10 Things That Would Happen If Today’s WWE Wrote The Attitude Era
3. The New And Improved Austin Vs. McMahon!
It is 1998.
Stone Cold Steve Austin, or Steve, has connected with the audience through his badass, defiant persona. The WWF fans adore this man. They buy his t-shirts in massive numbers. They erupt when the glass shatters. They aren't too fond of the eerie smile plastered over his face at all times, but that's a minor detail.
Who better, to oppose this renegade working class sh*t-kicker, than an oppressive symbol of corporate America? It's a great story. We make movies lip chomp.
And so we arrive at Austin Vs. McMahon.
Austin Vs. Stephanie McMahon.
Stephanie berates Austin in lengthy, condescending opening segments for his reluctance to play by the rules. "Who do you think you are," Steph asks, rolling her eyes. "Hulk Hogan?" she guffaws. "Hulk Hogan was an A+ player," she goes on. "But you're good too, Steve," she says, disingenuously because that is entertaining, "you're just not great," she concludes, in parallel with her offscreen mentoring as the industry's leading wrestling promoter.
This continues for several months, during which time Stephanie slaps Austin repeatedly because she is the hard man in this scenario somehow, and while it may end in a Stunner at WrestleMania, nobody much cares at this point.