A Counterfactual History - The 1990s, Part 2

Part 1 is here.

32. Royal Rumble 1995

-The Davey Boy/Backlund tag team wins the titles; Owen takes the IC from Razor, kicking off a Harts/Clique brawl; Shawn keeps the strap in a garbage match over Diesel.  

33. Wrestlemania XI - 1995

-Razor retakes from Owen, Tammy Sytch turns heel and joins the Clique; Bret takes the title from Shawn in the MOTY.   

34. Summer Slam - 1995

-Hunter's first PPV; Waltman beats Candido; Shawn takes the IC from Razor in a ladder rematch from X; Bret keeps over Hakushi.  

35. Survivor Series 1995

-Waltman beats Hakushi, the future NWO wins the tag titles, Shawn keeps the IC over the Franchise Shane Douglas and Bret beats Davey Boy.  

36. Royal Rumble 1996

-Waltman beats Hakushi again; Austin/Dustin win the tag straps as Rumble '96 marks the turning of the page away from the Harts/Clique domination of the WWF, Vader takes Shawn's IC and Bret keeps the WWF Title, beating Owen.  

37. Wrestlemania XII - 1996

-Hunter beats Diesel as Nash leaves the territory; Owen beats Davey Boy; Shawn takes Bret's title in the Iron Man Match.  

38. Summer Slam - 1996

-Would you like a Cactus Jack promo?  Vader keeps the IC over Cactus; Shawn keeps the WWF Title over Owen.  

39. Survivor Series - 1996

-How about another Cactus Jack promo?  The Rock debuts; 2 Cold beats Al Snow; Austin beats Owen; Cactus takes the IC from Vader in a cage and Bret wins his third WWF Title - WWF's on a big workrate roll.

40. Royal Rumble - 1997

-The 40th WWF PPV was Rumble '97.  Did Mil Mascaras work an 8 man tag on WWF PPV?  Yes he did. Was Sid dressed like Goldust?  Yes he was.  How about 2 Cold beating Hector Garza and Austin going over Vader?  Owen and Davey Boy win the tag straps, Cactus wins a death match over Terry Funk, Bret keeps over Shawn in a Hart/Clique lumberjack match that ends with Austin and Pillman wiping out both sides in what was my favorite angle to that date.  

41. Wrestlemania XII - 1997

-Rock beats 2 Cold; how about a tag title match between Owen/Davey Boy and Furnas/LaFon, Cactus Jack keeping the IC over Vader and then getting suplexed by guest referee Ken Shamrock, Austin takes Bret's title.  This is a good work stretch.

42. Summer Slam - 1997

-The year+ feud between Hunter and Dustin ends; Owen beats Pillman; Shamrock beats Cactus in the Octagon as Foley turns heel; Michaels is the guest ref for the Austin/Bret title match and the result is the belt is held up for the first time ever.  

43. Survivor Series - 1997

-Lafon beats Furnas, Vader beats Davey Boy, Shamrock beats Cactus again, and Owen wins the Montreal Match, winning the strap but sending Bret out of the company, Bret fastens the title around his little brother's face.  

44. Royal Rumble - 1998

-Shawn beats Undertaker in a casket match, Cactus and Funk win the tag titles, Shamrock beats Vader in the Octagon - Mike Tyson and Shamrock going nose to nose postmatch, Owen beats Austin in a referee stoppage due to blood loss when Steve won't submit to the sharpshooter.  

45. Wrestlemania XIV - 1998

-How about a "Let Them Play" chant for the Ring Boys?  A Regal promo?  Taka beating Aguila?  Hunter/Waltman/Billy/Dogg are the crotch chopping Clique?  A time limit Octagon draw between Shamrock and Austin with Tyson as the guest referee?  Owen beating Shawn to keep his belt.  Owen is the biggest star of the back half of the 90s, and maybe of the 90s altogether.  

46. Summer Slam - 1998

-Edge, pre-gimmick, beats Vader; Taka beats Dick Togo; Austin takes the IC from Shamrock, Cactus takes the WWF Title when he sets Owen on fire.  

47. Survivor Series - 1998

-Al Snow beats the Undertaker in a program built on the Taker not paying Al the appropriate amount of respect in the locker room; Waltman beats Scorpio; Austin keeps the IC over Regal; and Cactus keeps the WWF Title in the first ever Hell in a Cell.  

48. Royal Rumble - 1999

-Jeff Hardy beats Scorpio (I really like Scorp and I jobbed him out; I also should have found a way to main event Taka).  Shamrock beats Severn; Maivia/DLo beat Hunter and Waltman, Austin beats Snow, and Owen wins his third WWF Title in a barbed wire match against Cactus.  

49. Wrestlemania XV - 1999

-Kurt Angle (along with Buddhist Vince McMahon and his son Skip) opens the show.  Hunter and Waltman beat down the Outlaws.  Paul Wight debuts.  The Hardys beat the NOD in a ladder match to win the title - and then are turned on by their friends Edge and Christian who join the Clique along with Jeff's girlfriend Trish.  Al Snow wins the IC, Cactus takes the title from Owen.

50. Summer Slam - 1999

-It's WWF 50, the 50th PPV in WWF history as the 90s near an end. Stevie Richards wrestles, Hunter beats Shamrock, the Hardys beat Edge and Christian, Waltman takes the IC, and Cactus wins a Career v. Career match over Austin.

51. Survivor Series - 1999

-The Dudley Boys make their PPV debut and take the title from the Hardys in a tables match; Jericho makes his PPV debut and takes Waltman's IC - and Foley wins a 3 way dance over Rock and Hunter to keep his title as the 90s end.  

A Counterfactual History - The 1990s. Part One.

The 1980s are here.

12. Royal Rumble 1990

-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.  

13. Wrestlemania VI

-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.

14. Summer Slam 1990

-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.  

15. Survivor Series 1990

-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.  

16. Royal Rumble 1991

-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.  

17. Wrestlemania VII

-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.  

18. Summer Slam 1991

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

19. Survivor Series - 1991

-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.

20. Royal Rumble - 1992

-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.  

21. Wrestlemania VIII - 1992

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

22. Summer Slam 1992

-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.  

23. Survivor Series 1992

-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.  

24. Royal Rumble - 1993

-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.  

25. Wrestlemania IX - 1993

-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.  

26. Summer Slam -1993

-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.

27. Survivor Series - 1993

-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.  

28. Royal Rumble - 1994

-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.

29.  Wrestlemania X - 1994

-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.  

30. Summer Slam - 1994

-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.  

31.  Survivor Series 1994

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.