10 Things You Need To Know About The Dawn Of WWE's Attitude Era

5. The Events Up To And Including WrestleMania 13

Steve Austin WrestleMania 13
WWE

If the WWF broke through to the mainstream in early 1998, ECW was Mudhoney's Touch Me I'm Sick to Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit - the progenitor of grunge's popularity.

The events of Survivor Series 1996 compelled McMahon to reorient the product. The bizarre road to WrestleMania 13 - which was laid by the infamous copout of Shawn Michaels and the renegade ECW faction - provide a fascinating insight into McMahon's mindset at the time. So concerned was he with changing the direction of the company that he allowed the ECW invasion angle to occupy disproportionate screen time ahead of what, nominally, was the WWF's biggest show of the year.

The ECW invasion angle fizzled out and wasn't particularly well-received, but 'Mania 13 was also the night on which Steve Austin cemented the face turn thrust upon him by heroically passing out in Bret Hart's Sharpshooter. The night of March 23, 1997 didn't magically hoist to Austin to the mega-star echelon, but it forged his bond with the audience which allowed him to eventually become a mega-star.

Hart's performance was sublime, but he also deserves credit for his wider role as precursor to the Attitude Era, symbolically and literally. Without him, it might not have happened.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!