>>7463937>Sign Shawn Michaels in 1997 instead of Bret HartBret staying with WWF and Shawn going to WCW would have killed WCW sooner. Shawn would have caused all sorts of problems backstage. Shawn did nothing for WWF aside from put over Austin at Mania in 98, and Bret could have done that, and it would have made better sense in storyline anyway, given the Hart Foundation feud for much of 97 and the way their match at WM 13 ended. Meanwhile, Bret didn't really help WCW but that was due to shitty booking and not really knowing how to use him. WWF in 97 proved they knew how to use Bret effectively since the Hart Foundation v Austin feud was white hot for much of that year.
WCW would have been more fun to watch though. And absolutely Sting should have won clear at Starrcade and that should have been the end of the NWO. But I'm unconvinced that Bischoff could have booked another hot angle to keep WCW competitive after 98 and the Goldberg well ran dry. WWF was hot in 98 and kept getting hotter. And another thing worth considering is that Bret staying with WWF may have prevented both Owen injuring Austin's neck, and Owen's death at Over the Edge. Both are huge wins for WWF.
I just can't see WCW winning the war without an overhaul of booking and then signing someone huge like Austin or Rock, which just wasn't happening.
