[2004-10-24] Please note that no updates are being made to this page, which is due to the fact that I have not found time to maintain it properly, and that I have no way of verifying the information submitted. The pages will remain available for reading, however.

This is a list of substitutions that the WWF has made on their main events, and the reasons they have given for them. The list was initiated by, and most of the earlier material was written by David Gaworecki. A lot of material was also submitted by Justin <HardCoreJRH@aol.com>.

The authors are indicated as follows:

[DG] David Gaworecki <OneMoreEar@aol.com>
[J] Justin <HardCoreJRH@aol.com>
[GC] Graham Cawthon <GCDrevil@aol.com>
[MD] Michael L Dilworth <dilworthm@shawnee.edu>
[PR] Patrick A. Riley <HSEG111@aol.com>
[RD] Robert Duncan <MinVike84@aol.com>
[RS] Richard Sturtevant <richard_54@hotmail.com>
[ST] Steve Towler <stowler@dolphinmsds.com>
[LL] Leroy Larson <doublelxp@yahoo.com>
[p] Anonymous <ponema2@juno.com>
[WV] Wrestlevessel
[HR] Anonymous <HardyzRVD316@aol.com>

[DG]	David Gaworecki <OneMoreEar@aol.com>
[J]	Justin <HardCoreJRH@aol.com>
[GC]	Graham Cawthon <GCDrevil@aol.com>
[MD]	Michael L Dilworth <dilworthm@shawnee.edu>
[PR]	Patrick A. Riley <HSEG111@aol.com>
[RD]	Robert Duncan <MinVike84@aol.com>
[RS]	Richard Sturtevant <richard_54@hotmail.com>
[ST]	Steve Towler <stowler@dolphinmsds.com>
[LL]	Leroy Larson <doublelxp@yahoo.com>
[p]	Anonymous <ponema2@juno.com>
[WV]	Wrestlevessel
[HR]	Anonymous <HardyzRVD316@aol.com>

If any of the material has been attributed incorrectly, please contact me via e-mail. Comments from me are indicated like this.

1987

Survivor Series 1987- The WWF claims that Superstar Billy Graham was originally put on Hulk Hogan's Survivor team, but since he was attacked by Butch Reed and the One Man Gang he was replaced by Don Muraco. I personally don't believe a word of this since Graham was scheduled for hip surgery. [DG]

1988

Summerslam 1988- The Ultimate Warrior replaced Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake in the Intercontinental title match against The Honky Tonk Man. Beefcake had been severely gouged by Outlaw Ron Bass' boot spurs. [DG]
Survivor Series 1988- Scott Casey replaced B.Brian Blair who had replaced JYD. This would make sense since JYD had unfinished business with Ravishing Rick Rude due to Jake Roberts' interference at Summerslam. JYD then left, and was replaced by Blair. Blair then left since the Killer Bees were broken up, and he and Brunzell would have been reduced to jobber status (due to the overload of tag teams at this time). [DG]
From David Taub (dbtaub@umich.edu):
>[...] Both Muraco, JYD and Blair left the WWF (Muraco went to
>Calgary, JYD to Crockett, Blair ???) I think actually Brunzell replaced
>Muraco.

Jim Brunzell replacing Don Muraco (on the Warrior/Beefcake team). This is most likely true. I don't think that the WWF would have originally stuck in a wrestler who had only recently become a jobber (due to the Killer Bees break up mentioned above). Muraco did leave the WWF around this time, so it's very likely that he was on the Warrior/Beefcake team. [DG]

1989

Survivor Series 1989- Bobby "The Brain" Heenan replaced Tully Blanchard on Andre's team (Tully was fired from the WWF earlier in the day. This was a last minute change). The Earthquake replaced The Widow Maker (Barry Windham) on Randy Savage's team. Bad News Brown replaced Akeem on The Big Boss Man's team. [DG]

1990

Royal Rumble 1990- The Red Rooster replaced The Widow Maker (left the WWF) in the Royal Rumble (The Widow Maker was originally scheduled, but was never formally announced). [DG]
Summerslam 1990- The Warlord replaced Rick "The Model" Martel in the match against Tito Santana. The Big Boss Man replaced Tugboat as Hulk Hogan's cornerman. The Texas Tornado Kerry Von Erich replaced Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake in the Intercontinental title match against Mr. Perfect (Beefcake's face got destroyed in a parasailing accident). [DG]
Survivor Series 1990- Haku replaced Ravishing Rick Rude (suspended by President Jack Tunney) on Earthquake's team. Boris Zhukov replaced Akeem (left the WWF) on Sgt. Slaughter's team. [DG]

1991

Royal Rumble 1991- Tito Santana replaced The Honky Tonk Man (left the WWF) in the Rumble. [DG]
Brian Knobbs replaced Honky Tonk Man. Santana was already scheduled. [PR]
Survivor Series 1991- Sgt. Slaughter replaced Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart (injured by Ric Flair's figure-four leglock during a match, and then attacked by the Beverly Brothers) on Hacksaw Jim Duggan's team. El Matador Tito Santana replaced Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat (left the WWF) on Hacksaw Jim Duggan's team. Hercules replaced Big Bully Busick (left the WWF) on Skinner's team. The Six man tag team match was originally supposed to have: Sid Justice, The Big Boss Man, and The Legion of Doom vs. Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Irwin R. Schyster, and The Natural Disasters. This match was changed to The Big Boss Man and The Legion of Doom vs. Irwin R. Schyster and The Natural Disasters since Sid was injured, and Jake "The Snake" Roberts was scheduled to wrestle Macho Man Randy Savage at Tuesday in Texas instead. [DG]
At the 1991 Survivor Series during the match with Hacksaw Jim Duggan's team against The Berzerker's team (It was not Skinner's team because Berzerker was picked as the team caption not Skinner), Skinner replaced The Barbarian I believe due to an injury. [RS]
Neither the Berzerker nor Skinner was the captain of the team, though they were both on it. The captain was Col. Mustafa (Iron Sheik). I don't believe the Barbarian was ever supposed to be on the team. They initially wanted Macho Man Randy Savage to replace Sid Justice, but that didn't happen because Jack Tunney wouldn't let him do it, even though he was now reinstated. So, to be fair, Jake the Snake was pulled from the Survivor Series as well. [ST]

1992

Royal Rumble 1992- Haku and Nikolai Volkoff replaced Marty Jannetty (a cut up face after being thrown through a window by Shawn Michaels) and Nasty Boy Brian Knobbs (a separated shoulder). Roddy Piper replaced Bret Hart in the Intercontinental title match against The Mountie. Bret's temperature was 104 degrees, and he was too sick to wrestle. [DG]
I believe Jannetty was actually fired and Brian Knobs was stabbed four times after getting into a fight with three fans as he, Jerry Sags & IRS were driving to their motel after a card on January 5, 1992 in Peoria, Illinois. [PR]
The WrestleMania 8 card was changed quite a bit. Hulk Hogan was supposed to wrestle Ric Flair for the WWF title, but since Justice turned heel on Hogan, and Hogan was going to leave the WWF anyway, this was changed to Randy Savage vs. Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan vs. Sid Justice. The Legion of Doom was supposed to defend their tag team titles against the Natural Disasters, and the New Foundation (Owen Hart + Jim Neidhart) was supposed to be part of the eight man tag team match. Money Incorporated (DiBiase + Schyster) defeated The Legion of Doom since Hawk had to recover from a back injury, so The Legion of Doom was replaced by Money Incorporated. Jim Neidhart left the WWF, so Owen Hart was put in a singles match against Skinner, and Hacksaw Jim Duggan + Sgt. Slaughter replaced the New Foundation in the eight man tag match. Davey Boy Smith was supposed to wrestle the Berzerker at this event, but this match was dropped for whatever reason. [DG]
Summerslam 1992- The Money Inc./Legion of Doom match was supposed to be a tag team title match (with the Legion of Doom winning the titles), but was changed to a non-title match when the Natural Disasters won the tag team title (since the Legion of Doom was leaving the WWF). Tito Santana replaced Kerry Von Erich in the match against the Papa Shango. [DG]
As far as the Tito Santana/Papa Shango match, that was pretty much a dark match, so I'll leave that one alone. However, a scheduled match was Tatanka wrestling the Berzerker. It was supposed to be part of the telecast but ended up being a dark match. [ST]
Survivor Series 1992- Mr. Perfect teamed with Randy Savage and replaced The Ultimate Warrior against Razor Ramon + Ric Flair when The Warrior left the WWF. The Nasty Boys replaced the Bushwackers in the eight man tag team elimination match. Davey Boy Smith was supposed to defend the Intercontinental title against The Mountie, but this match was dropped completely when Shawn Michaels won the title on Saturday Night's Main Event (since Davey Boy Smith was leaving the WWF). [DG]
According to the 1992 WWF Survivor Series program, Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels were scheduled to do battle well before they won the world and IC titles respectively. At the time this program was released, Flair and the British Bulldog were still the WWF's singles champions (Flair had to deal with the then-#1 contender the Ultimate Warrior, while Bulldog was scheduled to defend against the Mountie at the PPV). [GC]
What I know for sure is this: [DG]
- Davey Boy Smith was scheduled to defend the IC Title against The Mountie.
- Bret Hart was scheduled to wrestle Shawn Michaels.
- When Bret won the WWF Title from Flair, the Hart/Michaels match became a WWF Title match. Michaels then won the IC Title, which scrapped the Smith/Mountie match.
- As for Flair originally defending against The Ultimate Warrior, I have no idea.
Ric Flair WAS NOT scheduled to defend the WWF World Title against the Ultimate Warrior; it was a tag team match pitting Flair and Razor Ramon against the Warrior and Macho Man Randy Savage. [ST]

1993

Royal Rumble 1993- Nailz was originally supposed to be in the Rumble, but he ended up being fired by the WWF. Whether it's true or not, I heard that he was upset with Vince McMahon during a meeting at the Titan Towers, and punched him in the face. Had he continued, he would have been in a feud with The Undertaker. Nailz was scheduled to attack The Undertaker, and The Undertaker would respond by saying that he was going to give Nailz the death sentence (or something like that). Kamala was also scheduled to be in the Royal Rumble. One other thing. This is going to sound bizarre, but apparently it's true. There was a reason why Max Moon (Paul Diamond) and Tatanka (Chris Chavis) were not in the Rumble at the same time. Why? Because Chavis' wife had been having a real life affair with Diamond! I thought this was ridiculous at first, but I've heard this from tons of people. A number of wrestlers have also reported that Diamond and Chavis have had to be separated and restrained in locker rooms. Isn't the wrestling world interesting? [DG]
There was a match scheduled between Max Moon & Terry Taylor, which was later changed to Lance Cassidy (Steve Armstrong) vs. Taylor, but neither match took place. [PR]
Crush and Hacksaw Jim Duggan were also supposed to be in the Royal Rumble but Crush was attacked by Doink the Clown on TV with a fake arm he pulled out of his sling and attacked Crush with it several times. Hacksaw Jim Duggan was Banzi dropped by Yokozuna several times on TV. [RS]
WrestleMania 9- A match between Bam Bam Bigelow and Kamala was supposed to take place, but never did. Vince McMahon had to come up with the angle that Money Incorporated paid some people off to injure Hulk Hogan before the tag match at WrestleMania (these comments were revealed for the first time at WrestleMania). The angle was actually a cover-up. Randy Savage had actually punched Hogan in the face, the day before WrestleMania. This wasn't revealed since both Hogan and Savage were faces (good guys). McMahon also thought that the mention of Hogan's black eye would add some intensity (in the eyes of the fans) to the WrestleMania match against Money Incorporated. [DG]
There was a match scheduled between The Nasty Boys and The Beverly Brothers that didn't happen. [PR]
Summerslam 1993- Ludvig Borga replaced Rick "The Model" Martel in the match against Marty Jannetty. The main event was originally scheduled as Bret Hart vs. Hulk Hogan believe it or not. Since Hogan refused to job to Bret Hart, McMahon told him to drop the title to Yokozuna at King of the Ring so that the feud could develop between he and Yokozuna. When Hogan asked McMahon (after losing the title) when he would win the title back, McMahon fired him. Bret Hart was basically put on the back burner, and McMahon tried to develop Lex Luger as a Hulk Hogan-type personality. Of course, we all know that that didn't work. [DG]
Survivor Series 1993- The Undertaker replaced Tatanka on Luger's team. (I was actually at the live event where Luger and The Steiners announced the Undertaker as their new partner during an interview for WWF Superstars!). Crush replaced Quebecer Pierre after Luger gave him a concussion (or "Excedrin Headache Number 35!" as Gorilla Monsoon would call it). Shawn Michaels replaced Jerry Lawler as the team captain for the knights. Jerry Lawler was being charged with rape. The charges were eventually dropped and Lawler returned to the WWF. By the way, in case you didn't figure it out, the Black Knight was Jeff Gaylord, the Blue Knight was Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, and the Red Knight was supposedly Barry Horowitz. I say supposedly because I am still convinced that the Red Knight was Paul Diamond (a.k.a. Max Moon; a.k.a. Orient Express' Kato). Macho Man Randy Savage replaced Mr. Perfect. The WWF will never admit it, but Mr. Perfect is apparently an alcoholic, and was too sick on the day of the event to wrestle. [DG]
I've heard a number of different names regarding the three Mystery Knights; one of them being Steve "Brooklyn Brawler" Lombardi. Confusing... [ST]

1994

Royal Rumble 1994- Bam Bam Bigelow replaced Ludvig Borga in the match against Tatanka. Kwang the Ninja, Sparky Plugg, and Virgil replaced Ludvig Borga, Kamala, and the 1-2-3 Kid in the Rumble. Some of the outcomes of matches were changed. The Undertaker was originally supposed to win the casket match and the WWF title. Soon after, he was scheduled to drop the title to Ludvig Borga before WrestleMania. This would've set up a match against Lex Luger at WrestleMania since Luger was scheduled to be the lone winner of the Royal Rumble. The plan was to have Yokozuna take some time off to lose some weight (his doctor was worried about his condition). The Undertaker badly needed some time off due to his back problems (that's why the WWF gave him the gimmick. The bodysuit that he wears actually covers up a back brace that he wears when he wrestles). Luger would then have all of the spotlight, and be turned into a new Hulk Hogan personality as the new WWF Champion (at WrestleMania). This is what happened: Mark Callaway's (The Undertaker) back problems worsened dramatically, so he needed to be written out of the script right away. Yokozuna didn't bother to listen to his doctor and decided to stay with the WWF. In the meantime, Ludvig Borga absolutely destroyed his ankle during a match (either against Rick Steiner or in a battle royal), and the WWF had to let him go. Bret Hart was chosen to win the title since he had been cheated out of a title shot when Hogan left the WWF. McMahon figured that he could give Luger the title sometime down the road. Luger eventually became extremely upset at not having the title and left the WWF for WCW. (I think I got off on a tangent!) [DG]
Apparently, I made it sound as if Lex Luger left the WWF when McMahon wouldn't give him the World title at WrestleMania X. From what I understand, McMahon told Luger that he would be the Champion in the near future. Unfortunately for Luger, McMahon kept postponing the title reign for Lex Luger in order to develop storylines, but still planned on giving the title to Luger at some point. This postponement lasted for over a year and a half. Luger simply got sick of waiting, and left the WWF for WCW in September of 1995. [DG]
WrestleMania 10- You have it listed as April 20, 1994. It was actually March 20, 1994. (This has been corrected.) The 10 Man Tag team match never took place due to time constraints. It was held the next night on Monday Night RAW. The match was: The 1-2-3 Kid, Sparky Plugg, Tatanka, and The Smoking Gunns vs. Rick "The Model" Martel, Jeff Jarrett, Irwin R. Schyster, and The Headshrinkers. Martel/Jarrett/Schyster/Headshrinkers won the next night on RAW. [DG]
Summerslam 1994- The Bam Bam Bigelow/Irwin R. Schyster vs. The Headshrinkers match was originally supposed to be a tag team title match, but the Headshrinkers dropped the titles the night before to Shawn Michaels and Diesel. Samu was planning on leaving the WWF soon, so McMahon didn't know if he could continue having The Headshrinkers as tag team champions if he couldn't find anybody for Fatu to team with. In the meantime, he had Michaels/Diesel win the titles while he could figure out what to do. He eventually signed Sionne as the new Headshrinker (formerly the Barbarian). Also, McMahon was apparently so upset with the performance of Brian Lee (the evil Undertaker) that he fired him (the match was pretty bad, but I don't think that Lee should have been fired over it). [DG]
The real reason the Headshrinkers lost the tag titles to Shawn & Diesel before Summerslam 1994 was because Samu didn't want to lose them to a makeshift team like Bam Bam & IRS. [PR]
Survivor Series 1994- Bret Hart dropped the World Title to Bob Backlund because he wanted to take a month off to spend time with his family. Yokozuna jobbed to the Undertaker in the casket match so that he could supposedly take time off to lose weight (he didn't appear to be that much lighter when he returned at WrestleMania though). [DG]

1995

Royal Rumble 1995- When the 1-2-3 Kid and Bob "Spark Plugg" Holly were put into the tag team title match against Bam Bam Bigelow and Tatanka, they were replaced in the Rumble match by the Heavenly Bodies (Tom Prichard + Jimmy Del Ray). Jim Neidhart left the WWF (for the millionth time!), and was replaced by Rick "The Model" Martel. [DG]
King of the Ring 1995- Savio Vega was entered into the King of the Ring tournament after defeating Irwin R. Schyster in a qualifying match. This qualifying match was to fill a vacancy left by Razor Ramon (who had injured ribs). [DG]
In Your House 2- After The Roadie cost Jarrett the Intercontinental title, a feud was supposed to be set up between Jeff Jarrett and The Roadie. Once the WWF started talking about Jarrett lip-synching "With My Baby Tonight", Jarrett got upset and left the WWF. Jarrett was apparently upset that an angle was going to be pushed implying that he can't sing. Jarrett is actually a very good singer in real life. [DG]
The real reason Jarrett & Roadie left the WWF after In Your House 2 in 1995 was because they believed their proposed breakup was taking place too soon. They felt it should have been given more time to develop and therefore it would have been more meaningful. [PR]
Summerslam 1995- Psycho Sid was originally scheduled to face Shawn Michaels for the Intercontinental title, but Gorilla Monsoon changed Shawn's opponent to Razor Ramon. [DG]
In Your House 3- Owen Hart didn't show up on time because he was with his wife at the hospital. She was in the process of delivering the couple's second child. [DG]
In Your House 4- The report from the WWF was that Shawn Michaels could not wrestle due to injuries suffered in a beating by a group of Marines outside a bar in Syracuse, New York. This is partly true. Shawn Michaels was hurting quite a bit, but he was actually cleared to wrestle by his doctor. He didn't wrestle due to an altercation with Dean Douglas in a locker room, a few days before the event. Douglas and Michaels apparently do not get along in real life. Michaels was joking around in the locker room telling other wrestlers that he was going to do something that would embarrass Douglas at In Your House (something that wasn't planned). Word got around to Douglas, and he confronted Michaels. Douglas was apparently fuming mad, and told Michaels that if he tried it, that he would end up back in the hospital. Douglas didn't think that Michaels' joke was funny whatsoever and kept threatening him. Michaels ended up going to McMahon and saying that he didn't feel up to wrestling. McMahon let him forfeit the title. I don't find this very hard to believe for a few reasons. Number one, Shane Douglas wrestled in ECW before his second stint in the WWF. That alone should tell you that Douglas isn't afraid to hit somebody. Number two, I have read numerous interviews with WWF current stars, and former stars, and almost all of them agree that Shawn Michaels is a real life, whining, wimp. [DG]
Survivor Series 1995- The 1-2-3 Kid replaced Jean Pierre Lafitte on the Bodydonna team. Lafitte actually had had a hernia operation. Bob "Spark Plugg" Holly replaced Avatar on the Underdog team. Also, I think you included Bob Holly in the Women's survival match by accident. (Whoops. Seems so. Must've seriously read wrong in my papers, this has since been fixed.) An accident is an accident, but when I saw this for the first time I thought it was absolutely hilarious. Dean Douglas was eliminated from the wildcard match rather quickly for two reasons. Number one, he had a back-neck injury. Number two, I don't believe he was ever in the ring with Shawn Michaels. This was to avoid a real altercation between the two. Actually they were in the ring at the same time for a while with some fancy top-rope action from both men. Thanks Jim Desmond for noticing. [DG]
In Your House 5- Buddy Landell substituted for Dean Douglas in a match against Ahmed Johnson. Dean Douglas had a back-neck injury, which was why he couldn't wrestle. This was also a reason why he was eliminated so quickly at the Survivor Series (mentioned above). [DG]

1996

Royal Rumble 1996- Some of the other people that were asked to participate in the Royal Rumble were The Ultimate Warrior, Dan Severn (an Ultimate Fighting contender), Peter McNeeley (that dumb guy that Mike Tyson knocked out in the first round of Tyson's return), Rick "The Model" Martel, and Sabu. Sabu apparently had even set up his own elimination. Before withdrawing his name from the Rumble, he had decided that he was going to eliminate an opponent, slide under the bottom rope, and place the opponent on a table. He was planning to sprint across the ring, do a moonsault over the top rope, and smash the opponent through the table. Crazy? Yes, but if you have seen Sabu wrestle, you'll know that this is nothing new. [DG]
WrestleMania 12- Goldust was originally supposed to wrestle Razor Ramon in the Hollywood Backlot Brawl, but Razor was upset with the entire Goldust angle, felt badly misused by the World Wrestling Federation, and wouldn't agree to do the brawl. He was replaced by Rowdy Roddy Piper. [DG]
Yokozuna was scheduled to face Vader in a one-on-one match. This was announced the day after the February In Your House and right after it was announced, Vader rushed the ring and squashed several bottom card wrestlers. A few weeks later, it was changed to a 6 man tag after Ahmed Johnson and Jake Roberts came to Yoko's aid against Vader, Bulldog, and Owen. [GC]
In Your House 7- The Bulldog/Owen Hart vs. Jake The Snake/Ahmed match was originally scheduled as The British Bulldog vs. Jake "The Snake" Roberts. Why they changed this, I have no idea. Vince McMahon was apparently very upset with Diesel for jackknifing Shawn Michaels through the announcer's table. [DG]
In Your House 8 + King of the Ring 1996- Apparently, the entire angle regarding Shawn Michaels having an affair with Diana Smith (Davey Boy Smith's wife) was actually Diana's idea. She had to lose some weight and lighten her hair in order for the angle to work. [DG]
In Your House 9- Sid replaced The Ultimate Warrior on Shawn and Ahmed's team. The Warrior's father had died, which was why he didn't appear at a number of live shows. McMahon hadn't been pleased with the Warrior's performance for the money that he was paying him, so not showing up just led McMahon to fire him. Henry Godwinn replaced Jake "The Snake" Roberts in the match against Mankind. [DG]
Summerslam 1996- Zip (Tom Prichard) wrestled for the Bodydonnas even though both of them were there. They were eliminated first since Skip (Chris Candido) had a neck injury and was wearing a neckbrace. Ahmed Johnson actually had a kidney problem (which had nothing to do with Faarooq Assad attacking him), so that match against Faarooq was cancelled. [DG]
In Your House 10- The interference by The Sandman, Tommy Dreamer, and Paul E. Dangerously of ECW during the Vega/Bradshaw strap match was not likely a one-time thing. I'm pretty sure that McMahon and Dangerously are actually waiting for just the right time to create the angle. [DG]
In Your House 11- Sid beat Vader because Vader had an injured foot. Hunter Hearst Helmsley replaced Savio Vega in the match against "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Goldust replaced Faarooq Assad in the match against "Wildman" Marc Mero. Ahmed Johnson had hit Faarooq with a wooden board before the match, so Faarooq couldn't wrestle. [DG]
Survivor Series 1996- Jake "The Snake" Roberts replaced Mark Henry (he injured his leg and could not compete). [DG]

1997

In Your House XIII: The Final Four- Bart Gunn replaced Ahmed Johnson on the Flash Funk/Goldust team due to Johnson's severely infected arm. [DG]
In Your House XIV: Revenge of the Taker- Steve Austin replaced Psycho Sid in the match against Bret Hart. [DG]
King of the Ring 1997- Bret Hart was originally supposed to wrestle Shawn Michaels, but due to a knee injury, Bret was left off the card, and replaced by Steve Austin. [DG]
In Your House XVI: Canadian Stampede- The Undertaker was scheduled to wrestle Ahmed Johnson, but when Ahmed got injured for the millionth time, Vader was put in as a replacement. [DG]
Summerslam 1997: Hart and Soul- There was originally another stipulation for the Hart Foundation members. If any one of the Hart Foundation members (Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Davey Boy Smith, or Brian Pillman) lost his respective match, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart was going to shave off his goatee during the RAW the following night. Unfortunately, the stipulation was dropped when Jim Neidhart left the WWF temporarily to finish wrestling his independent circuit contract. [DG]
In Your House XVIII: Badd Blood- The card originally included Goldust vs. Brian Pillman, but since Brian Pillman was found dead early that morning, the match was scratched. The substitution match was the Los Boricuas vs. The DOA. Also, Ken Shamrock was injured, and a suitable replacement couldn't be found, so the Nation of Domination wrestled the Legion of Doom in a handicap match. [DG]
Badd Blood originally included Brian Pillman vs. Dude Love in which if Dude Love won, Pillman would have to face Goldust. I think there may have been some gimmick to the Pillman-Goldust match but I'm not sure what that was. [MD]
Survivor Series 1997- The Patriot was supposed to be on Team USA, but tore his triceps in a match with Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart and was replaced by Steve Blackman. [DG]

1998

Royal Rumble 1998- The wrestler who did not enter the ring when the buzzer went off was Skull of the DOA. Since everyone was gunning for Steve Austin, the Los Boricuas attacked Skull in the dressing room, thinking he was Steve Austin (since they both look the same from the back). The Quebecers were scratched from the Royal Rumble at the last minute when the WWF decided to have Mick Foley wrestle as Dude Love and Mankind, in addition to Cactus Jack. [DG]
From "Hacker" (@tnt0-080103.kc.sound.net) (guest book entry):
>Honky Tonk Man replaced HHH due to HHH being injured.

From "_" (@max01-06.cysource.com) (guest book entry):
>The Honkey Tonk Man replaced HHH due to HHH's Knee injury he got on December 28th.
In Your House XX: No Way out of Texas- Savio Vega replaced Shawn Michaels, who was injured. [DG]
WrestleMania XIV- Carrot Top was supposed to be a WrestleMania celebrity, but canceled for some reason or another. He was booked as the person who was giving Sable mysterious gifts and likely would have been assaulted by Marc Mero at this PPV. [J]
In a substitution for WrestleMania 14, The NewAge Outlaws vs. Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie match was supposed to be a Barbed Wire Match, but obviously it would be too violent, so it was changed to a Dumpster Match. [HR]
Summerslam 1998- Mankind's partner in their tag team title defense against the New Age Outlaws would have been Kane, but Kane joined the side of The Undertaker 6 days earlier. Mankind went at it alone, lost, and was smashed by a sledgehammer by Kane afterward. [J]
In Your House XXIV: Breakdown- This wasn't so much a substitution as it was a cancellation. Triple H, who had won the WWF I-C Title from the Rock at SummerSlam '98, was supposed to defend it one-on-one against Mark Henry. That match was scrapped entirely because of Triple H's knee injury and no mention was made of it for some time until Helmsley was stripped of the title; he didn't forfeit it to Henry or anything, the WWF just swept it under the rug for the time being. [ST]
Survivor Series 1998- Big Boss Man substituted for Hunter Hearst-Helmsley, who was out with a knee injury. Boss Man lost to the Rock. [J]

1999

Royal Rumble 1999- Quick fact: Badd Ass Billy Gunn was to have won the WWF Intercontinental Title from Ken Shamrock, but blabbed about it to his friends and the booking of the match was changed around.
Mabel (Viscera) attacked Mosh as Mosh about to enter and took his spot in the Royal Rumble Match. [J]
The St. Valentine's Day Massacre 1999- Al Snow was to have faced Road Dogg for the WWF Hardcore Title, but Road Dogg was placed in drug rehab days before and was replaced by Hardcore Holly. Holly won the match and the vacant title [J]
No Mercy- There was a scheduled match between the Big Boss Man and the Big Show at No Mercy '99 for the Hardcore title, but it never took place. The next night on RAW, they began the Big Show's father's cancer angle and Boss Man beat Show via forfeit after Show got the bogus news from the fake cop before the match. [RD]
Over the Edge 1999- Owen Hart, as the Blue Blazer, fell from the ceiling and died as he was making his entrance for his Intercontinental Title shot against The Godfather. Godfather was issued no replacement. [J]
Fully Loaded 1999- WWF Intercontinental Champion Jeff Jarrett was booked as the titleholder going into the show, but lost it to Edge 2 days before. Jarrett got it back on this PPV. [J]
Edge actually beat Jarrett for the I-C title the day before the PPV (1999-06-24). [PR]
Unforgiven 1999- Chris Jericho's original opponent was Ken Shamrock, but Jericho injured him and X-Pac was his replacement. [J]
Survivor Series 1999- Big Show's partners were Blue Meanie and Kaientai, but he attacked all 3 of them before the show, wanting to go into his match alone.
Big Show substituted for Stone Cold Steve Austin against WWF World Champion Triple H and The Rock. Big Show won the title. [J]

2000

Royal Rumble 2000- There were many subs in the Royal Rumble match. Thrasher, Kaientai, Mean Street Posse, Mideon, and Mark Henry were removed as official competitors and replaced by Chris Jericho, Chyna, Acolytes, New Age Outlaws, Hardcore Holly, and Bob Backlund. [J]
WrestleMania XVI- Mideon and Gangrel were both supposed to be in the Hardcore Championship Battle Royal, but Gangrel was out with a shoulder injury and Mideon had what I believe was a stomach problem. [J]
No Mercy 2000- Eddy Guerrero was supposed to face Billy Gunn for the Intercontinental Championship, but could not due to an injury. The match was changed to Gunn & Chyna vs Val Venis & Steven Richards. [MD]

2001

Royal Rumble 2001- D'Lo Brown & Chaz def Kaentai in a dark match. As a result either D'Lo or Chaz would enter the Royal Rumble Match. Vince McMahon pulled them from the Rumble and replaced them with Drew Carey. [MD]
WrestleMania XVII- Corporal Kirchner was originally supposed to be in the Gimmick Battle Royal. One Man Gang was supposed to compete as Akeem in the Gimmick Battle Royal, but he had lost a lot of weight and could no longer fit into the Akeem costume. [MD]
Gillberg never participated in the gimmick battle royal, although he was originally scheduled. [RD]
Backlash 2001- Raven was supposed to face Eddy Guerrero for the European Title, but a confusing stream of events occurred. Guerrero lost the belt to Matt Hardy and Eddie entered a rematch with him. Since Edge and Christian were still feuding with the Hardy Boyz, Christian was thrown in to make a 3 way dance. Raven when then issued Rhyno as an opponent for the Hardcore Title (Good move, that was match of the night) [J]
Insurrextion 2001- There were a lot of changes to the Insurrextion card. The original card featured Kurt Angle vs Chris Jericho (changed to Angle vs Benoit), William Regal vs Chris Benoit (changed to Regal vs Jericho), Grand Master Sexay vs Rhyno (changed to Grand Master vs Eddy Guerrero), Big Show vs Bradshaw (changed to Big Show vs Test), Test vs Eddy Guerrero (dropped from the card), Perry Saturn vs Hardcore Holly (changed to six-man tag), Dean Malenko vs Crash Holly vs Spike Duley (dropped from the card), and Triple H vs Kane for the Intercontinental Championship (dropped for storyline purposes). [MD]
WWF Invasion- Rhyno was supposed to face Mike Awesome for the hardcore title. That was changed when both men joined ECW and Awesome lost the hardcore title. WWF writers wanted Mick Foley to compete in the Inaugural Brawl on team WCW/ECW but Foley didn't want to. [MD]
Rebellion- Kurt Angle was scheduled to defend the WCW U.S. title against William Regal, but that was changed after Angle defected to WCW. The Big Show and Tajiri were originally scheduled to challenge for the WCW tag team titles but were replaced by The Hardy Boyz. The Hardy Boyz were originally scheduled for a match against Lance Storm and Chris Kanyon, but the match was dropped when Kanyon got injured. Rhyno was supposed to challenge for the WCW title until he got injured. Two other matches that were dropped from the card were Billy Gunn vs Hugh Morrus, and Chuck Palumbo vs Chavo Guerrero. [MD]
Survivor Series- There was supposed to be another unification match with the WWF/WCW light heavyweight title between Tajiri and X-Pac, but X-Pac was injured and was replaced by William Regal to face Tajiri. [p]
Many of the participants were supposed to be in the Immunity Battle Royal: Hardcore Holly, Mike Awesome, Taka Michinokou, Rhyno Kanyon and Scotty Too Hotty, but were all injured, and Test replaced Scotty Too Hotty who was attacked by Test before going into the Immunity Battle Royal. [p]
The Big Show replaced Vince McMahon. Vince actually wanted The Big Show to be his replacement, I think it was The Show/Shane feud still going on. [p]

World Wrestling Entertainment Substitutions