How Did TSC Feel About Stone Cold's 2001 Heel Run?

[The_Dread_Dormammu]

I hated it back then but watching some of the old episodes have me

"My name is Stone Cold Steve Austin and I don't deserve to be talked to like this! "

 

[Rell84shots]

Early on it felt like his violent 96 heel run, but by the end it became a comedy act.

 

[Love Sosa]

Same as op. shyt is hilarious looking back but I hated it back then

 

[Riley Escobar]

Him and King Kurt were comedy gold together

 

[Ill-Yaz]

Steve showed how versatile he was with his comedy

 

[puppetmaster]

I liked it even back then because you could tell he was having fun with Kurt, when the performer is having fun it's hard not to get roped into having fun yourself

He showed he had cowardly heel comedy chops in wcw/ECW. Hell even when he was dangerous late 96/early 97 Stone Cold he still had moments where he could make you laugh.

 

[THE 101]

I actually liked it but the problem was the fans weren't ready to boo him. He had to do wild over the top shyt every week like beating up JR and Lita to elicit heel heat.

Unlike Hogan who was getting boos as a face for years before he turned, Austin wasn't at the point yet where the fans were sick of him, so it was a heel turn too soon. But I respect the fact that he pushed for it as he felt his character needed rejuvenated.

It didn't help that his turn coincided with the creative decline of the company and was right in the middle of the botched Invasion angle

 

[TobiOT]

 

[StarClout]

Stone Cold giving Chavo the beats should not be as funny as it is

 

[Metal Face]

I loved it, I thought Austin was stale as a babyface by early '01 so him making that turn into a viscous heel was dope, then of course he switched up into a bit a comedy act after HHH got injured. shyt was entertaining and he probably had his best in ring year ever. Classic matches with Rock, HHH, Benoit, Angle etc.

 

[Jmare007]

One of that GOAT comeback runs. Bad for business, sadly.

 

[HipHopStan]

I enjoyed the heel turn when it first occurred. I liked the unhinged Austin who was ready to come back and show that he still had it after being injured for most of 2000 and no matter who got in his way whether it be The Rock, Taker, JR, or Lita - he was going to viciously mow them down by any means necessary. Although I thought that HHH should have turned face (he got a giant monster pop when he came to confront Austin in the cage and it was one of the handful of times the audience was ready to back HHH), I enjoyed the Two Man Power Trip, and after Hunter was injured I thought his comedy bits with Angle and Vince were fantastic. He was goofy, but still a dangerous force. I think it was around Sept/Oct were it finally fizzled over for me. He showed a lot of versatility in 2001 - which was an all out interesting year for wrestling altogether with WCW and ECW going out of business, the XFL coming and going, and main stars like HHH and Benoit getting injured.

 

[Breh Obama]

This is literally what made me stop watching wrestling back then

 

[Mantis Toboggan M.D.]

I enjoyed the heel turn when it first occurred. I liked the unhinged Austin who was ready to come back and show that he still had it after being injured for most of 2000 and no matter who got in his way whether it be The Rock, Taker, JR, or Lita - he was going to viciously mow them down by any means necessary. Although I thought that HHH should have turned face (he got a giant monster pop when he came to confront Austin in the cage and it was one of the handful of times the audience was ready to back HHH), I enjoyed the Two Man Power Trip, and after Hunter was injured I thought his comedy bits with Angle and Vince were fantastic. He was goofy, but still a dangerous force. I think it was around Sept/Oct were it finally fizzled over for me. He showed a lot of versatility in 2001 - which was an all out interesting year for wrestling altogether with WCW and ECW going out of business, the XFL coming and going, and main stars like HHH and Benoit getting injured.

They had the opportunity for a good double turn there. Makes you wonder what the plan was for the power trip before he got hurt. I like that Austin was open to turning heel, but teaming with Vince didn’t fit the character. I forgot who posted it, but it kinda was his career coming full circle, which is kinda interesting, but I’m not sure how they could’ve mad a heel run work for him. The fact that the invasion started so soon after only made it that much harder too.

 

[TobiOT]

They had the opportunity for a good double turn there. Makes you wonder what the plan was for the power trip before he got hurt. I like that Austin was open to turning heel, but teaming with Vince didn’t fit the character. I forgot who posted it, but it kinda was his career coming full circle, which is kinda interesting, but I’m not sure how they could’ve mad a heel run work for him. The fact that the invasion started so soon after only made it that much harder too.

I assume Triple H would've gotten that Kurt Angle push around Summerslam 2001