10 Greatest Long Term WWE Storylines Ever
1. Steve Austin Vs. Vince McMahon
Austin Vs. McMahon, as it is colloquially known, remains the most critically adored and financially lucrative thing the company, across all three of its WWWF/WWF/WWE banners, ever did.
The origin story was serendipitous; McMahon had been turned heel by the fans in the wake of the Survivor Series 1997 screw job furore. Jeered unanimously, he had little choice but to portray himself as a despicable despot. Meanwhile, Steve Austin had emerged as top-star-in-waiting as a result of his zeitgeist-grabbing, counter-cultural rebellion. The diametric opposites were natural enemies, and their epic and massively entertaining rivalry acted as a wish fulfilment fantasy for fans.
It also gathered a range of WWF stars into its orbit. The rivalry facilitated the true rise of Mankind and The Rock, the latter of whom established himself as a lasting main event talent, and veritable megastar, largely as a result of his incredible "Corporate Champion" persona. Too often, WWE in recent years has indulged its creative malaise with "blue b*lls" booking, in which it offers only faint hope of audience catharsis (see: Daniel Bryan, late 2013). The Mr. McMahon character would p*ss his pants to drip feed his braying audience with much-needed release.
If only Stephanie McMahon could revisit it. WWE would be in a much better place if she sold to a tenth of the extent her dad did.