Smack2k

That fall was planned, I'd believe…I was there that night and even if you watch the video, you can see zip ties hanging from where the cage broke as well as ties fall away as well…to me, that has always told me that was planned... They are lying all around him on the ground too... Or do they zip tie things regularly?

Good point Parv….people always forget the class in Brazil for that title in its heyday... Still a point of argument as to why none of their stars were involved in the tournament that Patterson won to bring it back to the US….They've been screaming foul in South America ever since...

Loss, I really like your idea's there....gets Hogan back into the title scene for his big match vs. Goldberg, gets Bret already involved in the title scene right away, And you can still do the NWO vs. NWO feud that should have happened and been done right, with the final blowoff at War Games '98 where the loser group disbands completely. The Winners could go on as the only NWO left, but now just as a stable (ala Stud Stable type in 94 WCW / Nation - DX in WWF 98) with their guys in feuds and helping but not being the dominating force. Damn, that coulda been good.

NWO = Attitude Era... Without the first, we dont have the second.. The NWO was AMAZING from July - Dec '96 in terms of what was happening...but after that things started to slide, although it took almost two years for it to finally begin to fall fast in '99.. They never blew off the NWO or ended the angle, and they had chances to...or even times when WCW would win something and force the NWO to take a back seat and regroup for a while in '97. Starrcade '97 should have been Sting winning decisively...it causes the NWO to splinter after Hogan loses again at Superbrawl after botched interference from Savage. You then have Sting as champ and he can take on all challengers, in and out of the NWO, you also have two NWO's to feud for months and lead to War Games '98 Blow off but the NWO is either on the same level or a step below Sting and the World TItle.... So the NWO was GREAT and without it, who knows what we'd think of 1997 - 2001 in Wrestling and who knows if the WWF would have continued its 95 early 96 ways.... The NWO was THE Catalyst for all the greatness in wrestling that followed and ALL the nostalgia people call back to today. It, directly and indirectly led to HUGE ratings and wrestling becoming main stream. It caused wrestling to become "cool" to young adults (I was at Penn State from '96 - 2000 and saw it first hand). So, the positives WAY outweigh the negatives as the NWO is one of the top 5 most important US Wrestling things to EVER happen.... Side note, I am HUGE NWO mark, but if Bret and Jarrett dont get hurt, NWO 2000 could have been GREAT...just sayin...

The Good - The "thought' of WCW being better on the April reboot. Scott Steiner / Goldberg Fall Brawl, Steiner push to title and reign. HHH vs. Rock - Judgement Day shocking me that they could go 60 and keep it good. The pop Austin got a Backlash 2000 when he came back and helped Rock defeat the Regime. Hash vs. Ogawa. The Bad - Awful push of Taz that ruined what could have been a killer mid-carder. ECW declining sharply and quickly. Eddie Guerrero's personal issues killing his push in the summer after a great time with Chyna. The Very Bad - The booking of King Of The Ring 2000...With those brackets, HOW THE FUCK COULD YOU MESS THAT UP? The Ugly - WCW about 2 weeks after the April reboot through Sept. Personal Bad - Jericho beating HHH in April in State College, PA.. I was second row as a 21st birthday present and a HUGE HHH Mark and the HHH is God sign as well as the title belt, so when Jericho won, I got it from all sides after talking a TON of shit before the show...

Unless they mean the BIG belt that Andre was gonna get that they had on there!!! Also, I "think" he had a different belt from March 87 to Feb 88

Why didn't Bret sue then if that was the case? I am actually curious about that...

Was it the right thing to do by Vince and WWF? No way, it wasn't, it was spineless to do…BUT, in the situation WWF was in, with the fear Vince must have had about what "could" happen, I 100% agree with it. Would I do it in the same position? YES... WCW had done a LOT to try and bury the WWF and that would have been the final nail. I think about Bischoff during that time and I believe if he had the shot, he would have found a way to get the WWF Title on TV, maybe blurred out and make side comments about what it is, but I think he'd have done it. WWF was fighting for their lives and you gotta get dirty sometimes to do that.. Was it right? NO, Was it the best thing to do with all circumstances? YES… Aside from the title thing, having Shawn beat him puts over your new champ as THE guy in your company now, the guy that beat the champion that left afterward for more money. You can build from there WAY better than having Bret put someone over and then Shawn beat him, while WCW has Bret and makes comments about how WWF's guy couldn't beat their new guy in the end (Bret). Contracts and legal stuff aside, you gotta do what you gotta do to keep your business afloat and safe... I am NOT a Vince apologist. He went into a LOT of places, offered their talent more money and then took their TV time. Shady business, but form all the stuff I have read about wrestling, he was just the guy to do it. If not him, others…WCW was trying the same thing to take him down and he did what he had to do to stop it….

BINGO…end of story... The WWF was in deep trouble…that belt showing up on WCW TV would have finished them and Vince knew it. He gave Bret outs and he wouldn't take them…Bret wanted all that money, he needed to do the right thing. Put yourself in WWF's place, I know I would have done the same thing to save not only my company, but all those jobs contained within…Sure Bret and Vince had a great relationship, but Bret quickly took that money from Bischoff..who's to say he wouldn't take more to bring the title. Plus, Bret turns the belt in on RAW and leaves? REally? That would have been AWFUL for WWF as WCW would have been all over that saying we have your champ and he couldn't be beaten. Sure its in the past, but the opinion was the question and who's side was taken at that time...

Wow Parv, that is EXACTLY how I am with wrestling to…my interests are Wrestling / Video Game Console Collecting / Vintage Computer Collecting, repair, upgrading etc) and they also rotate in terms of importance to me…but no matter what I am always listening to wrestling podcasts in the car or at work…..

Like others said, if he left for a while or finished up full-time and then showed up a year or so later and did appearances here and there like Austin does or used to do, he will get HUGE pops…..he's hated now cause some don't like his clean image in today;s bad is cool world and the rest boo him cause its the thing to do.. But I guarantee if he leaves and then shows up again year or two later and does sporadic appearance, HUGE pops…thats how fans are…get sick of it, want it gone, then when its gone for a while, we miss it and want it back!