10 Reasons WWE Raw Is Lucky To Still Be On The Air
9. Gunishment
Vince McMahon had a lot to answer for the day after a series of skits aired featuring Brian Pillman threatening home invader Stone Cold Steve Austin with a gun from inside his own living room.
He was in all sorts of bother for the nature of the content (and Brian Pillman's liberal use of expletives) despite the show's move that very week to a slightly later timeslot and WWE's long-fostered branding as wholesome family entertainment.
The aggro wasn't something he wanted to escape, however the television announcer alter-ego he portrayed framed it in the weeks that followed.
Made to look more out-of-hand than it was by two outstanding performers, McMahon was acutely aware of the controversy it would cause, and more willing than usual to swallow the b*llockings from rattled executives as his entire creative philosophy gradually shifted towards what would eventually become the Attitude Era.
Just as Austin had escaped largely unscathed from an ostensibly loaded weapon, McMahon also dodged a bullet. Far from hiding away from the heat, Vince continued pushing the envelope until these hijinks became the rule rather than exception.