One MIND-BLOWING Secret From EVERY Month Of The WWE Attitude Era
35. June 1998 | Dropped Mega-Stable
Back in the Attitude Era, Vince Russo was the lead writer. Everything went through Vince McMahon, who had final say, but the tone, key angles and weekly format was Russo’s doing. He likes to remind fans of this, but he fails to share the credit because it undermines his ratings-bringer narrative. Russo had Stone Cold Steve Austin as his top star, for one, and was backed by a committee who both contributed and reined in his worst impulses.
(As an example, Jim Cornette had to insist that the Undertaker did not get his hands on Kane until WrestleMania 14. Russo, left to his own devices, might have killed the match before the opening bell. This hybrid system of gonzo creativity and classic temperate build is what Russo lacked in WCW and TNA).
Without knowing for sure which influential voice pitched the following mega-stable - which ultimately never materialised - it was almost certainly Jim Ross.
Per the June 15 Observer, Mr. McMahon was going to form a different stable before formalising the Corporation later in the year. As part of his ongoing quest to remove the WWF title from Steve Austin, Mr. McMahon was going to recruit two expert shooters famed for their grappling prowess and toughness respectively: Steve Regal and ‘Dr. Death’ Steve Williams. Both wrestlers had already agreed on terms.
This seems like one of those ideas that seems cooler than it probably would have ended up being. Steven Regal Vs. Steve Austin would have ruled in WCW in 1994, but in the WWF in 1998, the brawl-happy fans wouldn’t have cared for the technicality of it.