In mid-1998, the Monday Night Wars were at their most competitive -- WWE had managed to end Nitro's winning streak, and for a six-month period, it was truly anybody's game. Both companies did their best to capture as much of the fanbase as they could, even resorting to airing World Title changes on free TV with no build. It was a desperate time, but the stars made truly shone bright. On WWE's side of the fence, Steve Austin may have been the biggest draw, but the company's second most popular act wasn't D-Generation X or The Undertaker -- it was Sable, the former valet who had stood up to her egomaniacal charge and become a superstar in the process. Whether she was taking it to Marc Mero or Vince McMahon himself, she commanded fans' attention as a ratings and merchandising draw. WWE had faltered when it came to using Sunny to her full capacity, but they succeeded with Sable, pushing her as a full-fledged asskicker who never backed down from a fight -- in a sense, she was to the women's division what Austin was to WWE as a whole. Her popularity continued into 1999 -- she became the first WWE diva to pose for Playboy, and her issue was one of the highest-selling in the magazine's history. Backstage disputes would soon lead to Sable's departure from WWE -- and a lawsuit filed against the company -- but she would return in 2003. With a legacy as powerful as hers, WWE couldn't stay at odds with her for long.