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Steve Austin (born Steven Anderson on December 18, 1964, later Steven Williams), better known by his ring name Stone Cold Steve Austin, is an American film and television actor and former professional wrestler, making regular appearances for World Wrestling Entertainment. Austin wrestled for several well-known wrestling promotions such as World Championship Wrestling (WCW), Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and most famously, World Wrestling Federation (WWF), which became World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 2002.
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Quotations
...And that's the bottom line, 'cause Stone Cold said so!
I am Stone Cold Steve Austin, I am the World Wrestling Federation Champion, and I do not deserve to be treated like this!
I am the master of the middle finger!
(WM 21 Gladiator Commercial)
I don't care who you are; if you step in the ring with Stone Cold Steve Austin, you're gonna get your ass whipped!
I will stomp a mudhole in your ass and walk it dry!
I'll toss you out on your ass, you sorry piece of trash!
Encyclopedia
Steve Austin (born Steven Anderson on December 18, 1964, later Steven Williams), better known by his ring name Stone Cold Steve Austin, is an American film and television actor and former professional wrestler, making regular appearances for World Wrestling Entertainment. Austin wrestled for several well-known wrestling promotions such as World Championship Wrestling (WCW), Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and most famously, World Wrestling Federation (WWF), which became World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 2002. In the late 1990s, Austin gained significant mainstream popularity in the WWF as Stone Cold, a disrespectful, beer-drinking anti-hero who routinely defied his boss, Mr. McMahon. This defiance was often shown by Austin flipping McMahon off and incapacitating him with the Stone Cold Stunner, Austin's finisher.
He retired as a regular in-ring performer in 2003 due to neck, ankle and knee injuries sustained throughout his career. He still makes occasional in-ring appearances, often to only perform his finishing move, the Stone Cold Stunner, normally followed by an extended beer drinking session punctuated by his slamming two beer cans together in a distinctive style then pouring the beer over his face. Austin had his first starring film role as Jack Conrad in the 2007 thriller The Condemned.
Austin is a six-time WWF/E Champion, the 1996 King of the Ring, and winner of the 1997, 1998 and 2001 Royal Rumbles, and is the only man in WWE history to win the Royal Rumble three times. He will also be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 4, 2009.
Professional wrestling
World Championship Wrestling
Austin debuted in World Championship Wrestling in 1991 as "Stunning" Steve Austin, initially managed by Vivacious Veronica. Almost immediately after Austin's debut, Lady Blossom became his valet. Austin defeated Bobby Eaton for the WCW World Television Championship on June 3, 1991, just weeks after his debut. In late 1991, Austin joined Paul E. Dangerously's Dangerous Alliance. Austin lost the WCW Television Championship to Barry Windham in a two out of three falls match on April 27, 1992. He regained the title from Windham on May 23, 1992. He enjoyed a second lengthy reign before losing to Ricky Steamboat on September 2, 1992. The Dangerous Alliance disbanded shortly thereafter. At Halloween Havoc, he replaced Terry Gordy, teaming with "Dr. Death" Steve Williams to wrestle Dustin Rhodes and Barry Windham for the unified WCW and NWA World Tag Team titles. The teams wrestled to a thirty minute time limit draw.
In January 1993, Austin formed a tag team with Brian Pillman known as the Hollywood Blonds. The Blonds won the WCW World Tag Team Championship on March 3, 1993, defeating Ricky Steamboat and Shane Douglas. The Hollywood Blonds held the titles for five months. At Clash of the Champions XXIII the Blonds faced Ric Flair and Arn Anderson in a two out of three falls tag team title match. Flair and Anderson defeated the Blonds, but were not awarded the titles as one fall had been determined by a disqualification.
At Clash of the Champions XXIV, Austin and Pillman were scheduled to defend the titles against Arn Anderson and his new partner, Paul Roma. An injured Pillman, however, was replaced by Steven Regal. Austin and Regal lost to Anderson and Roma. With Pillman still injured, Austin then joined Colonel Robert Parker's Stud Stable. After Pillman returned, Austin betrayed and defeated him in a singles bout at Clash of the Champions XXV.
At Starrcade 1993, in a two out of three falls match, Austin defeated Dustin Rhodes in two straight falls to win the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship. He lost the title to Ricky Steamboat on August 24, 1994. Austin was scheduled to face Steamboat in a rematch for the title at Fall Brawl, but Steamboat was unable to wrestle due to a back injury, and Austin was awarded the title by forfeit. His second reign ended just minutes later when he lost to Steamboat's replacement, Jim Duggan in a match that lasted thirty-five seconds. Austin then challenged Duggan for the United States Championship at Halloween Havoc 1994 and Clash of the Champions XXIX. On both occasions, Austin lost to Duggan by disqualification.. After returning from his knee injury in early 1995, he took part in a tournament for the vacant WCW United States Heavyweight title, where he defeated Duggan in the first round, but lost to Randy Savage in the quarterfinals.
Extreme Championship Wrestling
In 1995, Steve Austin was fired by WCW Vice President Eric Bischoff, after suffering a triceps injury, while wrestling on a Japanese tour. Bischoff and WCW didn't see Austin as a 'marketable' wrestler. Eventually, Austin was contacted by Paul Heyman, who had managed him in WCW. Heyman told Austin that since he had a TV show and Austin had a grievance, it would be a good opportunity to go on ECW television to air it. While in ECW, Austin used the platform to develop his future "Stone Cold" persona as well as a series of vignettes running down WCW in general and Bischoff in particular, referring to WCW's flagship program as "Monday NyQuil, where the big boys play with each other."
While with ECW, "Superstar" Steve Austin feuded with The Sandman and Mikey Whipwreck. Whipwreck, who was the ECW World Heavyweight Champion at the time, scored a win over Austin at November to Remember 1995. The Sandman defeated Steve Austin and Mikey Whipwreck in a Triple Threat match at December to Dismember 1995 for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship.
World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment
The Ringmaster (1995-1996)
In late 1995, Austin joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Initially, Austin used the moniker "The Ringmaster" and was managed by Ted DiBiase, who awarded him with The Million Dollar Championship. The Ringmaster defeated Savio Vega at WrestleMania XII. Also during this time, Austin shaved his head bald, a look he has maintained since. At In Your House: Beware of Dog, Austin lost a "Caribbean Strap Match" to Savio Vega. In accordance to the pre-match stipulations, DiBiase was forced to leave the WWF, giving Austin the opportunity to forge his own path. He later told announcer Dok Hendrix that he had purposely lost the match in order to rid himself of his manager.
Austin 3:16 and rise to superstardom (1996-1997)
Austin's genuine rise to superstardom began on June 23, 1996 in Milwaukee, where the 1996 King of the Ring pay-per-view took place. Austin began using his trademark finishing maneuver, the Stone Cold Stunner, and with this new technique he won the King of the Ring tournament, receiving the push originally intended for Triple H. After toppling Marc Mero in the semi-finals, Austin defeated Jake "The Snake" Roberts in the final. At the time, Roberts was portraying a born-again Christian, so after the match, Austin cut a promo during his coronation, telling Roberts:
"Austin 3:16" ultimately became one of the most popular catch phrases in wrestling history.
Austin spoke about Bret Hart constantly and taunted him relentlessly on TV (one quote had Austin saying "If you put the letter 'S' in front of 'Hitman,' you have my exact opinion of Bret Hart"). Hart finally accepted Austin's challenge and returned to the WWF in October 1996. At Survivor Series 1996, Hart pinned Austin in a match which helped create the foundations for the eventual intense year-long feud between the two. The match came hot on the heels of a highly controversial incident broadcast live on Raw, which saw Austin "break into" Brian Pillman's house, with Pillman holding a gun.
During the 1997 Royal Rumble match, Austin was originally eliminated by Bret Hart, but the officials did not see it, and he sneaked back into the ring and eliminated Hart by throwing him over the ropes. This led to the first-ever pay-per-view main event of Austin's WWF career at In Your House 13: Final Four, which due to real-life events largely revolving around Shawn Michaels, the match was for the suddenly vacant WWF Championship. Austin was eliminated from the four-way match early after injuring his knee, but was involved in the finish which saw Hart win his fourth WWF Championship, which he lost the next night on Raw to Sycho Sid due to Austin's interference, leading to the continuation of their feud.
At WrestleMania 13, in March 1997, Hart defeated Austin in a 'Submission' match involving Ken Shamrock as a special referee that has since come to be regarded as one of the greatest matches in WrestleMania history. During the match Austin was cut so that he bled. In one of the most iconic moments in wrestling history, Hart refused to release his patented Sharpshooter since Austin had refused to give up. The match ended in Austin passing out due to blood loss. Despite his wounds he refused any assistance back to the locker room, thus turning Hart heel and Austin babyface in a rare double-turn. Austin eventually got his revenge on Hart when he injured Hart's leg in a no disqualification match on Raw, which featured Austin refusing to let go of his own Sharpshooter and beating Hart while on a stretcher in the back of an ambulance. After his feud with Bret Hart, he had a WWF Championship shot against The Undertaker at In Your House 15: A Cold Day In Hell. Austin had the Undertaker down with the stunner, but due to a distraction from Brian Pillman, Undertaker nailed Austin with a Tombstone Piledriver and got the victory. At King of The Ring in 1997, Austin fought Shawn Michaels in a match that involved a real bad problem coming from the stands. A man referred to as a "special olympian" jumped over the guardrail and tried to run into the ring. Security caught the man before he could enter the ring, and tried to subdue him. The match was stopped for a lengthy period of time, during which Austin and Michaels were both involved in the removal of this man. During the broadcast, Austin can be heard yelling "get him outta here!" while Michaels tries to assist in helping him out. On his way out, the man stopped and started to point at the referee, wagging his finger at him. As the man was being removed from ringside, he first fell on his face, then got up and tried to punch a cameraman. The match resumed after the issue had been dealt with, and ended in both competitors being disqualified by referee Earl Hebner.
At the next major pay-per-view event, SummerSlam, Austin finally faced Owen Hart for the Intercontinental Championship, as part of the Canada vs. America storyline occurring in the WWF at the time. During the match, as a result of a botched pile-driver, Hart legitimately broke Austin's neck, causing him to suffer temporary paralysis. As Owen Hart baited the audience, referee Earl Hebner tried to assist an injured Austin in getting to his feet, which he was eventually able to do, and pin Hart using a "school-boy" roll up to win the Intercontinental Championship. A visably injured and dazed Austin was helped to his feet by a number of referees and led to the back. This injury sidelined Austin until Survivor Series 97, Gang Wars, where he met Owen Hart again to win back the Intercontinental Championship he was forced to vacate due to injury. Subsequently, this was the last Pay-Per-View to feature the Hart Foundation, as the infamous Montreal Screw-Job occurred at this Survivor Series. As a result, Bret Hart and the Brittish Bull-Dog left the WWF, while Owen Hart was removed from TV until D-Generation: In Your House. With his primary adversaries gone, Stone Cold turned his attention to a back and forth battle between himself and the Nation of Domination. Stone Cold would lose his Intercontinental Title to The Rock, thus allowing him to set his sites on the WWF Championship.
Feud with Mr. McMahon (1997–1999)
On September 22, 1997, at Monday Night Raws first appearance in Madison Square Garden in New York City, Owen Hart was giving a speech to the WWE fans in attendance. During his speech, Austin entered the ring with five NYPD officers following, and assaulted Hart. As if it looked Austin was going to fight the officers, Vince McMahon runs into the ring to lecture Austin about why he couldn't be "physically" able to compete. After telling McMahon that he respects the fact that he and the WWF cared, Austin attacked McMahon with a Stone Cold Stunner, leaving McMahon in shock. Austin was then arrested on charges of trespassing, battery, and assaulting a police officer. This marked the beginning of the infamous Austin-McMahon rivalry.
With Bret Hart's departure, Austin and Shawn Michaels were the top superstars in the company, and after managing to ruffle the feathers of every other WWF superstar, he entered and won the 1998 Royal Rumble, lastly eliminating The Rock. The next night on Raw, Austin interrupted Vince McMahon in his presentation of Mike Tyson, who was making a special appearance, over the objection of McMahon referring to Tyson as "the baddest man on the planet." Austin gave Tyson the double-bird (two middle fingers), which led to Tyson shoving Austin much to McMahon's embarrassment, who began to publicly disapprove of the prospect of Austin as his champion. Tyson was later announced as "the special enforcer" for the main event at WrestleMania XIV, although he appeared to be aligning himself with WWF Champion Shawn Michaels' stable D-Generation X. This led to Austin's WWF Championship match against Michaels at WrestleMania XIV, which he won with help from Mike Tyson, who turned on DX by making the deciding three-count against Michaels. This victory ushered in the Austin Era, and with it, the Attitude Era.
On the Raw after Austin won the WWF Title, Vince McMahon presented him with a new title belt and warned Austin that he did not approve of his rebellious nature and that things could be done "the easy way or the hard way." Austin gave his answer in the form of another Stunner. This led to a segment a week later where Austin had pledged a few days prior in a meeting to "play ball" with McMahon, appearing in a suit and tie, with a beaming McMahon taking a picture of himself and his new corporate champion. The entire thing was a ruse by Austin who in the course of the segment proceeded to tear off the suit, tell McMahon it was the last time he'd see Austin dressed like this, punch his boss in the "corporate grapefruits," and take another picture of the two of them while McMahon was doubled over in pain.
In April 1998, it appeared Austin and McMahon were going to battle out their differences in an actual match, but the match was declared a no contest when Dude Love made an appearance. This led to a match between Dude Love and Austin at Over the Edge: In Your House for the WWF Championship. Austin managed to retain the title despite McMahon acting as the referee and his "Corporate Stooges" (Gerald Brisco and Pat Patterson) as timekeeper and ring announcer, respectively.
McMahon continued to do everything he could to ruin Austin, and he finally scored a big victory for his side at the 1998 King of the Ring tournament. There, Austin lost the WWF Championship to Kane in a First Blood match. Austin further infuriated his nemesis by winning back the championship the next night on Raw. Austin also emerged victorious against The Undertaker at SummerSlam 1998. In response, McMahon set up a triple threat match at Breakdown: In Your House, where The Undertaker and Kane pinned Austin at the same time. McMahon decided to vacate the WWF Championship and award it based on a match between the Undertaker and Kane, in which Austin was the guest referee. Austin refused to count for either man and attacked both towards the end of the match. McMahon later fired The Rattlesnake, although Austin got a measure of revenge by kidnapping McMahon and dragging him to the middle of the ring at "gunpoint," which ended up being a toy gun with a scroll that read "Bang! 3:16." Also the segment was very "embarrassing" to McMahon as it showed he was so scared that he kayfabe peed his pants. Stone Cold was later re-signed by Shane McMahon. In the semifinals of a tournament to award the vacant championship, Austin lost to Mankind, thanks to a double-cross by Shane. The next night on Raw, Judge Mills Lane ruled that The Rock had to defend his newly won WWF Championship against Austin that night. The Undertaker interfered and hit Austin with a shovel, earning Austin a disqualification victory. At Rock Bottom: In Your House, Steve Austin defeated The Undertaker in a Buried Alive match after Kane tombstoned Undertaker into the grave. With this victory, Stone Cold had qualified for the 1999 Royal Rumble.
The Rattlesnake’s next definitive chance to exact revenge on Mr. McMahon came during the 1999 Royal Rumble match. On Raw, McMahon drew Austin's entry number with the obvious intention of screwing him over. Austin drew entry No. 1, while McMahon drew No. 2 thanks to WWF Commissioner Shawn Michaels. During the Rumble match, McMahon slipped out of the ring and into the crowd as Austin chased him down. It turned out to be a trap as McMahon led Austin into the lobby restroom where he was ambushed by members of The Corporation. Austin was injured and taken away in an ambulance. With Austin gone and not in the Rumble match, McMahon joined the announce table in calling the match. Later on, however, Austin returned in an ambulance and re-entered the Royal Rumble. After Austin delivered a Stunner to the Big Boss Man and eliminated him, it was back to just him and McMahon. With the assistance of the Corporation and a last minute interference from The Rock, Austin was eliminated by McMahon himself, and McMahon won the 1999 Royal Rumble. With McMahon turning down his number-one contender spot against The Rock, WWF Commissioner Michaels awarded Austin the title shot during Raw the next night.
At St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, Stone Cold got a one-on-one match against McMahon in a Steel Cage, with the WWF Championship opportunity at WrestleMania XV at stake. During the match, The Big Show made his debut, breaking through from under the ring and attacking Austin. Show’s attack propelled Austin into the side of the cage forcing the cage to give way and dropping Austin to the floor first, making him the victor. Stone Cold made the most of his chance, defeating "The Corporate Champion" The Rock at WrestleMania XV for his third WWF Championship.
Austin faced The Rock in a rematch at the following pay-per-view, Backlash, in which Shane McMahon was the referee. During the match, McMahon approached the ring, only to hand Austin back his Smoking Skull belt and take Shane out of the proceedings. Austin won the match when another referee made the count. The Undertaker, however, won the WWF Championship from Austin at Over the Edge. Due to events revolving around Vince McMahon, Stephanie and Linda McMahon made Stone Cold the Chief executive officer of the company. Vince and Shane McMahon challenged Austin to a Handicap Ladder match at King of the Ring with the CEO title on the line, which the duo of father and son won. The next night on Raw, however, Austin made it clear that while he was the CEO of the company, he could have a title shot at any time and place to be determined by himself. Austin made the WWF Championship match that night on Raw and defeated The Undertaker to win his fourth WWF Championship.
Austin held on to the Championship belt until SummerSlam 1999 when he lost it to Mankind in a Triple Threat match also featuring Triple H. By Survivor Series, Triple H was champion. Instead of getting a rematch, Austin was run down by a car in the parking lot. What followed was neck surgery by Dr. Lloyd Youngblood and a nine-month rehabilitation with the car angle as his reason for leaving. In reality, Austin had needed neck surgery since the Owen Hart incident in 1997.
The Two-Man Power Trip (2000-2001)
In April 2000 at Backlash 2000, Austin appeared during the main event, attacking Triple H and Vince McMahon, helping The Rock reclaim the WWF Championship. At Unforgiven 2000, Austin made his official return from surgery and tried to find out who ran him down at Survivor Series the previous year. Rikishi finally admitted to being the driver because he was a closet racist and saw Austin as the embodiment of everything wrong with white society. At No Mercy 2000, Austin was back to face Rikishi in a No Holds Barred Match. During the match, Austin motioned he was going to drive his truck into Rikishi, who by that time was a bloody mess. Before he could, he was stopped by officials and the match was deemed a no-contest. During a handicap match against Rikishi and Kurt Angle following the event, Triple H came down with the apparent intention of teaming with Austin. After clearing the ring Triple H smashed his trademark sledgehammer over Austin's head, and revealed it was actually him behind the whole scheme, devised to shield the WWF Championship from Austin and end his career. At Survivor Series 2000, Triple H had plotted to run Austin down again during their match (thus repeating the events of the previous year's Survivor Series) but his plot failed when Austin lifted Triple H's automobile with a forklift, then let it drop 20 feet.
Austin also competed in his second Hell in a Cell match at Armageddon 2000. This was a six man Hell in a Cell involving WWF Champion Kurt Angle, The Rock, Rikishi, Triple H, and The Undertaker. Angle retained his championship.
Austin won his third Royal Rumble in January 2001, last eliminating Kane. His rivalry against Triple H ended at No Way Out 2001 in a 3 Stages of Hell match (a regular match, a Street Fight, then a Cage match), with Triple H beating Austin 2 falls to 1. Then, at WrestleMania X-Seven, Austin made a heel turn, by hitting The Rock with a steel chair to win the WWF Championship. After the match Austin shook hands and shared a beer with Vince McMahon. With the victory, Austin became a five-time WWF Champion. The next night on Raw, after teasing a quick face turn, the heel turn continued. He also altered his character considerably over the next few months, in a deliberate turn from the rebellious and anti-establishment character beloved by the fans, Austin became a whiny, temperamental prima donna who would complain incessantly when he felt he was not getting the respect from the fans and wrestlers that he deserved. He also developed an almost creepy infatuation with McMahon, going to great lengths to impress him and even going so far as to hugging him and bringing him presents. McMahon, though visibly uncomfortable and wary by the attention, was still grateful to have Austin with him instead of against him. During a cage match with The Rock in a rematch for the title, Triple H came down to the ring with a sledgehammer and together with Austin, his former rival, viciously attacked The Rock and put him out of action. Austin and Triple H became a Tag Team and called themselves The Two-Man Power Trip.
The WWF positioned Austin and Triple H as the top heels in the company and had them feud with Undertaker and Kane for April and May 2001. After defeating Kane and Undertaker for the WWF Tag Team Titles at Backlash 2001, they held the Tag Team Titles, the WWF Championship (Austin), and the WWF Intercontinental Championship (Triple H) all at once. The glory was short lived, however. At the next pay-per-view, Judgment Day, Triple H lost his Intercontinental Title against Kane. Then, the following night on Raw, Austin and Triple H faced off against Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit with the Tag Team Titles on the line. The match was going along without a hitch until a spot midway through where Triple H tore his quadriceps muscle. As planned, the team lost the Tag Team Title at the end of the match when Triple H accidentally hit Austin in the stomach with a sledgehammer, but the injury to Triple H, which kept him out for the remainder of the year, forced the WWF to go in another direction.
The Invasion (2001)
Austin was paired with Kurt Angle and feuded against Jericho and Benoit. This culminated with a triple threat match at King of the Ring, in which Austin faced the former tag team champions (who had just been dethroned by the Dudley Boyz three days earlier). In a match which saw all three men beat each other severely and eventual outside interference from WCW's Booker T, Austin scored the victory and retained his championship. The feud ended at that point, as Benoit had neck surgery after the match, sidelining him for the following year.
As soon as July 2001 began, with Benoit out for surgery, the Austin/Jericho feud was dropped without a mention. With Triple H out and The Rock still away making movies, the WWF desperately rushed out the plans for The Invasion. As The Invasion storyline began and progressed, McMahon, was watching helplessly as his empire was crumbling around him due to The Alliance luring more and more talent away from the WWF, and his biggest allies, Austin and Angle, too busy sucking up to him and bickering amongst themselves to successfully counter the Alliance. Austin made it known that he was against teaming with Angle, whom Austin saw as both a threat to his title, as well as an annoying tag along. A frustrated McMahon appealed to Austin to return to his old Texas Rattlesnake persona, even imploring him to give him a Stone Cold Stunner. Though intending to fire up Austin, it backfired and only seemed to hurt his feelings, as he promptly left the arena, dejected. But the week before the InVasion pay-per-view, the old Stone Cold Steve Austin "returned," delivering stunners to the Alliance members. This was all part of a swerve at the event, where Austin betrayed the WWF team and partner Angle to help the Alliance win, as Austin assumed leadership of the group. The reason why Austin did this was because he felt that McMahon was grooming Angle to take over his spot, and that he was "unappreciated" when McMahon insisted he return to the old Austin.
Austin lost and regained his title in a feud with Angle, who was put over by Austin as a legitimate threat. Austin lost the title to Angle at Unforgiven 2001 before regaining it on the October 8, 2001 episode of Raw. Angle then joined the Alliance. As the Invasion angle dragged on, it was ultimately decided to bring the plot line to an end with Austin and a group of ECW and WCW wrestlers facing The Rock and a group of WWF wrestlers at that year's Survivor Series. Austin and his team lost after Angle betrayed him and that was the end of the Invasion angle. The next night on Raw, McMahon was about to award Angle with the WWF Championship for actions at Survivor Series when Ric Flair came out and announced that he owned half of the WWF and Austin came out and attacked Angle and McMahon, regained the WWF Championship and had a beer bash with Flair, turning Austin face once again. Austin would hold the WWF Championship for another month before losing it to Chris Jericho at Vengeance 2001 due to interference from Booker T. Jericho beat both The Rock and Austin consecutively in that night winning the WCW World Title and later the WWF Title and combining them to create the WWF Undisputed Championship. After that Austin continued another feud with Booker T. In one storyline it shows Austin and Booker T fighting in a grocery store in which Austin won.
Backstage issues (2002-2004)
By 2002, Austin's spot as top face in the WWF was not as secure as it had been in previous years, as Triple H was set to return from injury. At the time, Vince McMahon had re-signed Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash for a storyline that would bring the New World Order (nWo) into the WWF. They feuded with Austin and The Rock. Austin was originally intended to be the one to challenge Hogan at WrestleMania, but because of their inability to agree on a finish, Austin refused, and The Rock took his place and defeated Hogan. At WrestleMania X8, Austin defeated Scott Hall instead. Austin took a week long break following WrestleMania, refusing to show up for the following night's Raw.
Austin returned on the April 1, 2002 episode of Raw, the first of the new "brand extension" era. The show was centered on which show he would sign with, and he ultimately chose Raw. Austin then entered a feud with the Undertaker that resulted in a number one contenders match for the WWF Undisputed Championship at Backlash 2002, which Austin lost. He would later get betrayed by The Big Show who went on to rejoin the nWo. After that Austin got betrayed by Flair. He then went on to defeat The Big Show and Ric Flair in a handicap match at Judgment Day 2002. Austin's last appearance was on June 3, when he defeated Ric Flair in a match where Flair became Austin's servant. After Austin no-showed an episode of Raw, the angle was dropped. Austin had decided to walk out again because of bad storylines that were presented to him by the creative team. This time though, he did not return for almost 9 months. Bored and run down, Austin began to create problems backstage as the WWF rehired Eddie Guerrero for Austin to feud with, while prepping Austin for a feud with Brock Lesnar. Austin, however, vetoed any matches that would result in him losing and ultimately walked out of the company when the writing staff wanted Austin to lose to Lesnar. Austin later explained that he thought hot-shotting a victory did no favors to either side, as it made Austin look weak losing to a rookie, and did not give Lesnar a proper stage for such a big win over a star of the magnitude that Austin held. Further fanning the flames amongst Austin's growing number of detractors was a well-publicized domestic dispute incident between Austin and his wife Debra. Austin served probation time for the offense and has not discussed it publicly since.
In February 2003, he returned to WWE at No Way Out in a short match against Eric Bischoff. Austin was finally defeated by The Rock, who returned about the same time as a smug, "sell out" heel, at WrestleMania XIX, which ultimately became his last official match in WWE to date. The night after on Raw, Bischoff "fired" Austin on medical grounds, however he was brought back by Linda McMahon as the "Co-General Manager" for Raw. The move to the role of "Co-General Manager" was a way to keep Austin on-camera while limiting Austin's in-ring performance. On the November 17, 2003 edition of Raw, Austin was "fired" from Raw as the result of a stipulation in a match at Survivor Series 2003 where Austin's hand-picked team of wrestlers failed to beat Bischoff's team of wrestlers. Austin quickly returned to WWE television before the end of 2003 when he was part of a Christmas special taped live in front of U.S. troops in Iraq, posing as Santa Claus and stunning Mr. McMahon. He finally came back on Raw on December 29 as its "Sheriff".
Austin appeared on and off as 2004 began, culminating in him being the special guest referee for the match between Brock Lesnar and Goldberg at WrestleMania XX. Then, on April 17, 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. This was reportedly over a contract dispute about WWE's control of Austin's non-WWE projects, such as movies. Austin could thus no longer use "Stone Cold" to promote himself, as that name is trademarked by WWE. Austin had to correct many people in interviews to ensure they did not refer to him by that moniker.
Part-time appearances and the Hall of Fame (2005— )
Austin made his first appearance on WWE programming in a year on April 3, 2005 at WrestleMania 21 where he was confronted by "Rowdy" Roddy Piper in Piper's Pit until Carlito interrupted to insult both. This resulted in Carlito receiving a Stone Cold Stunner from Austin and Piper throwing him out of the ring. The segment ended with Austin and Piper celebrating with beer until Austin gave Piper a Stone Cold Stunner as well.
Then, at WWE Homecoming in October, Austin again returned to Raw, delivering Stunners to all four members of the McMahon family. An angle including Jim Ross being fired led to a match in which Austin agreed to face Ross's replacement, Jonathan Coachman, at Taboo Tuesday, with the stipulation of Ross regaining his announcing job if Austin were to win and Austin losing his own job if he lost the match. Austin balked at the decision for Coachman to win, however, and once again walked out on the company after storyline disagreements. To explain away his failure to appear at Taboo Tuesday Vince McMahon said on Raw that Austin had been involved in an accident, thus preventing him from competing. A substitution for Austin was made in the form of Batista, who faced the Coach along with Vader and Goldust, who was brought in to generate some last minute interest in the match. The stipulation was dropped due to Austin not competing.
Austin returned to WWE briefly to face JBL in a beer drinking contest at the March 5, 2006 edition of WWE Saturday Night's Main Event. The feat was declared a no contest when Austin saw JBL cheating by pouring the beer down his clothes. Austin gave a stunner to JBL and then celebrated with the Stone Cold "beer salute." Austin then inducted Bret Hart into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 1, 2006.
Austin returned to WWE programming (appearing on Raw, ECW, and SmackDown!) in March 2007, partially to promote his starring role in the release of WWE Films' production, The Condemned. On March 31, 2007, Stone Cold inducted his friend Jim Ross into The WWE Hall of Fame. At WrestleMania 23, Austin, as a special guest referee, officiated the match between Bobby Lashley and Umaga. In the course of the event, Austin delivered stunners to Umaga, Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon, and Donald Trump. He then appeared in a video on the June 11 edition of Raw as part of Mr. McMahon Appreciation Night, where he shared his thoughts on his past feuds with McMahon.
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Austin appeared on the August 18, 2007 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event, as a possible illegitimate child of Mr. McMahon and stunned McMahon and Jonathan Coachman. Austin appeared at SummerSlam 2007 where he was the replacement for Matt Hardy to battle MVP in a Beer Drinking Contest. The match ended in a no contest decision after Austin handed a beer to MVP and gave him the Stone Cold Stunner.
On the November 5, 2007 edition of Raw Austin made an appearance to confront Santino Marella for bashing The Condemned. The argument ended as Marella received a Stone Cold Stunner from Austin, who then walked backstage only to return with a Budweiser beer truck to hose down Marella and Maria with beer.
On December 10, 2007 during the Raw 15th Anniversary Spectacular, Austin returned after Vince McMahon received the Mandible claw from Mankind and a Chokeslam from The Undertaker for proclaiming himself "the greatest Raw superstar of all time." Shortly after, McMahon received a Stone Cold Stunner as Austin called out all WWE stars in attendance to the ring to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Raw. The show closed as Austin, Triple H and Hornswoggle poured beer on McMahon, who was knocked out outside the ring.
On March 29, 2008, at the Amway Arena, in Orlando, Florida, Austin appeared as a guest at the 2008 WWE Hall of Fame, where at one segment of the taping when Dwayne Johnson was honoring his father and grandfather, the fans hinted to the two wrestlers for one more match, after The Rock on stage pointed out to Austin, and a match they had about 10 years prior.
On October 26, 2008 at Cyber Sunday, Austin was the special guest referee during a match between Batista and Chris Jericho for the World Heavyweight Championship. In between the match Stone Cold told a fleeing Jericho that if he was counted out or disqualified, Batista would win the Title. During the course of the match, Batista accidentally knocked Austin down. When Austin recovered, Randy Orton, who had come out as the third referee, knocked Austin back down, only to receive a Stone Cold Stunner when Austin recovered. Eventually Batista won the match by hitting his signature Batista Bomb on Chris Jericho, leading Austin to give the 3 count, making Batista the New World Heavyweight Champion.
On January 12, 2009 edition of Raw, Austin was announced to be the first member of the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2009.
Personal life
Steve Williams dated Kathryn Burrhus throughout high school and college, and the two married on November 24, 1990. Nonetheless, Williams pursued a relationship with Jeannie Clark ("Lady Blossom"), whom he was working with. Subsequently his marriage to Kathy was quickly annulled on August 7, 1992 and Williams and Jeannie married on December 18, 1992. Together, they have two daughters, Stephanie (born in 1992) and Cassidy (born in 1996). He also adopted Jade, Jeannie's daughter with former husband Chris Adams. They divorced on May 10, 1999 and their daughters now live in England with Jeannie.
On September 13, 2000, Austin married Debra Marshall. On June 15, 2002, however, police were called to their residence in San Antonio, Texas. They found a hysterical Debra with bruises. Austin had left the house and was asked by police not to return. On August 14, 2002, Austin was arrested and charged with domestic abuse. He pled no contest on November 25, 2002 and was given a year's probation, a $1,000 fine and ordered to carry out eighty hours of community service. Debra would later claim that Steve Austin was a steroid user and this incident was the result of roid rage. Austin filed for divorce from Debra on July 22, 2002 and the divorce was finalized on February 5, 2003.
On November 13 2007, Austin was involved in an altercation at a Charlotte bar with former American Gladiator Jonathan Byrne. Byrne accused Austin of using steroids, and a heated argument ensued. Both men began shoving each other, but were soon separated by friends. Police were called, but no charges were pressed.
In December 2007, the Wrestling Observer newsletter reported that "Stone Cold" Steve Austin legally changed his real name (Steven Williams) to his wrestling name Steve Austin, following in the footsteps of former WWE Superstars Ultimate Warrior and Chyna.
Reported on March 3, 2009, TMZ cameras caught up with Austin walking out of the Firefly restaurant in Venice Beach, California and it appears he has shaved off his trademark goatee beard for the first time in years. The reporter also asked for Austin's thoughts on steroids.
- Finishing and signature moves
- Nicknames
- "Stone Cold"
- "The Texas Rattlesnake"
- "The Toughest S.O.B. in the WWF/E"
- "The Bionic Redneck"
- "The Extreme Superstar"
- "The Ringmaster"
- "Stunning Steve Austin"
- Entrance music
- "Hollywood Blondes" - Production theme (1991–1995) (WCW)
- "Dangerous Alliance" - Production theme (1991–1994) (WCW)
- "Jesus Christ Superstar" - Andrew Lloyd Webber (1995) (ECW)
- "Ringmaster" - Jim Johnston (1995–1996) (WWF)
- "Hell Frozen Over" - Jim Johnston (1996–1998)
- "I Wont Do What You Tell Me" - Jim Johnston (1998–2000, Late 2001-present)
- "Glass Shatters" - Disturbed (September 2000–July 2001)
- "Venomous" - Jim Johnston (August–November 2001; Used during The Alliance)
Championships and accomplishments
- Texas Wrestling Federation
- TWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with The California Stud
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
- 5 Star Match (1992) with Rick Rude, Arn Anderson, Bobby Eaton, and Larry Zbyszko vs. Sting, Nikita Koloff, Ricky Steamboat, Barry Windham, and Dustin Rhodes (May 17, WarGames match, WrestleWar)
- 5 Star Match (1997) vs. Bret Hart (March 23, Submission match, WrestleMania 13)
- Best Box Office Draw (1998, 1999)
- Best Gimmick (1997, 1998)
- Best Heel (1996)
- Best Interviews (1996-1998, 2001)
- Best Non-Wrestler (2003)
- Feud of the Year (1997) vs. The Hart Foundation
- Feud of the Year (1998, 1999) vs. Vince McMahon
- Match of the Year (1997) vs. Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13 in a Submission match
- Most Charismatic (1997, 1998, 2001)
- Rookie of the Year (1990)
- Tag Team of the Year (1993) with Brian Pillman as the Hollywood Blonds
- Wrestler of the Year (1998)
- Worst Worked Match of the Year (1991) with Terrance Taylor vs. Bobby Eaton and P.N. News in a Scaffold match at The Great American Bash
Acting career
External links
Sidewalks Entertainment
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