101 Shocking Wrestling Plans You Won't Believe Almost Happened
46. British Bulldog Jumps 4 Life!
Davey Boy Smith still had a bad taste in his mouth about WCW stemming from his prior run in the early-90s when he started hardball negotiations with the WWF in May 1996. The British Bulldog wanted to see if he could 'up his money' just a little, so he faxed over a 90-day notice that suggested he was Atlanta bound yet again.
That had ears perking up in WCW. They'd just put wheels in motion for what'd become the iconic nWo angle, and it was clear that a major name like Bulldog would get people talking. Not only that, but he'd be another ex-WWF incomer (like Kevin Nash and Scott Hall) who'd grab the attention of fans.
Davey Boy could've been nWo 4 life, but he really wanted to stay put in the fed. Eventually, WWF chiefs came to an agreement with Smith: He'd ink fresh terms for $250,000 guaranteed (more if he sold merchandise and was in lofty pay-per-view spots), and that proved to be enough to stave off any interesting from elsewhere.
If Eric Bischoff had wanted to put Bulldog in the midst of The Outsiders storyline that didn't yet have involvement from Hulk Hogan, then he was out of luck. What a get Davey Boy would've been, at least in the short term. Around a year later, he paid 150k out of his own pocket to tear up that WWF contract during the fallout of the 'Montreal Screwjob' with Bret Hart.
Bulldog landed in WCW anyway, but he was never really the same as a worker post-1997.