12 Things We Learned From Jim Ross: Under The Black Hat
7. Vince McMahon Was Against The Stone Cold Heel Turn
Even Steve Austin himself has said that, in hindsight, his heel turn at WrestleMania X-Seven was a mistake.
At that point in time, Stone Cold was the hottest star in the industry and was still bringing in huge numbers for Vince McMahon's company. But Austin being Austin, he was weary of audiences potentially tiring on his bird-flipping, beer-swilling shtick, and thus he wanted to stay ahead of the curve and turn into a nefarious villain.
Upon Stone Cold proposing the heel turn to McMahon, Vince thought it wasn't a good idea. Likewise, Jim Ross thought it was an outright stupid idea.
The thing is, Vince trusted Steve Austin's instincts to the fullest. In the years prior, Austin's ideas for promos, for merchandise, for storylines and rivalries - they'd all paid off.
Jim writes, "The dilemma for Vince was whether to bet on Austin’s gut one more time. 'Have you tried talking him out of it?' I asked. 'It means a lot to Steve, so we’re going to try it,' Vince replied. If Steve was adamant—and he was—the chairman wanted to back him. 'Steve deserves the opportunity to see if we can make this work,' Vince said."
After starting his transition from The Ringmaster to Stone Cold in 1996, Austin and his instincts were rarely wrong. Unfortunately for all involved, though, the majority of wrestling fans - let alone those in attendance at Houston's Astrodome - were far from ready to start booing Austin upon that 2001 turn.