10 Lamest Swerves In WWE History
3. Steve Austin Joins The Alliance
Steve Austin’s WrestleMania X-Seven heel turn was a complete disaster. His alliance with Triple H as the Two Man Power Trip had its moments, but fans weren’t ready to embrace the Attitude Era’s icon as a villain, and business embarked on a long, depressing decline in the aftermath.
Austin’s alignment became complicated during the Invasion angle, however. As a heel, Austin was understandably reluctant to dedicate himself to WWE’s cause, and it took weeks for Vince McMahon to convince him to summon “the old Stone Cold". WWE needed Austin, and one week later, it looked like the anti-hero was back. Stone Cold almost single-handedly destroyed the WCW/ECW Alliance ahead of the Invasion pay-per-view, but while this remains one of the most iconic moments in Raw history, it was all for nothing.
Austin captained Team WWE at Invasion, but turned on Team WWE during the night’s main event, and after laying Kurt Angle out with a Stone Cold Stunner, he was effectively installed as the Alliance’s new leader.
WWE gave fans hope with Austin’s pre-Invasion turn, then snatched it back just a few days later. The sudden flip-flopping not only sunk Austin’s credibility, but it ruined any chance of the WCW and ECW wrestlers being seen as a serious threat, as their team was now led by a strong WWE contingent. This dumb swerve helped torpedo the Invasion angle, which remains one of the biggest missed opportunities in wrestling history.