10 WWE Superstars that were precursors to the Attitude Era

#1 Diesel

Big Daddy Cool

Almost two years before Stone Cold Steve Austin became the hottest wrestler on the planet as a no-nonsense tough guy that dressed in black, Kevin Nash as Diesel provided a rough outline for the character type.

The trash-talkin', anti-authority persona that Austin made famous, Diesel created the night after Survivor Series '95. On this night, Diesel delivered a 'shoot promo' directed towards Vince McMahon, not too dissimilar to the aforementioned Jim Ross promo that came a year later.

Like Scott Hall's return to WCW six months later, Diesel interrupted a match on RAW to deliver what was one of the best, most creative promos of the time. Diesel blamed Vince for turning him into a "corporate puppet" and making him soft.

After the promo, Diesel reasserted his dominance as the anti-authority former champion that wanted to stick it to Vince McMahon. Sound familiar?