How This Moment Killed WWE's Attitude Era

Falling off, or skidding away?

The tyres screeched as a car sped out of the historic Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan with a decimated top draw left behind. Stone Cold Steve Austin had been felled by the vehicle after chasing Triple H back into the car park just hours before their triple threat main event for the WWE Championship that also included the only man "electrifying" enough to share his spot. What rotten f*cking luck, eh?!

Well, obviously not.

Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Rock vs. Triple H was categorically the biggest match WWE could book in November 1999, and the company knew as much. Riding an incredible commercial and creative wave so high and hard that even the recent exit of supposed Attitude Era architect Vince Russo couldn't set them back, WWE were thriving in a way Vince McMahon at his most optimistic daren't even have imagined two years earlier.

That fateful night in Montreal has been picked at to such a degree that somebody needs to "ring the bell, ring the f*cking bell" on it ever being discussed again. A watershed moment in the lives of McMahon, Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart became a landmark and a checkpoint for everything unexpectedly falling into place for an organisation that had been on the back foot for years. An act borne out of callous corporate cruelty created a company icon in Mr McMahon right as rising star Steve Austin was raging against the machine. It was perfect pro wrestling happenstance, and time and time again WWE satisfied customer thirst with payoff after exhilarating payoff.

Then, at the height of their dominance, they pulled off another screwjob.

CONT'D...