10 Wrestling Storylines Where Evil Won
6. Austin Vs. McMahon
The highlight of a generation's wrestling fandom, Austin Vs. McMahon was a saga as entertaining as it was epic.
It spanned three years, and if it descended into retcon and parody by the finish, it couldn't tarnish the fabulous chemistry shared by the players. By 2001, it didn't matter if Austin and Vince had aligned as babyfaces twice via the Vince Russo-stained bullsh*t that was virtually all of 1999's pathetic and nonsensical gothic horror.
The dynamic was so wonderful that when it was restored, the magic still glowed. McMahon was seminal as the hammy, ass-showing menace; Austin hilarious as the man who kicked him there when the pants were down. Sublime physical comedy converged with outrageous stakes perfect for the cliffhanger episodic model to make the WWF the only destination on Monday nights.
But in the end, evil prevailed. Vince loathed the idea of Austin holding the WWF Title, and had asked him to be a corporate man to better embody what that meant. In 1998, Austin hit him in the d*ck; in 2001, Austin shook him by the hand.
Years later, Austin side-eyed McMahon in various segments that sought to forget all of that silly, business-killing bother, and McMahon ate the odd stunner on various retro shows. But in the real ending, he got his man.
Austin was hardly a hero for his millionth about-face after Survivor Series 2001, and the numbers proved it.