10 Things You Didn't Know About WWE In 1999
5. Snakebitten By A Rattlesnake
Bruce Prichard has spoken on multiple podcasts about how Stone Cold Steve Austin was by far the most challenging talent he ever worked alongside, echoing sentiments by others including Vince McMahon that implied that 'The Rattlesnake' would and could brick wall ideas if he didn't think they fit his character.
Such is the prerogative of a top star (and in this case, the top star that returned the company to the peak of pop culture) of course, but as Vince Russo came closer and closer to exiting the organisation in the Autumn, so too did one of the two names 'The Rattlesnake' noped for end-of-year programmes.
Per lots of stories at the time, Austin knocked at plans for him to feud with Jeff Jarrett and Billy Gunn. The latter worked with The Rock before being awkwardly placed back alongside New Age Outlaws partner Road Dogg, while the former followed Russo out the door to Atlanta when the right moment came. The two things might have been related - the same stories suggested that Russo's allies felt Vince McMahon should have stepped in to support the writer, and the decision not to only added to the New Yorker's mounting list of reasons to leave.