(reprise) In his current best seller, Ric Flair makes the boast that he could’ve filled Hulk Hogan’s shoes in 1984 and the WWF would’ve been every bit as successful as it was. People have often debated whether Hogan was the key to success or just the right man in the right place at the right time. Hogan believes only he could’ve done what he did, Vince thinks it was all down to his own genius. So, with this topic once more of current interest, I thought I’d make a list of ten men who were around at the time and could, in theory, have been chosen by Vince McMahon to be the figurehead of the new look WWF.

Sgt Slaughter

Pros – Sarge was the flag waving American Hero™ before Hogan arrived on the scene. He was a real life GI Joe with a legit tie in with the toy range. He was a great worker for his size and got huge pops every time he did one of his “maggots” promos. With the children’s market a key demographic for the expanding WWF, Sgt Slaughter could’ve been a great figurehead for them. He was intelligent, reliable and always worked hard.

Cons – He didn’t have the body that McMahon was looking for. Though no where near as overweight as he became in recent years (though he’s lost a tonne of weight recently and looks much healthier for it) he still wasn’t a muscle man. There was a reason most of his body was covered when he wrestled and it wasn’t just the soldier gimmick of the camouflage gear. He was also someone who had been around for years. If McMahon wanted the title on him he could’ve done so in 1982 when it was clear Backlund was losing it. Even Sarge’s name could’ve been an issue – remember how Sid Vicious was turned into Sid “Justice” when he joined the more fluffy WWF? Sgt Slaughter was ok in the early eighties but in the family friendly era it was a little too harsh for delicate brats.

Verdict – He had many of the tools to be an effective spearhead but the lack of an acceptable physique probably cost him most of all. He was dumped from the WWF in 1984 because his popularity was rivalling Hulk Hogan’s and Vince clearly felt that Hogan was the one who could maintain that popularity long term. Hogan could play up the patriotism when it was needed (ie when facing Nikolai Volkoff, Iron Sheik or even the heel Slaughter) but ignore it the rest of the time so it didn’t get too old. Sarge didn’t have much beyond the flag waving and, as silly as this sounds to anyone who has seen a Hulk Hogan movie, Sarge simply didn’t have Hogan’s range. But he was larger than life and tremendously popular. You can imagine him feuding with Roddy Piper, rubbing shoulders with celebs and appearing on Letterman. It wouldn’t have been the best choice but it wouldn’t have been the worst either. 7/10

Kerry Von Erich

Pros – Kerry was hot as hell in 1983/4. As the star of World Class wrestling (Texas) he was on the front cover of the Apter mags on a regular basis. He had received considerable cable TV exposure, had the best body in the business, came from a famous wrestling family, could have good matches, was massively popular with both men and women – the former respected his power and athleticism, the latter admired his good looks and body, he’d wrestled all over the world, he had the aura of a super hero and he was young. Although loyal to his father’s promotion in Dallas, McMahon was offering deals that were capable of getting any star to walk out on any regional promoter and Von Erich would’ve been no different. Fritz, his father, desperately wanted Kerry’s brother David to be NWA world champion so Kerry being WWF world champion would’ve sated his ego enough that he’d accept any local financial loss.

Cons – Kerry was fucked up. In his book, Ric Flair says that Kerry wasn’t just someone who regularly appeared under the influence of drugs, Kerry was ALWAYS under the influence. Fritz Von Erich was such a powerful man in Dallas that he always fixed things when his sons screwed up and got the sordid details swept under the carpet. No one was ever able to help the Von Erich boys because no one was ever allowed to know how bad their conditions were. It’s an oft told story that Ric Flair once worked a sixty minute draw with Kerry after Kerry had been found, unconscious, in the bathroom ten minutes before bell time. Flair had to literally put himself in holds as Von Erich kept falling asleep in the ring. Other stories include Kerry tying his boot laces and managing to tie one boot to the stool he was sitting on. And the night he taped a blade to his finger (so he could cut himself during the upcoming match) and seconds later scratched his arm with the razor sharp finger. In 1986 he had a motorbike crash which kept him out of the ring for 18 months. In 1987 he re-broke his ankle in his comeback match and had to have his foot amputated. He carried on wrestling with a prosthetic foot but World Class went under, his two runs with WWF were curtailed by drugs and he ended up killing himself in 1993.

Verdict – There was a reason why McMahon raided every regional promotion in the mid 80s except World Class Championship Wrestling. A look at their top stars of the era tells you why. Kerry Von Erich (dead), David Von Erich (dead), Gino Hernandez (dead), Rick Rude (dead), Chris Adams (dead), Terry Gordy (dead). I doubt Vince ever even considered Von Erich and if he did (from photos in Pro Wrestling Illustrated) he rejected him as soon as he did any digging. Most likely he already knew how screwed up the Von Erich family were. Kerry Von Erich was a man who had everything a wrestler needed to be a massive star but his demons outweighed even his phenomenal gifts. Von Erich wasn’t just a bad choice with hindsight, it was clear that only a madman would’ve risked him at the time. 0/10

To be continued...