[venkyrenga]

I have always had this question. After the incident the public image of WWE was damaged. So the PG shit started. WWE started to become unappealing after that with the rise of Cena and the PG era. They needed a face that women and kids like which was Cena. If the incident never happened I do not think Vince would have pushed Cena the way he did. He would have still been the top guy in that time but certainly with an edgier character and would have turned heel after a few years. And then he tried to create cena 2.0 with Roman. They want to have women and kids in their fan base and not be viewed as a violence inducing show.

So what if he incident never happened? I believe things would have been a lot different. And most importantly the product would be better with edgier characters in the main event. Thoughts?

PS: This thread is not about Benoit, his career or the incident. It is about the impact of the incident on WWE. So let us stay on topic.

 

[EdgeheadStingerfan]

This won't go well OP.

You've been warned.

 

[Sweggeh]

PG era was gonna happen regardless, because less adults were wrestling fans than in the past so they went all in on trying to monetise their young fans.

WWE going PG is not the problem. PG doesnt mean your show has to be shit. It doesnt mean no blood or any real insults. Thats all WWE's choice.

 

[The Sharpshooter]

The WWE was on a downward spiral long before this happened. I doubt much would have changed in terms of where the WWE is now.

 

[floyd2386]

Going PG was inevitable IMO, Linda's politics, sponsors, things becoming increasingly politically correc5, etc.

It is interesting thinking about though and hope this thread stays focused on the theoretical alternate timeline and not on Benoit himself and what he did, this won't last if it heads in that direction.

 

[Bryan Jericho]

I dont think things would have been too much different to be honest. Other than Benoit having an ECW Title reign and a good feud with CM Punk.

 

[Jam]

fpalm this again

It would have still changed & Benoit would've died a year later anyway, instead he wouldn't have been remembered as a murderer

 

[UniversalGleam]

well the last time I got into this I received negative rep because I "needed to learn what a real monster is" and my so called "hate for the man" was "clouding my judgement" of the whole incident which is incredible but anyway...

IMO the PG era is not a result of the benoit incident, chair shots to the head are but wwe could easily have gone PG without this ever happening, it just mightve made wwe rethink where they were going because of the negativity of what went on etc.

cena was already being pushed to the moon for a good couple of years before this even happened. Overall I do not believe the product would be majorly different.

 

[BigDaveBatista]

why does that piece of shit keep getting threads made about him, let it go he was a fucking monster

 

[THE MAN.THE MYTH.THE SHIV.THE END.]

Advertisers would have. still. forced a moderation of WWE's product and Benoit would have died in ring instead.

 

[validreasoning]

Benoit killed himself in June 2007 and Cena had already mainevented two Wrestlemanias by that point and held the WWE title for 693 of the previous 812 days so Cena was firmly established as the face long before Benoit did what he did

 

[UniversalGleam]

had brock never left wwe, cena might not have got pushed quite as much or quite as quickly but the benoit incident wouldnt have had any baring over cena being "the guy", he was already that way before it happened plus his character was already getting watered down before 2007 so you cant even argue that benoit caused the word life cena to be binned.

 

[ste1592]

Advertisers would have. still. forced a moderation of WWE's product and Benoit would have died in ring instead.

Advertisers? WWE would have turned PG anyway, in my opinion. That's what Vince likes, the Attitude Era was just him plunging his hands into the filth to save his own ass. He'd take PG over crash TV any day of the year, even if that means making less money.

 

[venkyrenga]

had brock never left wwe, cena might not have got pushed quite as much or quite as quickly but the benoit incident wouldnt have had any baring over cena being "the guy", he was already that way before it happened plus his character was already getting watered down before 2007 so you cant even argue that benoit caused the word life cena to be binned.

After I have clearly mentioned that Cena would have been the top guy regardless I don't understand why some of you speak like I denied it. But what I don't think would have happened is him being the top guy and not turning heel for this long. And also the lame gimmick that only women and kids like.

 

[validreasoning]

Austins heel-turn and massive downturn in business that followed is the main reason vince has never turned Cena heel. Again nothing to do with benoit

 

[FITZ]

Benoit still dies really young I think. If I remember correctly his brain was really messed up when he died and he didn't have much time left to live anyway. Obviously not the publicity of the murder-suicide but still some and all the attention that the NFL has been getting about concussions still carries over into the WWE.

 

[altreineirialx]

Benoit is the victim in this story. He took chemicals into his body and head trauma for our enjoyment and the profit of the likes of Vince. He got hijacked by his brain and now has to be called a serial killer for the rest of his life. It wasn't his fault. Science proves that you do not do what he did when your in control of you actions.

 

[Super Hetero Male]

hahahahahahha what a stupid fucking thread

 

[UniversalGleam]

After I have clearly mentioned that Cena would have been the top guy regardless I don't understand why some of you speak like I denied it. But what I don't think would have happened is him being the top guy and not turning heel for this long. And also the lame gimmick that only women and kids like.

wasn't particularly aiming it at you but you did say:

"If the incident never happened I do not think Vince would have pushed Cena the way he did. He would have still been the top guy in that time but certainly with an edgier character and would have turned heel after a few years."

how can you even judge whether cena wouldve been turned heel had benoit not done what he did? its quite a stretch, cena was already getting booed at WM 22 and WM 23 and yet wwe were still making him the face of everything, plus he was already edgier and wwe was already in the process of watering that down BEFORE the benoit incident, why would they suddenly stop that and make him more edgy again just because the benoit thing never happened?

specially since by this cena was already getting pushed hard, he didnt get pushed harder after, it simply carried on, the transition was already happening. Him not turning heel is the same reason roman isnt, because they wanted him to be THE guy to front the company, your FOTC cant be a heel.

 

[Jam]

Benoit is the victim in this story. He took chemicals into his body and head trauma for our enjoyment and the profit of the likes of Vince. He got hijacked by his brain and now has to be called a serial killer for the rest of his life. It wasn't his fault. Science proves that you do not do what he did when your in control of you actions.

Let's not start this bullshit, he's not a victim, his wife & son are

Again do not start this..