Part 1 of Jim Cornette giving his idol, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan a tour of Castle Cornette and his wrestling memorabilia collection (which wasn't totally displayed, yet)....

(Some NSFW language...



Bobby Heenan was recovering from treatment for throat cancer, which is why he sounded odd and is hard to understand, in parts. The cancer eventually took most of his jaw (much like Roger Ebert) and his voice. It was sad to see what it did to him; but, he'd still go to fan conventions and communicate with gestures and still had that spark in his eyes.

I may have said this in another post, but as a Hulkamaniac back in the day, I do wish Hogan had stayed with the WWF, circa 1993. How different history could have been (you can apply that to any wrestling era, e.g. what if Sting had joined WWF in the early 90s).

I know that in 1993, the WWF was going in a different direction. We'd had Bret Hart as WWF Champion. The era of the muscular monsters was being wound down.

And, yes, Hogan didn't seem committed in '93 (he said as much in a 1994 interview with a guy called Findlay Martin, editor of Power Slam). I mean, why would the WWF Champion have been challenging for the WWF Tag Team Championship back then? He didn't bother defending the WWF Championship between WrestleMania IX and King of the Ring 1993. House show results from that era are, to the best of my knowledge, exclusively The Mega Maniacs VS Money Inc. or Hulk Hogan VS Yokozuna on various European cards.

As a kid, I did find the hairs on the back of my neck standing up when Hogan won the belt at WM IX. As a cynical adult, I know about the behind-the-scenes politics and all that, but for ONE magical night, Hulkamania reigned and the dastardly Yokozuna, whose manager had thrown salt in Bret Hart's eyes, was defeated. It worked for me.

But suppose Vince McMahon had had a long-term plan for Hogan. And supposed Hogan had been committed. What would a longer 1993 run have meant for the Hulkster? We are in Hypothetical-Land right now.

At the time, and being ignorant of the politics/behind the scenes stuff, I had so many dream matches. Hogan VS Narcissist Lex Luger. Hogan VS Razor Ramon. Hogan VS Shawn Michaels. Hogan teaming with Bret Hart or the Undertaker. A Hogan/Yokozuna rematch. And there may have even been some novelty value in seeing a very short Hogan/Giant Gonzalez match, the storyline asking whether Hogan could slam Gonzalez in the same way he'd slammed Andre the Giant.

So being a kid who was ignorant of politics, I was dreaming about all that stuff. Of all those on the list, I craved a Hogan/Razor Ramon match the most. Both would have been in their primes, and I always enjoyed their work.

I suppose if my dreams had come true, Hulkamania might have reigned for 1-2 years. He may not have gone to WCW. Bret Hart would not have been on top again.

I'll state one more thing: in early 1993, I expected a Hogan-free card at WM IX. Instead he showed up. In early 1994, I kept my fingers crossed and imagined that, somehow, he'd show up and be a part of WM X. He wasn't. At the time, it was extremely surreal to see a Hogan-free WrestleMania.

Thanks for reading my indulgent post!

It is amazing to think that the slightest deviation could have changed wrestling.

I mean, I read (not sure how true it was) that the original NWO plan was for Lex Luger to be the third man - and that the feud would last until the end of 1996. Luger as the third man would have been anti-climatic (he turned on many occasions), and if it had ended in 1996, we'd have never seen a heel Hogan. How different would history have been?

You could apply this to any scenario. What if WrestleMania I had not been a success? What if Hunter Hearst Helmsley had won King of the Ring '96 instead of Stone Cold Steve Austin?

This alternate history (maybe those things happened on parallel Earths!) is fascinating to think about. Some ramifications would have been small. Austin not winning King of the Ring would not, in my opinion, have derailed him, he'd have just gone to the top via a different route. Other changes would have been Earth-shattering. I mean, if Hogan hadn't taken hiatuses in 1992 and 1993, would Bret Hart still have found his way to the top or would he have been eclipsed, losing any main event potential/momentum?

These are the questions to ask!

I was glad to see Hogan gone. To me, his routine was old and boring by '85. It was the same match over and over again; he'd sell until about the 6 minute mark, then hulk up, then win at around 7:40. If he went 20 minutes it was an epic confrontation and those were rare. By contrast, when he used to work Japan, for Inoki, he'd work his butt off. The WWF style was just too slow and Hogan was predictable. Throwing someone like Savage in there livened it up, since Savage did all of the work. But, Hogan wasn't going to put anyone over and he wanted to get deeper into Hollywood. So, he got a crappy tv series and cut a deal with Ted Turner for a ridiculous amount of money to help kill interest there. And WCW fans had been educated with the NWA style, with great workers, putting on longer matches. Problem was, Jim Herd ran off most of them, so you were stuck with what was left. Bill Watts didn't last long enough to make much of a difference and was not the same guy who made Mid-South the best promotion to watch from 1982-1985. The NWO thing gave Hogan some longevity, after fans had already been booing his matches. By that stage, he should have been putting guys over, yet never did. Instead, he latched onto Hall and Nash and played them like a consummate musician, controlling everything by manipulating through them and Bischoff. who was a big mark.

Ric Flair was the opposite; he probably did too much to put other people over, rather than protecting himself more. But, that was the job of the NWA World champion: make the local star look bigger, so he could draw more. Then, when the champion would come back through, they'd draw an even bigger house (which meant an even bigger payday for the champion, who got a piece of the gate).

The WWF style had always been the hero champion fighting monsters and evil men. Heel champions were usually just transitional. Under Vince Sr, it was an ethnic hero, like Bruno Sammartino and Pedro Morales. The only heel champion who got more than a month or so was Superstar Billy Graham and that was because he was a bigger draw than the babyfaces. He was really more of what became known as a "'tweener," someone who is cheered and booed in equal numbers. Bob Backlund was made champ; but, he was more in the NWA mold, as a legit amateur who could outwrestle everyone. It worked for several years; but, it grew stale, especially with guys like Muraco and Snuka, who could work the crowd into a frenzy. That led to the Iron Sheik taking the title to set up Hogan and Hulkamania.

The NWA model was to have a legit wrestler, who had been groomed in several top territories and was the pet project of a powerful promoter. He would then get the nod in the annual vote and then win the title in a top town. from there he toured the NWA promotions, facing the local stars and making them look good, without losing the title; but, always having a close match. The average NWA title match was 30 minutes or more, with 60 minute draws commonplace, up through the early 80s. You had guys like Lou Thesz, Jack Brisco, Dory Funk Jr, Harley Race and Ric Flair. You would get shorter term gimmick champs, but never wild gimmicks. Terry Funk was probably the first, as he worked more as a brawler; but, could do the more technical matches. Dusty Rhodes and Tommy Rich were big draws who fans loved; but, were never allowed to hold it long. Same with Kerry Von Erich, who they didn't trust to hold it long. It had been earmarked for David, who died in Japan and Kerry was slid into the slot, as the most charismatic of the remaining brothers (and a better worker than Kevin, with Flair).

The AWA style had always been top wrestler with amateur or second generation pro credentials, who could work or shoot with anyone. Verne, Mad Dog Vachon, Bill Miller, Dick Beyer.....all great amateurs and pros. Nick Bockwinkel, Curt Hennig-great second generation guys, who could work with anyone. They did allow a couple of masked champions (Miller, as Mr M and Beyer, as Dr X), one promoter who bought a short run with the title (Otto Wanz, who promoted Germany and Austria, with his Catch Wrestling Association) and a Japanese champion (Jumbo Tsuruta, who was a legit amateur and protege of Giant Baba). However, they didn't adjust with the times and found themselves bleeding talent.

I always preferred NWA and AWA style, while the promotions were vital. NWA started hurting when Crockett started gobbling up territories. They had too big a roster and too much overhead, which worked against them. They got into financial problems from building a huge office building in Texas, private jets, and other outlays, which led to selling to Ted Turner. Turner just wanted the show for TBS, since it always drew great ratings. problem is, he kept putting people in charge who didn't know the first thing about presenting pro wrestling.

Verne Gagne just wouldn't change with the times and kept thinking it was 1975; or worse, 1965. You can't follow the Road Warriors with Baron Von Raschke and the Crusher, no matter how big of a draw in Chicago and Minnesota that Crusher was, or what legit credentials Raschke had, as a collegiate and army wrestler. They looked like old guys, while the Road Warriors were monsters. Curt Hennig was a good idea; just done too late to make a difference. Jerry Lawler would have been a better idea about 10 years earlier; but, Lawler wasn't going to carry the promotion outside of Memphis and a few of the other cities. He wasn't going to carry Chicago or Winnipeg, Salt Lake City or Denver or San Francisco. He could work and cut some of the best promos ever; but, his brawling style wasn't going to go far in the AWA, after guys like Mad Dog Vachon, Jos LeDuc and Bruiser & Crusher. Lawler just didn't look like that tough a fighter. In Memphis, in that circus, yeah.

I was happy when McMahon transitioned to Brett and Swan Michaels. Those guys busted their humps and put on tremendous matches. Problem is, they had massive egos, which cause backstage problems, as time went by. Hall could have been a draw on top; but, he was also a massive pill user and boozer, even then, and I doubt Vince was ready to trust him to carry things. Plus, Shawn was just that much better. Nash failed on top and was horrible in the ring. Luger just never really clicked in the WWF. Injuries didn't help and trying to make him into an all-American babyface was too abrupt and went against his natural personality. he was always an arrogant guy, for real, and rubbed everyone the wrong way, which is why he was a natural heel. Hogan wasn't going to job for him and that left him with no one. Brett got a better babyface reaction, so Vince went with him, instead. Brett also presented more storytelling opportunities, while Lex would be more of the Hogan formula. Plus, he was never comfortable in that environment.

Undertaker didn't need the belt, which is why they held off for so long. He drew no matter what, because he made the stupidest gimmick in the world work. he was a massive guy who could move like a junior heavyweight and he played the whole "deadman" gimmick to the hilt, without ever winking and the crowds loved it. It was like a live horror movie.He would have been Forry Ackerman's favorite wrestler.

The one guy who really should have been a world champion, who wasn't was Ted Dibiase. He had been groomed to be the NWA World Champion; but, it never seemed to have the right timing and he was kind of left off the table, when he was the best worker in the NWA territories, who could be equally effective as babyface and heel. He had the pedigree, the look, the reputation, the ability to cut a promo and sell tickets and could work with a broom. Then, he went to McMahonland and became Vince's alter-ego. He didn't need the belt, there; he was just there to let McMahon live vicariously through him. Then, his injuries (especially a bad neck, from working in Japan) ended his in-ring career and he was spending all of his time getting other people over. Dibiase could have been champion for the NWA, AWA or WWF and drawn money. There aren't many guys who can say that.

Some NWA matches were shown here (around 3am-4am, Sundays), but I never saw any NWA/WCW stuff until 1992. ITV aired WCW Worldwide every Saturday while First Independent were the videotape licensee. I believe their first release was Starrcade 1989. I enjoyed the "Round Robin" tournaments at that event.

Of course, thanks to DVDs/Blu-rays and the WWE Network, I've been able to see a lot of NWA/WCW.

I think some AWA tapes were released in the UK, but very few and far between. I remember around 3 USWA tapes being released. And then there were tapes with random matches on (I got to see the Sheepherders on one tape). It's good to have so much historical footage to be able to view.

Cody has summed up the differences between the WWF and NWA/WCW very well. This is why I was irked when Vince Russo tried to turn WCW into WWF-lite. Yes, WCW did have some wacky gimmicks at times (Super Invader, anyone?). And some bizarre storylines ("Search For Cactus Jack"), but it always felt more about the wrestling than the gimmicks. I liked the Tom Zenk/Brian Pillman match at WrestleWar 1992. Or the tag team tournament at Great American Bash 1992. It was frustrating, circa 1999/2000, to see Russo using WCW as his "WWF playground", what with the David Flair nonsense, etc. And some storylines didn't make sense. Wasn't there an episode where Ron or Don Harris defended the WCW Title on behalf of the actual champion, Kevin Nash? Or something silly like that? Where a pinfall by Ron or Don Harris meant they'd win the match for Nash but not the belt and...oh, I give up. I'm probably remembering it wrong.

On Scott Hall as Razor Ramon, I was disappointed that he never got to wrestle in the 30-Man Royal Rumble. In 1993, he challenged Bret for the WWF Championship. In 1994, 1995 and 1996, he was defending the Intercontinental Title. I'd have liked to have seen him in the 30-Man Rumble.

Same with Jacques Rougeau/Mountie. In 1989 and 1990, he was on the undercard (six-man tag in '89, tag team in '90). In 1991, he wrestled Koko B. Ware in a throwaway match. In 1992, he defended the I-C Title against Roddy Piper. And in 1994, the Quebecers defended the tag titles against Bret and Owen.

Razor Ramon and Mountie, I so wish you guys had wrestled in the 30-Man Rumble!

Imagine how they could have built a Razor Ramon 30-Man Rumble appearance in, say, 1994.

"Razor Ramon has retained the Intercontinental Title. But if he wins the 30-Man Rumble, he will challenge the WWF Champion at WrestleMania..!"

Or in 1995:

"The Bad Guy has lost the Intercontinental Title, but he will be entering the 30-Man Royal Rumble. He could well walk out of her as the No. 1 contender to the WWF Championship."

He was never going to win because of WWF booking plans at the time, but they could have built that up.

They could have done the same hype with Roddy Piper in 1992. He did beat the Mountie for the Intercontinental Title and wrestled in the 30-Man Royal Rumble, the winner walking away with the then-vacant WWF Championship. Imagine the hype:

"Earlier this evening, Rowdy Roddy Piper took the Intercontinental Title from the Mountie. And yet that could turn out to be a consolation prize of sorts - because if Roddy Piper wins the Royal Rumble, he will walk out of here as the WWF Champion. Just think about that, he could make history - which would never be repeated, I'm sure - as the first person to win the Intercontinental Title and WWF Championship on the same night!"

The different flavour aspect is an important one to discuss.

The worst years for WWF/WWE, for me, were the "cookie cutter" years where promos were scripted, matches were scripted, etc. Are promos still 100% scripted?

Go back many, many years (I'm gonna say 2002-2006) and, in WWE, it felt like only Chris Jericho and Lance Storm were the last ones left who could say they had gained territorial experience. Everyone coming to WWE around that time or after came via the "cookie cutter machine".

The WWF I got into as a kid did have wrestlers who had worked many territories. I was quite the fan of the Warlord. It has been fashionable for so-called smart publications to bash him, but (and he's only one example), at least he came from a time when there was more spontaneity. And, of course, many other wrestlers had either national or worldwide experience.

When WWE became a cookie cutter factory with everyone taught and trained by the same people, and delivering scripted promos, I noticed a dip in quality.

I like that in the 90s, I could watch both WWF and WCW - and they had a different flavour. When WCW Worldwide aired every Saturday, I knew I'd be getting a relatively gimmick-free show with an emphasis on action, including light heavyweights. And when I watched WWF's syndicated programming, I knew I'd be getting more of an emphasis on characters, comedy, etc. That was fine. Variety is the spice of life.