101 Shocking Wrestling Plans You Won't Believe Almost Happened

Jim Ross will freely admit that an Undertaker vs. Mankind brawl on Alcatraz Island might've been a step too far even for pro wrestling. The whole point of hiring Mick Foley in 1996 was so JR could prove his boss wrong that the soon-to-be masked man would 'break his heart' and disappoint. Ross also wanted to give 'Taker a dynamic, mobile foe after years of lumbering big men like Giant Gonzalez and King Kong Bundy.

The WWF even booked Undertaker vs. himself at SummerSlam '94. That's how desperate things were getting for 'The Phenom'. Foley helped, because he was willing to put his body through the wringer in bold new match types like SummerSlam '96's 'Boiler Room Brawl'. That's the bout Jim initially thought would be ideal for Alcatraz.

Bureaucracy got in the way, and the company just couldn't get clearance to shoot footage on the island. The military prison would've been atmospheric and probably just spooky enough for Mankind vs. 'Taker, but the WWF failed to convince officials that it was worth doing. In hindsight, Ross isn't sure it would've worked anyway, and he isn't calling the creativity of Mick or 'Deadman' into question there.

The entire thing would've been pre-taped, which meant fans at SummerSlam would have to sit and watch everything on archaic screens or televisions wheeled out around ringside. It was ambitious, but Alcatraz was an impossible dream once the suits got involved and had their say.

In 1997, WCW somehow put Roddy Piper on Alcatraz to train for his match with Hollywood Hogan at SuperBrawl.