5 Near disasters that almost changed the entire history of WWE

Many fans often wonder “what if” (something they desired) had happened. What if “Stone Cold” Steve Austin had never given his famous “Austin 3:16” promo, or what if CM Punk had never gotten fired from WWE?

While we will never have a clear answer to any of these questions, there are indeed a plethora of events that could have changed the course of WWE's history.

In case you didn’t know, Vince McMahon prefers scripting everything in WWE so that his wrestlers won’t make any mistakes during their performance. But sometimes, things have taken a bad turn which turned out to be good for someone else.

We all know how much of a role Ali’s injury this year played in Kofi Kingston’s push, which ultimately led to him winning the WWE Championship.

Here are 5 such instances when WWE’s history was nearly altered.

#5 Natalya main eventing WrestleMania 35 with Ronda Rousey

Ronda Rousey and Natalya

This year, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, and Ronda Rousey main-evented WrestleMania. Rousey, who was defending her Raw Women's Championship, lost the match to Lynch via pinfall and since then, we haven't seen her on WWE television.

However, a lot of fans don't know that Lynch and Flair weren't Vince McMahon's original choice to main event 'Mania. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE once considered booking Rousey vs Natalya as the main event of 'Mania, in a match that would have changed the history of WWE's women's division.

As you all know, Lynch and Flair were already prominent name's in WWE before 'Mania but after main-eventing this pay-per-view, their credibility has increased a lot. If Natalya had closed the show with The Rowdy One, it would have made her career as she would have become the biggest Superstar in WWE, considering Ronda Rousey isn't active in the company anymore.

#4 Vince McMahon firing John Cena before he became a wrestling sensation

Vince nearly fired Cena

John Cena is one of the reasons why WWE was successful in transitioning to a PG company. The fans loved Cena’s gimmick, and this made him the face of the company. However, this didn’t happen as smoothly as you might think.

After a few months of joining WWE, the management considered firing Cena from the company but at the last moment, Stephanie McMahon saved the day. She insisted on keeping the 16-time champion in WWE and she was successful in that. Cena didn’t get fired and the rest is history.

He is now working part-time for WWE and is focusing more on his acting career. If Cena had gotten released during his early WWE days then it would have changed the history of wrestling for sure.

#3 Paul Heyman managing Chris Benoit instead of Brock Lesnar

Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar

Paul Heyman has played a huge role in making Brock Lesnar a successful WWE Superstar. In fact, he’s one of the reasons why Lesnar is still making millions every single year from WWE while working part-time. Here’s how he saved WWE producers from ruining The Beast’s gimmick early on in the company:

“[Brock Lesnar] is in the ring [in OVW] as an NCAA Division I Heavyweight Champion and people are saying to him, ‘You should be a Russian’ [and] ‘You should just stand there.’ Like he’s the Warlord or something. Come on! Are you kidding me?”

“Here’s Taz. He goes, ‘They’re giving you the wrong advice, brother.’ Taz brings him to me. I look at Brock and say, ‘You realize that if you do what they’re telling you, you’ll leave here in six months. You want me to talk to Vince about this?'” (Credits for the quotes)

Heyman was originally set to manage Chris Benoit but later, he was able to change the plans after having a talk with Vince McMahon. And we can see how well he’s managed Lesnar since the beginning. If it hadn’t been for Heyman, the former Universal Champion might have become another wasted talent in WWE.

#2 Triple H winning the 1996 King of the Ring tournament

"King" Triple H?

The King of the Ring tournament is returning to next week on Raw, and I thought it’d be great to talk about this tournament.

Back in the 90s, wrestling was all about maintaining kayfabe, which means no friendly talks between faces and heels because everything was meant to look real. However, in 1996, The Kliq broke the unwritten law when they hugged each other at a WWE event at Madison Square Garden.

This controversial incident, also known as “Curtain Call”, happened when Shawn Michaels and Kevin Nash, who were enemies at that time, finished their tussle in the main event. Soon after the match, Triple H (a heel) and Scott Hall (a babyface) came to the ring and hugged each other in front of thousands of fans.

After this event, Nash and Hall left WWE and joined WCW, which means Vince couldn’t punish them. And because Michaels was the WWE Champion at that time, he too escaped the situation and Triple H had to take the toll alone.

Reportedly, The Game was going to win King of the Ring tournament that year but his push was canceled and WWE took a chance with Steve Austin, which changed the history of pro-wrestling. If the “Curtain Call” incident hadn’t happened, Austin might have never given his “Austin 3:16” promo, which basically made his career.

#1 Ali's eye injury that led to KofiMania

The New Day

Kofi Kingston, the current WWE Champion, has been working for Vince McMahon for a decade and until this year, he hadn't won this title. It all started with a match between Randy Orton and Ali where the latter got injured by The Viper and as a result, Kingston replaced him in the gauntlet match and later in the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.

This resulted in him winning the WWE Championship at the Grandest Stage of Them All because the fans were behind him.

If it hadn't been for Ali's injury, KofiMania would have never come into existent and Kofi Kingston wouldn't have become the WWE Champion. And since WrestleMania 35, Kingston has done a great job proving his worth as a champion and his feud with Orton is also taking a good turn.

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Which one of these incidents you wish hadn't happened? Have your say in the comments below.