10 Things You Learn From Watching 1996 On WWE Network
The Ultimate Warrior was ultimately useless to the WWF in '96...
In the lead-up to WrestleMania XII, Vince McMahon decided to go on the attack against Ted Turner's WCW. A series of skits were commissioned, including such characters as 'Billionaire Ted', 'The Huckster', 'Scheme Gene', and 'Nacho Man'. Clearly, these were parodies of Turner, Hulk Hogan, Gene Okerlund, and Randy Savage.
There was one serious flaw in McMahon's logic. By outright poking fun at WCW for using ageing stars, it only made the WWF look foolish by bringing back the likes of Jake Roberts and The Ultimate Warrior around the same time. Even Roddy Piper made a comeback, facing Goldust at WrestleMania XII.
That particular 'Mania event was huge in itself. Shawn Michaels finally managed to ascend the WWF Title ladder, beating Bret Hart in a polarising 'Iron Man Match'. For the remainder of the year, Michaels would be relied upon to carry the promotion on his shoulders.
Even though change was imminent, the WWF maintained that cartoon-like sheen in 1996 that would eventually give way to the 'Attitude Era'. Still, there's a certain fascination that comes from looking back to every pay-per-view from '96.
Let's dive in and see what you can learn from watching the WWF circa 1996 on the WWE Network...
10. It's Genuinely Odd To See Steve Austin As The Ringmaster
As the 'Stone Cold' character, Steve Austin would go on to win both the 1997 and 1998 iterations of the Royal Rumble match. That second win in particular led to the WWF Title for Austin come WrestleMania XIV. Looking back at the 1996 Rumble, winning top gold seemed like a million miles away for the man.
Still under the questionable guise of The Ringmaster, Austin entered as number 24 in the 1996 Royal Rumble. In total, he'd last just over 10 minutes in the bout and was even permitted to eliminate Bob Holly from the 30-man match. Still, there's something distinctly weird about seeing Austin as The Ringmaster in 1996.
When Austin was strolling through the curtain and making his way to the ring, Diesel was in the process of fighting elimination at the hands of Kama. Therefore, the WWF's production crew ran a split screen during Austin's entrance.
Simply there to make up the numbers, it's odd to see Austin being so overlooked when knowing what was to come in the guy's career.