20 Days That Changed WWE Forever

In the months following Montreal, Steve Austin became the top star in the WWF while Vince McMahon removed himself from the announcers' booth. He would occasionally conduct interviews and make appearances, though, and he seemed to have a personal grudge against Austin. Just before WrestleMania XIV, McMahon confessed on camera that if Austin were to win the WWF Championship at the event, it would be a public relations nightmare.

Austin won, and he didn't take kindly to McMahon's comments. In the weeks following the show of shows, McMahon tried to rebrand Austin into his idea of a corporate champion, but 'Stone Cold' instead attacked the chairman. Deciding he could take no more, McMahon agreed to meet Austin in a match on the 13 April 1998 episode of Raw.

The match never happened - Dude Love interfered on McMahon's behalf and became Austin's first title challenger - but the promise of the chairman getting in the ring was enough to give Raw the ratings victory over Nitro for the first time in 83 weeks. The war stayed competitive for another six months, and then Raw began a streak that would last until Nitro's cancellation.

As for McMahon, 13 April proved what he was undoubtedly beginning to suspect - by booking himself as a top player, he could be assured of a star who would not only turn business around, but would never jump to the competition.