IIRC, he had been a main eventer for two years before he started dating Stephanie, a push which didn't take in the fan's eyes until Foley made him at the Rumble and NWO. Of course, to be fair, after that, he did have two of the hottest feuds of the year (vs Rock, and the HHH/Steph/Angle love triangle). However, there is no way He'd have remain where he is without Steph's help. Can you imagine someone effectively going 2 years putting on horrid matches remaining at the top of the card without some political leverage?