Stone Cold Steve Austin

name="Stone Cold" Steve Austin

World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment

In January 1996, Austin joined the World Wrestling Federation. Initially, Austin used the moniker "The Ringmaster", holder of Ted DiBiase's unsanctioned "Million Dollar Belt", a title DiBiase created for himself in 1989. Not liking his ring name at all, Austin asked WWF writers to come up with a new name for his character that would suggest a ruthless, cold-hearted persona; according to legend and Mick Foley in particular, the writers suggested "Chilly McFreeze", "Freezy Poops" and "Ice Dagger." Austin then came up with the name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, reportedly after his then-wife Jeannie Clark (the same woman who managed Austin in the USWA and WCW) advised him to drink his tea before it became "stone cold." There is also another story claiming that the moniker was taken by Austin from a TV documentary on serial killers. Austin shaved his head bald, a look he has maintained for a decade now, and overcame Savio Vega in a tough bout at WrestleMania XII. At an In Your House PPV event subtitled "Beware of Dog", Austin lost a "Caribbean Strap Match" to Vega. In accordance to the pre-match stipulations, DiBiase was forced to leave the WWF. With DiBiase no longer with the WWF, Austin had the opportunity to forge his own path. He would later tell announcer Dok Hendrix he purposely lost the match in order to rid himself of his manager.

Related Topics:
January - 1996 - World Wrestling Federation - Ted DiBiase - 1989 - Tea - Documentary - Serial killer - Savio Vega - WrestleMania XII - In Your House - PPV - Dok Hendrix

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Austin 3:16

Austin's genuine rise to superstardom began on June 23, 1996, when he was booked to win the WWF's annual King of the Ring single-elimination tournament on PPV. After toppling Marc Mero in the semi-finals, he defeated the veteran Jake "The Snake" Roberts in the final; a popular 80s star who was then incorporating a moral, Christian message in his gimmick. After the match, Austin cut a promo during his coronation which viciously mocked Jake's reformed lifestyle: "You sit there and you thump your Bible, and say your prayers, and it didn't get you anywhere! Talk about your Psalms, talk about ... Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass!" Austin 3:16 ultimately became one of the most popular catchphrases in wrestling history, but not instantly. Austin later turned face, as spontaneous fan support for him grew larger by the week.

Related Topics:
June 23 - 1996 - Booked - King of the Ring - PPV - Marc Mero - Jake "The Snake" Roberts - 80s - Christian - Promo - Bible - Catchphrases - Turned - Face

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Interestingly, he was not originally intended to win the tournament. The WWF originally booked Hunter Hearst Helmsley, now Triple H, to win. However, the WWF changed its plans a few weeks before the PPV because of the MSG Incident. For more details, see .

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Strangely, Austin was somewhat underused by the WWF for the next few months, and was mired in pointless midcard feuds with the likes of Yokozuna and Triple H, the latter of whom was still firmly in the WWF doghouse. One thing drove Austin on, however: the in-exile and unhappy WWF legend Bret Hart. Austin spoke about Hart constantly and taunted him relentlessly on TV, before Hart finally accepted Austin's challenge and returned to the WWF in October 1996. At the Survivor Series that November, Hart cleanly pinned Austin in a well-paced match which helped create the foundations for the eventual year-long feud between the two. Austin's ever-growing popularity and notoriety multiplied after his strong showing and in spite of his loss. The match came hot on the heels of a highly controversial incident broadcast live on Raw, which saw Austin "break into" the injured Brian Pillman's house, with Pillman allegedly brandishing a gun.

Related Topics:
Yokozuna - Triple H - Bret Hart - October - Survivor Series - November - Gun

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Austin then won the 1997 Royal Rumble match two months later after already being eliminated, sneaking back into the ring unnoticed to eliminate the "real" winner, Bret Hart. After a subsequent, complex turn of real-life events largely revolving around Shawn Michaels, Hart and Austin were booked at the 11th hour for a re-match at WrestleMania 13 in March 1997. Hart defeated Austin in a submission match refereed by Ken Shamrock, but the iconic image of the night was Austin's grimacing, bloody face being massively cheered on by the live Chicago crowd, as the bitter Hart refused to release his patented Sharpshooter. Despite Austin's passing out that eventually led to his defeat, he did not tap out and refused to give up, which thus made Austin the new fan favourite. Because of Austin's refusal to submit and give up, he became one of the iconic heroes of the WWF and thus began to replace Bret Hart as the new hero of the WWF, although Austin was not going to be the traditional hero. One of the main disguishing features about Austin's character was that he was one who broke the rules and defied authority, and thus was considered to be an "anti-hero", or as the fans would put it "he was a hero that didn't try to be one". For many reasons, Austin's persona and his attitude would led the WWF in their greatest era yet- one the WWF fans call the "Attitude" Era, which went from 1997 to May of 2002.

Related Topics:
1997 - Royal Rumble - Shawn Michaels - WrestleMania 13 - March - Ken Shamrock - Chicago

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After a PPV rematch with Hart, a PPV WWF World Heavyweight Championship shot against The Undertaker, and brief tag team runs with both Shawn Michaels and Mick Foley, Austin challenged Bret Hart's younger brother, the late Owen Hart. Austin's anti-Hart and anti-Canada stance made him easily the most popular star the WWF had for over a decade, but he certainly wasn't popular up in Calgary during the fondly-remembered "Canadian Stampede" PPV in July 1997. Austin was almost booed out of the country by the fiercely Hart-loyal crowd, and the sight of a handcuffed Austin being led out of the arena by "policemen" while flipping the bird to the fans is still potent. Four weeks after that, at SummerSlam 1997, disaster struck when Austin suffered a near-career ending neck injury as a result of an botched piledriver by Owen. After being briefly paralyzed, Austin recovered and was able to win the match as planned, but the incident would force him to take time off for surgery in 1999, and would be one of the factors that shortened his career. Owen Hart had felt guilty about doing such a move, but Austin would not hold a grudge, realising that he made a mistake. Infact, during that match of SummerSlam 1997, after realising that Austin was hurt, Owen pranced around the ring claiming that Austin was going to "Kiss his ass" (as the stipulation of the match was that if Austin lost, he would kiss Owen's ass). In reality though, he was shocked and scared of the possibility that he may have ended Austin's career. Interestingly enough, the WWF would use Austin's injury as a backdrop for his intense rivalry with Owen Hart- leading to various backstage beatings, match interferences and even costing Owen Hart and The British Bulldogs their WWF Tag Team Championship at WWF In Your Hour: Ground Zero, in 1997. Survivor Series 1997 would roll around, and Owen Hart would walk into the Montreal arena wearing a T-Shirt mocking Austin's "3:16" moniker: "Owen 3:16" and the back would say "I Just broke your neck". Owen would lose the WWF Intercontinental Championship that night at the Survivor Series to "Stone Cold".

Related Topics:
WWF World Heavyweight Championship - The Undertaker - Owen Hart - July - SummerSlam - Botched - 1999

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

By this point, things out of the ring were stepping up a level: "Austin 3:16" T-shirts were the hottest thing in wrestling; and the "Austin 3:16" interpretation of the classic "#1" foam hand, now flipping a middle finger to the world, was also a best seller.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Austin vs. McMahon

After regaining the WWF Intercontinental Championship at WWF Survivor Series in 1997, and retaining it at December's "WWF In your house: D Generation X" PPV, he would hand that championship over to The Rock, as his sights were now on bigger things. Austin won the 1998 Royal Rumble in January, his second consecutive win, which triggered a storyline feud with WWF owner Vince McMahon, which in turn ultimately helped lead to the WWF's final victory over WCW in their war for the pro wrestling marketplace and Monday night TV ratings. Simultaneously, the feud catapulted Austin to mainstream superstardom, the likes of which had not been seen since the glory years of Hulk Hogan in the 1980s. Austin was even cast in recurring roles on two TV series: MTV's animated series Celebrity Deathmatch, and CBS' Nash Bridges, and featured in the nationwide "Got Milk?" ad campaign.

Related Topics:
The Rock - Storyline - Vince McMahon - Hulk Hogan - MTV's - Animated series - Celebrity Deathmatch - CBS - Nash Bridges

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Austin went on to win his first WWF Championship in March 1998, defeating Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XIV in Boston. Mike Tyson served as special guest referee for their contest and photgraphs of Austin & Tyson celebrating together after the bout made newspapers worldwide. By now, Austin's authority-challenging, beer-swilling everyman persona was firmly over with the fans, who loudly lapped up every middle finger, swear word and catchphrase, including "Hell Yeah!" and "Cause Stone Cold Said So!"

Related Topics:
1998 - WrestleMania XIV - Boston - Mike Tyson - Newspaper

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The next night on RAW, Vince McMahon offered to work with Stone Cold, but only if Austin would agree to do things "his way." Austin refused, giving McMahon the Stone Cold Stunner and thereby choosing to do things "the hard way." The feud built over the next few weeks until finally McMahon challenged Austin to a match on RAW that ended in a disqualification due to interference from Dude Love. The Austin vs. McMahon match resulted in the first ratings victory by the WWF in the Monday Night Wars against WCW in 84 weeks.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The two feuded throughout the next year, with Austin being challenged by McMahon's Corporation, resulting in some of the best TV the company ever produced. The success of the feud helped usher in the most successful era in WWF history, the Attitude Era. The rivalry was "blown off" at St. Valentine's Day Massacre in February 1999, when Austin defeated McMahon in a Steel Cage Match.

Related Topics:
Corporation - February

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Towards the end of 1998 and throughout 1999, Austin got caught up in a vicious and complicated feud with Kane, Mick Foley, and The Undertaker, among others. Austin lost his title to Kane that June, but regained it 24 hours later on Raw. Then, in September 1998, he lost the title again, regaining it the next March from Mr. McMahon's latest charge, The Rock, at WrestleMania 15.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After more feuds and arguments with The Undertaker, Mr. McMahon and the re-emerging Triple H, Austin's body began to genuinely wear out, forcing him to wear braces on his knees, and he also was still suffering lingering effects from his SummerSlam 1997 neck injury. That injury, compounded by years of general wear and tear, forced him to undergo serious spinal fusion surgery in late 1999. When it was learned by the WWF that Austin needed the surgery and a year away from action, Austin's injury was staged as a backstage hit-and-run incident at Survivor Series 1999. Austin would not wrestle for a full 11 months after the surgery.

Related Topics:
SummerSlam - Survivor Series

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Comeback

Austin made a successful wrestling comeback in October 2000 to avenge his on-screen storyline hit-and-run attacker. It transpired that the driver was actually Rikishi, but when their battles failed to set the world on fire, the focus was shifted to Austin taking it out on Rikishi's alleged puppetmaster, Triple H.

Related Topics:
October 2000 - Rikishi

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

WrestleMania X-Seven and Austin's Heel Run

During this time, Austin won his third Royal Rumble in January 2001, last eliminating his old nemesis, Kane. Then, on April 1, 2001 at WrestleMania 17, Austin made one of the most shocking heel turns ever, barbarically dismantling The Rock with a steel chair to win the WWF Championship, and in the process aligned himself with his long-time enemy, WWF boss Vince McMahon, and, confusingly, Triple H. They called themselves The Two-Man Power Trip.

Related Topics:
April 1 - 2001 - WrestleMania 17 - Heel - The Rock - The Two-Man Power Trip

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The fans, however, never really got into the storyline, which is strange, as Hogan's heel turn back in 1996 helped take WCW above the WWF. Natural fan reactions meant that Austin briefly returned to being a babyface in the spring of 2001, but he turned heel again by turning on then-babyface Kurt Angle at the Invasion PPV, and he soon joined The Alliance that was "attacking" the WWF from the outside. Again, fans were not entirely fond of the storyline, although Austin's switch was largely done to make up for the fact that many major WCW stars had yet to sign up with the company after the WWF purchased WCW that March, such as Goldberg and Sting.

Related Topics:
2001 - Kurt Angle - The Alliance - Goldberg

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It was during the Invasion storyline that Austin inadvertently coined a new popular catchphrase, "What?!", which fans would yell at any pause during a promo. At first, this would happened only for Austin, but eventually it would happen for any wrestler who came out to speak on the mic.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Austin lost and regained his title in the feud with Kurt Angle, then during that year's Survivor Series main event of Team Alliance (WCW/ECW) vs. Team WWF, Austin turned face again when Angle, now a member of the Alliance, turned his back on Austin mid-match. Angle was supposed to turn face during that time and Austin was supposed to be the heel, but The Rock didn't forgive Angle when he betrayed the WWF and joined the Alliance. The storyline changes were a concession to the fact that the whole series of storylines hadn't really worked out, but Austin was still the champion regardless. He then lost the belt to wrestling's first Undisputed World Champion, Chris Jericho, that December.

Related Topics:
Kurt Angle - Survivor Series - Chris Jericho

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Austin vs. the NWO, and his 2002 Walkout

Austin's subsequent feuds also didn't really challenge him or draw big money either, especially his spat with the nWo and in particular Scott Hall in early 2002. Bored and run down, Austin walked out on WWE in June 2002. He later publicly admitted that he had never fully recovered from his injuries, especially his nagging knee injuries and the neck injury, and that he was frustrated with the booking and direction of his character. In February 2003, he returned to the WWF, mainly in a non-wrestling role.

Related Topics:
NWo - Scott Hall - 2002 - June 2002 - February 2003

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Soon after walking out on WWF, the company would change its name from WWF to WWE in an unrelated legal fight with the World Wildlife Fund. The company's slogan for the brand name change, "Get the F Out!" was perceived by some as a jab at Austin leaving the company. The Rock used the line in a WWE vignette about the name change, further fueling such speculation.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Return to the WWE and WrestleMania XIX

Austin was finally defeated by The Rock at WrestleMania XIX in, to date, his final match. Afterwards Austin became co-general manager for RAW, alongside his old WCW nemesis Eric Bischoff (outside the ring, the two have largely settled their differences). (In earlier storyline, in 1999, Austin also had a stint as CEO of WWE). After a rather ordinary 2003, on the November 16, 2003 edition of Raw, Austin was "fired" as co-GM of RAW as the result of a stipulation in a match at WWE's Survivor Series PPV. He sat out TV shows for several weeks to sell the storyline and make it appear like a real firing, but quickly returned to WWE television before the end of 2003, when he was part of a WWE Christmas special taped live in front of U.S. troops in Iraq. On December 29, 2003, he returned to regular WWE TV as the troubleshooting "Sheriff" of RAW.

Related Topics:
WrestleMania XIX - RAW - CEO - November 16 - 2003 - Sell - Christmas - Iraq - December 29

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Austin guested as referee for the match between Brock Lesnar and Goldberg at WrestleMania XX, then on April 17 2004, WWE put out a press release on their website claiming that Steve Austin and WWE were unable to settle long-running contract disputes and had again parted ways, reportedly over a contract dispute about WWE's control of Austin's non-WWE projects, such as movies and music. Austin could thus no longer use "Stone Cold" to promote himself, as that name is trademarked by WWE; Austin had to correct many in interviews to ensure they do not refer to him by that moniker. Another issue that may have influenced WWE in its decision is Austin's recent history of domestic violence incidents, which WWE saw as tarnishing their popular image.

Related Topics:
Brock Lesnar - WrestleMania XX - April 17 - 2004 - Website - Movies

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In November 2002, he pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor assault charge after striking his then-wife during an argument. Police in San Antonio were investigating charges that he threw his current girlfriend to the ground during a domestic dispute on March 24, 2004.

Related Topics:
November 2002 - San Antonio - March 24 - 2004

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Returning to WWE WrestleMania 21

Steve Austin made his first appearance on WWE TV in a year on April 3, 2005 at WrestleMania 21 in Los Angeles. Austin was interviewed by 2005 Hall of Fame inductee "Rowdy" Roddy Piper in a Piper's Pit segment, and would use his finishing move, the "Stone Cold Stunner" on both Piper and WWE wrestler Carlito Caribbean Cool. Austin then made an appearance at the following night's WWE Raw show - also from Los Angeles - in a segment with Maven and Simon Dean. After berating both men, Austin gave them both Stunners.

Related Topics:
April 3 - 2005 - WrestleMania 21 - Los Angeles - Hall of Fame - "Rowdy" Roddy Piper - Piper's Pit - Carlito Caribbean Cool - Maven - Simon Dean

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Austin appeared at the WWE-promoted ECW One Night Stand PPV on June 12, 2005. The following night on Raw, Austin came back to "listen" to the complaints of Muhammad Hassan, who claimed he was mistreated purely for being an Arab American. Austin then granted him a title match against then-Intercontinental Champion Shelton Benjamin, and personally acted as a special guest enforcer. After Hassan cheated by low-blowing Benjamin, Austin attacked him and cost him a submission victory by breaking his camel clutch. After awarding the decision via disqualification to Hassan, Austin promptly delivered Stunners to both Hassan and Hassan's manager Daivari, then drank beer with Benjamin to celebrate.

Related Topics:
ECW One Night Stand - June 12 - Muhammad Hassan - Arab American - Shelton Benjamin - Camel clutch

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Return to the Ring

On October 3, 2005, Stone Cold made his return to WWE RAW. He came out, did his trademark Stone Cold Stunner on Vince McMahon and started drinking beer. As he drank, Shane McMahon's music started to play. After Shane went into the ring, he received a Stunner as well. Then it was Stephanie McMahon who got Stunned after slapping Stone Cold. Then Linda McMahon came out, drank some beer with Stone Cold, then was Stunned as well. But later on that night, Hulk Hogan, who also returned to WWE RAW, made a challenge to wrestle Stone Cold. Stone Cold claimed that he knew nothing about this promo. Hogan was interested in working this angle. Stone Cold however, not a fan of Hogan, seemed to have declined it. The two aren't interested to lose, so even if they got the match on it'd be hard to determine the outcome of the match.

Related Topics:
October 3 - 2005 - Vince McMahon - Shane McMahon - Stephanie McMahon - Linda McMahon - Hulk Hogan - Angle

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~