10 Most Shocking Things That Happened On WWE SmackDown Post-WrestleMania
2. Steve Austin Beats Up JR (2001)
Seeing Steve Austin shake hands "with the devil" at WrestleMania X-Seven was shocking enough, but what happened on the following week's SmackDown cemented Austin's turn to the dark side. For the first time since becoming wrestling's megastar, 'Stone Cold' went heel and slapped the BBQ sauce out of longtime pal Jim Ross.
Bah. Gawd.
This angle was shot on the 5 April 2001 edition of the show, and it came after JR had pleaded with Austin to see the danger of aligning with Vince McMahon. Their heart-to-heart, interspersed with some good old fashioned 'Rattlesnake' sniping, tugged the heartstrings well, and it only made Austin look like a bigger dirtbag for busting Jim wide open.
McMahon's remarks that Austin was "going easy on his best friend" fuelled the fire of controversy, and Ross performed a Ric Flair-level blade job that added to the excitement. Fans knew how much these men cared for one another, and here they were watching Austin attack Ross in his own home town.