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Triple H, October 2011:

“When I grew up, I hated Hogan. I thought he was terrible and didn’t like to watch him. I was like Punk in a way. I liked the Steamboats and Flairs and the ones that could go. Would I be right in saying that Hogan was the wrong guy to go with, and they should’ve changed directions and gone with Steamboat because he was the better wrestler? Ludicrous.” - Triple H. October, 2011.

A Counterfactual History - The 1990s. Part One.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

The 1980s are here.




-This is when the Jake/Piper tag team won the straps from the Rockers and when Hennig kept the title over his former friend and stablemate Rude.  

-Were Rick Rude and Marty Jannetty ever WWF tag champs?  Find out here.  Bret successfully defends the IC against Shawn, as Hart v. Clique, the feud that defined the decade, starts here; at Royal Rumble 2011, almost 21 years later, it was IC Champ Johnny Nitro (Clique) successfully defending against Tyson Kidd (Harts).  Hennig keeps the WWF Title in the main against the man he took it from, Savage.

-A pretty bad show from a work perspective; Hennig kept in a cage match main event against Savage, this was the debut of the WWF fork, and probably the most color seen to that date in the Counterfactual.  

-The Undertaker debuts, the Road Warriors win the WWF Tag Titles, Bret again keeps the IC over Shawn, and this show really depends on the quality of that match from a work perspective.  

-We finally get Shawn v. Marty on PPV, a year after they broke up; Savage returns after Hennig keeps against DiBiase and spills Perfect and Heenan's blood all over the WWF Championship belt.  One of my favorite Counterfactual images is blood just covering the title belt as this show closes.  

-A Shawn/Marty rematch.  Bret beats Tenryu to keep the IC.  Hennig kicks out after 3 Savage elbowdrops to beat Randy for the 4th time; the Liz/Randy "we're back together" hug closes the show.  

-Bret beats the returning Steamboat to keep the IC; Davey Boy wins the WWF Title.  

-The Undertaker squashes Hogan; Shawn wins the blowoff with Marty; Piper hits Bret with a ringbell and takes his IC Title, and Ric Flair wins the WWF Title.

-The end of the Strike Force feud.  Shawn beats Owen as Clique/Harts continues.  Savage takes the IC from Piper in a full on garbage match, and Flair keeps over Davey Boy.  

-Owen beats Shawn and Bret wins the WWF Title and the Triple Crown.  

-It's Wembley; Bret submits Davey Boy to keep the title in a match that also includes Shawn elbowdropping Owen through the announce table.  The best match of the decade to that point.  

-The Steiner Brothers win the tag straps; there are two IC title matches - Shawn taking from Savage and then Owen taking from Shawn.  Bret keeps over Flair.  

-Razor Ramon makes his PPV debut going over Savage.  Hennig beats Flair in a Loser Leaves Town.  Shawn beats Owen in a 30 Minute Iron Man Match and Bret keeps over Tenryu.  This is the best show of the decade to that point.  

-What was the 25th WWF PPV?  Wrestlemania IX of course. Shawn keeps the IC over Hennig and Bret keeps the WWF Title over Razor; the show ends with Diesel's debut, and the Clique cleans house.  

-Waltman makes his PPV debut by beating Owen which kicks off a fun brawl that begins the splitting of the Harts and the Clique.  The two singles title matches are Mania rematches with the same result.

-Savage forks Owen as part of the "training" process, toughening up Owen for the next level in his career.  Michaels keeps the IC over Waltman and Razor turns face.  

-Would you like to see some Mr. Backlund?  He wrestles here, as does Jeff Jarrett.  Owen forks Savage and Randy likes it.  The Steiners title run ends.  Shawn keeps his IC over Razor as Waltman turns heel; and Bret submits the Undertaker as The Hit Man's heel turn begins.

-Savage's last match; Razor takes the IC in the Ladder Match, and Owen beats his brother for the strap in the main event.  I believe those to be the two best matches in real world WWF history, so we'll say they're the two best matches of the first half of the 90s.  

-Razor keeps his IC over Diesel in a garbage match; Owen keeps the WWF Title over Bret in a cage.  Harts/Clique - that's the 90s.  

The first half of the 90s ends with Survivor Series.  Diesel goes over Davey Boy; Bret and the Anvil win the tag straps; Razor keeps the IC over Waltman in a ladder match - and Shawn, working as a babyface in San Antonio, takes the WWF Title from Owen (you want that Shawn v. Owen comp VHS tape if you're trading in the mid 90s) and Diesel immediately turns on him.  Shawn's a face - Bret's a heel, Harts and Clique have all the gold as we move to the back half of the decade.    


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