The next new documentaries series on the WWE network debuted after Raw on Monday Night. The series will have an in depth look at several rivalries in the history of sports entertainment. The first episode took a look at what has been called the greatest rivalry in the history of the industry: Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Vince McMahon. Before I talk about the episode it’s a good starting off place to talk about what makes a great rivalry inside a squared circle. When other episodes of the show arrive I’m sure they will explain other aspects to a great rivalry. With Stone Cold Steve Austin and Mr. McMahon it was an old story made new again by two amazing talented once-in-a-lifetime human beings.
What happens in the ring usually mirrors what happens in biblical stories. It’s not just an old story it’s the oldest story. Professional wrestling at its best is a battle between good and evil. At the start what can make a great rivalries is two people who are polar opposites of each other. Or failing that it is two people who appear to be polar opposites. With Stone Cold and Vince McMahon that appeared to be the case. Austin is a down to earth Texas redneck while McMahon appeared to be an aristocratic billionaire with delusions of grandeur. Mr. McMahon wanted Stone Cold to walk a fine line and be a corporate asset to the WWE. When Austin won the WWF Championship McMahon gave Austin a choice to wear a suit and be a genial face of the company or as it put it do things the hard way. Austin ripped off his suit and said he’d never wear one again. It seems that in real life Austin and McMahon are more alike than different. McMahon seems to enjoy movies that he says are about “turning your mind off and enjoying it.” On television they appeared to be the opposite and that is what matters to the fans. Austin was the insubordinate employee that was making the company too much money for Mr. McMahon to just fire out of hand. McMahon was just another person telling Stone Cold that he could never amount to anything in sports entertainment.
The episode starts with the debut of Monday Night Raw in 1993. In an exclusive interview Paul Heyman said he knew that McMahon knew that sports entertainment was a variety show. Monday Night Raw was the height of that variety show until 1996 when the fans got sick of the lack of variety in the variety show. The characters were lifeless and very G rated. Kevin Nash once called that WWE was nearing Disney levels of corniness. In another interview Dean Ambrose said that this wouldn’t have been a problem if not for WCW. In 1996 World Championship Wrestling launched its flagship Monday Nitro program in direct competition to Raw. WCW began doing storylines based on real-life situations. Ric Flair had Miss Elizabeth turn on her former husband Randy Savage when it appeared they had gotten back together business-wise. Hulk Hogan was feuding with somebody who claimed to be the son of Andre the Giant who is now known as the Big Show. These real life storylines gave new blood to wrestling which culminated in the New World Order storyline. Hulk Hogan led a group of supposed WWE invaders to take over WCW. As Ambrose said now there was competition so the lackadaisical product is now leads to fear of losing everything.
There was now a glaringly obvious need for talent with direction. In 1996 one man used an opportunity to launch his career and take sports entertainment to new heights: Steve Austin. Steve Austin won the 1996 King of the Ring and cut a vicious promo on Jake Roberts and his faith as a Christian. “Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your Ass!” With that statement Steve Austin became Stone Cold in not just name but personality. Austin took that momentum for a nearly two years until he was hurt at SummerSlam 1997 in a match against Owen Hart. It seemed to be all lost because of the injury but this is where it all really started. With Steve Austin unable to compete he was being forced to the sidelines. Austin did not want to do this. He didn’t care about the injury to his neck and spinal cord. He was the Intercontinental Champion and wanted to know when he would be defending the title and whom he would be defending it against. Austin began attacking WWE officials and announcers saying he was ready to compete. This all culminated at Madison Square Garden. Vince McMahon did an interview with Steve Austin telling Austin that he cared about his safety and that everybody cared about Stone Cold. Austin was unable to compete and he had to realize that. Austin said he appreciated the fact that Vince cared, but he could also kiss his ass. Austin gave a Stone Cold Stunner and the crowd went nuts. The Austin/McMahon rivalry had begun.
The feud didn’t really go anywhere at that time because the fans thought Austin had just Stunned another interviewer. He had recently given the Stunner to Jim Ross so it might not have been considered a big deal. The WWE Universe didn’t fully know that McMahon was the owner of the WWE. This did not become common knowledge until Survivor Series in 1997. At Survivor Series Mr. McMahon was born. McMahon forced referee Earl Hebner to call for the bell when Bret Hart was locked in his Sharpshooter against Shawn Michaels. The bell rang and Shawn Michaels became WWE Champion for a third time. McMahon thought Bret might leave for WCW as champion because he was under contract with WCW at the time. So, he thought he had no choice to screw Bret in that fashion. The fans did not agree and the biggest bad guy in the history of the WWE was born. This was the catalyst to fully ignite the Austin/McMahon rivalry. Austin had no love lost for Bret Hart but he respected the hell out of him. Austin became the everyman fighting against a corrupt owner.
Mick Foley said that Steve Austin started to become favorable to McMahon only when he started to see himself in Austin. McMahon saw himself as a rebel with a chip on his shoulder. He took out the entirety of the territory system of professional wrestling when he created WrestleMania and launched WWE as a national and then global Sports Entertainment Company. McMahon sees himself as an everyman as well as I’ve already talked about his choice in movies. In a feud where there were two perceived opposite people it’s strange that they were actually two sides of the same coin. Steve Austin had the chip on his shoulder for his mistreatment by WCW and later WWE. They all saw him as nothing more than a mechanic in the ring or as the WWF would call him firstly “The Ringmaster.” All these things added to the pissed off persona of Stone Cold Steve Austin. McMahon and Austin would earlier butt-heads on how Austin’s lines were being cut out of his taped promos on Raw. Austin told McMahon that if he takes away the personality there is nothing left for Austin to compete in the business with. When McMahon started to see Stone Cold Steve Austin as a Vince McMahon clone this all changed. When Mr. McMahon became the evilest person on the face of the Earth even a beer swilling, swear cursing son of a bitch like Steve Austin could be the good guy. They laid the groundwork with a minor feud with The Rock for the Intercontinental Championship with Steve Austin at the same time developing McMahon/Austin that will prove important in later episodes of the series.
At WrestleMania XIV Stone Cold Steve Austin was set to face Shawn Michaels for the championship. McMahon announced that Mike Tyson would become the special guest enforcer for the match outside of the ring. This announcement was interrupted by Stone Cold who ran down to the ring with his “BMF” walk. Mr. McMahon also has a similar walk down to the ring which is also considered badass. Austin flipped Tyson off after badmouthing him and a fight was on. The crowd went nuts as Tyson and Austin appeared to be coming to blows. The ring was full of Tyson’s yes men and security. Money was thrown around the ring somehow and it was a huge clustermuck. Ausitn was thrown out of the ring and McMahon was yelling at him “YOU RUINED IT! YOU RUINED IT!” Austin had not ruined it. Austin had just added gasoline to the fire. WrestleMania XIV was the culmination of a solid card where every match had a purpose and a storyline and direction. Many of the matches and the rivalries will probably be covered in future episodes of the series. Stone Cold became the WWE champion and an ew age in the WWE was formed. WCW’s Kevin Nash after seeing the PPV knew the writing was on the wall that WCW’s time as the top of sports entertainment was done. The next night he and WCW veteran and booker Kevin Sullivan talked about how WWE had officially won the Monday Night War at WrestleMania in Boston.
The day after WrestleMania was the episode with the suit and the photo opportunity. Stone Cold chose to do things the hard way with Mr. McMahon. McMahon started from that day to make Steve’s life a living hell. Everybody in the WWE fed off the Attitude that Austin brought to the dance. The Attitude Era was in full effect and business was never better. The championship changed hands a few times because of McMahon’s cheating ways. He got Kane to become champion in a first blood match and later Austin regained that title. Austin lost the title by being double-pinned in a match against Kane and Undertaker. That title became vacant and was won at Survivor Series 1998 by the Rock who joined Mr. McMahon and newly formed Corporation stable. The feud between The Rock and Austin that started the night after Survivor Series 1997 would become very important with the Rock now the champion. McMahon and Austin began the Royal Rumble as numbers one and two. McMahon won the right ot face the Rock but gave it up. Austin was given it by default but chose instead a one-on-one match inside a steel cage. Austin won the match and then went on to defeat The Rock to once again become WWE Champion.
The feud continued until the fall of 1999 when Steve Austin had to leave the WWE due to chronic neck condition caused at SummerSlam 1997. The damage done was severe and Austin would be out for nearly a year and wouldn’t ever fully heal for the rest of his career. The mark Austin vs. McMahon left on sports entertainment would never be removed. They had given The WWE the spark that was needed to lift up the ratings, and psyche of all the other wrestlers and employees. The business was never bigger than with those two as enemies. That is why it was important that it be the first episode of WWE Rivalries. It’s going to be a great show and I can’t wait for the next episode to drop and hopefully it’s sometime soon.
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