Quoted By:
Meltzer would write
>The Mr. McMahon vs. Steve Austin catapulted the company into its biggest mainstream success from 1998 to 2001, a boom that largely ended when, in the most foolish of booking, Austin and McMahon shook hands, with Austin turning heel, at the 2001 WrestleMania. Like with Bruno Sammartino, the company’s hero in the 60s and 70s, and Hogan from 1984-92, Austin had brought a huge new influx of fans to WWE with the idea of the performer who would not fear and stand up and usually get the better of his ruthless, filthy rich boss. From a psychology standpoint, you could have turned anyone on the roster, and in those days almost every star switched from heel to face constantly, but Austin was the exception and somehow McMahon missed what should have been the obvious. To be fair, Austin claimed the idea was his but McMahon did go with it, and Austin has always claimed he should have given McMahon an impromptu stunner in the ring in Houston that night because it was such a bad idea.
