10 Wrestling Repeats That Just Didn't Work
7. Authority Figure Ric Flair Feuds With Steve Austin
There are few more successful or celebrated feuds in WWE history than Steve Austin vs. Mr. McMahon, so it's not difficult to see why management have sought to replicate that success.
By 2002, Ric Flair had entered the company and was cast as a majority shareholder on television. He was also the General Manager of Monday Night Raw, something which led creative to a lazy storyline idea.
Looking to recapture the sheer electricity of McMahon vs. Austin, WWE placed Flair in a feud against 'The Rattlesnake'. Instantly, things seemed familiar. Flair was the authority figure, and Austin the fan-favourite renegade.
It was never going to work, since there wasn't enough to differentiate the story from one which had dominated WWE TV for years prior. It was the same old situation as before, only this time it was Flair instead of McMahon trying to put a leash on Austin's anti-hero persona.
The angle was already fizzling out before Austin lost his patience with management and decided to take a walk in June. Otherwise, there's a good chance his rivalry with Flair would have lingered before dying a death.