What if the AWA had Kept Hogan?

[Alstein]

I'm wondering about that one. Considered a timeline for it- it might take forcing Verne out.

Who would the WWF have built around instead, and would Memphis have stayed an NWA territory?

Two theories I have: The WWF would have built around Savage or Sgt.Slaughter, and Lawler and Memphis would have transitioned to the NWA, with Lawler replacing Ronnie Garvin in Starcade 86.

 

[DAv]

Hogan staying in AWA would have meant he would have had to have gained the belt. Even then though, WWF held advantages of Vince having a vision for the future as well as the resources to act on it. Without Hogan, it will set back the plans for the WWF as he was the guy needed to be the forefront of the national expansion. Macho Man came in a year later and didn't have Hogan's fame from Rocky III. We'd probably see some kind of expansion of the WWF, but without Hogan, it'd be slower and you'd probably have more of the territories holding on for a while longer.

 

[Son of Sphinks]

To my understanding, had Hogan not come to New York, Vince would have turned to Paul Orndorff, whom had just been signed out of Georgia, to be the new lead for the company. Orndorff certainly had the talent in the ring to be at the top, but one could ask if he had the personality to fill a similar role to Hogan.

As for Hogan, with him in the AWA does he have the type of National exposure to help them go out to a bigger stage? Verne Gagne was more typical of the old-school promoters and, while he did have a huge television distribution network, he didn't have a single national distribution point like the WWF (USA Network) or Georgia/Mid-Atlantic/ Jim Crocket Promotions (WTBS). Does keeping Hogan keep the AWA from reaching after talents like the Freebirds or the Road Warriors?

 

[MonsooN]

It would also depend on Nick Bockwinkel. He was the top star in AWA at the time and wouldn't give up his place lightly. He was coming to the end of his career but still had a few years left in him.

To keep Hogan, you'd have to take the belt off Bockwinkel and I don't think Gagne would have taken the risk of losing his top star (Which Bockwinkel was at the time and had been for the past decade)

 

[Alstein]

To my understanding, had Hogan not come to New York, Vince would have turned to Paul Orndorff, whom had just been signed out of Georgia, to be the new lead for the company. Orndorff certainly had the talent in the ring to be at the top, but one could ask if he had the personality to fill a similar role to Hogan.

As for Hogan, with him in the AWA does he have the type of National exposure to help them go out to a bigger stage? Verne Gagne was more typical of the old-school promoters and, while he did have a huge television distribution network, he didn't have a single national distribution point like the WWF (USA Network) or Georgia/Mid-Atlantic/ Jim Crocket Promotions (WTBS). Does keeping Hogan keep the AWA from reaching after talents like the Freebirds or the Road Warriors?

the AWA was on ESPN in its late days, so I could see ESPN carrying pro wrestling for a few years- maybe more if it stays a top rated show. Also, with the added money, I could see AWA keeping Road Warriors (unsure about Freebirds- they were willing to move around, but so were the Roadies)

I do think staying in the AWA would have influenced Hogan's work:

Potential baddies for Hogan I can see in the AWA: Stan Hansen (though Japanese commitments would have made Hansen unwilling to job), King Kong (aka Bruiser) Brody, Bad News Allen (Brown), Leon White (the man known as Vader in the future), heel turned Rick Martel, Larry Zybisco, young Curt Henning, a heel Lawler if he had better backup (though I think Lawler and Memphis bolt if Lawler can't get the belt)

Also, does this handwave Heenan going to WWF?

Another question: what would having a 3rd major promotion do to other upstarts like Mid-South/UWF and World Class?

I have a more radical scenario that I want to do a timeline of.

When I was a kid, I remember AWA being on the weekends, and World Class showing reruns after school on ESPN.

 

[cra0422]

I think that if Hogan stays in AWA, the WWF/E would still continue to grow but would do so at a much slower rate. Without someone of Hogan's star power, WrestleMania would probably be delayed a few years, but would still happen. How successful it what would be without Hogan is another matter.

As for the AWA, I think it (and the rest of the territories) would still last longer than they did OTL, but would still end up going out of business. I don't think that Verne Gagne had the business savvy that Vince McMahon had in order to expand. Vince realized the marketing potential of creating merchandise based around these larger-than-life characters, whereas Verne focused mainly on the in-ring product.

As for how Gagne treated Hogan, Gagne preferred wrestlers with amateur backgrounds rather than the powerhouses that were popular in the 80s. In 1983, he said he would make Hogan the AWA champion but Hogan would have to give him the bulk of his revenue from match bookings and merchandise sales from tours of Japan. So essentially Hogan would have to pay Gagne to become AWA champion even though he was the top draw for the company at the time.