10 Most Divisive WWE Match Outcomes Ever
6. The Rock Vs. Steve Austin - WrestleMania X-Seven
The Rock and Steve Austin's second WrestleMania match was among the most anticipated ever - so much so that the famous pre-match hype video even rendered Limp Bizkit listenable.
It didn't just represent a clash between two men who were already among the biggest stars the industry had ever seen. It was also tantalisingly unpredictable. The Rock had suffered one of his curious dips in popularity - but the 'Stone Cold' character had become slightly stale in the face role. His in-ring absence throughout the majority of 2000 wasn't entirely missed. Both men remained incredibly over - but there was scope for a heel turn on the horizon.
The man who did don the black hat, at the shocking climax of one of the greatest matches in WWE history, was Steve Austin - and the hometown Texas crowd rejected it en masse. It was not an aberration. The same WWF fans who were jaded by Austin could not bring themselves to jeer him. As the cliché goes, they did not know what they had until it was gone.
To some, it was a brave move. Even those who felt betrayed could not deny the potency of the angle itself. To others, it made no sense to turn Austin when The Rock was bound, if only temporarily, for Hollywood, leaving a gaping vacancy at the top of the card.