One simple mistake can change wrestling history in many ways more than the average fan realizes in the moment. Steve Austin suffered a neck injury at SummerSlam 1997 thanks to Owen Hart making a rare mistake. Owen botching a piledriver almost ended Austin’s career due to a serious and scary neck injury.
WWE feared their next top star could be hurt, but he managed to return two months later to resume his epic run as the face of the company. Unfortunately, the neck injury lingered for years, forcing Stone Cold to miss a full year in his prime for surgery and to eventually retire faster than expected. We will look at some bold WWE changes that could have happened to WWE in another reality without Austin’s injury.
Owen Hart Gets A Main Event Run
- Owen Hart never apologized to Steve Austin for hurting him.
- Hart was likely embarrassed about the accident.
- Stone Cold vs. Owen Hart would have been a perfect feud in 1998.
One of the most interesting things about the bad moment involving Steve Austin and Owen Hart is that they never made up. Austin held a grudge due to Hart not reaching out to apologize or check on him, like many wrestlers are expected to do if injuring a peer. Jim Ross shared his account of Owen feeling too much shame and embarrassment for an unlikely mistake to do the right thing and reach out.
Stone Cold still became the biggest star in WWE in the ideal timeline, as he defeated Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 14 for the WWE Championship. Owen was reportedly getting a huge push as well due to being the one Hart remaining under contract after the Montreal Screwjob. Unfortunately, Michaels’ injury woes and backstage attitude blocked the big feud vs Owen.
WWE could have used Hart as the perfect heel to challenge Austin for the title in 1998 once Stone Cold needed new challengers. Owen having a personal backstory and being able to play a tremendous heel felt ideal on paper. Austin keeping his bad blood with Owen likely made sure WWE never wanted them to feud again. Other pitched names like Jeff Jarrett and Marc Mero also felt his wrath since Austin didn’t mind refusing to face opponents.
The PG Era Never Happens
- WWE lost Austin, Mick Foley, and The Rock in quick succession.
- John Cena became the face of WWE’s PG era.
- It would have been hard to be family friendly with Stone Cold still on the roster.
Another big aftermath of Steve Austin’s injury came after he retired faster than expected due to the risks getting worse. WWE lost Stone Cold, Mick Foley, and The Rock as full-time main eventers all within a three-year period. Names like Triple H and Kurt Angle led the company into the next era, but they clearly needed new stars.
WWE used the Ruthless Aggression Era as a time to build up new talents. John Cena, Randy Orton, Batista, and Brock Lesnar all became legitimate top stars relatively quickly to change the main event scene. Austin being removed from WWE television played a role in fans no longer expecting mature themes like his character presented.
More changes forced the company to take a bold risk and change to a PG rating. WWE benefited from Cena being the perfect face for kids and the new stars not having that brash, unpredictable presentation. Austin’s neck injury never happening likely would have kept him in a main event role for at least another five years to make the PG change far more difficult.
John Cena Never Makes It In WWE
- John Cena’s debut began the Ruthless Aggression era.
- Cena would have continued his edgy rap gimmick with Austin around.
- Cena wouldn’t have been able to challenge Austin as WWE’s top babyface.
John Cena joined WWE at the perfect time, since many felt his debut was the official moment of the Ruthless Aggression Era starting. Kurt Angle challenged everyone backstage during that famous SmackDown moment, and Cena debuted as an unknown rookie, citing his ruthless aggression as his reason for stepping up against a top superstar.
Steve Austin no longer being the top star in early 2002, walking out in mid-2002, and returning for a short final run before retirement in 2003 created a drastic change in WWE. Fans got used to Stone Cold and The Rock leading the program. Austin’s absence and Rock filming movies made WWE try to reinvent the top star role.
The mold changed to even the playing field for the next face of WWE to have less pressure. Cena struggled in his early years before getting over as a heel and turning back to a face for his ascension in 2005. However, it is hard to envision Cena or other similar young stars surviving a push if Austin was around as a choice for the top star.
The changes never happening would mean that Cena had to keep performing an edgier rapper gimmick to remain relevant. Cena’s polarizing face turn would have had even more fans turning against him if competing against Stone Cold for that top spot. Austin staying healthy prolongs his main event tenure and likely changes the careers of many other names.
