10 Times Wrestlers Abandoned Their Comfort Zone
3. The Original Hugger
Though Stone Cold Steve Austin’s WrestleMania 17 heel turn initially sent shockwaves through the WWE roster at the time, the entertaining side of his new personality wouldn’t truly emerge until his ‘Two Man Power Trip’ partner Triple H was shelved was a longterm injury as the duo lost their tag team titles.
In that unit, Austin was required to still be ‘the toughest S.O.B’, albeit towards babyfaces and with extra bile than usual. The shift began to feel half-baked, but when left alone in the role, Austin showed rare weakness and embraced an entirely new facet of the role as a gradually unravelling schizophrenic.
With his paranoia as unstable WWE Champion on the increase, his new relationship with Vince McMahon became the character’s hilarious crutch.
Battling with fellow toadie Kurt Angle over the boss' affections and making sure to overload McMahon with songs, gifts and hugs, the new ‘Rattlesnake’ was a breath of fresh air and absolutely side-splitting to watch.
Ultimately (and understandably so), all relevant parties have reflected on Austin’s heel turn as a commercial flop, but viewed in a bubble, the bravery with his character during this period represented some of his finest ever work.