That’s just it though. Creaking empires would remain as would the politics and attitudes that led to the war and its flow into WW2. Something else would start it. What would it be?

I think that explosion would have been enough to set off WW1.

I mean Franz Ferdinand would still probably be killed, so..

Japan and the USSR would start separate expansionist wars. Germany would probably have some form of Nazi party in charge.

Don't know if there would be an actual Axis, but WW2 in the Pacific might be very similar to the original timeline.

The USSR and Nazi Germany were due (in part) to WW1. Its an interesting thought exercise.

This reminds me of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2o7e1i7nJuQ