10 Best Backstage WWE Stories From Bruce Prichard's Podcast

9. "Happy Accident" (Austin vs. McMahon)

Vince McMahon was never supposed to turn into the villainous Mr. McMahon character and he wasn't pencilled in to feud with megastar on the rise Steve Austin post-WrestleMania XIV. Those, according to Bruce Prichard, are facts, and he'd know better than anybody outside the bubble what the WWF's plans were for Austin's first title run.

Instead, Bruce called the McMahon vs. Austin bread winner a "happy accident".

The prior year, Stone Cold was written to blast McMahon with a Stunner in the middle of the ring. Contrary to what some might think though, that wasn't part of some elaborate plan to turn Vince from smiling commentator to abhorrent WWF owner. No, it was a throwaway segment designed to get people talking about Austin. Nothing more.

Plans changed once Prichard, Pat Patterson and others backstage egged McMahon on to get more involved. They could see his potential as a character, and they were disappointed when Vince claimed it might not be a good idea to have him on screen full time.