10 Wrestling Gimmicks Originally Designed For Other Wrestlers

When WCW began the famous “Hostile Takeover” angle with the introduction of Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, the wheels were set in motion for the biggest heel turn in wrestling and the most successful storyline in WCW history. But to say WCW management were concerned about the angle would be an understatement.

After 12 years of preaching truth, justice and the American way, Hulk Hogan was naturally cautious about going to the dark side. Worse still, with an unequalled degree of creative control written into his WCW contract, Hogan wasn’t obligated to do anything he didn’t agree to; all of which made for some uncomfortable weeks for WCW EVP, Eric Bischoff, and WCW booker, Kevin Sullivan.

With such uncertainty hanging over the big payoff, steps were made to secure a suitable replacement should Hogan pull out. The first consideration was Bret Hart. As the successor to Hogan in WWF as the company’s top babyface, Hart wasn’t just a great replacement but arguably would have been an upgrade due to his stellar work in the ring.

Hart's association with Nash and Hall as part of the WWF locker room from ‘93 to ‘96 made him the perfect logical substitute. However, attempts to lure Hart to WCW ultimately failed and Sullivan looked to Sting to be his saving grace. As WCW poster boy prior to Hogan's arrival, Sting also fit the bill logically and agreed to fill the role; however, Hogan eventually saw sense (and dollar signs) and went along with the angle as planned.