So you might recall from my post last week that the initial plan when we created split titles in 2002 was for Rob Van Dam and Brock Lesnar to be the champions and to carry the titles straight on through WrestleMania.
In that post, I explained why the title was never even put on Van Dam. Now I'd like to tell you a bit about why the title was taken off of Brock so soon, including who he was originally slated to face at Madison Square Garden at Survivor Series that year, before plans were changing to the Big Show.
In early August, Brock took on Hulk Hogan on an episode of SmackDown, and to Hogan's credit, he put Brock over cleanly with a bearhug, then did an injury storyline to take him off TV for a bit.
The plan had been for Hulk to make his big comeback a few months later, and to challenge Brock for the title at Madison Square Garden for the title at Survivor Series. It would have been quite an attraction -- Hogan going for revenge and the WWE Title in Madison Square Garden. Of course, the swerve was that Brock would win once again.
A month or so before Survivor Series, however, word got back to us that Hulk actually wanted to win the title in the Garden. Ain't no way that was going to happen, especially after Hogan's failed title run earlier in the year, so we decided to go in another direction -- namely, to pair Brock up against Big Show and to turn Brock babyface.
Now, Brock Lesnar was many things. But a babyface isn't one of them. Brock is a towering monster, the kind of imposing figure that gives little kids nightmares. But with no Hogan and with Undertaker off TV after Hell in a Cell, SmackDown needed a top babyface, so that was the plan.
The thought was that the best way to turn Brock babyface was to turn Heyman against him, to have Heyman cost him the belt, and then to rally the fans behind Brock with the whole "thrill of the chase" babyface build to regaining the title at WrestleMania.
The call was made go with Big Show because they felt they could heat him up enough to where he'd be a viable challenger for Brock who could really make an impact. I'll be honest, I fought pretty hard against using Show -- nothing against the guy, but he'd been portrayed as a lumbering dope for much of the previous two years, and for him to be winning the title -- and the first guy to beat Brock -- was a huge stretch for me. And I still remember my reaction when I got the call that they wanted to put the titles on Big Show and Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series -- I checked my calendar to see if it was 1996 again and no one had told me.
It also didn't make sense to use Show given that we were building towards Angle-Brock at WM19. That's why there was that convoluted storyline the following month with Angle beating Show, but Heyman representing them both, and all of a sudden they're allies -- huh?
Angle-Brock could have changed the business. Much as Vince McMahon and Paul Heyman helped invent reality TV in the mid and late 90s, giving wrestling its last big boom, the Angle-Brock feud could have been on the cutting edge of the next big boom, the one currently being enjoyed by Ultimate Fighting.
Instead, Angle-Brock became just another wrestling storyline, and one that didn't even make much sense -- Angle didn't really screw Brock over, Heyman and Show did. The storyline stuff totally overshadowed what should have been a slow build between two legitimately tough, technically sound heavyweights. And then Heyman wasn't even a part of the WrestleMania story (going off the HHH-Stephanie-Jericho disaster a year earlier, they wrote Heyman off WrestleMania a few weeks before the show).
But hey, at least Brock's big babyface turn worked.
Right?
Comments (18)
I thought he was a great babyface. But then I'm easy to please when it comes to babyfaces. Be a nice guy and don't cheat till the other guy cheats.
already heard this from dave meltzer but good to hear anyways. I liked the turn of Brock but hated him chasing Angle. Angle was never a draw and a face Brock wasn't either. I did like heel Big Show because he came off as a bad ass/monster and he was hugely over as a heel.
Seth, I wanted to know if there was a Brock/Angle match at WM 19, was Brock supposed to turn or was it going to be Angle? Who was going to originally be the rumble winner? How did the original storyline go?
already heard this from dave meltzer but good to hear anyways. I liked the turn of Brock but hated him chasing Angle. Angle was never a draw and a face Brock wasn't either. I did like heel Big Show because he came off as a bad ass/monster and he was hugely over as a heel.
Seth, I wanted to know if there was a Brock/Angle match at WM 19, was Brock supposed to turn or was it going to be Angle? Who was going to originally be the rumble winner? How did the original storyline go?
Brock was best as a heel with Heyman behind him. I was befuddled as to why Heyman wasn't part of the main event of Wrestlemania. I must have missed the reason why they wrote him out. I do remember speculation that he was on the outs with Vince and pissing him off (again) at the time.
Speaking of that match, it's a miracle Brock didn't kill himself on that last spot. Ouch!
Doesn't surprise me that Hogan wanted to win the title again. Typical Hulk - put someone over, then come back and beat him clean and if he's got the world title take that too. I firmly believe the only reason Warrior ended up in WCW was so Hogan could beat him and get his win back.
I actually agreed with taking Heyman out of the equation for Mania because it focussed things on Angle-Lesnar (although while I enjoyed his push I never understood why they started booking the Lesnar-Cena feud before Mania got underway; to kill time since Angle was injured maybe?)
And that leads me to my question, one I've wondered since then. If Angle had decided to get the neck surgery and not do Mania, what would the new match have been? I know online their were rumors of Brock-Benoit, but they also had Goldberg in their back pocket too if they wanted to go for a surprise. Would they take Undertaker out of his meaningless tag match and do Brock-Taker again? Would they give Cena the major rub in his young career and do Brock-Cena? Leave it a mystery and let Hogan pull double duty that night? I always figured they'd go with a six man elimination between Brock, Taker, Show, Benoit, Cena, and Rhyno (because at the time Rhyno had just come back from his injury and the idea of Brock-Rhyno intrigued me) but maybe not. I'd love to know what ideas were bounced around.
Its hard to say on this one 'cause neither Brock or Angle are Good Babyfaces,but yet Having them face each other is like a dream match so you kinda have to find a way to make it happen.
Chris Benoit was the obvious back up plan. He was put in such a throw away match at Mania because they needed sumone they could have abort their match (make it jus Los G vs Team Angle) and go right into fighting Brock. Specially after the standing O Benoit got at the Rumble.
I seem to remember about a month prior to WMXIX there were rumours on the net that Angle was injured and WWE were considering putting Benoit in the main event? (As mentioned above he had some momentum coming off the royal rumble)
Also around this time I recall there was a match between Brock and Kurt on Smackdown, I thought at the time it was going to be Brock going over and 'injuring' Angle to get him out of the main event. (In the end they had Eric Angle pretend to be Kurt to trick him and he ended up retaining)
For what its worth I really liked the build-up and feud of Brock/Kurt in late 2002-early 2003, was great to see Smackdown get the main event slot at WMXIX (I was convinced Hogan/McMahon was going to get it!), as at the time it was far superior to Raw.
Also what were the plans with Edge pre-injury? I know in late 2002/early 2003 he was hot and getting ready for a huge push, but then had that neck injury. What would have been in store for him?
I liked Brock's face turn because it was just mind blowing to watch him man handle Big Show in the way that he did. I think Angle vs Lesnar was a good feud, but it was hurt by the fact at Wrestlemania, everyone knew Kurt was injured and when the story picked up again in the summer, McMahon managed to squeeze his way in there.
I would also like to know what Edge's pre-injury plans were. He was starting to be a great face at time. Although the injury might have been for the best as Edge is without a doubt the top heel in wrestling today.
man, I love Hulk Hogan so much it borders on "bro-mance"--but, damn Hogan!!!! A little bit of ego goes a long way. I mean, that would have been friggin' awesome to see him fight Brock for the title at Survivor Series. It would have silenced critics who say he never passes the torch and it would have made him the focus of tv for months (before and after the PPV) I'm not ready to admit his critics are right, but damn-- he knows he shouldn't be beating Brock for the title at that point in either of their careers (He left AWA because the veterans wouldn't give up their death grip on the title!!! ). That would have been a huge PPV, and he could have still easily transitioned into the McMahon storyline for Wrestlemania 19 (which would have been even more significant since he was so recently a title contender). I feel like a battered wife. The more I love him, the more he screws with me!!!!!
Dave Meltzer definitely said at the time that the plan if Angle had to get surgery before WM was to do a Benoit-Angle double turn/title switch leading to Brock-Benoit at WM.
Now, Seth:
"Much as Vince McMahon and Paul Heyman helped invent reality TV in the mid and late 90s, giving wrestling its last big boom, the Angle-Brock feud could have been on the cutting edge of the next big boom, the one currently being enjoyed by Ultimate Fighting."
Please elaborate, because I don't really get either of these points.
Thanks!
I just want to say that you have no idea how much I enjoy reading this column.
Thank You!
The Real World started on MTV in what.. 1992? 93? Heyman got his mitts on ECW around late 94 right? So yeah, I don't think Paul or Vince invented reality TV, though reality TV IS wrestling at this point.
"And I still remember my reaction when I got the call that they wanted to put the titles on Big Show and Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series -- I checked my calendar to see if it was 1996 again and no one had told me."
Scott Keith made the same joke in his 2002 Survivor Series rant.
Just saying.
Also, the rumors at the time were Big Show got the belt because Lesnar was injured.... it's so much more depressing to learn now that Big Show was THE PLAN ALL ALONG. Man, the WWE really fell apart with this brand extension.
Seriously, the BIG SHOW was a world champion in 2002. WTF?
How sad... Benoit/Guerrero/Angle/Edge were dicking around with tag titles (and having ****+ matches with each other), and they need a big face, so they make it Brock. You could have gotten a year of matches out of my above list v. Brock, ****+ and probably great angles, too.
Well, I guess they did a year later, but still.
MY GOD. How do you not turn Benoit into the #1 face in 2003 instead of Lesnar.
Creative team my butt.
I thought it was awesome to see the big show get a overhead belly to belly suplex, and a F-5. That was insane.
i wish a compromise would have happened for the original storyline because this was two straight years with not so great main events at wrestlemania
What the heck is wrong with The Big Show? He was having good matches at that point and his best role then was to be a Lesnar opponent, as a feud would make Lesnar look crazy strong in throwing him around. You don't need to chain wrestle to be a good pro wrestler.