SilverKey said:

It's an interesting idea, brash_stryker, but I think you'll hit a couple of snags when you go that route. The PT is pretty much Anakin's story. Your idea would require it to be Obi-Wan's story, but Obi-Wan's part is way too small for that in TPM. Also, Obi-Wan is way too young in TPM to have had an apprentice before he finds Anakin.

And if Hayden isn't Anakin, what would his arc be then? It wouldn't be too good for Obi-Wan's character if he has had not just one but two apprentices who turned to the Dark Side. And if you are going to make Hayden turn to the Dark Side in your edit, how are you going to do that? Because from the OT we kinda know that Anakin was seduced by Palpatine. If we see Hayden's character seduced by Palpatine in your edit, this is then supposed to have happened twice (to the Anakin we don't see, and to Hayden's character).

Once again, it's an interesting idea, but in my opinion, it's quite problematic. But I do think it would keep the punch in the ESB reveal, and might even make it bigger.

Scratch the Hayden isn't Anakin idea. My idea now is that he's still Anakin, but never referred to as Skywalker :) Because the name Anakin isn't mentioned until ROTJ this would be no problem in preserving the mystery.