Austin's heel turn at Wrestlemania 17

[Ben Rodrigues]

Everyone once in a while someone in the forum seems to mention the heel turn and how no one saw it coming. I was always under the impression that everyone saw it coming with The Rock leaving to do movies and it was a given that someone was going to turn heel - and that somebody had to be Austin.

[Chavo Classic]

I recall having some idea it might happen, but not because the Rock was off to do movies (at this point, he'd only been offered a small role in the Mummy Returns) but mostly due to the buzz on the internet and the fact it was the first face vs face main event at Mania since Hogan/Warrior.

[James Steele]

I was a mark then, but it shocked the fuck out of me.

[Team Sheep]

I taped it that Sunday night and was going to watch it after school the following Monday, but it was spoiled for me, as this insomniac who stayed up all night to watch it told me what happened in school. :(

[hb2k]

I expected it going in. That match was incredible though.

[Pepsi Man]

I saw it coming from the buildup.

[The One]

I thought, and I seem to remember the majority of TPWW agreeing with me back then, that The Rock was going to turn heel.

[NoJabbaNoBogRoll]

I didn't visit wrestling websites back then, so I had no idea it was coming.

[Jaton]

It's happening again..


Gay 19th. :shifty:

[NoJabbaNoBogRoll]

:eek:

[NeanderCarl]

There had been rumours since 1999 that Austin would turn heel in response to the Rock's growing popularity. Obviously, Austin's neck surgery delayed that, but when he returned in 2000 it was only a matter of time before he donned the "black hat".

I knew at the time that an Austin heel turn was due, but I didn't really expect the WWF to be stupid enough to attempt to turn arguably the biggest and most popular WWF babyface of all time in his home state. But you live, you learn.

I think the Austin-Turns-Heel-In-Texas angle was the beginning of the WWE's downfall, personally... it finally exposed how much the WWE REALLY cares about giving the fans what they REALLY want. (Much in the same way the casuals, what was left of them, switched off WCW when Goldberg turned heel.)

[James Steele]

I thought they pulled off the heel turn brilliantly. I was a mark then and I was fucking shocked. I loved the Power-Trip tandem. His heel run went shit because people wouldn't boo him and they had him become a "hug-monster".

[Ben Rodrigues]

I thought they pulled off the heel turn brilliantly. I was a mark then and I was fucking shocked. I loved the Power-Trip tandem. His heel run went shit because people wouldn't boo him and they had him become a "hug-monster".

He effectively became heel with the fans when he beat the shit out of Michael Cole on Smackdown. Nobody cares about Cole, but it put Austin over. The hugging nonsense was unneccesary.

[The One]

I think "What?" is undisputedly my least favorite fad in wrestling ever...which Austin's Heel Turn made. So from that point of view I hate the turn.

[James Steele]

I think "What?" is undisputedly my least favorite fad in wrestling ever...which Austin's Heel Turn made. So from that point of view I hate the turn.

Touche. I hated that even when I was a mark. The only time I actually hated Austin during this heel run was when he was fueding with Kurt Angle.

[Zen v.W.o.]

Yeah well that definitely wasnt austin at his most badass, nor his best heel run. Not even close. Nothing replaces austin from 96-98.

Essentially making him "funny" and all up Vince's ass went against everything he was and that made him Stone Cold.

Plus it was predictable. As soon as Vince came ambling down to the ring I knew it. That in a way ruins the match for me. It was great until the last 5 minutes..too much Vince, and taking away the suspense of wondering who might win, just blew the match for me in a way.

Was a good solid match but not Austins best.

[James Steele]

I actually thought that the Corporation was gonna reform and Vince was gonna screw Austin again. Vince actually stepping into the ring with the chair ruined it for me.

[McLegend]

Say the fans didn't like Austin has heel, but Austin was fucking incredible hilarious. His heel work was awsome throughout that whole time.

[NeanderCarl]

Say the fans didn't like Austin has heel, but Austin was fucking incredible hilarious. His heel work was awsome throughout that whole time.

Almost contradicting my last post in this thread, I agree that heel Austin in mid-2001 was top notch. Although the heel turn was forced and against the fans' wishes, I thoroughly enjoyed the all-hugging, all-singing comedy Stone Cold. And yes, it was a complete character turnaround for Austin, but that was the point: the implication was that Austin had lost his mind.

The "What?" gimmick was amusing until the crowd started carrying it over into other wrestlers' segments, effectively ruining interviews and angles for years afterwards (even long after Austin had left... Kurt Angle was probably the biggest victim of this.)

[McLegend]

Wow I really have some typos in my last post. Not fixing it though

[Mr. Nerfect]

I LOVED the heel turn. It made perfect sense, Austin needed the title back (in his own mind), so he made peace with the guy who keeps him away from it. Austin should have just beaten the crap out of The Rock, made him bleed like a motherfucker, and never have the Steel Cage rematch on RAW. It would have created so much anticipation for when The Rock finished filming his movie and could come back.

The whole Two Man Power Trip was fucked, too. The fans really wanted to turn Triple H de facto face for being enemies with Austin, but instead they made the two allies. It led to Benoit, Jericho & Kane getting more opportunities, but it was really silly at the time, because Austin, Rock and Triple H were the top three guys. With The Rock gone and Austin a heel, the logicial thing would be to turn Triple H face.

I seem to remember Backlash sucking balls. They really should have headlined with Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Triple H for the WWE Championship. That match would have been hot. Hell, make it a Hell in a Cell, seeing as they had so much behind the feud at the time.

If they had taken this route, and had Austin drop the title to either Benoit or Jericho (I'm thinking Benoit), the WWE would have been a pretty good place to be in 2001. They also should have brought in Booker T and Diamond Dallas Page as babyfaces, turned Chris Jericho heel, maybe turned Triple H once new guys started coming in, and not make the Invasion angle so shitty.

Ideal Summerslam 2001 Main Event Matches:

-Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho for the WWE Championship

-Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Rock

-Booker T vs. Kurt Angle for the WCW Championship and WCW United States Championship

Booking is always easier in hindsight.

[NeanderCarl]

Triple H wouldn't have been a factor due to his injury (although theoretically you could say that without the Two-Man Power Trip, that tag match would never have taken place, and HHH would have conceivably avoided the injury).

Backlash did suck because Austin's first program upon turning heel was with the washed-up Undertaker, who was at a low point at the time, and they were still messing with Austin's new character.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Triple H wouldn't have been a factor due to his injury (although theoretically you could say that without the Two-Man Power Trip, that tag match would never have taken place, and HHH would have conceivably avoided the injury).

Backlash did suck because Austin's first program upon turning heel was with the washed-up Undertaker, who was at a low point at the time, and they were still messing with Austin's new character.

I think Kane would have been a better choice than The Undertaker. I'm a huge Kane mark, but 2001 was a break-out year for the monster. He had eliminated more people in the Royal Rumble than in Rumble history, and was Runner-Up, where he lost to a relatively fresh (although Triple H did beat the crap out of him at ringside) Austin. Kane's only title run had also come from beating Stone Cold Steve Austin.

How hard would it have been to have Kane threaten Vince McMahon into giving him Austin in a First Blood Match, and for Austin to begin freaking out because he can't be Kane that way? The Undertaker and Triple H should have had the Chain Match for the Intercontinental Title. It was all messed-up.

[NeanderCarl]

Kane probably would have been a better choice, but like you say, Triple H would have been the best of the lot. I do think they were heading towards Austin vs HHH when Trips got injured though. We probably would have seen Stone Cold vs HHH at SummerSlam.