Thinking about the alternative reality where VKM bites the bullet on Bret Hart’s deal, Shawn Michaels doesn’t fry his back on a casket, and both guys get to enjoy the fruits of their labor and perform in a hot WWF product in 98/99. I can’t shake the feeling that the promotion wasn’t able to fully fill the gaping hole left by both of them for a while. Probably not until Dwayne turned baby permanently and Hunter became “The Game”. Bret/Austin was the rightful WM 14 main, and they had another classic in them where you get double juice and Steve finally beats Bret. And then what. Does Bret then link up with Vince in an act of desperation to salvage his career? He already didn’t like the promotion’s direction so being Vince’s corporate champion on a crusade to clean up the product makes a ton of sense. And then Rock joining later in the year could be one of those things where McMahon thought Bret was aging and not getting things done, goes with the younger horse and Bret Hart could turn back babyface and leave the corporation in time for Mania 15. I still kick Shawn out of DX after WM14 and play DX vs Nation the same way. When Shawn comes back I run him against Shamrock, Taker and Foley. Pick any order you’d like. Michaels/Helmsley Mania 15 direction. Chris Jericho’s rollout feud in the Federation would be as a young punk fucking with Bret Hart and it ends with an alliance of sorts/occasional tag team. Hart works Angle/Benoit and gets retired by Chris on a Canadian PPV. My HBK write off is WWF not coming to terms on a new deal in 2000 and him taking two years off of the business before the 02 return.