10 Times WWE Went Further Than The Attitude Era

10. Pillman's Got A Gun

The infamous "Pillman's got a gun" angle was more shocking in context than so much of WWE's tasteless output because Vince McMahon hadn't yet made the decision to steer away from the nuclear family and drive straight into frat house that was the Attitude Era. But he was thinking about it, even if he hadn't yet articulated it.

This was 1996. Everything was still painted in the old glory colour palette, but a shade of blood red was boiling under the surface of its skin, ready to burst through, which informed the idea that something bad was going to happen.

It also helped that Vince McMahon was prone to screaming ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN on the hour.

Pillman played such a convincing lunatic, too. Those eyes, that voice, that wild, Randy Savage-esque body language: Pillman worked carnies and middle America alike. There are people in pro wrestling who have somehow allowed themselves to believe that the Montreal Screwjob was a work, and yet, Pillman's brilliance was such that he eluded the most cynical fantasists industry-wide.

All of which converged to create an off and tense vibe when Austin invaded Pillman's home in November. Pillman was vulnerable, and Austin circled awfully around the sanctity of another man's home. The gunshot fade was a cynical hook nobody bought, but the expletive-laden chaos was so late-nite that the WWF eventually apologised.