WWE history: 10 greatest heel turns of the 21st Century

#1 Stone Cold Steve Austin turns on The Rock

The Rock and Stone Cold went toe-to-toe in quite possibly the biggest match of all time, at WrestleMania 17, regarded by many as being the greatest Pay-Per-View of all time.

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The duo went on to have a classic in front of 70,000 roaring fans. As the match was about to reach its climax, Mr. McMahon came down to the ring. The boss aided Austin in defeating The Rock, but not before Austin had beaten The People's Champion to a pulp. Several chair shots later, Austin pinned The Rock to finally complete his heel turn.

In one of the most memorable visuals of all time, Austin 'shook hands with Satan himself', as Jim Ross put it.

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A week before the match, WWE had bought off its longtime rival WCW. This moment marked the end of the Attitude Era.

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About the author

Abhilash Mendhe is a pro wrestling journalist at Sportskeeda with nearly five years of experience. He completed his MBA from the Symbiosis Institute of Telecom Management in 2016 and worked with multiple banking institutions, including Tech Mahindra. While he started writing WWE articles for Sportskeeda in 2019 as a hobby, it eventually became a significant part of his professional journey.

Abhilash checks his articles thrice before sending them to the editing team, ensuring his work is highly accurate and reliable.

He has interviewed prominent pro wrestling personalities like Noam Dar, Angry Miz Girl, Brendan Cobbina, and Jesse Lambert. Abhilash is a big fan of AEW star Orange Cassidy, as he believes the former International Champion’s on-screen gimmick of an extremely lazy guy resonates with him.

Given the opportunity to script WWE’s next big storyline, Abhilash would treat fans to the second installment of The Bloodline Civil War. He would book Roman Reigns to re-form The Bloodline with The Usos and Sami Zayn upon his comeback. The angle would see The Tribal Chief-led group go head-to-head with The Rock, Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, and Jacob Fatu in a blockbuster family feud.

When not reporting on pro wrestling, Abhilash likes to work out, go on walks, read, and explore new eateries.

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Edited by Atharva Papnoi