10 WWE Moments That Shocked The Wrestling World
7. Austin Goes Home
2002 was a year of frustration for 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin. The buzz of the ride to WrestleMania X-Seven the previous year had been suppressed by the heel turn that followed it. Meanwhile, the debacle that was the WCW/ECW Invasion did nothing to help matters going into 2002.
Austin's bout with Scott Hall at WrestleMania X8, while well-built, paled in comparison to the awesome Rock/Hogan encounter. Floundering in the upper mid-card, 'The Bionic Redneck' was left to watch Hulkamania run wild in the main events, while Austin feuded with the revolving door of nWo members post-'Mania.
As Vince McMahon looked to "get the F out" of WWE, so too did Steve Austin. A dispute over a throwaway booking of the first collision between Austin with rising star, Brock Lesnar, proved to be the straw that broke the Rattlesnake's back.
On the 10 June 2002 edition of Raw, Austin was slated to lose to Lesnar in a King of the Ring qualifier - a fact that didn't sit too well with WWE's resident ass-kicker. Austin no-showed the event, famously opting to "take his ball and go home". He would remain there until February 2003.