Stone Cold Steve Austin

name="Stone Cold" Steve Austin

World Championship Wrestling

In early-1991, "Stunning" Steve Austin moved on from the USWA to Atlanta-based World Championship Wrestling. Initially, Austin was managed in WCW by a woman named "Vivacious Veronica", but was soon rejoined by his USWA manager Jeannie Clark, now using the name "Lady Blossom." From the start of his WCW run, Austin experienced success in the ring. On June 3, Austin won the WCW World Television Championship from Bobby Eaton, kicking off the first of two WCW TV title reigns. Months later, Austin joined a faction called The Dangerous Alliance, led by manager Paul E. Dangerously. The young sensation from Texas was in veteran company, aligned with "Ravishing" Rick Rude, Arn Anderson, Larry Zbyszko, and the same man Austin defeated to win his first TV title, Bobby Eaton.

Related Topics:
Atlanta - World Championship Wrestling - June 3 - Bobby Eaton - Dangerous Alliance - Paul E. Dangerously - Rick Rude - Arn Anderson - Larry Zbyszko

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On September 2, 1992, Austin's second TV title reign came to an end at the hands of Ricky Steamboat, as part of WCW's "20 Years on TBS" special. Not long after, the members of The Dangerous Alliance parted ways. Austin would soon find success once again, as he formed a heel tag team with the late Brian Pillman, calling themselves "The Hollywood Blondes." On March 2, 1993, the Hollywood Blondes reached the top of the tag team division, winning the WCW Tag Team Championship from Ricky Steamboat and Shane Douglas. This kicked off what the Blondes called their "Brush with Greatness" tour, in which Austin and Pillman would give lesser-known grapplers a "brush with greatness" by granting them a match each week. In the summer of 1993, the Hollywood Blondes experienced an unexpected breakup, when Pillman was felled by injury. Lord Steven Regal substituted for Pillman for a tag team title defense at Clash of the Champions against Four Horsemen members Arn Anderson & Paul Roma. Austin & Regal lost the titles on this night, and Austin blamed his partner Brian Pillman for the loss, citing his inability to team with him due to injury. A feud between the two former partners started, which culminated in November 1993 at Clash of the Champions, with Austin getting the win.

Related Topics:
September 2 - 1992 - Ricky Steamboat - Brian Pillman - March 2 - 1993 - Shane Douglas - Lord Steven Regal - Four Horsemen - Paul Roma

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Austin won the WCW United States Championship on December 27, 1993 at Starrcade, defeating "The Natural" Dustin Rhodes in two straight falls of a two-out-of-three-falls match. Austin would go on to hold the title on two different occasions. His second reign lasted all of a few minutes, on September 18, 1994 at Fall Brawl. The champion at the time, Ricky Steamboat, was asked by then-WCW Commissioner Nick Bockwinkel to forfeit his title to Austin due to injury. After Austin was awarded the championship, he was forced to defend the title immediately against "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan. A shocked Austin lost his title to Duggan in a match which lasted a mere 35 seconds.

Related Topics:
WCW United States Championship - Starrcade - Dustin Rhodes - September 18 - 1994 - Fall Brawl - Nick Bockwinkel - Jim Duggan

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In 1995, Austin toured Japan, where he suffered a knee injury. WCW Vice President Eric Bischoff fired Steve over the phone, telling Austin he was unmarketable. This embittered Austin for several years. At the time, Austin was living close to the location of WCW headquarters, and felt Bischoff could have visited him while convalescing and fired him to his face. Little did anyone realize this would turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to Steve Austin.

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