11 Misconceptions About WWE You Probably Believe
8. The Attitude Era Was One Grand Plan
The Attitude Era was a result of so many happy accidents that it's a wonder all of Mr McMahon's trousers weren't piss-stained as opposed to merely the ones he wore when Stone Cold Steve Austin held a toy gun to his head.
Famously, Austin wasn't slated to win the King Of The Ring, and even when he was, the victory speech that changed everything popped into his head that very night. Even then, he wasn't truly recognised as The Guy until Bret Hart returned in October, labelled him the best wrestler in the company, and set about making him the next top star. The babyface turn driven by the fans was made his heel position untenable, but his actions forced a tonal change for so many other superstars, redefining what it meant to be a good or bad guy right as WCW started to over-stuff and overthink the New World Order on the other side.
The bright future was back in sight, but very little of it was plotted to go the way it did until the company knew they were on to an absolute banker with 'The Rattlesnake'. In much the same way the organisation pretended that Daniel Bryan's 2013/14 run to the top was one long cohesive story, it still took as much luck as judgment when it came to forcing Vince McMahon and others out of their stubborn comfort zones.
After all, even with Austin on the crest of immortality, McMahon still rolled out the red carpet for a former luminary to take his spot...