second squash of Honky and have it be believable. A "hard-fought" IC win against Honky wouldn't have put either Jake or Brutus to the next level, and both of them had already had their feud with Honky already, so it would've been tired.
Maybe in this world they face turn Hercules early and rocket the belt onto him?
Warrior would've sucked in the NWA. He couldn't work that style or any other style for that matter.
ReplyDeleteSuggestion for question of the day. Favorite arena or venue?
ReplyDeleteHogan knew Warrior would never pan out long term. Otherwise he wouldn't have done it.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZegIJ6T-o4
ReplyDeleteShit quality but there you go. From a house show in 92.
Heh, that wasn't so bad. Flair had the "little man-big man" formula down pat.
ReplyDeleteActually I view it more as Hogan thinking Warrior might but deliberately sabo'ing him during the WMVI celebrations. But I wouldn't put it past Hogan to have seen that, he's pretty shrewd.
ReplyDeleteThe problem would still be the aftermath and having few heels to face.
ReplyDeleteRude, Earthquake, Savage, Slaughter, Jake. That was never Warrior's problem.
ReplyDeleteBesides Rude, I don't remember Warrior feuding with any of them. Warrior was mostly running with LOD in 6-man tags vs. Demolition through the Summer and Fall.
ReplyDeleteEarthquake feuded with Hogan for most of '90, Savage feuded with Dusty for most of '90, Jake was a face until mid-'91,and Slaughter had only 1 match vs. Warrior.
I think there's many reasons for Warrior's failure as champ, but a big part of it was very few challengers. Or at least, he wasn't BOOKED against any of the potential challengers.
He feuded with DiBiase too in 90. I wasn't talking about what actually happened, I'm just saying having too few heels around wasn't the case.
ReplyDeleteI guess I phrased it wrong. What I was getting at is Warrior didn't really have any major feuds post-WM and that kept him from rising to the occasion. The biggest (and best) feud set up during his reign wasn't realized until after he lost the belt.
ReplyDeleteEither way, Warrior didn't face them so it's safe to say Sting wouldn't have faced them either.
Top heels were probably Rude, Earthquake, Slaughter, DiBiase, Demos, Hennig, and Savage in some order. He feuded with all of them except Quake in 90. It's just without weekly TV and monthly PPVs, outside of a memorable match(vs Rude) or a finish(Slaughter) people tend to forget.
ReplyDeleteWarrior would have been a Brody/Abby special attraction, bouncing between the dying JCP and Japan. He'd have made a shitload of money at it as well.
ReplyDeleteSting is the one I'd have doubts about. He just doesn't fit the WWF style. Midcard with Greg Valentine.
"He just doesn't fit the WWF style"
ReplyDeleteHe fit like a glove. Big ripped cartoon character.
Hammerstein Ballroom would be my pick.
ReplyDeleteWith Warrior's attitude he would have been eaten alive in NWA. I just don't see that working at all.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I can see Sting being the one to end Honky's run. Sting just had the "It" factor where even in his earliest days, fans were into him. From there I see his run mirroring UW's. The big question is "does Hogan put him over?" At that point I think Hogan wanted to try his hand in Hollywood so I think he'd want to put someone over at WM6, and Sting fits what Hogan thinks a wrestler should be a lot closer than Jake.
Without Flair, Sting never develops into a great worker.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Flair teaches Warrior how to work and puts him over just like he did for Sting.
ReplyDeleteI've only been to two Wrestling venues in my life: MSG and Hammerstein Ballroom. Hammerstein was my favorite by a mile. At least I could actually see what was going on in the ring.. LOL
ReplyDeleteI dunno, I think Jake dropping Honky with the short clothesline and DDT in 30 seconds would've worked fine; also, it would've been revenge for the injury in '87 with the guitar.
ReplyDeleteDusty/Sting vs Hogan/whoever would've been interesting, as would've Sting/Savage or Sting/Dibiase.
ReplyDeleteWarrior becomes the third Road Warrior, the man called Dingo
ReplyDeleteStoryline though he already had revenge - at WM3. That's what I meant about it feeling tired.
ReplyDelete