8 WWE Stars Who Were Noticeably Phased Out

When you're the biggest star the business has ever seen, I guess the only way to go is down...

The rise of Stone Cold Steve Austin is well-documented. He went from colourless no-hoper to toughest S.O.B on the planet, catching fire and, importantly, reflecting the zeitgeist of the day. When he defeated Shawn Michaels for the WWE Title in the main event of WrestleMania XIV, it was clear a torch had been passed and that the Austin Era had begun in earnest.

Austin carried the WWF to incredible heights, he and his Attitude Era cohorts turning the tide of the Monday Night War in the company's favour. Unfortunately, Austin's serious neck issues (which actually dated back to before Owen Hart dropped him with that reckless piledriver at SummerSlam '97) threatened to derail the train.

In considerable pain and realising that one miscue could land him in a wheelchair, The Texas Rattlesnake opted to undergo neck fusion surgery in December 1999. He was unsure if he would ever wrestle again and, if he did come back, would the Rocks, Triple Hs and Undertakers of the world make way for him at the very top of the card?

He needn't have worried; when Austin returned in October 2000, it was like he had never been away, as he became the primary focus of WWE television once more. A lengthy top-line feud with Triple H, unprecedented third Royal Rumble win and WrestleMania X-Seven main event with frequent foe The Rock cemented his status as the top man at Titan.

His great run continued throughout 2001, where Austin was made leader of The Alliance in the Invasion storyline and had regular barnburners with a variety of opponents, but in early 2002 it looked as though he was beginning to move down the pecking order.

The New World Order were about to arrive and, besides them, Triple H had made his heroic return from his quadriceps tear and was being positioned as the premier babyface.

Austin was offered the chance to work with Hogan at WrestleMania X8 but turned it down, wary that Hogan's political maneuverings and in-ring hotdogging would potentially make him look weak. He had to settle for a so-so midcard tussle with Scott Hall instead. Things would only get more disappointing in the weeks and months that followed.

His first post-WrestleMania programme was a tired retread of his feud with The Undertaker, which was a complete washout in the ring. Next came a feud with Big Show and Ric Flair, which also seemed like a waste of Austin's talents and time. The Bionic Redneck was so keen to have a good in-ring programme and up his stock that he handpicked the recently rehired Eddie Guerrero to work with.

Before that feud could fully develop, Austin walked out of the WWF and failed to show up for the June 10th Raw as scheduled. He had been asked to put insurgent rookie Brock Lesnar over clean in a King of the Ring qualifier that night, a decision which perplexed the once bulletproof Austin.

Seeing the writing on the wall, Austin decided to quit rather than have his character suffer. It was obvious that he was being phased out and that Vince and the writing staff saw more value in him putting up-and-comers over as opposed to him being presented as the star of the show.