Why 1997 Was The Greatest Year In Wrestling History

Backed into a corner by the goings-on in rival company WCW, Vince McMahon and his World Wrestling Federation had no other choice but to start throwing things at the wall and seeing what would stick in 1997. In doing that, WWF ended up embarking on a shift of attitude and allowing a slew of talents to step up to the plate and make themselves main event stars.

WWF may have been losing the ratings war, but '97 saw McMahon's company start to get white-hot. Letting the shackles off Steve Austin obviously proved to be a masterstroke - with the Texas Rattlesnake going on to become the hottest star of the hottest period in the history of the business - and just behind Austin was an upstart named Rocky Maivia.

Austin's ascension up the card began ahead of Rocky, but Maivia made himself a must-watch performer once he joined the Nation of Domination. With charisma oozing from the screen, The Rock was the encapsulation of what has forever been referred to as the 'it factor'.

Away from these two legendary rivals, D-Generation X formed and pushed the envelope to levels rarely seen in terms of what they would be able to get away with in their promos and with their general behaviour.

Looking back, 1997 earmarked Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H, Kane, and even Mick Foley as the stars who would lead the WWF forward alongside The Undertaker over the next several years.