#5 Jim Ross
Although Jim Ross was the voice of the WWE during its most popular time period, his short-lived 1996 heel turn was an early example of an Attitude era trope - the 'worked shoot'. Not only did JR voice his supposed frustrations with the company in a live promo, but he also called out Vince McMahon as the owner.
Up until then, the promotion was run seemingly, by on-air authority personalities such as Jack Tunney or Gorilla Monsoon - but not Vince!
JR's disgruntled employee persona didn't last long, but it was definitely a predecessor to some of the Attitude Era's most controversial angles
Edited by Nishant Jayaram