Stone Cold Steve Austin | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Austin in 2016 | |
| Born | Steven James Anderson (1964-12-18)December 18, 1964 (age 60) Austin, Texas, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of North Texas |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1986–2003, 2022 (wrestling) 1999–present (media) |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 3 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | The Ringmaster[1] "Stone Cold"Steve Austin[1] "Stunning" Steve Austin[1] "Superstar" Steve Austin[1] Steve Williams[1] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)[2] |
| Billed weight | 252 lb (114 kg)[2] |
| Billed from | Victoria, Texas[2] Hollywood, California (as "Stunning" Steve Austin) |
| Trained by | Chris Adams[1] |
| Debut | 1989[1] |
| Retired | March 31, 2003 |
| Signature | |
 | |
| Website | brokenskullranch |
Steve Austin (bornSteven James Anderson; December 18, 1964), also known by hisring name"Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American media personality, actor, producer and retiredprofessional wrestler. He is signed toWWE, as an ambassador. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he was integral to the development and success of theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF, now known as WWE) during theAttitude Era, an industry boom period in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Austin began his professional wrestling career in 1989, after playingcollege football at theUniversity of North Texas. He signed withWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1991 and adopted the persona of "Stunning"Steve Austin, avillainous in-ring technician, and he won theWCW World Television Championship and theWCW United States Heavyweight Championship twice each, alongside one reign with a double crown of theWCW World Tag Team Championship andNWA World Tag Team Championship, withBrian Pillman (as theHollywood Blondes). After a brief stint inExtreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), Austin signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 1995.
In the WWF, Austin was repackaged as a short-tempered, brash and brazenanti-establishmentantihero named "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, becoming the most popular wrestler of the Attitude Era off the back of hisfeud with company chairmanVince McMahon. He won theWWF Championshipsix times, theWWF Intercontinental Championshiptwice, theMillion Dollar Championship once, and theWWF Tag Team Championshipfour times, making him the fifthWWF Triple Crown Champion. He is also a record three-timeRoyal Rumble winner, won the1996 King of the Ring, and headlined multiple WWF pay-per-view events, including its flagship event,WrestleMania, four times (14,15,17, and38 – Night 1). He was forced to retire from in-ring competition in 2003 after multiple knee injuries and a serious neck injury at the1997 SummerSlam event, making sporadic appearances ever since. He was inducted into theWWE Hall of Fame in2009, and returned for a final match againstKevin Owens at WrestleMania 38 in April 2022.
Austin hosts the podcastThe Steve Austin Show (2013–present), and the video podcastBroken Skull Sessions (2019–present) available on theWWE Network andPeacock. He collaborates with El Segundo Brewing on Broken SkullIPA and Broken SkullAmerican Lager. He also hosted the reality competition seriesSteve Austin's Broken Skull Challenge (2014–2017) andStraight Up Steve Austin (2019–2021).
Steve Austin was born Steven James Anderson on December 18, 1964, inAustin, Texas.[3][4][5] After his parents divorced, his mother moved the family toVictoria, Texas, raising Austin and his two brothers, Scott and Kevin, as a single parent. She later married Ken Williams, who adopted the children; Austin's name was legally changed to Steven James Williams. The family eventually settled inEdna, Texas. Austin also has a third brother, Jeff, and a sister, Jennifer.[6][7]
He attendedEdna High School where he was arunning back for the schools football team all 4 years.[8] Following his graduation he then attendedWharton County Junior College for one year where he playedlinebacker. After a successful season with the team he was offered a full scholarship and transferred to theUniversity of North Texas.[9][7] He continued playing as alinebacker but switched todefensive end after a knee injury.[10][11][12][13] Austin’s father also played football atRice University.[14] Austin later reflected on his football career stating “It was a fun experience,” “I had dreams of being a pro football player but just couldn’t quite make the grade by a long-shot on that. I was a good player at the local or regional level. Beyond that, those guys had too much talent.”[8] He ultimately dropped out of college just a few credits short of graduating.[15]
Austin developed an early interest in professional wrestling, regularly watchingHouston Wrestling promoted byPaul Boesch.[16][17] While in college, he lived near theDallas Sportatorium, whereWorld Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) held events.[18][19] He legally changed his name to Steve Austin in December 2007.[20]
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Steve Austin began his wrestling training in 1989 underChris Adams at the Dallas Sportatorium, when Adams was affiliated withWorld Class Wrestling Association (WCWA, formerly WCCW).[10][21][22][23] Although the training emphasized technical skills, Austin later expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of instruction on the business side of wrestling.[24]
Austin made his in-ring debut later that year in a televised WCWA match using his real name at the time, Steve Williams.[25] During the merger of WCWA and theMemphis-basedContinental Wrestling Association into theUnited States Wrestling Association (USWA), he began wrestling under the name "Steve Austin," a change made to avoid confusion with"Dr. Death" Steve Williams. He competed primarily in Dallas and was managed by Percy Pringle (later known asPaul Bearer inWWF) during this period. One of his early storylines involved a feud with his trainer, Chris Adams.[23]
I was by no means an overnight success. What success I eventually did attain was the result of hard work. I always had a competitive nature. I learned the mechanics of wrestling really well and really fast. I learned how to have a good match, but I didn't have the right gimmick.
Austin debuted inWorld Championship Wrestling in May 1991. He was nicknamed "Stunning" Steve Austin,[27] a name and gimmick he later said he could not commit to.[28] Austin was originally paired with avalet named Vivacious Veronica[29] but was later joined by Jeannie Adams, known as "Lady Blossom".[30][29] Just weeks after his debut, Austin defeatedBobby Eaton for his firstWCW World Television Championship on June 3, and later that year joinedPaul E. Dangerously'sDangerous Alliance.[30][31] Austin lost the WCW World Television Championship toBarry Windham in atwo-out-of-three-falls match on April 27, but regained the championship from Windham the following month. He enjoyed a second lengthy reign as champion, before losing the championship toRicky Steamboat atClash of the Champions XX in September 1992, while the Dangerous Alliance disbanded shortly thereafter.[32]
In August and September 1992, as part of a working agreement between WCW andNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Austin wrestled four matches in Japan. He took part in the1992 G1 Climax, defeatingArn Anderson in the first round before losing toKeiji Muto in the second round. He and Arn Anderson then defeated Raging Staff (Super Strong Machine andTatsutoshi Goto) in a tag team bout held in theRyōgoku Kokugikan inTokyo. In his final bout, Austin challengedMasahiro Chono for theNWA World Heavyweight Championship in the main event of the "Battle Hold Arena" event at theYokohama Arena inYokohama, losing by submission after Chono applied anSTF.[33][34]
In September 1992, Austin formed atag team known as theHollywood Blonds withBrian Pillman,[30] at the behest of lead booker Dusty Rhodes.[35] Austin would later say that he was not excited about being placed into a tag team,[36] as he was earmarked for a run with theWCW United States Heavyweight Championship withHarley Race as his manager.[19][37] Initially billed under their individual personas, Pillman decided the pair needed their own finishing move, ring gear and team name,[35] with traveling partnerScott Levy proposing The Hollywood Blonds, used in the 1970s byBuddy Roberts and Jerry Brown.[35] AtHalloween Havoc in October 1992, Austin (substituting forTerry Gordy) teamed with"Dr. Death" Steve Williams to wrestleDustin Rhodes and Windham for the unified WCW andNWA World Tag Team Championship,[32] wrestling to a 30-minute time limitdraw.[32]
On March 27, 1993, the Hollywood Blonds won the unified NWA andWCW World Tag Team Championship by defeating Ricky Steamboat andShane Douglas,[35] and held the championship for five months.[30] In the main event ofClash of the Champions XXIII in June 1993, the Blondes defended their championship againstRic Flair andArn Anderson in a two-out-of-three-falls, where despite losing the first two falls, retained the championship as the second fall had been determined by adisqualification caused byBarry Windham.[35][38] AtClash of the Champions XXIV In August 1993, Austin and Pillman were scheduled to defend their championship against Anderson andPaul Roma but alegitimately injured Pillman was replaced bySteven Regal, with whom Austin lost to Anderson and Roma.[35][39]
With Pillman injured, Austin joinedColonel Robert Parker'sStud Stable.[35] After Pillman returned, the team was broken up when Austin turned on him, a decision Austin describes as a "mystery".[36] Austin defeated Pillman in asingles match atClash of the Champions XXV in November 1993.[40]
AtStarrcade in December 1993, Austin defeated Dustin Rhodes 2–0 in a two-out-of-three-falls match to win theWCW United States Championship.[30] AtClash of the Champions XXVIII in August 1994, Austin lost the Championship to Ricky Steamboat. He was scheduled to face Steamboat in a rematch atFall Brawl '94: War Games in September 1994; however, Steamboat was unable to wrestle due to a legitimate back injury and Austin was awarded the championship by forfeit.[41] His second reign with the championship ended just five minutes later when he lost to Steamboat's replacement,Jim Duggan, in a match that lasted 35 seconds.[42] Austin unsuccessfully challenged Duggan for the championship at bothHalloween Havoc in October 1994 andClash of the Champions XXIX in November 1994.[43][44] The influence ofHulk Hogan and theHulkamania era was beginning to take hold in WCW, with vice presidentEric Bischoff saying this was likely the reason Austin lost to Duggan, who had been a popular figure during that period of time.[45] Around this time, Austin pitched a storyline idea to Bischoff in which it would be revealed that Austin was a family member of Hogan. The proposal was quickly turned down on account of Bischoff's belief that Hogan would not work with somebody such as Austin, who was not a proven name.[46][47]
FollowingClash of the Champions XXIX, Austin was inactive while rehabilitating a knee injury, returning in February 1995. In April 1995, Austin took part in a tournament for the vacant United States Championship, defeating Jim Duggan viacountout in the first round but losing toRandy Savage in the quarter-final. He wrestled what would be his final match with WCW on May 21, 1995, defeating Eddie Jackie in a bout that aired onWCW Main Event. In late May and June 1995, Austin again appeared with New Japan Pro-Wrestling as part of its "Fighting Spirit Legend" series, primarily teaming with Arn Anderson andRon Simmons. At the "Super Power Group Declaration VI" event in theNippon Budokan in Tokyo, Austin, Anderson, andMike Enos lost toJ-J-Jacks (Akira Nogami andTakayuki Iizuka) andJunji Hirata in asix-man tag team match.[33]
During the NJPW tour, Austin suffered a torntriceps. While rehabilitating, Austin was fired by WCW PresidentEric Bischoff on September 15, 1995. Bischoff did not see Austin as a marketable wrestler,[30][48] and additionally thought Austin was hard to work with.[49]
Paul E. gives me a call and gives me a free platform to start venting and cutting the promos and putting a microphone in front of my face. I get a chance to speak what's on my mind and from my heart, and I find that is where the best promos come from, the ones that come from your gut and your heart — and from your brain, because you've got to feel them. Words don't mean anything if you don't mean them. So that was the basis for everything that Stone Cold was to become.
Austin was contacted byPaul Heyman ofExtreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), who had previously managed him in WCW.[30] Heyman hired him to dopromos and in-ring interviews as he had not adequately recovered from his injury,[50] paying Austin $500 (equivalent to $1,032 in 2024) a night.[37] Changing his nickname to "Superstar",[37][51] Austin debuted in ECW atGangstas Paradise on September 18, 1995.[52]
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, most memorably in several promos that mocked his then-status asNitro host by introducingMondayNyQuil, where he was joined by "Bongo" (a set of drums, meant to representSteve "Mongo" McMichael) in promoting the show "where the big boys play with each other."[30][50] Several wrestlers have credited ECW as the place where Austin developed his microphone skills.[49] Austin has credited Heyman as the man who taught him how to cut a promo.[53][51]
Whipwreck, who was theECW World Heavyweight Champion at the time, defeated Austin in an upset to retain the championship atNovember to Remember.[54] The Sandman defeated Austin and Whipwreck in atriple threat match atDecember to Dismember for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship.[55]
Austin joined the WWF at the end of 1995 afterDiesel andJim Ross helped convince WWF's ownerVince McMahon to hire him.[30][37][51] He debuted in WWF on December 18, 1995, which was broadcast on the January 8, 1996, episode ofRaw. His debut saw him awarded theMillion Dollar Championship[56] by his manager,Ted DiBiase.[30] Wrestling in his debut match onRaw he defeatedMatt Hardy using the moniker "The Ringmaster".[57][58] While making his firstpay-per-view (PPV) appearance at theRoyal Rumble, he was scripted to be among the final four wrestlers in the ring, which could have given him an earlypush; however, The Ringmaster failed to hang onto the ropes afterFatu clotheslined him over and slipped out of the ring early.[59]
Austin soon thought the Ringmaster gimmick was weak and asked for a change.[49] Having battledthinning hair for a few years, he decided toshave his head in early 1996.[60] He later said in a 2017 interview, "After watching thePulp Fiction movie withBruce Willis, that's the haircut that inspired me. I was traveling on the road toPittsburgh withDustin Rhodes and before I went to the show, I said fuck it. I went into the bathroom with a razor blade and shaved all my hair off. Then I grew thegoatee and everything came full circle."[60] By March 11, having thankfully missed out on the "opportunity" to be renamed Fang McFrost, among others, his Ringmaster moniker (now merely a prefix to his ring name) would be discarded in favor of his most famous ring name, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, in a match againstSavio Vega. The new name was prompted by his English wife at the time, Jeanie, who told him to drink a cup of tea she had made for him before it became "stone cold".[13] His new persona was partially inspired by serial killerRichard "the Iceman" Kuklinski.[61]
Austin wrestled Vega onRaw to a double countout,[62] before defeating him in his firstWrestleMania appearance atWrestleMania XII.[63] AtIn Your House: Beware of Dog, Austin lost a Caribbean strap match to Vega, with the added stipulation that DiBiase was forced to leave the WWF as a result, leading Austin to quietly vacate the Million Dollar title.[63] DiBiase would later say that nobody foresaw the success Austin would have, and had advised him to ignore the advice given to him by producers and continue what he was doing as success required patience.[64]
"You sit there and you thump your Bible, and you say your prayers, and it didn't get you anywhere! Talk about your Psalms, talk aboutJohn 3:16... Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass!"
Austin's rise in popularity began at the1996 King of the Ring, where he won the tournament by defeatingJake "The Snake" Roberts.[30] The win would prove to be an unexpected stroke of luck asHunter Hearst Helmsley was originally scheduled to win the tournament, but he waslegitimately punished for taking part in theCurtain Call incident before the tournament.[65] At the time, Roberts was portraying aborn-again Christian, which inspired Austin toad-lib a famous promo during his post-win coronation,kayfabe[66] mocking Roberts' religious faith and proclaiming the now-iconic catchphrase "Austin 3:16" as derision of the Bible verseJohn 3:16. At the conclusion of this same promo, he further ad-libbed the line, "And that's the bottom line,cuz Stone Cold said so." This was the first usage of the "bottom line" and "Austin 3:16", which eventually would become one of the most iconic catchphrases in wrestling history,[30] and one of the best-selling T-shirts in WWE merchandise history.[67][68] Years later, Austin would say of this moment, "It's like I got two at-bats and hit two grand slams."[citation needed]
His raw speech, which included the word "ass" and the unintentionalsacrilegious reference,[66] sparked the gradual cultivation of his persona as a foul-mouthed,sadistic andantihero character.[69] After defeatingYokozuna atSummerSlam, throughout August and September Austin spoke aboutBret Hart, challenging him constantly and taunting him relentlessly, before Hart finally returned onRaw on October 21, 1996, after a six-month hiatus to challenge Austin to a match atSurvivor Series, which he accepted.[70] This would mark the start of the long Austin-Hart rivalry.[68]
During an episode ofSuperstars, old friend Brian Pillman conducted an interview with Austin regarding his upcoming match. After Pillman inadvertently complimented Hart, Austin grew angry and attacked him. He then proceeded to wedge Pillman's ankle in between a steel chair and stomp on it, breaking his ankle in storyline.[71] It would lead to the infamous "Pillman's got a gun" segment onRaw wherein Austin broke into Pillman's home while he was nursing his injury.[72] Pillman had been anticipating him and was armed with a pistol. Just as Austin broke in, Pillman aimed his gun at him before the episode cut to commercial break. The segment was highly controversial for its perceived violence and rare use of profanity in WWF programming, although Pillman and Vince McMahon both publicly apologised after.[73] At Survivor Series, Austin met Hart as expected in a match to determine the number-one contender for theWWF Championship, in what would be Austin's first major PPV match in his WWF career.[74] Hart defeated Austin by using a turnbuckle to push himself backward while locked in the Million Dollar Dream,[75] in a match that lasted almost half an hour. Despite the loss and his status as a heel character, Austin received significant cheers from the crowd.[74]
During the1997 Royal Rumble match, Austin was originally eliminated by Hart but the officials did not see it; he snuck back into the ring and eliminated Hart by throwing him over the ropes, winning the match.[76] This led to the first-ever PPV main event of Austin's WWF career atIn Your House 13: Final Four, where he competed in afour corners elimination match against Hart,The Undertaker, andVader for the vacantWWF Championship. Austin was eliminated early from the match after injuring his knee; Hart would win the match and the championship.[77] Hart lost the championship the next night onRaw toSycho Sid due to Austin's interference, continuing their feud. AtWrestleMania 13, Hart defeated Austin in a highly acclaimedsubmission match withKen Shamrock as a special referee. During the match, Austin had been cut, and was bleeding profusely from his face, but he refused to tap out when Hart locked in his Sharpshooter, and finally passed out from excessive blood loss, losing the match. After the match, Hart continued to hold the Sharpshooter on Austin, who, despite his wounds, refused any assistance back to the locker room, thus turning Hartheel and Austinbabyface in a raredouble-turn. Austin portrayed an anti-hero instead of a traditional babyface, and he didn't embrace the fans at first either. Austin's public popularity surged following the Wrestlemania clash,[78] and Austin 3:16 merchandise t-shirts were reported in May 1997 to have become the best-selling WWF t-shirts sinceHulkamania.[79] Austin eventually got his revenge on Hart in the main event ofIn Your House 14: Revenge of the 'Taker, defeating him in a match to determine the next contender to The Undertaker's WWF Championship.[80] Austin won when Hart was disqualified due to assistance fromThe British Bulldog. AtIn Your House 15: A Cold Day in Hell, Austin had The Undertaker down with the Stone Cold Stunner but was distracted by Pillman, allowing The Undertaker to recover and perform aTombstone Piledriver for the victory.[81]
OnRaw, Austin partnered with the returning Shawn Michaels, as they both had a mutual enemy in the Harts. They defeatedOwen Hart and The British Bulldog for theWWF Tag Team Championship.[82] Despite being champions, the two constantly argued and ultimately faced each other in a match atKing of the Ring, which ended in a double disqualification after both men attacked the referee. Michaels was later forced to vacate his championship due to an injury.[83] Hart and Bulldog won a tournament to face Austin and a partner of his choice, but he refused to pick a partner and decided to face the duo by himself.[84] Late in the match, a debutingDude Love came out to offer assistance. Austin accepted and the duo won the match and the titles, making Austin a two-time tag team champion.[85] Austin continued his feud with the Hart family, becoming embroiled in a heated rivalry particularly with Owen, who pinned a distracted Austin and secured victory forThe Hart Foundation in the ten-man Tag Team match main event ofIn Your House 16: Canadian Stampede, where Austin was partnered with Ken Shamrock,Goldust, andThe Legion of Doom.[86]
AtSummerSlam 1997, Austin and Owen faced each other with theIntercontinental Championship on the line, with Owen adding a stipulation that Austin would have to kiss his buttocks if he lost.[84] During the match, Owenbotched a Sit-out Piledriver and dropped Austin on his head, resulting in a legitimate bruised spinal cord and temporary paralysis for Austin. As Owen stalled by baiting the audience, Austin managed to crawl over and pin Hart using aroll-up to win the championship. A visibly injured and dazed Austin was helped to his feet by several referees and led to the back.[87] Due to the severity of his neck injury, Austin was forced to relinquish both championships. On September 22, on the first-everRaw to be broadcast fromMadison Square Garden, McMahon told Austin he wasn't physically cleared to compete, and after several weeks of build-up, Austin delivered his Stone Cold Stunner to McMahon, causing the fans in attendance to go ballistic.[88][89] Austin was then arrested as part of the storyline, and was sidelined untilSurvivor Series. However, in the interim, he made several appearances, one being atBadd Blood where he was involved in the finish of a match between Owen andFaarooq for the vacant Intercontinental Championship. Austin hit Faarooq with the Intercontinental Championship belt while the referee's back was turned, causing Hart to win the match and the title.[84] Austin's motive was to keep Owen as champion, as demonstrated when he interfered in Hart's matches onRaw.[84] Austin regained the Intercontinental Championship from Hart atSurvivor Series.[90]
With Owen Hart out of the way, Austin set his sights onThe Rock, who stole Austin's championship belt after Austin suffered a beating by hisNation of Domination stablemates.[84] In the weeks to come, The Rock began declaring himself to be "the best damn Intercontinental Champion ever."[84] The Rock kept possession of the championship belt untilD-Generation X: In Your House, when Austin defeated him to retain the championship and regain the belt.[citation needed] As Austin had used his pickup truck to aid his victory, McMahon ordered him to defend the championship against The Rock the next night onRaw.[84] In an act of defiance, Austin forfeited the championship to The Rock before tossing the belt into thePiscataqua River.[2]
After Bret Hart'scontroversial departure for WCW, Austin and Michaels were the top stars in the company. Austin won the1998 Royal Rumble, lastly eliminating The Rock.[91] The next night onRaw, Austin interrupted Vince McMahon in his presentation ofMike Tyson, who was making a special appearance, over the objection of McMahon referring to Tyson as "the baddest man on the planet." Austin insulted Tyson byflipping him off, which led to Tyson shoving Austin much to McMahon's embarrassment, who began publicly to disapprove of the prospect of Austin as his champion. Tyson was later announced as "the special enforcer" for the main event atWrestleMania XIV, and aligned himself with Michaels's stableD-Generation X (DX).[30][92] This led to Austin's WWF Championship match against Michaels at WrestleMania XIV, which he won with help from Tyson, who turned on DX by making the deciding three-count against Michaels and later hit him with his knock-out punch. This was Michaels's last match until 2002 as he had suffered two legitimate herniated discs and another completely crushed at the hands of The Undertaker in a casket match at theRoyal Rumble.[30] With Michaels's absence and Austin winning the WWF Championship, the "Austin Era" was ushered in.[30]
OnRaw the following night, McMahon presented him with a new championship belt and warned Austin that he did not approve of his rebellious nature, desiring a "corporate champion"; Austin responded with aStone Cold Stunner, leading him being kayfabe arrested once again. The following week, it appeared as if Austin had agreed with McMahon, appearing in a suit and tie, before revealing it was a ruse and again attacking McMahon. On April 13, 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 atUnforgiven: In Your House, where Austin hit McMahon with a steel chair and went on to retain the title. The following month, Austin and Dude had a rematch atOver the Edge: In Your House for the WWF Championship. Austin managed to retain the championship despite McMahon acting as the self-appointed referee and his "Corporate Stooges" (Gerald Brisco andPat Patterson) as timekeeper and ring announcer, respectively. McMahon continued to do everything he could to dethrone Austin as champion and he finally scored a big victory for his side atKing of the Ring.[30] Austin lost the WWF Championship toKane in a First Blood match after The Undertaker accidentally hit him with a steel chair while the ref was incapacitated, despite Austin having knocked Kane unconscious and thwarted an earlier intervention by Mankind.[30]
Austin further angered McMahon by winning back the championship the next night onRaw.[30] Austin also emerged victorious against The Undertaker atSummerSlam. In response, McMahon set up a Triple Threat match atBreakdown: In Your House, where The Undertaker and Kane pinned Austin at the same time. The following Monday onRaw, Austin famously rode out to the ring on a zamboni and attacked McMahon,[93] who had decided to vacate the WWF Championship[30] and award it based on a match between The Undertaker and Kane, in which Austin was the guest referee onJudgment Day: In Your House. Austin refused to count for either man and attacked both towards the end of the match. McMahon would, in storyline, fire him as a result, although Austin got 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." During that segment, McMahon also learned that Austin was later re-signed by his son,Shane McMahon. In the semifinals of theSurvivor Series tournament to crown a new WWF Champion, Austin lost to Mankind after Shane double-crossed Austin. The next night onRaw,Judge Mills Lane ruled that The Rock had to defend his newly won WWF Championship against Austin that night, as stipulated in the new contract Austin had signed two weeks earlier with Shane. The Undertaker interfered and hit Austin with a shovel, earning Austin a disqualification victory, meaning The Rock remained champion. AtRock Bottom: In Your House, Austin defeated The Undertaker in a Buried Alive match after Kane performed a Tombstone Piledriver on The Undertaker which sent him into the grave.[94] With this victory, Austin qualified for the1999 Royal Rumble.[95] Austin's next appearance after this would be the January 4, 1999, edition ofRaw, where he would come out to help Mankind defeat The Rock to become the WWF Champion by striking The Rock in the face with a steel chair and draping Mankind's body over him.
Austin's next chance to exact revenge on McMahon came during the Royal Rumble match. OnRaw, McMahon drew Austin's entry number with the intention of screwing him over. Austin drew entry number one, while McMahon drew number two thanks to Commissioner Shawn Michaels. During the Royal Rumble match, Austin followed McMahon out of the ring and into the backstage area, only to be ambushed by members ofThe Corporation, and an injured Austin was taken to the hospital. Austin, however, returned in an ambulance and re-entered the match, delivering a Stone Cold Stunner toBig Boss Man and eliminating him. With the match down to Austin and McMahon, The Rock came down to the ring to distract Austin, who was eliminated by McMahon, thus McMahon winning the Royal Rumble.[30]
McMahon turned down the number-one contender spot, and Michaels promptly awarded Austin the championship shot the next night onRaw. AtSt. Valentine's Day Massacre, Austin faced McMahon in asteel cage match, with the championship opportunity atWrestleMania XV at stake.[30] During the match,Paul Wight made his WWF debut, coming from under the ring and attacking Austin, but Wight'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.[30] The week before WrestleMania, Austin interrupted The Rock, Vince, and Shane McMahon's interview segment by driving a beer truck to the ring and using a hose to spray the trio with beer.[96] Austin defeated The Rock at WrestleMania XV to win his third WWF Championship.[30] Austin faced The Rock in a rematch the following month atBacklash, in which Shane was the referee. During the match, Vince approached the ring, only to hand Austin back his Smoking Skull championship belt and take Shane out of the proceedings. Austin won the match when another referee made the count. Austin would lose the championship to The Undertaker atOver the Edge. Due to events revolving around Vince,Stephanie andLinda McMahon made Austin the chief executive officer (CEO) of the company as part of the storyline. Vince and Shane challenged Austin to a handicapladder match atKing of the Ring with the title of CEO on the line, which the McMahons won. The next night onRaw, Austin challenged and defeated The Undertaker to win his fourth WWF Championship. The two would compete in a "First Blood" match atFully Loaded, with the stipulation that if Austin lost he would never compete for the WWF Championship again, but if Austin won, Vince would depart the company; Austin won after interference from X-Pac.[97]
Austin held on to the WWF Championship untilSummerSlam on August 22 when he lost it to Mankind in a triple threat match also featuringTriple H.[30] in the two months that followed, Triple H would gain possession of the title. Austin would get his rematch atNo Mercy on October 17 against Triple H, but Austin lost after The Rock accidentally struck him with a sledgehammer shot meant for Triple H. The three were advertised for a triple-threat match atSurvivor Series on November 14, where Austin was run down by a car.[30] The segment was towrite him off television, with the neck injury suffered two years prior posing a real threat of early retirement,[98] and was advised to undergo surgery.[99] Austin would later describe this as "the worst storyline I was ever involved in".[100]
Austin made a one-off appearance atBacklash on April 30, 2000, attacking Triple H and Vince McMahon to help The Rock reclaim the WWF Championship. After Austin's official return atUnforgiven on September 24, Commissioner Mick Foley led an investigation to find out who ran Austin over, with the culprit revealed to beRikishi.[30] AtNo Mercy on October 22, Austin faced Rikishi in a No Holds Barred match, during which Austin attempted to run Rikishi down in a truck, but was prevented from doing so by officials, and the match was deemed a no contest; Austin was subsequently arrested. During a handicap match against Rikishi andKurt Angle, Triple H came down with the apparent intention of teaming with Austin, only to hit Austin with a sledgehammer and reveal he had instructed Rikishi to run him over. AtSurvivor Series on November 19, Triple H aimed to run Austin down again during their match but his plot failed when Austin lifted Triple H's car with a forklift, then let it drop 20 feet. Austin won his thirdRoyal Rumble match on January 21, 2001,[101] last eliminating Kane. His rivalry against Triple H ended atNo Way Out on February 25 in a Three Stages of Hell match, with Triple H defeating Austin two falls to one.[102]
With The Rock defeating Angle for the WWF Championship at No Way Out, Austin was again set to face him atWrestleMania X-Seven on April 1. In the weeks leading up to WrestleMania, animosity grew between Austin and The Rock, stemming from Austin's wife,Debra, being assigned to be The Rock's manager by McMahon. The match at WrestleMania was made a no disqualification match. During the match, McMahon came to the ring, preventing The Rock from pinning Austin on two separate occasions and giving Austin a steel chair. Austin then hit The Rock several times with the chair before pinning him to win the WWF Championship for the fifth time.[30] After the match, Austin shook hands with McMahon, turning heel for the first time since 1997.[103] During a steel cage match with The Rock in a rematch for the WWF Championship the following night onRaw is War, Triple H came down to the ring with a sledgehammer. After teasing siding with The Rock, Triple H instead aligned himself with Austin and McMahon, attacking The Rock and put him out of action. Austin further cemented his heel turn the following Thursday onSmackDown!, when, during an interview withJim Ross about his actions at WrestleMania, he thought Ross was denouncing their friendship and then assaulted Ross. Austin and Triple H became a team known asThe Two-Man Power Trip.[30] Austin altered his character considerably over the next few months by becoming a whiny, temperamental prima donna who complained incessantly when he felt he was not getting respect. He also developed a strange infatuation with McMahon, going to great lengths to impress him, even going so far as to hug him and bring him presents.
Austin and Triple H ran roughshod over all their opponents, until coming up against The Undertaker and Kane. After defeating them for theWWF Tag Team Championship atBacklash on April 29, they held the tag team titles, the WWF Championship (Austin) and the Intercontinental Championship (Triple H) all at once. On the May 21 episode ofRaw is War, Austin and Triple H defended their tag team championship againstChris Jericho andChris Benoit; during the match, Triple H tore hisquadriceps, and the team lost the match and the tag team championship in a highly acclaimed bout,[104][105] with Jim Ross saying the quartet created "magic",[106] while wrestling journalistDave Meltzer awarded the matchfour-and-a-three-quarter stars out of a possible five in hisWrestling Observer Newsletter.[107] Austin officially broke up The Power Trip on that week'sSmackDown!, criticizing Triple H for his injury and for hitting him with the sledgehammer. He continued to align himself with McMahon and began feuding with Jericho and Benoit by himself, leading to a triple-threat match atKing of the Ring on June 24; despite interference from the debutingBooker T, Austin retained the championship.
Meanwhile,the purchase of WCW by Vince McMahon began to bear fruit asThe Invasion began. Invading WCW wrestlers formed analliance with a group of ECW wrestlers, with the group led by Shane and Stephanie McMahon. Vince called Austin out and demanded that he bring "the old Stone Cold" back so he could effectively captain a team of WWF wrestlers in a ten-man tag team match atInvasion on July 22. Austin initially refused, but on the following episode ofRaw is War, he returned to his old ways and hit Stunners on every member of the Alliance, turning face once again. At Invasion, Austin captained the WWF team consisting of himself, Angle, Jericho, andThe Undertaker and Kane against the team of WCW's Booker T andDiamond Dallas Page and ECW'sRhyno andThe Dudley Boyz. Austin turned heel once again by hitting a Stunner on Angle and helping Team WCW/ECW win the match. Austin subsequently joined the Alliance as their leader.[30]
Austin lost the WWF Championship to Angle atUnforgiven on September 23 by submitting to the ankle lock, ending Austin's reign at 175 days, the longest reign since 1996. He would regain the title on the October 8 episode ofRaw, when WWF Commissioner William Regal betrayed Angle and joined the Alliance.[30] Austin then began feuding with Alliance memberRob Van Dam, who was the only member of the Alliance to be cheered by the fans, despite the villainous tactics of the group. Austin faced Angle and Van Dam atNo Mercy on October 21 and retained the title by pinning Van Dam. ForSurvivor Series on November 18, a "winner takes all" 10-man tag team match was announced; Austin captained a team consisting Angle, Shane McMahon, Van Dam, and Booker T, against Team WWF; captained by The Rock, the team also included Jericho, Kane, The Undertaker andBig Show. At Survivor Series, Angle sided with the WWF, helping The Rock to hit the Rock Bottom and pin Austin to win the match, marking the end of the Invasion storyline.[108]
The following night onRaw, Vince McMahon decided he was going to strip Austin of the championship and award it to Angle, beforeRic Flair returned and announced he was now co-owner of the WWF. Austin returned moments after this announcement and attacked Angle and McMahon for their actions. He was then handed his championship belt by Flair and celebrated with him in the ring, turning him face once again.[109] AtVengeance on December 9, a tournament was held to unify the WWF Championship and theWCW World Heavyweight Championship, held by The Rock; also involving Angle and Jericho. Austin would defeat Angle, before losing theunification match to Jericho following interference by McMahon and Booker T.[110]
At theRoyal Rumble on January 20, 2002, Austin entered at number nineteen and lasted until the final four, but was eliminated by Kurt Angle. On the January 28 episode ofRaw, he defeated Angle to earn a shot at Chris Jericho's Undisputed WWF Championship atNo Way Out on February 17.[111] In the build-up to No Way Out, McMahon had signed theNew World Order (nWo), who immediately began a feud with Austin. The nWo would make their debut at No Way Out. At No Way Out, Austin refused a beer gift from the nWo, and they cost him his match against Jericho later that night.[112] Problems were beginning to surface backstage, however, as Austin was unhappy regardingHulk Hogan's return to the WWF.[113] He was reported as refusing to lose to Hogan in a proposed match between the two atWrestleMania X8 on March 17, while Hogan reportedly told McMahon the same regarding losing to Austin. In recent years, Austin claimed he didn't want the match as he didn't want to wrestle at a slower pace, and that he "didn't think we could deliver".[114] Consequently, Austin would face and defeatScott Hall at WrestleMania.[114]
Austin no-showed theRaw after WrestleMania and took a week-long break without the company's consent, citing exhaustion. McMahon claimed his actions caused fury among fans who had paid to see him that night.[115] Austin returned on the April 1 episode ofRaw, the first of the new "brand extension" era. The show was centered around which show he would sign with, and he ultimately chose Raw. Austin entered a feud with The Undertaker that resulted in a number-one contender's match for the Undisputed WWF Championship atBacklash on April 21, which Austin lost despite having his foot on the rope when he was pinned. He would later be betrayed by Big Show after being put in a tag team match with him by Ric Flair, and was subsequently betrayed by Flair himself in the following weeks. Austin then defeated Big Show and Flair in a handicap match atJudgment Day on May 19. In a May interview on WWE's internet program,Byte This!, Austin stunned the company and fans by launching a verbal attack on the direction the company was heading in and slated the creative team for not using him the way he felt they previously did.[116] The WWE rehiredEddie Guerrero for Austin to feud with, while also prepping Austin for a feud withBrock Lesnar. However, Austin balked at the proposition that he lose a King of the Ring qualifying match onRaw to Lesnar, and ultimately walked out of the company.[117] Austin later explained that he thought hot-shotting a rookie made Austin look weak, and airing the match on free television with no build-up did not give Lesnar a proper stage for such a big win over a star of Austin's magnitude. Further fanning the flames amongst Austin's growing number of detractors was a well-publicized domestic dispute incident between Austin and his wife Debra (see below).
After Austin againno-showed the June 10 episode ofRaw, his storylines were immediately dropped.[118] Austin had walked out of the company again, publicly stating he felt underwhelming storylines were presented to him by the creative team. McMahon, along with longtime Austin supporter and real-life friend Jim Ross,buried Austin on WWE programming, referring to him as "taking his ball and going home" because he was not getting his way, whilst also explaining to the fans that neither he nor Ross was able to persuade Austin to change his mind. McMahon insisted that Austin owed an apology to all the fans across the world, especially those who paid solely to see him that night. McMahon toasted to Austin's career with a beer thanking him for all his hard work nonetheless. The same night, Austin's entrance theme was played during an in-ring segment by Flair, but it transitioned to Guerrero's theme and he entered the arena. The Rock also made an appearance onRaw that night, despite being drafted toSmackDown!, and announced his frustrations towards Austin and threw a can of beer at McMahon.
For the remainder of 2002, Austin kept a low profile and did not make any public appearances. It was reported, however, by the end of the year, that Austin and McMahon met and resolved their differences. He then agreed to return to the company in early 2003. In an interview withWWE Raw Magazine,[119] he announced deep regret over the situation that led to his departure and the manner in which he had left, and deeper regret over inaccurate speculation regarding his alleged grudges held against other WWE wrestlers,[120] claiming he had no problem with Hall rejoining the company. However, he admitted he still held strong reservations about his singles match with Hall at WrestleMania only lasting seven minutes and felt the build-up to the match did not live up to the expectations of his fans or Hall's, and was angered by speculation suggesting he disagreed withKevin Nash re-joining the company, insisting he and Nash have always been good friends.[113] He did, however, maintain his displeasure with the storylines and creative changes the WWE had imposed around the time of his departure.[121][122] In an interview with Vince McMahon on his podcast in 2014, Austin publicly revealed for the first time that McMahon had fined him $650,000 upon his return, but he was able to lower the amount to $250,000.[123]
Austin confessed he had a major rift with Triple H's role in the company upon his return in 2002 but insisted as of 2003, they resolved their issues.[124] Also, he claimed a brief dispute with The Rock was resolved quickly upon his return, and that none of his disputes with the talent roster continued or played the major part in his departure.[124] In February, Austin returned atNo Way Out on February 23 by defeatingEric Bischoff. Austin would wrestle only one match between then and WrestleMania, in another short match against Bischoff onRaw. He entered a feud with The Rock, who returned around the same time as a smug, Hollywood sell-out heel. The Rock was offended that the WWE fans voted for Austin in a WWE Magazine poll to determine the 'Superstar of the Decade'. He expressed his frustration at having never defeated Austin at WrestleMania, and challenged Austin to a match atWrestleMania XIX on March 30. Austin was then defeated by The Rock at WrestleMania XIX, in what would be Austin's final match for 19 years.[125]
The following month,Linda McMahon brought Austin back to be the co-general manager of the Raw brand, a role he played for the remainder of the year, often getting into physical altercations with talent and personnel. Austin and Bischoff continued to feud over control of the brand. On the July 21 episode ofRaw, McMahon informed Austin he could not get physical with anyone unless provoked. AtSurvivor Series on November 16, Austin's hand-picked team of Booker T,Bubba Ray Dudley,D-Von Dudley, Rob Van Dam and Shawn Michaels faced Bischoff's team of Chris Jericho,Christian,Mark Henry,Randy Orton andScott Steiner in a5-on-5 Survivor Series elimination match. Austin's team lost afterBatista interfered on behalf of Bischoff. After the matchJonathan Coachman came out to gloat and got beat up by Austin. As a result, Austin was "fired" from his position as co-general manager. Mick Foley took over Austin's former role and began petitioning to have Austin re-instated. Austin returned before the end of 2003, appearing atTribute to the Troops. He posed asSanta Claus before delivering a"Stone Cold Stunner" to bothVince McMahon andJohn Cena. Austin returned toRaw on December 29 as its "Sheriff", giving aStone Cold Stunner to Bischoff and rehiring Michaels, who had just been "fired" by Bischoff.[citation needed] Austin appeared on-and-off as 2004 began, culminating in him being the special guest referee for the Brock Lesnar vs.Goldberg match atWrestleMania XX on March 14. Following the match, Austin attacked both Lesnar and Goldberg withStone Cold Stunners.
On April 3, 2005, Austin made his first appearance on WWE programming in a year atWrestleMania 21 when he appeared withRoddy Piper onPiper's Pit. They were interrupted byCarlito, who received aStone Cold Stunner. The segment ended with Austin and Piper celebrating with beer until Austin gave Piper aStone Cold Stunner. Austin was involved in the concluding segment atECW One Night Stand on June 12 in which he had a beer bash with the ECW locker room and brawled with the anti-ECW invaders, led by Bischoff. He returned atRaw Homecoming on October 3, deliveringStone Cold Stunners to Vince, Shane, Stephanie, and Linda McMahon. An angle including Jim Ross being fired led to a match in which Austin agreed to faceJonathan Coachman atTaboo Tuesday on November 1, with the stipulation of Ross regaining his announcing job had Austin won and Austin losing his job had he lost. Austin hurt his back before the match and could not wrestle unless he was heavily medicated, so the match was canceled. To explain away his failure to appear at Taboo Tuesday, Vince McMahon said onRaw that Austin had been involved in an accident, thus preventing him from competing. Batista substituted for Austin, defeating Coachman along withVader andGoldust.[126]
He returned to WWE to faceJohn "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) in a beer-drinking contest at March 18, 2006, episode ofSaturday Night's Main Event XXXII. Austin inductedBret Hart into theWWE Hall of Fame on April 1, 2006.[30]
Austin returned to WWE programming in March 2007, partially to promote his starring role in the release of WWE Films' productionThe Condemned. On March 31, he inducted Jim Ross into the Hall of Fame. AtWrestleMania 23 on April 1, Austin was thespecial guest referee for the match betweenBobby Lashley andUmaga. If Lashley lost, his managerDonald Trump's head would be shaved, and if Umaga lost, his manager Vince McMahon's head would be shaved. During the match, Austin deliveredStone Cold Stunners to Umaga, Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon, and Trump. Lashley won the match; Trump, Austin, and Lashley then shaved McMahon's head. Austin ended the show by hitting theStone Cold Stunner on both Vince and Trump.[127] He then appeared in a video on the June 11 episode ofRaw as part of "Mr. McMahon's Appreciation Night", where he shared his thoughts on his past feuds with McMahon. Austin appeared on the August 18 episode ofSaturday Night's Main Event, as a possible illegitimate child of McMahon. He hit McMahon and Coachman withStone Cold Stunners before leaving. He appeared atSummerSlam on August 26 to aidMatt Hardy in battlingMVP in a beer-drinking contest. The match ended in a no-contest after Austin handed a beer to MVP and gave him theStone Cold Stunner.[128] Austin made another appearance atCyber Sunday on October 28, where he guest refereed a World Heavyweight Championship match between Batista and The Undertaker. On the November 5 episode ofRaw, Austin made an appearance to confrontSantino Marella for criticizingThe Condemned.[129] The argument ended as Marella received aStone Cold Stunner from Austin, who then walked backstage only to return with aBudweiser beer truck to hose down Marella and his valetMaria with beer.[129] Austin appeared on theRaw 15th Anniversary special, attacking Vince McMahon.
On October 26, 2008, atCyber Sunday, Austin was the special guest referee during a match between Batista and Chris Jericho for theWorld Heavyweight Championship.[130] On January 12, 2009, onRaw, Austin was announced to be the first member of the Hall of Fame class of 2009.[131] He was inducted by his long-term on-screen rival Vince McMahon, who referred to Austin as "the greatest WWE Superstar of all time". During the induction, Austin said he was officially closing the door on his wrestling career and starting a new chapter in his life. He would appear atWrestleMania 25 the next night, driving an ATV to the ring. Austin appeared as theguest host ofRaw on March 15, 2010, moderating a contract signing between McMahon andBret Hart for their match atWrestleMania XXVI on March 28.
In early 2011, Austin was announced as the head trainer and host for the revival ofTough Enough. On the March 7 episode ofRaw, Austin interrupted the contract signing of the special guest referee for theMichael Cole andJerry Lawler match atWrestleMania XXVII on April 3, originally scheduled to be JBL; Austin attacked JBL with aStone Cold Stunner and signed the contract instead.[132] Although Lawler won by submission, theAnonymous Raw General Manager reversed the decision and disqualified Lawler, claiming that Austin had "overstepped his authority". Austin appeared onRaw the following night with the cast fromTough Enough, while also getting into an altercation withThe Miz andAlex Riley. On the June 6 episode ofRaw, Austin appeared to declareAndy Leavine as the winner ofTough Enough. He also served as the special guest referee in the evening's tag team main event ofJohn Cena and Alex Riley against The Miz andR-Truth, hitting Miz with aStone Cold Stunner and aiding Cena. However, the Anonymous Raw General Manager awarding the match to The Miz and R-Truth via disqualification. Austin did not take kindly to his decision being overturned and gave Cole aStone Cold Stunner, which was followed with anAttitude Adjustment by Cena. Austin and Cena closed the show with a beer bash. Austin later appeared as the special guest General Manager on the "WWE All-Stars" episode ofRaw, during which he destroyed the Anonymous Raw General Manager's laptop by running over it with his ATV. In July 2012, Austin was announced as the cover star of the special edition of the video gameWWE '13. He then began a brief, verbal feud onRaw with fellow cover starCM Punk in the months leading to release.
Austin appeared atWrestleMania XXX on April 6, 2014, with Hulk Hogan and The Rock in the opening segment.[133] Austin made an appearance on the October 19, 2015, episode ofRaw, introducing The Undertaker and promoting theWrestleMania 32 event.[134] Austin again appeared onRaw the following week, where he promoted theWWE 2K16 video game in a backstage segment.[135] AtWrestleMania 32 on April 3, 2016, Austin (alongsideMick Foley and Shawn Michaels) confrontedThe League of Nations, with Austin deliveringStone Cold Stunners toRusev andKing Barrett. While Austin was celebrating with Michaels and Foley,The New Day tried to convince Austin to dance with them in celebration. While Austin reluctantly danced along at first, he soon hitXavier Woods with aStone Cold Stunner.[136]
DuringRaw's 25th anniversary episode on January 22, 2018, Austin appeared and performed aStone Cold Stunner on Shane and Vince McMahon.[137] On July 22, 2019, Austin appeared on theRaw Reunion episode and raised a toast alongsideTriple H,Hulk Hogan,Ric Flair, and various other wrestlers from his era.[138] On September 9, he made an appearance onRaw atMadison Square Garden for the contract signing betweenSeth Rollins andBraun Strowman. Having been interrupted byAJ Styles, he hit Styles with aStone Cold Stunner.[139] On the March 16, 2020, episode ofRaw, Austin made an appearance to promote "3:16 Day" as a holiday. He shared a beer with commentatorByron Saxton before giving him aStone Cold Stunner. He then shared a beer withBecky Lynch andThe Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins, andMontez Ford) before giving The Street ProfitsStone Cold Stunners.[140]
On March 7, 2022,Kevin Owens invited Austin as a special guest on the KO Show atWrestleMania 38 following several promos where Owens disrespected Austin's native Texas, where WrestleMania 38 was scheduled to take place. The next day, Austin accepted the invite.[141] At the end of WrestleMania 38 - Night 1, Owens revealed that the invite to talk on the KO show was a ruse and that he actually wanted to fight Austin. He challenged Austin to aNo Holds Barred match, which Austin accepted, marking his first wrestling match in WWE in over 19 years. He would go on to win after hitting Owens with aStone Cold Stunner. After the match, Austin gave anotherStone Cold Stunner to Owens and one to Byron Saxton before celebrating with his brother, Kevin.[142] The match received positive reviews from critics, with Kevin Pantoja of 411Mania and John Canton of TJR Wrestling giving the match a rating of 3.5/5 and 3/5 stars, respectively. Both noted the high entertainment value of Austin's return, aside from the rating of the match itself.[143][144] On Night 2 of WrestleMania 38, after McMahon defeatedPat McAfee in an impromptu match, Austin made another appearance, givingAustin Theory aStone Cold Stunner. He then began drinking beer with McMahon before hitting him with a one more iconicStone Cold Stunner, paying homage to how the majority of on-screen interactions between the two have ended for almost 25 years.[145] Austin then toasted with McAfee but hit him with aStone Cold Stunner too.[145][146]
On April 20, 2025, at Night 2 ofWrestleMania 41, Austin made his first appearance in three years, and crashed an ATV into the barricade.[147][148]
Since his retirement in 2003, Austin has been widely regarded and cited as one of the greatest and most influential professional wrestlers of all time.Sports Illustrated ranked him third on their top 101 greatest wrestlers of all-time list.[149] In 2020,SPORTbible ranked Austin as the greatest wrestler of all time,[150] and the following year in 2021Bleacher Report also named him the greatest of all time.[151] He has been described as the most influential wrestler inRaw history,[152] and the poster boy for the Attitude Era.[153][154][155] Several former world champions have named Austin as part of their "Mount Rushmore" of wrestling, including The Rock,[156] The Undertaker,[157] Hulk Hogan,[158] Ric Flair,[159] and John Cena,[160] and a 2012 poll conducted by WWE saw Austin picked second on a fan voted version of the concept.[161] When Vince McMahon inducted Austin into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009, he referred to Austin as "the greatest WWE superstar of all time".[162]
Austin was the biggest box office draw in WWE since Hulk Hogan. His contributions in saving the WWF and winning the Monday Night Wars against WCW helped future superstars like John Cena, who would go onto establish WWE as a global brand. He headlinedWrestleMania X-Seven, the first WrestleMania to achieve a $1 million buy rate. The event was universally acclaimed and is often regarded as the greatest pay-per-view in professional wrestling history. It is also noted as the pinnacle of the Attitude Era, occurring just a week after the WWF bought out their competition, WCW.[163]
During his early years as a wrestler, Austin was atechnical wrestler. However, afterOwen Hart accidentally injured Austin's neck in 1997, Austin changed his style from technical to brawler.[164][165] His most famous finishing move is theStone Cold Stunner,[166] and he creditsMichael Hayes with introducing the move to him.[167] Following his retirement, he gave permission toKevin Owens to use the move as his own finisher, but both have downplayed comparisons between the two.[168][169][170] During his time as The Ringmaster, he used theMillion Dollar Dream as a finishing move since it wasTed DiBiase's finisher. During his time in WCW, Austin used theStun Gun (a move innovated byEddie Gilbert as theHot Shot) and theHollywood & Vine (a standing modifiedfigure-four leglock) as his finishers.[171]
Sporting a bald head and goatee, coupled with his ring attire which consisted of plain black trunks and boots,[172][173] Austin relied solely on his personality to become popular.[172][174] As "Stone Cold", Austin was portrayed on-screen as an anti-authority rebel who would consistently cuss and defy the company rules and guidelines of WWE Chairman Vince McMahon. One of Austin's taunts during theAttitude Era was to show themiddle finger.[175] To complement his persona, Austin was the recipient of two additional nicknames, commentator and real life friend Jim Ross dubbed him "The Texas Rattlesnake" due to the character's "...mannerisms, the motivation, the mindset, you can't trust this son of a bitch",[176] while Austin later named himself "The Bionic Redneck" on account of the injuries he had suffered to his arms, neck and knees.[177] Austin has said he is "eternally indebted" to Ross for helping his character become popular.[178]
On both his podcasts, Austin credited Bret Hart as the wrestler who got him over the most, had most influence on his early wrestling style, and who he had his best matches with.[179][180] Austin would later go on to induct Bret Hart into the WWE Hall of Fame.[181] The match between Austin andBret Hart atWrestleMania 13 has been widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestling matches of all time,[182] and has been voted byIGN as the greatest match in WrestleMania history, and was number 1 among their list of top 20 WrestleMania matches of all time.[183] The match would later receive the inaugural "Immortal Moment" Award at the2025 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony.[184]
A 12-minute match between Undertaker and Stone Cold Steve Austin drew a 9.5 rating on June 28, 1999. It stands as the highest-rated segment in Raw history.[185]
According to the data collected by US-bookies, Stone Cold Steve Austin is still WWE's best merchandise seller earning an estimated $3,600,000 from merchandise on WWE Shop site. John Cena takes the #2 spot, earning almost $2,700,000 from WWE Shop.[186] 'Austin 3:16' T-shirt is amongst the best selling T-shirts in wrestling history[187]
In August 2001, Austin began using his catchphrase "What?" to interrupt wrestlers who were trying to speak and to allow fan participation chants.[188] Audiences at WWE shows have since widely used this chant during performer promos,[189][190] and Austin has expressed his surprise at the staying power of the chant, stating in a 2011 interview: "it's been interesting!"[191] Austin's entrance theme was composed byJim Johnston, who said that in composing the song, he looked upon Austin's persona as an "ass-kicker guy who did not enter a room with subtlety. He needed something that reflected that".[192] Looking to capture the unpredictable nature of the character, Johnston thought of using the sounds of a car crash and smashing glass, and recalled that he instantly felt the theme fit the character and that "it felt like it had already been his theme for years".[192] Austin says the song was inspired byRage Against the Machine's song "Bulls on Parade".[193] The theme song was revamped in 2000, with the rock bandDisturbed recording the new version, used for the first time at theUnforgiven PPV event in September.[194] Austin's entrance theme is regarded as one of the greatest of all time,[195][196][197][198] and one which defined the Attitude Era.[199]
Austin had guest roles onCelebrity Deathmatch and Seasons 4 and 5 of CBS'sNash Bridges, where he playedSan Francisco Police Department Inspector Jake Cage. He has appeared onV.I.P andDilbert. His motion picture debut was in a supporting role as Guard Dunham in the 2005 remake ofThe Longest Yard. Austin had his first starring film role, as Jack Conrad, a dangerous convict awaiting execution in aSalvadoran prison, who takes part in an illegal deathmatch game that is being broadcast to the public in the 2007action filmThe Condemned.[citation needed] In 2010, Austin appeared inThe Expendables as Dan Paine, the right-hand man for the primary antagonist of the film James Munroe, played byEric Roberts, and bodyguard withGary Daniels who plays The Brit. Shortly after Austin re-teamed with Eric Roberts and Gary Daniels inHunt to Kill.[citation needed] It was his last American theatrical release film until 2013. Austin appeared as Hugo Panzer on television seriesChuck. He has also starred inDamage,The Stranger,Tactical Force,Knockout,Recoil,Maximum Conviction, andThe Package.[200] He made a appearance inGrown Ups 2 and his most recent acting role came inSmosh: The Movie.
In 2011 a documentary was released about Austin’s career titledWwe: Stone Cold Steve Austin: The Bottom Line on the Most Popular Superstar of All Time. It included interviews with Austin and his and his rivals while covering famous matches, promos, and behind-the-scenes moments.[201]
In April 2013, Austin started a weekly podcast namedThe Steve Austin Show which is family-friendly, while his second podcastThe Steve Austin Show – Unleashed! is more adult-oriented.[202] As of May 2015, the podcasts averaged 793,000 downloads a week and had nearly 200 million overall downloads.[203] In February 2018, Austin announced that the "Unleashed" version of the podcast had been dropped and merged with the family-friendly version in order to appeal to more sponsors.[204] The podcast has also transitioned to a live broadcast for theWWE Network (podcasted after a short exclusivity period) with monthly specials since 2014.[205] In November 2019, Austin began an interview segment on the WWE Network called theBroken Skull Sessions, taking its name from the ranch owned by Austin.[206] The premiere episode featuredThe Undertaker.[207]
Austin hosted the reality competition showRedneck Island onCMT, which began in June 2012[208] the show would strand a group of contestants, stereotyped as "rednecks", on a deserted island and they compete for food and immunity. It concluded with its fifth season in April 2016.[209] In July 2014, his reality competition showSteve Austin's Broken Skull Challenge premiered on CMT.[210] The show entered into its fifth season in September 2017.[211] Every episode seen a group of eight contestants, either all men or all women, get taken the "Broken Skull Ranch" to compete in a series of physical challenges for a chance at $10,000. Austin later revealed in a interview that it was not filmed at the real Broken Skull Ranch, but an area just outside ofLos Angeles designed to represent his ranch.[212]
From 2019 to 2021 Austin hostedStraight Up Steve Austin, the show followed Austin along with celebrity guest travel across the country, swapping stories about their lives and careers the show aired on theUSA Network.[213] In 2023 Austin started in another television show titledStone Cold Takes on America which aired onA&E. The show follows Austin hitting the road, to accept challenges from fans that will push him out of his comfort zone.[214]
In 2024 Austin was the subject of the season 4 episode 7 ofBiography: WWE Legends.[215]
In 2003 Austin released his autobiographyThe Stone Cold Truth which was co written alongsideJim Ross. The book goes over his entire life up that point from his childhood in Texas to his to the top of the WWE, while also giving behind the scenes look at Austin what he was going through during his career with him sharing his firsthand experiences.[216]
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1999 | Beyond The Mat | Himself | Documentary |
| 2005 | The Longest Yard | Guard Dunham | |
| 2007 | The Condemned | Jack Conrad / Jack Riley | |
| 2009 | Damage | John Brickner | Direct-to-video |
| 2010 | The Expendables | Dan Paine | |
| The Stranger | Tom "The Stranger" Tomashevsky | Direct-to-video | |
| Hunt to Kill | U.S. Border Patrol Agent Jim Rhodes | Direct-to-video | |
| Whoop Ass | Himself | Short film | |
| 2011 | Recoil | Ryan Varrett | Direct-to-video |
| Knockout | Dan Barnes | Direct-to-video | |
| Tactical Force | SWAT Captain Frank Tate | Direct-to-video | |
| 2012 | Maximum Conviction | Manning | Direct-to-video |
| 2013 | The Package | Tommy Wick | Direct-to-video |
| Grown Ups 2 | Tommy Cavanaugh | ||
| 2014 | Chain of Command | Ray Peters | Direct-to-video |
| 2015 | Smosh: The Movie | Himself | |
| Television | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1998 | V.I.P. | Himself | |
| 1998–2002 | Celebrity Deathmatch | Himself | Voice |
| 1999–2000 | Nash Bridges | Inspector Jake Cage | Recurring role, 6 episodes |
| 2000 | Dilbert | Himself | Voice; Episode "The Delivery" |
| 2003 | Hollywood Squares | Himself | 5 Episodes |
| 2005 | The Bernie Mac Show | Himself | |
| 2010 | Chuck | Hugo Panzer | 2 episodes |
| 2011 | Tough Enough | Himself | Host and TV wrestling trainer |
| 2012–2016 | Redneck Island | Himself | Host |
| 2014–2017 | Steve Austin's Broken Skull Challenge | Himself | Host |
| 2019–present | Straight Up Steve Austin | Himself | Host |
| 2020 | Undertaker: The Last Ride | Himself | Documentary series |
| 2023–present | Stone Cold Takes on America | Himself | Host |
| 2023 | WWE's Most Wanted Treasures | Himself | 1 Episode |
| Podcast | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2019–present | The Broken Skull Sessions | Himself | |
| Music videos | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2019 | ¿Quién tu eres? | Himself | Music video debut[217] |
Austin played college football at the University of North Texas. Austin married his high school girlfriend Kathryn Burrhus on November 24, 1990. However, he later pursued a relationship with English wrestling managerJeanie Clarke, with whom he was working. His marriage to Burrhus was annulled on August 7, 1992, while he was in Japan[219] and he married Clarke on December 18, on his 28th birthday. They had two daughters before divorcing in 1999.[220][221] Austin also adopted Clarke's daughter from a previous relationship withChris Adams.[220][221]
In 1998 Austin was the recipient ofHamilton, Ontario's "Key to the City," he is the only person to ever be bestowed the honor.[222][223] That same year on September 1, the city ofLowell, Massachusetts declared that date Stone Cold day along with naming a street after him for the day.[224] March 16, is also commonly associated with Austin due to the date matching up with his wrestling catchphrase 3:16.[225]
On September 13, 2000, Austin married wrestling managerDebra Marshall.[226] On June 15, 2002, Marshall called the police to the couple's home. She told officers that Austin had hit her and then stormed out of the house before police arrived.[227][228] An arrest warrant was issued by theBexar County district attorney's office on August 12 and Austin turned himself in the following day, at which point he was charged withdomestic abuse.[229][230] He pleadedno contest on November 25, and was given a year's probation, a $1,000 fine, and ordered to carry out 80 hours of community service.[231] In 2007, Marshall toldFox News that[232] WWE knew of the abuse, but worked to keep her from revealing that Austin had hit her as it would cost the company millions of dollars.[233] Austin responded to the incident in 2003 throughWWE Raw Magazine, citing his regret over their relationship breaking down and stating his love for Marshall. He also ridiculed allegations that the incident was alcohol-related.[234] He filed for divorce from Marshall on July 22, 2002, which was finalized on February 5, 2003.[235]
In March 2003, during the hours leading up to WrestleMania XIX, Austin was rushed to the hospital fortwitchiness and a high heart rate.[236]
In 2003, Austin denied allegations that he was an alcoholic, stating that wrestling fans had mistaken his character's excessive consumption of beer as a real-life trait of his and insisting that he drinks responsibly.[234] In March 2004, he was accused of assaulting his then-girlfriendTess Broussard during a dispute at his home inSan Antonio, Texas, according to a police report. No arrests were made and no charges were filed in the case.[237]
In 2007, theWrestling Observer newsletter reported that Austin had legally changed his name to Steve Austin.[238]
In late 2009, Austin married his fourth wife, Kristin Feres.[7][239]
In 2014, Austin voiced support forsame-sex marriage on his podcast.[240] Also in 2014, Austin released his first beer, Broken Skull IPA, with El Segundo Brewing Company in California. In March 2022, they released another collaboration, Broken Skull American Lager.[241][242] The beers are distributed in 39 states with El Segundo brewing over 5,000 barrels of Broken Skull annually.[243][244]
Austin has owned three ranches: the Broken Skull Ranch was nearTilden, Texas[245] and the Broken Skull Ranch 2.0 inGardnerville, Nevada.[246] Austin is a fan of theDallas Cowboys as well as theAlabama Crimson Tide.[247][248]
In 2023, Austin began competing indesert racing with aUTV.[249] He co-owns GFI Racing and drives the No. 316 car in reference to his wrestling catchphrase.[250][251] Austin won the 2024 Valley Off Road Racing Association championship in the Sportsman UTV class before racing theMint 400 for the first time in 2025, where he was also the grand marshal.[252][253]
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