10 Things You Learn Binge Watching Every WWE SmackDown From 2001

2. How Did They Keep A Straight Face?!

Stone Cold Steve Austin WCW 2001
WWE Network/Peacock

Comedy can fall flat in wrestling. Some, like Santino Marella or The Rock, did/do it incredibly well. Others? Not so much. So, the WWF was running a risky play by sticking a freshly-turned heel Steve Austin on TV alongside Kurt Angle and having them act like Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly in Step Brothers.

Add Vince McMahon into the equation mid-WCW invasion and you had a possible recipe for disaster. Almost unbelievably, Austin experienced a new lease of life as a guitar-playing, gift-giving goof who caused his wife Debra to sigh and eye roll weekly; Debra deserves a special mention, because she was often the voice of reason grounding these skits.

Nobody cracked once. Not even once.

Lord only knows how everyone managed to keep a straight face when Angle put on his tiny cowboy hat or bickered with Austin about everything under the sun. It was hilarious stuff, and helped feed into Kurt's babyface turn to boot.

Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.