Sure it did...
If a guy tried to put you out of the business, wouldnt you want him on your side?
That's what Austin said to JR.
In kayfabe terms, why did Steve Austin turn heel in 2001?
- Thread starter Dave24
- Start date
Sure it did...
If a guy tried to put you out of the business, wouldnt you want him on your side?
That's what Austin said to JR.
What about from hhh perspective? What does he get out of it?Sure it did...
If a guy tried to put you out of the business, wouldnt you want him on your side?
That's what Austin said to JR.
Power... they were both Vince's guys.
That night, he asked Vince why he was backin' Austin... Vince said "because he asked for my help, you didn't... but Austin won last night, you didn't..."
What about the wwf championship? Why did hhh settle for the ic belt?
HipHopStan
Top 113 Poster
I'll just copy and paste what I wrote in another thread a few years ago:
From a match story point of view, it doesn't get much better than X7.
Austin is already insecure from losing the 2 out of 3 falls match to HHH after being up 1 fall to none at the previous month's ppv. That isn't what's supposed to happen. He's supposed to come into WM strong. He also needs validation to himself that he can come back from serious neck surgery and again be top guy. Who's on top at the time? The Rock.
Austin's beat Rock before. However, the loss to HHH from the previous month coupled with a great dueling promo bit a week or two out where Austin states he NEEDS to win the title. Problem for him is, Rock isn't the same Rock from 1999. He's better and his popularity has skyrocketed in his absence. .
Which is why it isn't a surprise that Austin attacks Rock before the bell even rings. Odd behavior for a babyface. He bloodies Rock. Rock gives it all back. Things are evening up in a great brawl. You start to see Austin pulling things out from matches past and such to try to put Rock away. Stunner. Doesn't work. A second stunner, it worked in WMXV. Not this time. Austin tries to finish Rock with his own Rock Bottom. Still not good enough. Austin starts to even go back to old tricks like the Millon Dollar Dream and almost suffers defeat with it just like Survivor Series 96. Austin's facial expressions during this time of trying to finish off Rock are incredible. It's similar to Ultimate Warrior staring at his hands when he couldn't finish off Savage at WM7.
Austin goes to the final plan. Vince McMahon. The man he has hated for years. His greatest nemesis. Vince is the Ace up Austin's sleeve and Austin HAS to use it to put Rock away. Austin doesn't use any wrestling move or finisher to put Rock away. He uses pure barbarism with a chair to do it. Austin pretty much is gone in terms of this as a wrestling match and basically uses an assault with a weapon to get the job done. Even if he has to align himself with Vince to do it, Austin had to win this match or else him coming back would mean nothing. I didn't have as much of an issue with the chair and McMahon interference finish as others did because it fit within the story they were telling very nicely.
That is why it's their best match and it's the climax of the Attitude era for me. The other 2 matches can't even begin to scratch the surface of that kind of storytelling.
That was beautiful man!
Rell84shots
Veteran
Great analysis of the greatest mania match at the greatest wrestlemania ever.
TUA TAGOVAILOA
Superstar
Austin was hilarious as a heel in 01 as leader of the alliance. shyttin all over Taz and Raven and the rest of those scrubs. All the stuff with Angle that year was great too
Busby
Real name no gimmicks..
If u watch that build up to WM 17 in hindsight, they were hinting at Austin going heel from jump. Folks always talk about that “I need to beat you” but honestly the real clue he was going heel was in this JR interview he did a week before him and Rock were face to face.
Through out that whole interview he was getting more irritated with each question JR kept asking him. He was getting more angry and angry with each response. Especially towards the end when he got up and left.
I highly recommend y’all watch the build up to WM 17 in the Network, they were literally planting seeds of Austin turning from the beginning. Great storytelling..
Through out that whole interview he was getting more irritated with each question JR kept asking him. He was getting more angry and angry with each response. Especially towards the end when he got up and left.
I highly recommend y’all watch the build up to WM 17 in the Network, they were literally planting seeds of Austin turning from the beginning. Great storytelling..
When did the build up to their match begin? Right after no way out?
Busby
Real name no gimmicks..
Literally right after No Way Out when Rock won the title.
prophecypro
Hollywood North
He was so paranoid and obsessed with returning to the top and dealing with his whole in ring mortality from the injury of the car accident he made a deal with the devil?
