OGDirtyD
NAWF ATLANTA ×
Andre The Giant battle royale most likely lol
PhenomTheMac
OG
They should have turned Hunter. Fans had been begging for it the whole fall during the Angle/Steph storyline. They trampled all over that story so Hunter could get back to thugging. Coulda finally been top babyface and that coulda carried them until the Invasion and Rock came back.
If his injury were inevitable you would still be able to pivot to taker and kane and jericho and Benoit just like they did.
OGDirtyD
NAWF ATLANTA ×
Yeah I remember they didnt have a big face at the time to combat the heel turn.
Iceberg_Taylor
Kill em With A Smile!!
Man Austin wasn’t no heel in disguise lol it sounds like a dope theory and maybe the theory lands when considering certain things that was said during the storyline with The Rock but not prior to that. Even then it’s hard to look at all his actions pre WM and call it straight up heelish.
OGDirtyD
NAWF ATLANTA ×
Thats the thing too is when Austin and JR talk about this time a heel turn wasnt lined up and it was something that came up weeks leading into Mania.
Iceberg_Taylor
Kill em With A Smile!!
I could see that Hunter turn but idk how long it woulda lasted. I also think Hunter deaded the love triangle storyline from further progressing niggas wasn’t comfortable with that shit lol
Iceberg_Taylor
Kill em With A Smile!!
Right
They all say that it was basically a game time decision at Mania to flip him into a heel. The only thing that could be considered heelish during that build up was the sit down interview with him and JR with him saying he’ll basically do anything to win the chip cause he needed to. But that can just be considered straight up determination lol
OGDirtyD
NAWF ATLANTA ×
Kurt was. Lol homie got paid kisses and feel ups by the bosses daughter and his colleges wife. Kurt the true winner.
PhenomTheMac
OG
Yes and no. It would never be seen that way because it was Austin so heeling is built in to his character.
But had let anyone else comeback like he did? Shit wouldn't even be a discussion. Stone Cold '99 had some levity to him, jovial even. Fucking with Vince, drinking beers, generally being the top dog. But Stone Cold 2000 was fucking PISSED. He made the Stone Cold from 1996 look well adjusted in comparison. As justified as his fury was it eventually overtook him and leads in a straight line to the heel turn the next year.
PhenomTheMac
OG
It really wouldn't need to last too long, rematch from No Way Out, Vince/Austin sic Angle on him which keeps him occupied. Then do an uneasy alliance when the Invasion starts and pretty soon after Rock is back and problems solved.
Iceberg_Taylor
Kill em With A Smile!!
Idk bro I think it’s just coincidence
By no means do I think all that was intended for it to be the origins of his heel turn lol
Iceberg_Taylor
Kill em With A Smile!!
I think if that’s the case HHH would have filled the role Kurt did. Kurt became the new top babyface since the Rock wasn’t around for those few months, maybe that woulda been Hunter.
PhenomTheMac
OG
Maybe not. Austin had a reason for retribution. But when you realize that we almost witnessed an actual murder:
At 1:15, This motherfucker was gonna kill him had the cop car not used itself as a shield. Austin followed that up by trying to kill Triple H with a forklift. I mean this shit is pretty far from acceptable babyface behaviors.
By the time we get to the Rumble in its full swing. Rock was whooping his ass at Armageddon and the Rumble in their faceoffs. The same slugfests he used to best him in where now neck and neck. Then he had to use a steel chair to win the Rumble. Which again gets missed because of who he is as a character. But he had won 2 rumbles before and the only other time he had to cheat to win was when he was first starting out and was a heel. Babyface Austin dominated the Rumble even when the whole field was against him, twice. Now he was back right where he started, cheating to secure a win by the skin of his teeth.
Losing to Triple H was the last shred of a babyface rattlesnake. He knew the game had passed him by once and for all then, pun intended. To lose that match? To the kid that used to carry HBK's bags? Yeah he wasn't taking no chances after that. Very next night he's going at Rocky but Rock is the one who backs him down and gets the last word. It was test of wills and Austin lost, all the defeats to Rock are barely perceptible but they are there. He was close but now Rock had pulled ahead.
At some point off screen the Stone Cold character went to Vince and told him to stop needling him with the Debra shit because he was finally ready to play ball. Next you know, Wham! She's a non factor. And the rest is history.
Bruce Pritchard said the plan was for HHH to turn face before he tore his quad and he and Austin would have fueded for most of that summer
WWE Raw Producers
- Kevin Owens vs. Solo Sikoa: Jason Jordan
- Bianca Belair vs. Carmella: TJ Wilson
- Seth Rollins, Logan Paul & The Miz: Adam Pearce
- Dolph Ziggler vs. Omos: Abyss
- Johnny Gargano vs. Finn Balor: Jamie Noble
- Piper Niven vs. Nikki Cross: Molly Holly
- Chad Gable vs. Baron Corbin: Shawn Daivari
- Damage CTRL, Trish Stratus, Becky Lynch, Bayley, Lita: TJ Wilson
- Sami Zayn vs. Jimmy Uso; Jey Uso turn: Michael Hayes
Backstage News
- There was no producer listed for the John Cena & Austin Theory segment, or Bobby Lashley's segment.
- The OC vs. Maximum Male Models was filmed for WWE Main Event, and was produced by Abyss.
- Carmelo Hayes vs. Akira Tozawa was filmed for Main Event. It was produced by Jason Cade (Jason Seaton)
- As noted, Vince McMahon was backstage and in Gorilla position.
- Live events reports indicated Raw was the highest grossing in Boston history.
- Originally, Rollins' jacket was supposed to be ripped by Logan Paul.
- There was also originally a segment in which a wrestler would throw a drink in another's face during a match on Raw. Throughout the day there were some backstage that heard of the plans and thought that it was a shot at AEW, or a reference to MJF throwing a drink on a child at AEW Revolution. We can confirm, however, that this was already in the plans that were sent to many within WWE even before AEW Revolution went on the air, as much of the creative structure was done by that show.
The segment never ended up happening, however, it was still included in some of the outlined plans as of Monday afternoon and evening. However, one WWE talent theorized that the segment likely was nixed as a result of the AEW/MJF spot.
- Kevin Owens vs. Solo Sikoa: Jason Jordan
- Bianca Belair vs. Carmella: TJ Wilson
- Seth Rollins, Logan Paul & The Miz: Adam Pearce
- Dolph Ziggler vs. Omos: Abyss
- Johnny Gargano vs. Finn Balor: Jamie Noble
- Piper Niven vs. Nikki Cross: Molly Holly
- Chad Gable vs. Baron Corbin: Shawn Daivari
- Damage CTRL, Trish Stratus, Becky Lynch, Bayley, Lita: TJ Wilson
- Sami Zayn vs. Jimmy Uso; Jey Uso turn: Michael Hayes
Backstage News
- There was no producer listed for the John Cena & Austin Theory segment, or Bobby Lashley's segment.
- The OC vs. Maximum Male Models was filmed for WWE Main Event, and was produced by Abyss.
- Carmelo Hayes vs. Akira Tozawa was filmed for Main Event. It was produced by Jason Cade (Jason Seaton)
- As noted, Vince McMahon was backstage and in Gorilla position.
- Live events reports indicated Raw was the highest grossing in Boston history.
- Originally, Rollins' jacket was supposed to be ripped by Logan Paul.
- There was also originally a segment in which a wrestler would throw a drink in another's face during a match on Raw. Throughout the day there were some backstage that heard of the plans and thought that it was a shot at AEW, or a reference to MJF throwing a drink on a child at AEW Revolution. We can confirm, however, that this was already in the plans that were sent to many within WWE even before AEW Revolution went on the air, as much of the creative structure was done by that show.
The segment never ended up happening, however, it was still included in some of the outlined plans as of Monday afternoon and evening. However, one WWE talent theorized that the segment likely was nixed as a result of the AEW/MJF spot.
KillaCham
Ya wife can't read
If you think about it, Jey going back to the Bloodline had to be done with the tag titles still being in the picture. No way the longest reigning tag champs in history gonna drop their titles being stripped via forfeit or on some freebird rules shit with Jimmy and Solo. Jey can still do an inside job and screw the BL at Mania but those boys gotta roll into there together with those straps.
KillaCham
Ya wife can't read
That POP was loud af! I'm sure Vince enjoyed hearing that - must've brought him back to 2000 when his booking still got that sort of reaction
