The Attitude Era was a major era of professional wrestling within the World Wrestling Federation . The term "WWF Attitude" was used to describe its programming from November 9, 1997, to May 6, 2002. It began during the Monday Night Wars, a period in which WWF's Monday Night Raw went head-to-head with World Championship Wrestling's Monday Nitro in a battle for Nielsen ratings each week from September 4, 1995, to March 26, 2001. In June 1996, Stone Cold Steve Austin became King of the Ring, defeating Jake Roberts in the tournament final. To cap off the victory, Austin delivered his “Austin 3:16" promo, starting the buildup to the Attitude Era. The era was officially initiated on November 9, 1997, at Survivor Series 1997, when a video package aired ending with the first use of the "WWF Attitude" scratch logo; this was immediately before the main event featuring Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels, which retrospectively would be known as the Montreal Screwjob due to the match's controversial finish. WWF's programming in this era featured adult-oriented content, which included increased depicted violence, profanity, and sexual content. This era was part of a wider surge in the popularity of professional wrestling in the United States and Canada as television ratings and pay-per-view buy rates for WWF and its rival promotions saw record highs.