WrestleMania 17 is not just remembered as arguably the greatest WrestleMania of all-time, but many fans view it as the peak wrestling show. The Attitude Era reached a plateau that night with many legendary characters all over the card. Matches like Steve Austin vs The Rock, Triple H vs The Undertaker and the three-team TLC match will live in infamy on this night.

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However, there are many interesting things about the build to this show that doesn’t get talked about as much. WWE had fans captivated in just about every match thanks to something having some kind of appeal to everyone. The following things about the build to WrestleMania 17 will help fans appreciate it even more.

10 Debra Was The Main Story For Steve Austin Vs The Rock

Stone Cold Steve Austin And Debra

The iconic WrestleMania 17 main event of The Rock vs Steve Austin is what fans most remember first. However, there was a flawed build to the match with WWE only having a month to make it a story beyond two mega-stars colliding.

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WWE came up with an odd story of Austin’s then-wife Debra being placed as The Rock’s manager by Vince McMahon. Austin having tension with Rock for putting Debra in harm’s way was a horrible idea. WWE corrected course a week before by making it more personal between Rock and Austin with intense promos.

9 Kurt Angle Lost WWE Championship One PPV Prior

Kurt Angle WWF Champion Cropped

Another issue in the build between Steve Austin and The Rock was that WWE had to make some late changes for it to happen. Kurt Angle winning the WWE Championship from Rock in October of 2000 led to their singles rematch at No Way Out 2001.

WWE had Rock win the belt from Angle just one month before WrestleMania 17. Fans wondered if Austin would use his Royal Rumble title shot against Angle in the face vs heel match, but Rock winning the belt improved the appeal.

8 Jerry Lawler Leaving Changed Right To Censor Match Plan

The Goodfather In Right To Censor

WWE spent some time placing Jerry Lawler in a feud with the Right to Censor faction. Stevie Richards scoring a win over Lawler at No Way Out 2001 was meant to see their rivalry continue heading into WrestleMania 17.

Lawler was originally going to team up with the APA in their six-man tag match against the Right to Censor. Tazz ended up replacing him as the third man when Lawler left the company due to his then-wife Stacy Carter getting fired.

7 Ivory Defeated Chyna In Their First Match

Ivory v Chyna Women's Championship WrestleMania 17

The Women’s Championship match at WrestleMania 17 featured Chyna destroying Ivory in a squash match to win the title. Some fans today felt Ivory deserved better, but there was a bit more to the overall story.

Ivory won a match over Chyna for the same title at the Royal Rumble 2001 event when Chyna suffered a scripted injury. Any woman scoring a win over Chyna was huge, and it was done with the payoff of Chyna getting decisive revenge.

6 Shane McMahon Returned Using The Same Music As Vince McMahon

Vince McMahon vs Shane McMahon WrestleMania

One somewhat funny thing about the build to Vince McMahon vs Shane McMahon was that they both used the same entrance theme. The infamous “No Chance in Hell” song played when Vince was in the ring cutting a promo and showing confusion.

Shane made his shocking return to confront Vince after months of him cheating on a comatose Linda with Trish Stratus. Both men continued using the same entrance theme made it confusing until Shane adopted his “Here Comes the Money” song later that year.

5 Kane Threatening Stephanie McMahon Confirmed Undertaker Vs Triple H Match

Undertaker Kane

Triple H and The Undertaker had tension for weeks when setting up their feud for the semi-main event spot at WrestleMania 17. WWE told the story of Triple H not wanting to face Undertaker after disrespecting him.

RELATED: 5 Problems About WrestleMania 17 Fans Ignore (& 5 Ways It's Perfect)

Undertaker was even unable to get near Triple H when Stephanie filed a restraining order. However, this led to the plan of Kane threatening to throw Stephanie off a high structure until Commissioner William Regal booked the Triple H vs Undertaker match.

4 Raven Was Added To Kane Vs Big Show Feud Late

Raven vs Kane vs Big Show (WrestleMania X-Seven)

Another part of Kane’s demands when threatening Stephanie McMahon featured him wanting his own match booked for WrestleMania 17 as well. Big Show and Kane having their own feud saw Kane wanting to have a match against him on the biggest stage.

However, Raven got involved since he was also in a program with Big Show over the Hardcore Championship. WWE booked an extremely entertaining hardcore match between the three that is cult classic today.

3 Rhyno & Spike Dudley Debuted As Part Of Three-Team Tag Feud

Dudley Boyz v Hardy Boyz v Edge and Christian WrestleMania 17 Cropped

WWE witnessed WrestleMania 17 getting put over the top with arguably their greatest tag title match in company history. The Hardy Boyz having Lita as a manager saw WWE wanting to incorporate some other noteworthy names for Edge & Christian and the Dudley Boyz each.

Two former ECW stars debuted during the build to this match to get involved. Spike Dudley made sense as the brother of Bubba Ray and D-Von going back to ECW. Edge & Christian made Rhyno their muscle since they were friends long before any of them became famous. All three outside parties tried to help their team in the match to add a new dynamic.

2 Chris Jericho Impersonated Doink To Attack William Regal

Chris Jericho As Doink

An underrated feud for WrestleMania 17 saw heel Commissioner William Regal having issues with beloved face Chris Jericho. WWE booked them to play off each other since it allowed Jericho to have some comedic moments upsetting his boss.

One of the funnier moments came when Regal appeared to face the Doink the Clown character from many years prior. The reveal saw Jericho under the face paint and wig looking to get revenge on Regal in a great moment.

1 Steve Austin Had To Finish Feud With Triple H After Winning Royal Rumble

Triple H v Steve Austin No Way Out 2001 Cropped

WWE had a few angles crossing over with each other in the first few months of 2001. Steve Austin and Triple H were still in a blood feud when Austin won the Royal Rumble match for a title shot. No Way Out 2001 required WWE to finish that story before Austin could have a real program with The Rock.

The epic three stages of hell match saw that storyline peak with both men leaving it in the ring. Triple H actually won the deciding fall to win the match and rivalry when each wrestler hit the other with a weapon. The amazing timing saw Triple H falling on top of Austin to score the pin fall when both were knocked out.