15 Things You Didn't Know About WrestleMania (1995 - 2004)

5. WrestleMania X-Seven - The End Of The Attitude Era

There are many different starting points in which the famed Attitude Era can claim to have seen its genesis, but the end of this formidable time period is almost universally agreed to as being at WrestleMania X-Seven. In what hindsight has proven to be an incredibly foolish plan, the WWF lost its top two babyface superstars within 24 hours and never really recovered. Stone Cold Steve Austin infamous turned heel in front of his hometown Texas crowd when he shook hands with longtime nemesis Vince McMahon after Vince had helped Austin defeat The Rock to regain the WWF Championship. The very next night on RAW, The Great One made his last appearance as a full-time wrestler in a losing effort against Austin (in a rematch that took place inside a steel cage). Rock would be Hollywood-bound the next day and, just like that, the company went from having two of the biggest babyface stars in history to having neither. The Undertaker and Kane were immediately inserted into the top babyface spots but found little success. While Triple H could've taken over the role, he aligned himself with Austin the night after WrestleMania after teasing a face turn, to create the short-lived Two Man Power Trip tag team. WrestleMania X-Seven is often considered the greatest WrestleMania ever and it's only fitting that it was the unofficial culmination of what many fans believe was the greatest era in sports entertainment history.