50 Ruthless Aggression Era Superstars Ranked From Worst To Best

Pros:

1. Still immensely popular

2. Sold tickets and merchandise like nobody else

3. Came back several times for one-off appearances

Cons:

1. His backstage problems led to his shocking departure from the company

2. As of this writing, his last match ever was with The Rock at WrestleMania XIX

3. His departure dealt a crippling blow to WWE’s popularity

After the Attitude/Austin Era had ended, WWE must’ve thought that, if they kept Austin around, he could still be a massive draw for them. Oh, how wrong they were.

It was bad enough for them to have turned Austin heel at WrestleMania X-Seven and aligning him with his hated arch-nemesis Vince McMahon, but things got worse.

By the time WrestleMania X8 rolled around, Austin’s neck injury had finally caught up with him, and he was becoming increasingly frustrated with the company’s creative ideas. He didn’t like the direction they were going in with his character, and shot down many ideas and pitches, especially one that would’ve seen him lose clean to Brock Lesnar clean in a match without build.

Austin walked away from the company in late 2002, and was condemned on TV for ‘taking his ball and going home’. While he would later return on several occasions, the message was clear: Austin’s time was done, and despite his popularity, it was time for him to step aside.

Final Rating: ****