What was perceived to be a glorious day back in March of 2001 by WWE fans, when Vince McMahon announced his purchase and ultimate victory over WCW, was really a dark day for professional wrestling. The day the competition died was certainly not a cause for celebration as a WCW fan, general wrestling fan, or even a WWE fan who loathed WCW for all the years of the Monday Night War. There was nobody left to push WWE creative and the steady slope of decline had begun.
However, what if things had turned out differently? Let’s flip the script and pretend WCW had defeated WWE. That their ship had never sunk and it was Vince McMahon who had gone out of business. Where would the wrestling world be today? Better yet; the wrestlers – where would they be if WCW had reigned supreme?
The two mega-stars produced by the WWE would have been just fine. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and The Rock would have remained crowd favorites and large draws in WCW. Austin would still be regarded as the greatest superstar of all the time and Rock would have still gone on to become a massive Hollywood movie star.
Longtime WWE loyalists such as The Undertaker and Kane would have also fared well in WCW. The gimmick associated with Kane worked and could have easily translated onto WCW television. The Undertaker, whose character was going through a transitional period as “Big Evil,” could have been brought into WCW with the original “Dead Man” gimmick and go on to dominant the promotion. Of course, this would mean that the WrestleMania undefeated streak would have been stopped in its tracks (Starrcade undefeated streak, perhaps?).
What about the former WCW stars who left the company for WWE during the Monday Night War because they felt as though WCW was inevitably going to lose? Guys like Big Show, Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko, etc… Would they have been welcomed back with open arms?
Then comes the ECW factor, would WCW had purchased the company when it was going out of business? If so. who from the extreme circle would have flourished in WCW? The obvious choice being RVD but what would have become of some of the other ECW greats?
In this article, we will re-write history and take a look at where some of today’s top superstars would have been had WWE failed back in 2001. These are the top 10 superstars who would not be where they are today had WCW won the Monday Night War:
10. EDGE
Over the course of his WWE career, Edge managed to capture thirty-one championships – eleven of which were world titles. Edge rose from the ranks of tag-team specialist to main event superstar. While his career was cut short by a life-threatening neck injury, Edge remains one of the best WWE-produced talents of all time.
So, how successful would Edge have been in WCW? … In 2001, Edge was miles away from superstardom but was still recognized as a young and promising performer. That year, Edge would win the King of the Ring and solidify himself as a singles competitor.
However, in 2003, Edge would suffer a neck injury that would alter the rest of his life. While returning the following year, he would continue on his singles path and in 2006, capture his first WWE Championship. The next five years would be plentiful for Edge but the ride would not last much longer. In 2011, at the age of thirty-seven, Edge was forced to retire from WWE due to his health issues.
If WCW had won the war and Edge was brought over to the company, the feeling is that Edge would have remained a mid-card talent or pushed back into the tag-team division, never becoming a big-name superstar and perhaps never getting injured due to lesser expectations.
WCW may not have made Edge a star but may have in a weird way kept in better health.
Read the rest of the list here!