10 Wrestlers Who Didn't Get The Reaction They Wanted
6. Steve Austin Turns Heel, Is Applauded Rapturously
It was great, the conclusion to the seminal WrestleMania X-Seven.
That is often lost amid the disaster of it all. Between the brutality of the onslaught and Austin's psychopathic body language - contrasted with Mr. McMahon's almost regretful facial expressions, wary of just what he had created - this was a perfect execution of a horrible idea.
Austin, and again this gets lost, wasn't the same on-fire babyface he was in 1998. His was a vital presence at the blooming of the Attitude Era, and he was far more entertaining. In 2000, returning from injury, this vengeful arc rather got in the way of the fun. The quest to reclaim his WWF Championship was all too serious and oppressive, in that he imposed himself almost everywhere.
But fans weren't urging him to turn heel, more they were urging him to be a more fun babyface with a more captivating purpose. He didn't get booed out of Houston Astrodome. His home state were never going to do that, and any suggestion that they may have felt the betrayal the most was very ambitious.
They went wild for Austin going full ham with a steel chair. It didn't feel like a transgression. In a development that indicated it was all going to sh*t in any event, they cheered Austin for doing that which encouraged the WWF to go this route in the first place.