10 Wrestling Storylines Totally Different To How You Remember

9. Austin Vs. McMahon

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WWE

How you remember it:

A madcap series of piss-funny skits designed, always, with the catharsis of the audience in mind. It was never too oppressive. Austin always got out of jail. The winning idea was to allow fans to live through Steve Austin vicariously, as he kicked his tyrant manager's ass, but never to the point that it felt like he had endured too many 9-5 shifts. McMahon was of course the perfect foil for Austin's brand of renegade badassery; his ability to slip between hammy, smug expressions and terrified gulps was so masterful that he is considered by many the very best pro wrestling character ever. Not non-wrestler; character.

What it was actually like:

It was amazing and more iconic the broader it got, but the Mr. McMahon character underwent Flanderisation well before 2001. By late 1998, he was a cartoon. A phenomenally entertaining cartoon, but a cartoon. In the second quarter of 1998, however, Mr. McMahon still retained the veneer of a respectable businessman, and his disingenuous posturing was almost funnier than the bedpan bump. Pretending that the WWF was still a family-friendly mom n' pop when introducing Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco to oversee the main event of Over The Edge, the idealised presentation of the WWF as a benevolent entity was priceless heel hypocrisy.

So yes: Austin Vs. McMahon was even better than you remember.

 
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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!