More 1995 WWF Fun
By Scott Keith on August 13, 2022
Reading the comments in the post on Barry Horowitz, and going through '95 WWF on Peacock, I have some thoughts and would like your response to them…
* After his big win over Candido, should Horowitz have turned heel? A cocky Horowitz, playing off his “Winner” persona in Global, getting full of himself off that one win and demanding “better competition” could have been a fun mid-card gimmick. Imagine Horowitz of all people toying with jobbers on the syndie shows and telling them he used to be just like them, but now he's a winner.
* I know you've answered this before but should Bob Backlund have stayed champ till Mania? I know he wasn't setting the box office on fire but Diesel wasn't either. Plus you could have Diesel win the Rumble, and go through the notable heels of that time (IRS, Tatanka) on RAW and Superstars while Backlund does the same kind of run through the babyface side (Backlund and 123 Kid could have had some fun title matches on Action Zone). Then you actually have something resembling a build up towards WM11 that's not geared around a retired football player humiliating one of your top heels.
* Speaking of Bigelow… why him to get that spot? Did he piss Vince off that badly his first time in the WWF in '88 that Vince played out a petty long game of revenge towards Bammer?
* Man Mountain Rock gets the big introduction, playing his guitar before matches, and then just disappears never really to be seen again. Did it flame out that badly for him?
I think they had gotten what they needed and wanted out of Horowitz and going further with him would have been pointless, to be honest.
Bob Backlund should in no universe have been champion all the way to Wrestlemania. That fire may have burned hot but it was pretty much burned out by the time he won the title and they got out at exactly the right time and used whatever rub to give to Diesel. If they had carried on with it it would have been a Hogan 2002 situation.
Bigelow was in no way humiliated at Wrestlemania. He got the main event spot and made more money than he ever was going to see in his life again. The followup was bad, though.
Man Mountain was just a guy, I don't think they ever had serious plans for him anyway.
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