WWE Hall of Famer and current AEW announcer Jim Ross spoke about the Attitude Era on the latest episode of his Grillin JR Podcast. JR discusses how Triple H stepped up in the time that Stone Cold got injured, and praises Stephanie McMahon for being such a good heel during that time. Highlights are below.
How the roster needed to step up when Stone Cold went down with an injury:
Yes, and without Stone Cold which is a testament to the roster. All these guys when they saw Steve go down knew that there was a spot now, a top spot, the door opened for opportunity. I told the guys the same thing – the path is clear, become a star and take advantage of the opportunity at this point in time because I always believed Steve was coming back, and he did. Nobody forgot about Austin, but it gave these other guys like Triple H [an opportunity], who really had a hell of a year that year.
How Triple H evolved into a superstar:
He really evolved into becoming a really good wrestling heel. He could brawl, he incorporated the sledgehammer from time to time, and his mic skills kept improving. I always gave him credit for that. He never stopped trying to improve even though he was sitting in a great spot politically, athletically, age wise. He was a big big addition to what we were doing, but it wouldn’t have been as effective if he had not taken the challenge to improve, get better, and continue to become a bigger star.
On Stephanie McMahon being as good of a heel as Vince:
Vince was the top heel in the attitude era and I believe that, but Stephanie wasn’t that far behind. She was as natural a heel as we had. She just had that Vince gene that fit so well as an antagonist.
Check out Ross’ full comments below. (H/T and transcribed by Wrestling Inc.)
