10 Things You Need To Know About The Dawn Of WWE's Attitude Era
3. Montreal
McMahon had announced to his roster the philosophical shift he had demanded to supplant WCW. Sayin' ain't doin', as the book Rumble Fish explained so economically. The doing occurred in the immediate aftermath of Survivor Series.
In the main event, McMahon screwed Bret Hart out of his WWF Championship bout with Shawn Michaels (their barbed feud, incidentally, helped further blur the lines between kayfabe and reality, a trope used to incredible effect just months later). This set off a chain reaction that remodelled the company entirely.
McMahon was vilified by disgusted fans. He went into PR overdrive, but fan relations were never his strong point even at his creative peak. His infamous "Bret screwed Bret" speech would have been the perfect introduction of his Mr. McMahon character, if he hadn't meant every word. He was essentially forced into turning in the immediate aftermath.
McMahon had already initiated hostilities with Austin - or, more accurately, vice versa - and the corporate oligarch vs. antihero avatar for the common man wrote itself. It was easy to believe in because both used their real lives to inform their personas, treading the ground Pillman, Hart and Michaels had broken before them.
That legendary programme propelled the company into brand new creative territory, abetted by a reinvigorated midcard permitted to perform as extensions of themselves.