35 Years Of WWE WrestleMania Mistakes
19. WrestleMania X-Seven - Austin's Heel Turn
In the weeks prior to WrestleMania X-Seven, Vince McMahon bought out the ailing WCW, bringing to a close the Monday Night Wars. WWE had all the cards in place to put on the greatest WrestleMania yet, and after the let-down of the previous year, this time they did not disappoint.
WrestleMania X-Seven was a phenomenal show from top to bottom, and a fitting way for the company to celebrate their unchallenged ascension to wrestling throne. But it was also as good as it would ever get.
After spending a year on the shelf through injury, Steve Austin had seen his position as top babyface supplanted by The Rock, and feeling his 'Stone Cold' persona had grown stale, he decided it was time for a turn. It came in his marquee match against 'The People's Champion'.
The hottest act of the late-'90s, and the reason why WWE had been able to claw back WCW's lead from the brink of defeat, was no more. With Austin's heel turn came the end of the 'Attitude Era'. What followed was a half-hearted 'WCW invasion' angle as the company lost all direction. Within two years, a battered and bruised Austin was gone from the squared circle for good.