The Austin & Attitude Era Begins (WrestleMania 14; March.29th, 1998)
The eras that have spanned WWE’s history have always been debated. It is hard for one to pinpoint the exact moment one ends and the other begins. Luckily, for the wrestling world, the beginning of the Attitude Era can be easily traced back to one special WrestleMania moment.
A moment when a star that shouldn’t have been was crowned as the flag bearer for WWE’s most successful era.
Steve Austin taking on Shawn Michaels in the main event of WrestleMania 14 was a huge deal. Not only because Mike Tyson was the ringside enforcer, but because this was the moment that Steve Austin became the man. He was not your prototypical WWE wrestler, but his connection with the audience was undeniable.
He reflected the attitudes of the audience with his foul-mouthed anti-authority gimmick. He mirrored the feelings of the wrestling world, and WWE could not waste this talent any longer. Stone Cold raised the winged eagle belt high as we witnessed the beginning of the Attitude Era.
The Heist Of The Century Takes Place (WrestleMania 31; March.29th, 2015)
In 2015, the world was treated to an incredibly physical match that closed out WrestleMania 31. Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns engaged in a war of attrition that saw each man decimate the other. There were stiff shots, colour the hard way, and as many spears and F-5’s that anyone could want.
It was as real a wrestling match as anyone could imagine, and was supposed to be the crowning moment for Roman Reigns. That is, until something happened that not a soul saw coming.
As the WWE Championship match was coming to a close, Money in the Bank holder Seth Rollins’ music hit as the Architect came sprinting to the ring. He had cherry-picked his moment and inserted himself into the main event of WrestleMania. A few Curb Stomps later, and Seth Rollins was having his hand raised as the new WWE Champion. It was a brilliant move by Rollins, and one that had never been attempted in the past.
This was exactly what the spirit of the Money in the Bank briefcase encapsulated, and Seth Rollins used it as the biggest possible moment. He became a top guy, WrestleMania ended with a huge shock, and WWE had a massive program to move forward with. The heist of the century was a win-win-win.
