Tonight, In This Very Ring: A Collection of Wrestling Timelines

[Megafighter3]

No Way Out 2005

Venue: Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 13,250
Announce Team: Michael Cole/Tazz​

Heat: Charlie Haas/Hardcore Holly d. Kenzo Suzuki/Rene Dupree (w/Hiroko)

Yeah, keep this match from OTL, why not?

Billy Kidman/Rey Mysterio d. The Basham Brothers (c) for the WWE Tag Team Championship

Switch the tag titles over to the Filthy Animalz! Yeah! Kidman and Mysterio got gold! Life is good!

Booker T d. Big Show

Fuck it, why not? Give Booker a win here.

Chavo Guerrero (c) d. Funaki, Akio, Paul London, Shannon Moore, Spike Dudley in a Cruiserweight Open for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship

Keep this match from OTL too.

The Undertaker d. John Cena

The match is a tournament final to see who will go on to face Triple H for the WWE Championship. Surprise, boys! Eddie's fighting Brock at 'Mania! Yeah, see, Eddie was undecided until Brock made the choice for him by utterly thrashing Benoit on RAW one Monday night, so he signed the contract to face Lesnar. This left the question of who's gonna fight Triple H and while I was tempted to have Cena the Second Reign of Terror, I also have plans for Cena and so it's a Tombstone victory for the Deadman. Undertaker's going to WrestleMania to finish off the Game.

Triple H (c) d. Kurt Angle (w/Luther Reigns) in a Steel Cage Match for the WWE Championship

And one more successful defense logged for the Game as he escapes the cage after taking out Angle with a Pedigree, giving a Pedigree to Luther Reigns on the way out before Undertaker comes out to brawl with him.

 

[Megafighter3]

WrestleMania XXI

Venue: Staples Center in Los Angeles, California
Attendance: 20,193
Announce Team: Jim Ross/Jerry Lawler (RAW) Michael Cole/Tazz (SmackDown!)​

Pre-Show Match: Booker T wins a 30-Man Interpromotional Battle Royal by eliminating Chris Masters

Rey Mysterio/Billy Kidman (c) d. Christian/Rhyno for the WWE Tag Team Championship

We pull Christian and Rhyno from their matches to have this match against Kidman and Mysterio. This might be the last we see of the two in WWE for a while, so let's make it count. 619 into a Shooting Star puts away Christian as the Show of Shows kicks off.

Chris Benoit d. Chris Jericho, Edge, Matt Hardy, Kane, and Shelton Benjamin in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match

As you can see, taking Christian out of the Money in the Bank match left a spot open for Matt and this turns out to be crucial as he pretty much takes himself and Edge out of the match toward the end. He just won't get off of Edge. Jim Ross speculates that it isn't about winning for Matt, just making sure Edge doesn't. This allows Benoit to unhook the briefcase and win the match.

Randy Orton d. Batista

And after all the fighting between them, after months of attacks and bad blood between both men, we finally get a one-on-one confrontation. The two go all out, Orton playing the cool underdog while Batista is the animal looking to wreck the Viper. RKO wins it for Orton as he stands tall at WrestleMania.

Trish Stratus (c) d. Christy Hemme (w/Lita) for the WWE Women's Championship

Keep this match from OTL.

Kurt Angle d. Shawn Michaels

Another OTL match, but it loses about twelve minutes. Why? Well...

John Cena d. John "Bradshaw" Layfield (c) for the WWE United States Championship

And Cena reclaims his US title. Give them twelve minutes before the FU. Cena's not yet a main eventer, but this is a good step in that direction.

The Undertaker d. Triple H (c) for the WWE Championship

And we got one for the Deadman as the Streak continues and the Reign of Terror comes to an end (for now) Tombstone finishes, of course.

Eddie Guerrero d. Brock Lesnar (c) for the World Heavyweight Championship

And Eddie wins the title once more, overcoming the Beast with speed and all sorts of tricks. Brock gets him for the F5 and Eddie reverses into a DDT, followed with a Frog Splash to win the WWE title. Eddie wins at WrestleMania! Benoit comes out afterward, holding his Money in the Bank briefcase. The two wrestlers stare each other down, then Benoit offers a hand. The two shake and hug it out, but you know that at some point, they'll meet for that title.

And Brock? Well, he'll have his rematch and Heyman has the power on RAW, so he can stack the deck in his favor whenever he needs. Who knows how long this run in WWE will last?

All we can say for certain is that the Beast Remains...

And that's another TL done.

 

[Megafighter3]

The Streak​

Ah yes, the Undertaker's Streak. A legendary record in professional wrestling, clocking in at 24-2 at WrestleMania and spanning three decades. It's a wonderful thing. Now, in the book, Adam only covers the breaking of the Streak, but that's boring and in a vacuum, Brock Lesnar breaking it was fine, so let's go a little further. Let's do the whole shebang. Going from 1-0 to 21-1, let's rebook the Streak and see how this also affects the card around it.

WrestleMania VII

The Undertaker d. Jimmy Snuka

WrestleMania VIII

The Undertaker d. Jake Roberts​

These two can stay. They're good starts to the Streak and it's how Undertaker became the Phenom, so nothing wrong with that. Oh no, what you guys want is how we deal with the first stinker of the Streak. Oh, don't you worry. That's coming right up.

WrestleMania IX

Venue: Caesar's Palace in Paradise, Nevada
Attendance: 17,000
Announce Team: Jim Ross/Bobby Heenan​

Dark Match: Crush d. Giant Gonzales (w/Harvey Whippleman) (DQ)

There, no one who watched the show on PPV had to see the finish. Sorry, Crush.

Tito Santana/Tatanka d. Doink the Clown/Papa Shango

Kick off the show (which is also getting a complete booking overhaul because it's WrestleMania IX) with a tag match. We bring Tito onto the main card and have him tag up with fellow POC babyface Tatanka to take on the Men of Questionable Facepaint (there's a nice little Dios Mio reference for the no other people who get that) Doink and Shango. End of the Trail to Shango wins it for them so we can keep Doink protected. Maybe have a misthrown cream pie blind the Voodoo priest. That might be a bit too goofy... maybe a water lapel squirt went wrong? Something clowny that screws over the heel team.

Shawn Michaels (c) (w/Luna Vachon) d. Mr. Perfect for the WWF Intercontinental Championship

Nothing wrong with 15 minutes of Perfect/Michaels, even if Hennig's gotta be carried by Shawn since he's nowhere near where he was now. But Michaels can absolutely make this a classic, keeping with the Sweet Chin Music.

The Headshrinkers (w/Afa) d. The Nasty Boys (w/Jimmy Hart)

Let's just have them get destroyed by the Samoans. Send them packing like the rest of the old generation.

Razor Ramon d. Bob Backlund

Our first match from OTL. And I think our only one.

The Steiner Brothers d. Money Inc (Ted DiBiase/Irwin R. Schyster) (c) for the WWF Tag Team Championship

And in continuing our kill the past theme, we have the Steiners suplexing Money Inc into oblivion with a Steiner Lin to Schyster to win the tag belts.

Lex Luger d. Hulk Hogan (w/Brutus Beefcake)

It'll take a lot of money to get Hogan to agree, but we use him to get over the Total Package. He puts on a good match or as good as he can, but he gets put in the Torture Rack and passes out rather than give up. But Hulkamania has fallen here at WrestleMania IX. Have fun down south, Hulk!

The Undertaker (w/Paul Bearer) d. Yokozuna (w/Mr. Fuji)

That's better. Sure, Yoko wasn't exactly lighting the world on fire, but he's still in relative shape (especially compared to his later years) and 'Taker can drag a decent contest out of him. The story to sell is if Undertaker can get Yoko up for the Tombstone and in the end he does, continuing the Streak.

Bret Hart (c) d. Randy Savage (w/Elizabeth) for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship

And we have the match Bret should've had. He and Savage tear the palace down to finally solidify the Hitman's position as a main eventer. We can cut time from the tag match and shave a little off the IC title match to make sure these get enough time. Savage soon gets Bret down, goes for the elbow, but Bret rolls away and while Savage is prone, locks in the Sharpshooter. Randy gives and Bret retains at WrestleMania. The two shake hands as Randy and Elizabeth walk through the curtain together, Bret standing tall as the WrestleMania comes to a close.

 

[Megafighter3]

WrestleMania XI

Venue: Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut
Attendance: 16,500
Announce Team: Jim Ross/Jerry Lawler​

The Million Dollar Corporation (Yokozuna/King Kong Bundy) (w/Ted Dibiase) d. The Blu Brothers (w/Uncle Zebekiah)

We start with the big mountain men getting destroyed by DiBiase's massive mountains of men. Gotta get these two on the card somewhere. They demolish the Blu Brothers to start WrestleMania XI.

Razor Ramon (w/the 1-2-3 Kid) d. Jeff Jarrett (c) (w/the Roadie) for the WWF Intercontinental Championship by disqualification

There's always one OTL match. And this is XI's.

The British Bulldog d. Lex Luger

Luger never got the American hero push, so there was no Allied Powers. No, here it's just the Total Package looking to beat the British Bulldog in a match, maybe get revenge on losing to Hart at SummerSlam. But he doesn't get it and is given the Running Powerslam.

Owen Hart/Chris Benoit (w/Jim Cornette) d. The Smoking Gunns (c) for the WWF Tag Team Championship

And here's a real crazy ripple for you guys! See, in case you haven't figured it out, Bret Hart's victory at WrestleMania IX changed some things. One of which was that Vince starts to slowly get over his obsession with big dudes on top and started wanting to bring in more lean, athletic dudes. So, the Harts talked up Benoit and he signed him as Owen's mystery partner (a planned signing in OTL along with Neidhart being the mystery partner) and they take the tag titles here. So we have Benoit signing to WWF five years earlier than OTL and who knows? Maybe WWF will start making moves for others before Uncle Eric whips out the checkbook.

The Undertaker (w/Paul Bearer) d. Bam Bam Bigelow (w/Ted DiBiase)

Much better! Bam Bam's a crazy athletic monster so he's a perfect opponent for 'Taker here. Cartwheels all day! But 'Taker beats him with the Tombstone. The Streak continues to build.

Diesel d. Bob Backlund

Over in a move. This is that house show match, just without the world title. Kill Mr. Backlund right here.

Bret Hart (c) d. Shawn Michaels (w/Pamela Anderson) for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship (Guest Ref: Roddy Piper) (Guest Enforcer: Lawrence Taylor)

We drop Larry Young and Jenny McCarthy from the show and merge a few elements together, having Hot Rod ref the match, bringing LT in to guard ringside (have Shawn bump for an LT punch. Crowd will go wild.) More importantly, let these two have a great match, ending it with a Sharpshooter to Michaels as Bret keeps for over two years now, setting the standard for the New Generation.

 

[eldandythedoubter]

The Undertaker d. Triple H (c) for the World Heavyweight Championship

Eddie Guerrero d. Brock Lesnar (c) for the WWE Championship

You got the belts mixed up.

 

[Megafighter3]

You got the belts mixed up.

You saw nothing.

 

[Noblesse Oblige]

And now I'm eager to see Wrestlemania XII.

 

[Hulkster'01]

Brock Lesnar breaking it was fine

 

[Megafighter3]

Like I said, in a vacuum. Everything around it was a mistake.

 

[Megafighter3]

WrestleMania XII

Venue: Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim in Anaheim, California
Attendance: 19,000
Announce Team: Jim Ross/Jerry Lawler​

The Triple Threat (Shane Douglas/Chris Benoit/Dean Malenko) d. The Hart Foundation (British Bulldog/Owen Hart/Chris Jericho) in a Six-Man Tag Team Match

Well, look at this. Benoit definitely made an impact last year and it shows in Vince's decision. Not only was he impressed by his performance in the tag title match, but rumors and murmurs of a prime-time WCW TV show (and Bischoff's habit of grabbing any talent not nailed down) spurred him into seeking out partnerships with not just ECW, but continuing his talent trade with USWA and bringing Cornette's Smoky Mountain Wrestling into the fold. The four promotions would exchange talent regularly, allowing for various crossovers and matchups and helped to give lower card guys struggling on the WWF to find an audience whether it be in the southern wrasslin' styles of USWA and SMW or in the grittier, adult ECW.

Vince, flush with cash since going full bore on the New Generation (and not suffering major financial losses as he did in the early run) was happy to put that money towards producing and advertising the events (though the companies were fine with putting their share of the dollars into production as well.) The resulting alliance also created what many had called the "WWF Think Tank" a collection of bookers who all had input on the WWF's creative direction. The Think Tank was obviously headed by Vince McMahon but also featured Paul Heyman, Jim Cornette, Jerry Jarrett, Gerald Brisco, Pat Patterson, JJ Dillon and two up-and-coming minds by the names of Vince Russo and Gabe Sapolsky. Russo and Sapolsky were declared to be Heyman's "Creative Understudies" (Read: coffee boys) but both had shown some promise as bookers (Russo as an ideas man and Sapolsky having a keen eye for talent.) So they were allowed to get a word in during booking meetings.

Oh right, the match. Well, as you can see, Shane Douglas isn't a shitty college dean as he was OTL, but has his Triple Threat with him. They're the current Tag and IC champions. Jericho's been brought in as well to aid the Harts against the Triple Threat. A Pittsburgh Plunge to Jericho ends our opening bout.

Roddy Piper d. Goldust (w/Marlena) in a Hollywood Backlot Brawl

Keep this match from OTL.

Stone Cold Steve Austin (w/Ted DiBiase) d. Savio Vega

In truth, I was just gonna leave this to the Undertaker match because of how little changes to the card. But I found a few small tweaks.

Hunter Hearst Helmsley (w/Sable) d. Jake Roberts

In place of Ultimate Warrior, we have a quick and dirty squash of the poor Snake. Helmsley hits the Pedigree and puts him away in no time.

The Undertaker (w/Paul Bearer) d. Diesel

Yep. Nothing wrong with him sending Diesel out with a Tombstone.

Shawn Michaels (w/Jose Lothario) d. Bret Hart (c) for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship in a 60-Minute Iron Man Match 1-0 in sudden-death overtime

Of course, the OTL match stays, but it's a helluva lot bigger because 1.) it's a rematch from WrestleMania XI and 2.) Bret's been champion since 1992 so he's got over three years reigning and now it's all come to an end. Boyhood dream and all that.

 

[Megafighter3]

WrestleMania 13

Venue: Rosemont Horizon in Rosemont, Illinois
Attendance: 18,197
Announce Team: Jim Ross/Jerry Lawler​

Free-For-All Match: 2 Cold Scorpio d. Billy Gunn

Yep. He's Scorpio here. And he gets a win.

Doug Furnas/Phil LaFon d. The Headbangers

This was a tag elimination match, but the Godwinns and the Blackjacks were traded out to USWA and SMW. That's the kind of stuff going in the TitanSports Alliance, people that have little value in WWF can head to a market that will love them. This has helped them in testing the water for new wrestlers and gimmicks.

And with that, we give Furnas and LaFon the win here, getting a future shot at the tag titles.

Shane Douglas (c) d. Cactus Jack for the WWF Intercontinental Championship

Mick's the babyface here and has been feuding with Shane both in the WWF and ECW, culminating in this match. Pittsburgh Plunge to win here. No Mankind gimmick, he's just Cactus Jack.

Hunter Hearst Helmsley (w/Chyna) d. Goldust (w/Marlena)

Keep this match from OTL.

Owen Hart/Chris Jericho d. The Triple Threat (Chris Benoit/Dean Malenko) (c) for the WWF Tag Team Championship

Owen and Jericho win the tag titles, dethroning Triple Threat as tag champions.

The Undertaker d. Vader in No Disqualification Match

I could've kept Sycho Sid, but why not have Undertaker vs. Vader? Sid's working down in Memphis, doing work as a heel against Lawler and his son. Here, we just have the Deadman and the Mastodon hard hands and toss each other around. Tombstone victory.

Ahmed Johnson/Legion of Doom (Animal/Hawk) d. The Nation of Domination (Ron Simmons/Rocky Maivia/D'Lo Brown) (w/Clarence Mason) in a Chicago Street Fight

As you can see, the Nation has a new member a little early. Rocky was getting boos everywhere he went as the Blue Chipper, be it in the WWF, Smoky Mountain, USWA and especially ECW, so Vince decided to pull the plug on the character and bring him into the Nation early (which, like any timeline with the Nation, is a black power stable and never does the awkward run where Simmons recruited Savio Vega and Crush) and keep up the feud with Ahmed and the Road Warriors. Rocky, being the rookie here, takes the Doomsday Device (that injury he suffers will stall out his heel run for a bit until he comes back.)

Bret Hart (c) d. Steve Austin in a Submission Match for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship (Guest Ref: Ken Shamrock)

Yep. OTL match but now we make it for the belt, which is also his second title reign ITTL and now he's a solidified heel and Austin is a babyface. It's a big moment, huge with Bret now going to his fifth WrestleMania main event.

 

[eldandythedoubter]

Will this also be a timeline where Shawn doesn't get his way 85% of the time?

 

[Megafighter3]

Will this also be a timeline where Shawn doesn't get his way 85% of the time?

While the Kliq still had their OTL levels of power, they never really could fuck over Bret given how he was politically protected by Vince. Having a three-year-long title reign gave Bret plenty of sway. And you'll see just how much it is soon enough.

 

[Megafighter3]

WrestleMania XIV

Venue: FleetCenter in Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 19,206
Announce Team: Jim Ross/Jerry Lawler​

The Legion of Doom win a Tag Team Battle Royal by eliminating the Rock 'n' Roll Express

Teams: The Legion of Doom, Los Boricuas I (Savio Vega/Miguel Perez Jr.), Lost Boricuas II (Jose Estrada Jr./Jesus Castillo), The Truth Commission (Recon/Sniper), The Disciples of Apocalypse I (Crush/Chainz), The Disciples of Apocalypse II (8-Ball/Skull), The Nation of Domination I (Mark Henry/D'Lo Brown), The Nation of Domination II (Ron Simmons/Kama Mustafa), The Quebecers (Jacques Rougeau/Pierre Ouellet), The Rock 'n' Roll Express, The Headbangers, Too Much, The Smoking Gunns, The Godwinns, Bradshaw/Bob Holly.

Yeah, it's the OTL match, but you can see there are a few changes to the teams. Legion of Doom wins a shot at the tag titles. Man, they really liked have #1 contender matches at WrestleMania, don't they?

Taka Michinoku (c) d. Dean Malenko for the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship

Ooh, fun! I dunno how likely it is that we can get Mysterio or Guerrero, but we still got Malenko and Taka. That's worthy of a WrestleMania title match.

Chris Jericho (c) d. Owen Hart for the WWF European Championship

You know, it seems like Owen has a real problem with his partners turning on him, huh? Well, now we have European Champion Jericho instead of Triple H. Funny that... wonder what's up?

Dustin Rhodes d. Marc Mero (w/Sable)

Cornette agreed to the Goldust run for a bit, but Russo's TAFKA Goldust pitch was slapped down and it was eventually decided that he should go back to being Dustin Rhodes, running the anti-gimmick gimmick I love so much. He wins with the Final Cut to Mero, a reversal of OTL's match. This was also a mixed tag match, but that involves Sable wrestling. Not happening.

The Rock (c) (w/D'Lo Brown, 2 Cold Scorpio and Mark Henry) d. Ken Shamrock for the WWF Intercontinental Championship by disqualification

Yeah, a bit short, but we can keep this match from OTL.

The Dudley Boyz d. Cactus Jack/Terry Funk (c) in a Tables Match for the WWF Tag Team Championship

We bring in the Dudleyz from ECW to feud with Cactus and Funk. It's good hardcore fun. 3D to Terry gets him through the table as the Dudleyz with the tag titles a few years ahead of OTL.

The Undertaker d. Kane (w/Paul Bearer)

Yep. OTL match again. Kane, after touring through the country and wrecking anyone in his path, getting him over as a monster and hyping up his confrontation with the Deadman so this has a lot of hype behind it.

Steve Austin d. Bret Hart (c) for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship (Guest Enforcer: Mike Tyson)

So, as you can see, something's changed. Something big.

At Survivor Series '97, Shawn was being Shawn and throwing a fit about having to lose to Bret, but Bret wasn't leaving. Vince was in a better financial spot and didn't give Bret an unpayable contract and with Bret's loyalty assured, everything was turning against Shawn. However, everyone was certain that Shawn was gonna try and sabotage the match, but then Bret quickly got Shawn in a Sharpshooter.

Then came the bell.

Shawn was furious, attacking Bret, attacking Vince and giving the hand sign of the Kliq before air signing WCW. Shawn would get fired and jump to WCW, joining up with his buddies Hall and Nash and kickstarting the Wolfpac as a full Kliq group. Triple H would join them as well, leaving with Chyna and Syxx not getting fired (Shawn warned Bischoff if any left, they'd all leave.)

Meanwhile, we have this match. Bret's far more happy to drop to Austin after their last match at 'Mania and the match goes without a hitch. Austin's the champion and the WWF is on the rise while the Wolfpac is rolling as tweeners in WCW, tearing down the nWo they created. Wrestling's at its hottest now in 1998 on both sides.

 

[Megafighter3]

WrestleMania XV

Venue: First Union Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 20,276
Announce Team: Jim Ross/Jerry Lawler​

Heat Match: Jacqueline (w/Terri Runnels) d. Ivory

Sure, keep this match.

Heat Match: The Legion of Doom wins a Tag Team Battle Royal by eliminating the Public Enemy

Entrants: Public Enemy, The Legion of Doom, The Disciples of Apocalypse, Too Much, The Hardy Boyz, Gillberg/Steve Blackman, D'Lo Brown/Kama Mustafa, Test/Droz

See what I mean about #1 contender matches for the tag titles? The Road Warriors win here, so they'll be meet the Dudleyz later on in the night.

The Smoking Gunns d. Bob Holly/Al Snow

Hey, look! The Smoking Gunns are back (YAY!) so, why no Outlaws? Well, Brian Armstrong made himself a nice little spot in Smoky Mountain as a rising main eventer, drawing crowds thanks to his family connections. So, Billy goes through the Rockabilly run, does basically nothing and reunites the Smoking Gunns. Also, no Brawl for All, so Bart's career isn't tanked. They'll be around for a bit longer.

The Dudley Boyz (c) d. The Legion of Doom for the WWF Tag Team Championship

And we get this dream match. The Dudleyz and the Road Warriors going at it for the tag belts. 3D to Hawk wins it for the brothers of Dudleyville.

Dustin Rhodes d. Val Venis

Just to have these two on the card. Dustin still doing the anti-gimmick gimmick, putting away Venis with the Final Cut. Give them under ten minutes.

Owen Hart (c) d. Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho and Shane Douglas in a Four Corners Elimination Match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship

Yeah, let's just have a big old slice of workrate here. Jericho and Benoit get the double count-out, brawling all the way out and Owen wins with a roll-up after an attempted Pittsburgh Plunge.

Kane d. The British Bulldog

Well, Bulldog is back from rehab (and didn't destroy his vertebrae on a shitty entrance gimmick) so we use him to put over Kane. Chokeslam followed by a stolen Running Powerslam should do it. He's also aided by the Brood as Kane is a member of the Ministry of Darkness.

Luna Vachon (c) d. Tori for the WWF Women's Championship

Because Sable never wrestled. Never. Not gonna happen. We give all her title reigns to Luna instead because Luna's cool.

Tazz d. Dean Malenko (c) for the WWF European Championship

It's Tazz! Tazz comes in as Tazz and chokes out Malenko, taking the European title.

The Undertaker (w/Paul Bearer) d. Paul Wight in a Hell in a Cell Match

Because what else would you have at WrestleMania XV for the Undertaker? The leader of the Ministry faces off against Mr. McMahon's newest toy to send him a message. Tombstone victory. Sure, it's a loss for the Big Show, but he'll recover.

Stone Cold Steve Austin d. The Rock (c) in a No Disqualification Match for the WWF Championship (Guest Ref: Cactus Jack)

Yeah, keep this match from OTL.

 

[Megafighter3]

WrestleMania X-Seven

Venue: Reliant Astrodome in Houston, Texas
Attendance: 67,925
Announce Team: Jim Ross/Bobby Heenan​

Heat Match: The Impact Players (Justin Credible/Lance Storm) d. The Filthy Animals (Billy Kidman/Rey Mysterio)

So, WCW got bought out. Even if Wolfpac cleared out the nWo, the political cesspool on top in comparison to Vince's more open door to booking new talent resulted in people leaving en masse. Russo's still with the WWF, learning under Paul Heyman and actually improving a little, so he doesn't jump to WCW but works as an assistant booker for Gabe in ECW. However, this meant a revolving door of bookers for WCW after Bischoff got sent home. However, unlike OTL, Vince was more than happy to use the WCW brand for money since even towards the end, it was drawing decent ratings. They couldn't get the major stars (as in OTL) but they got some names.

We reunite the Impact Players to meet the Filthy Animals to get those on the fence to pick up the PPV.

Chris Jericho (c) d. William Regal for the WWF Intercontinental Championship

Keep this match from OTL. Nothing wrong with this.

Raven's Nest (Raven/Stevie Richards/Perry Saturn) d. Tommy Dreamer/The Sandman/Cactus Jack in a Six-Man Tag Raven's Rules Match

We go hardcore after the technical master-class that preceded it. We have Mick do some light bumps, leave the really brutal stuff for Dreamer and Sandman. Raven Effect to Dreamer ends the match. No hardcore division since Vince doesn't need to imitate ECW. Quoth the Raven...

Kane d. Big Show (w/Shane McMahon)

Yeah, make this a quick match between two powerhouse monsters. Shane's managing Show, but that doesn't really help. Vince isn't wrestling, the booking team argued it'd be better to focus on the wrestlers.

Eddie Guerrero (w/Chavo Guerrero) d. Owen Hart (w/Davey Boy Smith) (c) for the WWF European Championship

Yeah, Owen's alive. No Blue Blazer and I'll be nice and not kill anyone in place of him. He's looking to wrap things up in 2002, but for now, he puts over Eddie at WrestleMania. Frog Splash victory.

Kurt Angle d. Chris Benoit

Same match from OTL.

Trish Stratus d. Ivory (c) and Lita in a Triple Threat Match for a WWF Women's Championship

We cut a few matches from this card, so we use Trish and Lita here to make this a good solid ten minutes of triple threat action. Stratusfaction to Ivory for the win.

Edge and Christian (w/Rhino) d. The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley/D-Von Dudley) (c) (w/Spike Dudley) and The Hardy Boyz (w/Shane Helms)

So, in place of Lita, the Hardyz bring in Shane Helms as their back-up. It's the same match as OTL.

The Undertaker d. Bret Hart

And we say goodbye to Bret as the Deadman puts him away. After eight years on top in the WWF, Bret is finally done in wrestling. Tombstone finishes, but Bret's getting on in years and there are newer stars with healthier bodies out there, so he packs it up here in the new Millenium.

Stone Cold Steve Austin d. The Rock (c) in a No Disqualification Match for the WWF Championship

So, it's the OTL match, but Austin doesn't turn heel at the end. Instead, Booker T runs in and hits the Book End on Austin, holding up the WCW World Title. The WCW Invasion is coming...

 

[eldandythedoubter]

I'm wondering though, where's Mike Awesome ittl?

 

[Megafighter3]

I'm wondering though, where's Mike Awesome ittl?

Probably working in ECW still. He's gonna have a run in WWF, but the political minefield of the Fed's locker room would lead him back to the Land of Extreme.

 

[Megafighter3]

WrestleMania X8

Venue: SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Attendance: 68,237
Announce Team: Jim Ross/Jerry Lawler​

Heat Match: Chuck Palumbo/Sean O'Haire/Shawn Stasiak d. Scotty 2 Hotty/Rikishi/Albert

Eh, why not? Bring some members of the Natural Born Thrillers together for one more victory.

Rob Van Dam d. William Regal (c) for the WWF Intercontinental Championship

Same match from OTL.

Dustin Rhodes d. Mr. Perfect

Just a quick little match between two guys who got shuffled out of matches. Final Cut to end it.

Diamond Dallas Page (c) d. Christian for the WWF European Championship

Yep, the same match from OTL again.

Kurt Angle d. Kane

We're starting to drift back to OTL. We'll see how long that sticks.

The Undertaker d. Ric Flair

You know, for being a TL about an altered Streak, most of the Streak has been the same. But who knows? Maybe that's for the best. It's really about cleaning up the duds.

Edge d. Booker T

Yeah, this one stays too.

Stone Cold Steve Austin d. Triple H

So, Austin's still feuding with a member of the Wolfpac. Hunter's not yet at "Am I fucking going over?" because he missed out on the Attitude Era (and hasn't dated Stephanie... yet) so he takes the fall here. He's low on the Wolfpac totem pole, though, so Austin's still not particularly happy about wrestling him.

The Wolfpac (Kevin Nash/Scott Hall) (w/Stacy Kiebler) d. The Dudley Boyz (w/Spike Dudley), The Hardy Boyz (w/Shane Helms) and The Thrillseekers (c) in a Four Corners Elimination Match for the WWF Tag Team Championship

And we get new tag champions. And hey, the Thrillseekers are back! And Lance takes the 3D to go out first, followed by combination Twist of Fate/Swanton Bomb to Bubba, Matt pinning to eliminate the Dudleyz. The match ends with a Jackknife Powerbomb to Jeff, the Wolfpac taking the tag titles.

The Rock d. Hulk Hogan

So, instead of being Hollywood, we bring the red and yellow, but this match stays the same as OTL.

Jazz (c) d. Lita and Trish Stratus in a Triple Threat Match for the WWF Women's Championship

Alright, one more OTL match.

Shawn Michaels d. Owen Hart (c) for the Undisputed WWF Championship

So, Shawn didn't destroy his back as he did in OTL. He may have taken a few more breaks toward the end of WCW to rest, but now he's firing on all cylinders (and fueled by copious amounts of drugs) as he and Owen meet in Owen's last WrestleMania match. This is an amazing match between two great wrestlers, ending with a Sweet Chin Music to send Owen off. He's been away from his family for so long and it's time he went home. And now Shawn has become a two-time WWF World Champion. The Wolfpac's on top!

 

[Unknown]

Glad Owen Hart lives ITTL; does he injure Austin like OTL, or is that butterflied away, too?