In 1989, Steve Austin was living in Texas and working on the loading docks unloading trucks. His football scholarship at North Texas State University had run out, and this was his only way of making some cash. During that time, he would often go to the Sportatorium in Dallas to watch the Von Erichs wrestle. Steve had always been a fan of the sport, having watched Paul Boesch’s Houston Wrestling on television while growing up. After work one day, Steve saw an ad for a wrestling school run by Chris Adams. He decided to take a shot at it, and five months later (in 1990), he had his first professional wrestling match for World Class Championship Wrestling. During his tenure in WCCW, Austin and Adams engaged in a bitter feud – with the student eventually toppling his teacher.
In 1991, "Stunning" Steve Austin debuted in World Championship Wrestling. Austin spent the next five years in the promotion. As a singles competitor, the Texan captured the organization’s Television Championship from Bobby Eaton on June 3, 1991, and went on to hold that title until April 27, 1992. Austin regained the title on May 23 from Barry Windham, and held it until September 2 when he lost it to Windham.
The following year, Austin won the WCW United States Championship, defeating Dustin Rhodes on December 27, 1993. He held the belt for eight months, finally losing it on August 24, 1994, to Ricky Steamboat. He went on to hold the U.S. Championship for a second time later that year.
Perhaps the highlight of Austin’s WCW tenure was his partnership with "Flyin" Brian Pillman. Vocal, tough and exciting, the "Hollywood Blonds" were truly a team ahead of their time. On March 2, 1993, the Blonds defeated Shane Douglas and Ricky Steamboat to become World Tag Team Champions.
The Blonds quickly became the most recognizable tandem in the promotion. But after they lost their title belts on August 18, 1993, the powers-that-be at WCW decided that Austin wouldn’t get over without a gimmick. According to the front office, a wrestler in black boots and black trunks wasn’t marketable.
During a tour of Japan in late 1994, the tough Texan tore his tricep and subsequently underwent surgery to repair it. While in rehab, the WCW hierarchy decided to fire him. But instead of bringing Steve into the front office to do it face to face, they took the cowardly way out and fired him over the phone. According to Austin, WCW treated him like a "complete jackass," and he was hell-bent on making them pay!
After a brief run in ECW, Steve Austin signed a deal with the World Wrestling Federation in late 1995. Instead of letting the superstar "tear-ass" through the ranks, he was given the moniker of the "Ring Master" and was issued a mouthpiece in the form of Ted DiBiase. The Texan knew he was trapped and planned a swift escape.
One day Austin was talking with his then-wife when she told him to drink his tea before it got "stone cold" and a name was born. A couple of months later, at the In Your House: "Beware of Dog" Pay-Per-View on May 16, 1996, Austin lost a Caribbean Strap Match to Savio Vega. Due to a match stipulation, DiBiase then had to leave the Federation.
With the perfect nickname Austin now had the chance to stand on his own. And on June 23, 1996, he was given the forum to show what he could do in the squared circle. That was the night of the King of the Ring. Austin’s semifinal opponent was "Wildman" Marc Mero, who he quickly vanquished. During the course of the match, he accidentally bit his lip, and after the war, he needed over a dozen stitches!
Still, he carried on, and stepped into the ring for the King of the Ring finals against Federation legend Jake "The Snake" Roberts. Roberts had his ribs injured earlier in the night, and Stone Cold capitalized, eventually pinning Roberts for the King of the Ring crown!
During the coronation ceremony, the superstar was finally given the opportunity to speak his mind – and the era of "Austin 3:16" was born! "You thump your Bible, talk about John 3:16," said Austin to Jake Roberts. "But Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass!"
Over the next few months, Austin scored convincing victories over such superstars as Mero, Yokozuna and Triple H. But when gossip started to flare about Bret Hart possibly making a return to the Federation, Austin jumped on it. He verbally degraded the Hit Man, spitting on his Federation legacy. Finally, the Hit Man announced that he would indeed return to the Federation, and that he would face Austin at the 1996 Survivor Series.
The two battled back and forth for a while, before Austin locked the Hit Man in DiBiase’s "Million Dollar Dream" sleeper hold. But Bret managed to reverse the hold to capture the victory. As Hart celebrated, Austin cursed his former manager’s name and vowed to never make the same mistake again.
Two months later at the 1997 Royal Rumble, Austin vowed to throw the 29 other superstars over the top rope to earn a Federation Championship match at WrestleMania 13. Although Austin managed to pull out a controversial Rumble win, Hart’s whining about the outcome cost the Rattlesnake his title shot.
The Federation Championship was up for grabs heading into February’s In Your House: "Final Four" Pay-Per-View, and Austin and Hart were put into a Fatal Four Way Match, along with the Undertaker and Vader. Again, Hart cost Austin the match and took the title for himself. But this time, Austin didn’t take it sitting down.
The following night on RAW, Hart defended the championship against Sycho Sid. Late in the match, Hart had Sid in the Sharpshooter when Austin smashed the Hit Man over the head with a steel chair, costing Hart the championship. The stage was set for a showdown at WrestleMania 13. But a regular match wasn’t enough. Federation officials booked the match to be a Submission Match, and even went so far as to name submission specialist Ken Shamrock as the special guest referee. The winner of the match would be the man to make his opponent say, "I quit!"
Leading up to the Pay-Per-View, Austin swore that he would never utter those two words. Indeed, the match at the Pay-Per-View stole the show, and Austin never did say "I quit." Late in the match, Austin was bleeding profusely, and Austin passed out from the pain. Shamrock stopped the match. But as Austin left the ringside area, the sold-out crowd at the Rosemont Horizon in Chicago began to chant "Austin, Austin."
The following month, Austin again faced Bret Hart at the In Your House: "Revenge of the Taker" Pay-Per-View. Austin won by disqualification, and the next night on RAW, he again challenged Hart, this time to a No Holds Barred Street Fight.
During that match, Austin brutalized Bret’s knee, putting the Hit Man in his own Sharpshooter. Hart had to be taken off in an ambulance, but Austin wasn’t finished yet. He hid in the ambulance and once again attacked Hart, disabling the Canadian for the next three months.
In May 1997, Austin finally received his first shot at the World Wrestling Federation Championship, when he took on the Undertaker at In Your House: "A Cold Day in Hell." Austin had the match won, but Brian Pillman rang the bell early, which made the referee stop his count. Pillman then distracted Austin, allowing the Undertaker to Tombstone piledrive the Rattlesnake to successfully defend his title.
Austin was irate. He declared war on the Hart Foundation – the faction that included Pillman, Bret, Owen Hart, the British Bulldog and Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart.
On the May 25 episode of RAW, Austin reluctantly teamed with Shawn Michaels to take on Owen and the Bulldog, the reigning tag team champions. Although Austin and Michaels had their problems, they managed to upset Owen and the Bulldog for the belts, and Austin had his first taste of Federation gold.
But there was no joy in Mudville – Austin and Michaels just couldn’t get along! The two co-holders of the Federation Tag Team Championship actually squared off one on one at the King of the Ring on June 8, 1997! The match ended in a double disqualification.
Due to an injury to Michaels, the duo was stripped of the Federation Tag Team Championship. A tournament was held, with the winners to face Austin and a partner of his choice on the July 14 edition of RAW. But before that, Austin was involved in a huge 10-man showdown at In Your House: "Canadian Stampede." Austin – who by this point was as hated in Canada as he was loved in the United States – teamed with the Legion of Doom, Ken Shamrock and Goldust to take on the Hart Foundation. After a 30-minute war, Austin was pinned by Owen Hart. The Rattlesnake swore revenge on Owen, the then Intercontinental Champion.
Owen and the Bulldog wound up winning the Tag Team Tournament, but when Austin came to the ring on the July 14 RAW, he was alone. Suddenly, music started to play and Dude Love – one of Mick Foley’s alter egos – strutted his way to the ring. A few minutes later, Stone Cold stunned the Bulldog, and Dude pinned the Bulldog for the win and the Tag Team Championship.
One belt just wasn’t enough for Austin. The Rattlesnake’s next target was the Intercontinental Championship, in part because he wanted more gold, and also because the championship was around Owen Hart’s waist. Austin challenged Owen Hart to a championship match at SummerSlam, and he said that if he couldn’t beat the Hart Foundation member, he would "kiss his ass" right in the middle of the ring!
The 1997 SummerSlam will go down in history as a memorable night in Austin’s career for two reasons. One, he pinned Owen to win his first singles title. The second reason is because at one point in the match when Owen attempted to execute a piledriver, he landed awkwardly and Austin landed right on his head. Austin suffered a "stinger," and was unable to move for more than a minute before he miraculously was able to roll Owen up for the 1-2-3.
Because of the impact of the piledriver, Austin was declared ineligible to compete and stripped of both the Intercontinental Championship and the Tag Team Championship. Both titles were put up for grabs, the Tag Team Championship in a Fatal Four Way Match and the Intercontinental Championship in a tournament.
The Tag Team Championship was decided at September’s In Your House: "Ground Zero" in a match between Owen and the Bulldog, the Headbangers, the Godwinns and the Legion of Doom. With only the Headbangers and Owen and the Bulldog remaining, it seemed that the Hart Foundation members would regain their titles. But Austin made his way to ringside, delivered a Stone Cold Stunner to Owen and helped the Headbangers become Federation Tag Team Champions! One month later at October’s In Your House: "Badd Blood," Owen met Faarooq in the finals of the Intercontinental Title Tournament. But this time, Austin was instrumental in helping the Hart Foundation member win the title, as he smashed Faarooq across the face with the title belt, allowing Hart to capture the pinfall and the title. But why would Austin help his archrival win the title? Simple. Mere weeks later, Austin was proclaimed fit to compete, and he challenged Owen to a title match at the Survivor Series! Austin had helped Owen to win the title so he could once again take it from him! The cocky Hart – still confident after the damage he’d inflicted at SummerSlam – agreed to a match.
At the 1997 Survivor Series, Austin made quick work of Owen, taking just over four minutes to win the Intercontinental Championship for a second time. The era of Austin, which had been on hold three months earlier, was now right back on track.
At December’s In Your House: "Degeneration X," Austin retained the title from The Rock. But the following night on RAW when Austin was forced to once again defend the title against the third-generation superstar, Austin refused and instead forfeited the belt! According to Austin, he had bigger fish to fry – his pursuit of the World Wrestling Federation Championship!
Heading into the 1998 Royal Rumble, Austin knew he was a marked man. So he took every opportunity he could to attack his fellow superstars! At the Pay-Per-View, as soon as the glass broke in Austin’s entrance music, every superstar battling in the ring stopped and awaited Austin’s entry into the ring. But the Rattlesnake surprised everyone by attacking from behind. At the end of the Rumble, Austin was the one man left standing, earning a WrestleMania title match against the "Heartbreak Kid," Shawn Michaels!
Austin’s world was in a tailspin in the weeks leading up to WrestleMania XIV. First, it was announced that Mike Tyson would be the special enforcer for the match. Then, Tyson revealed that he had joined D-Generation X, the faction led by Michaels! And then, World Wrestling Federation owner, Vince McMahon, revealed that he didn’t want to see Austin become champion, much to the surprise of Federation fans everywhere!
The Rattlesnake went into Boston’s FleetCenter for WrestleMania XIV, and pinned Michaels to win the World Wrestling Federation Championship! To add insult to Michaels’ injury, it turned out that Austin and Tyson had been in cahoots all along! The win ushered in a whole new era of "Attitude" in the Federation!
It took "eight long f’n years" for Stone Cold Steve Austin to make it to the top – and now that he was there, it seemed that everybody wanted to knock him off! Steve Austin was on top of the world. Little did he know that his greatest enemy was waiting in the wings, ready to take him down.
Although the relationship between Austin and Federation owner Vince McMahon had always been less than cordial, the hatred between the two men intensified after Stone Cold won the Federation Championship. Austin did not fit McMahon’s idea of a champion, and he tried to mold Stone Cold into some kind of "corporate suit," but the Rattlesnake spat on his every attempt. So, the Federation owner immediately set out to take the title away from the Rattlesnake.
