10 Things WWE Could Learn From ITSELF 20 Years Ago
8. They Love Me, They REALLY Love Me
In 2001, Stone Cold Steve Austin slapped skinny sympathetic announcer Michael Cole all over the SmackDown announce table because he was a f*cking nasty piece of work now and something had to get him booed. It followed his former friend Jim Ross getting bludgeoned and Lita being blended into the canvas with a terrifying barrage of steel chair shots.
The upshot? Pops when the glass smashed.
'The Rattlesnake's 1998 popularity must not be underestimated, nor undersold as it so often is by the company in their attempts to present current semi-regulars The Rock and Triple H as the real Great Men of the Attitude Era. In far more ways than just 'bald' and 'beard', Austin was the Hulk Hogan Vince McMahon had spent years searching for.
Not since then has a hero so universally captivated crowds. John Cena created a new babyface mould when he survived a decade of divisiveness, but the reactions to Roman Reigns' matches this year have seen that trope descend into troubled trolling. In its quest to broaden the spectrum of potential headliners, WWE has instead ripped away any believable heroism from its top stars. Without Braun Strowman, Ronda Rousey and (too an ludicrously lesser extent considering his story) Daniel Bryan, there isn't a single good guy who could objectively be considered...well...good.