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Alexander's avatar

Eddie could've even go back to ECW as a booker mending fences with Paul Heyman and having the ✏️ in their TNN era keeping ECW around past 2001 when the likes of AJ Styles, Abyss, Christopher Daniels, CM Punk, Jay and Mark Briscoe, Bryan Danielson, Colt Cabana and the 2000s indie guys coming up to give ECW a fresh coat of paint with RVD as ECW World heavyweight Champion even getting both Shane Douglas, Mike Awesome, Raven back from WCW.

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The Pro Wrestling Exuberant's avatar

The ECW scenario with Eddie Gilbert as booker is very interesting to ponder.

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Alexander's avatar

Imagine Eddie Gilbert booking into the Monday Night Wars / Attitude era? He could've be given the book in WCW in late 1998 keeping the pencil ✏️ away from both Hogan and Nash and maybe save WCW the trouble of hiring Vince Russo as booker (maybe have Eddie filter out Russo's good ideas from his bad ideas that sunk WCW).

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The Pro Wrestling Exuberant's avatar

That’s certainly intriguing to contemplate Eddie Gilbert as the booker of WCW during the Monday Night Wars. I’ve been wanting to in particular seek out some of the footage from CWF when it was on Financial News Network in the ‘80s and when he was the booker. I’ve always read rave reviews of it. I did not realize until fairly recently that Gilbert worked as a booker in UWF as well, one of my favorite promotions of all time and one that I have very fond memories of watching.

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Alexander's avatar

Would Eddie Gilbert keep the WCW World title on Goldberg and slowly wind down the nWo in 1999 even bringing back Cowboy Bill Watts as the on screen WCW Commissioner, have his First Family revival in 1999 WCW with him as a manager, both Steiners, Jeff Jarrett and even Buff Bagwell in the stable to work with Sting, Lex Luger, Goldberg, DDP and Booker T?

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The Pro Wrestling Exuberant's avatar

This would make for a very interesting alternative history pro wrestling fiction piece where WCW not only survives past 2001 but thrives with Eddie Gilbert as booker, the world title remaining on Goldberg, NWO phasing out, and a Gilbert led on-camera faction as the primary heel group. If you ever want to flesh it out into a written narrative, send me a message on Chat.

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Alexander's avatar

Good idea how does Eddie Gilbert reapppear on WCW TV in late 1998? in the Audience on Nitro or Starrcade that year?

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The Pro Wrestling Exuberant's avatar

My preference would be in the audience on Nitro.

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Alexander's avatar

Mean Gene goes over to ringside where Eddie Gilbert is sitting flashing a ticket to WCW security to interview “Hot Stuff”

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Alexander's avatar

How about Bill Watts as a on screen WCW Commissioner as well in WCW 1999-2001 bringing Goldberg vs Sid Vicious or Vader managed by Eddie Gilbert?

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The Horror Connection's avatar

Thanks for the great review.

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Ryan Mac's avatar

Good stuff. It's a shame that burnout, size, and injuries derailed Eddie because he was a really dynamic worker with a brilliant mind. If he came along 20-25 years ago, when size wasn't as much of a factor as it was during his heyday, he'd have the keys to the kingdom.

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The Pro Wrestling Exuberant's avatar

Thanks for the compliment on the piece. I think it’s also interesting to contemplate if the UWF era Eddie Gilbert were to have been around in the late 2010s shortly before the launch of AEW.

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Alexander's avatar

Even book TNA in it's early years 2002-05 through their Spike TV era

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Ryan Mac's avatar

Absolutely. I could probably see him booking ROH for a while, and if he were still with us today, he'd probably be on the AEW booking team.

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