WWE has clearly been the most important wrestling promotion in the industry with a rich history of massive superstars and memorable storylines. History has witnessed things playing out in a way that allowed WWE to continue thriving to the current day as a powerful global brand. WWE getting paid $2 billion to air Smackdown on FOX shows just how valuable the company is. However, there are many wild things that could have caused changes for better or worse.

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We will look at some of the scenarios that could have easily gone the other way to create significant differences. The following “what if” situations discuss what could have been if one small or big change played out in a different way. WWE may be even better or worse today in certain aspects if they happened. These are the ten biggest “what if” scenarios in WWE history.

10 Sting signed with WWE earlier

Sting joining WWE in 2014 gave us the dream moment of him in a WWE ring, but it was a bit too late to create the magic fans wanted. Triple H and Seth Rollins were the two opponents of Sting before he made the decision to hang up the boots following an injury.

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The potential of Sting joining WWE a decade earlier could have led to his legacy being even richer. Sting would have had classics against The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, and a few others that fans always wanted to see. The Triple H match was solid, but it was nothing compared to the dream Sting matches that never happened.

9 CM Punk doesn't walk out

The decision of CM Punk to leave WWE after the 2014 Royal Rumble created huge changes in the company. WrestleMania 30 was slated to see Batista vs Randy Orton for the WWE Championship along with Triple H vs Punk and Daniel Bryan vs Sheamus.

Punk walking out forced WWE’s hand to make changes, especially with the live fans hijacking the show in support of Bryan. WWE eventually made Bryan the hero of WrestleMania season facing Triple H and then winning the WWE Championship. That likely doesn’t happen if Punk stays and has a lackluster feud with Triple H again.

8 Chyna doesn't get fired

Chyna

The star power of Chyna in the late '90s and early 2000s made her one of the most valuable names in WWE. Chyna could have continued thriving wrestling against the male wrestlers since fans viewed her as such a credible competitor.

The real-life relationship between Triple H and Chyna ended when it was discovered that he was seeing Stephanie behind her back. WWE backed out of renewing Chyna’s contact and let her go. Chyna could have been an even bigger star with more years in WWE if it didn’t play out this way.

7 Someone else ending Undertaker's streak

Brock Lesnar’s massive push dominating the world title picture in WWE over the past five years has partially been due to ending The Undertaker’s undefeated WrestleMania streak. WWE wanted the right person to end it by investing in them for years moving forward as they have with Lesnar.

Some of the past names rumored to end Undertaker’s streak at different points were Randy Orton, Batista and Ted DiBiase Jr. The careers of Orton and Batista still reached legendary statuses without the win. DiBiase is the one that could have benefited from it as he’s not even in the industry anymore after fizzling out.

6 Steve Austin never getting injured

Steve Austin suffering a brutal neck injury in a match against Owen Hart changed his career forever. The return of Austin would have him pick back up his momentum to become the face of the company after a few months on the injury list, but the issue still lingered.

Austin was forced to retire in 2003 at a relatively young age given how many older names are still performing today. If the neck injury still occurred, Austin may have had a career like The Undertaker or Triple H where he still wrestles part-time today.

5 The Rock doesn't leave for Hollywood

The Rock started his transition outside of WWE to become an actor around the same time Steve Austin retired. It turned out to be a genius move as Rock made it huge and is one of the most famous people in the entire world today.

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Rock was still quite young when he left WWE and had a lot more left in the tank. Fans only got to witness about three years of Rock’s prime before he started his movie projects. Rock would have gone on to become the biggest star in WWE history if he never left since he has a slight argument for that spot even with his early departure from wrestling.

4 The Montreal Screwjob never happens

The Montreal Screwjob was arguably the most controversial moment in WWE history. Vince McMahon changing the script to trick Bret Hart into losing to Shawn Michaels without knowing it made him a hated man by many fans and wrestlers.

There is no debating that many good things did come from it. WWE started moving forward with the Attitude Era and McMahon became a highly successful heel authority figure. Steve Austin needed a foe like McMahon to get to the iconic level he did, and it may not have happened without the Montreal Screwjob.

3 Vince McMahon losing steroid case

The early '90s steroid allegations towards WWE put Vince McMahon on the hot seat as Congress went after him. McMahon was accused of distributing and encouraging steroid use among wrestlers given the popularity of the drug in wrestling.

The case could have easily sent him to jail as Vince was reportedly setting up plans for his close friend Pat Patterson and brother Rod McMahon to run the company in his absence. Vince got out of it and turned WWE around. There is a good chance WWE would have gone out of business if Vince was sent to jail.

2 John Cena turns heel

Fans have begged for John Cena to turn heel for years since he became the face of the company in the mid-2000s. Cena adopted a clean-cut face character appealing to kids and losing his prior edgy gimmick that often was showcased in freestyle raps.

The fans at most venues were split down the middle with many supporters and many haters all voicing their opinions. Cena turning heel could have found the same success of Hulk Hogan doing it in WCW, but WWE never wanted to risk the cash coming from him as a hero to the younger viewers.

1 WWE runs WCW as a separate company

Vince McMahon buying WCW in 2001 may very well be the most important moment in wrestling history. Following years of having a national product and even beating WWE in the ratings war for a few years, WCW was dying which caused Vince to take advantage of it.

WWE ran a horrible Invasion storyline with none of the legendary WCW names a part of it. The angle failed and WCW was done for good by the end of the year. Prior plans would have seen WWE run WCW under their ownership with Nitro returning. This is one scenario every fan of the era wishes played out instead of what we got.

NEXT: The 10 Biggest "What Ifs" in WCW History