10 Most Shocking Wrestling Heel Turns
4. Stone Cold Makes A Deal With The Devil
A tweener by nature, turning Stone Cold into a fully-fledged heel was a transformation that could only be completely realised by making him the ally of the most contemptible man in the world - but Donald Trump was busy, and they went with Vince McMahon instead.
Many have cited the moment the Texas Rattlesnake - having just won the world title in WrestleMania X7's much-vaunted main event - shook hands with the WWE chairman he had spent the last three years terrorising as the very second the Attitude Era drew to an abrupt end.
And that was precisely what made it so shocking: it made very little business sense to take the company's - and professional wrestling's - biggest and most beloved good guy and turn him into a figure of hate, particularly with Dwayne Johnson soon to to set his sights on a career in Hollywood.
Whatever the long-term implications, though, you had to admire the conviction with which the company executed its wicked plan - and, perhaps more impressively, Jim Ross for convincing children the world over that this was the most earth-shattering event they would ever see.