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Stone Cold Steve Austin

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Stone Cold Steve Austin
Born (1964-12-18) December 18, 1964 (age 59)[1]
Austin, Texas
WebsiteBroken Skull Ranch
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)"Stone Cold" Steve Austin
"Stunning" Steve Austin
"Superstar" Steve Austin
Steve Williams
The Ringmaster
Billed height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Billed weight255 lb (116 kg)
Billed fromVictoria, Texas
Trained byChris Adams
DebutSeptember 30, 1987[2]
RetiredApril 2, 2022[2]

Steve Austin (born Steven James Anderson on December 18, 1964, later Steven Williams),[1] better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin[3] is an American retired professional wrestler, producer, and actor. He is known for his work within the WWE where he worked from 1995 to 2002. He is currently signed with the WWE in a Legends deal.

He is known for portraying a disrespectful, beer-drinking antihero and had popular feuds with his boss Mr. McMahon and The Rock during The Attitude Era. His finishing move is the Stone Cold Stunner. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009 by Vince McMahon.[4]

Stone Cold hosted of the fifth season of Tough Enough.[5] He currently hosts weekly podcast called "The Steve Austin Show" on PodcastOne.com where he talks about stuff that interests him and interviews guests. He also hosted the reality competition show Redneck Island on CMT and a reality show for CMT on June 10, 2014 called Steve Austin's Broken Skull Ranch.[6]

Wrestling career

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Early years

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Austin first joined Chris Adams' school in the Dallas Sportatorium, where Chris Adams also competed for World Class Championship Wrestling. Adams' trained purely technical and taught Austin the wrestling moves. Adams' however did not teach Austin anything relating to kayfabe or the business. The first lesson that Austin learned was from Tony Falk, a referee in Austin's 1989 televised World Class debut against a wrestler named Frogman LeBlanc. Falk called spots and helped Austin win the match by pinfall. Austin first competed under his real name but was named "Steve Austin" by Memphis booker Dutch Mantell. Austin returned to Dallas and had a feud with Adams, who was managed by Percy Pringle and was led to the ring by Jeannie Adams (Adams' real-life former wife and Austin's girlfriend at the time). During that time, Austin adopted the "Stunning" nickname which he also used in WCW.[7]

World Championship Wrestling

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After leaving the USWA in 1990, Austin signed with WCW in 1991. He was first accompanied by a valet named Vivacious Veronica[8] but was later joined by Jeannie Adams who was known as "Lady Blossom".[8] A couple weeks before he debuted, Austin was able to defeat Bobby Eaton to win his first WCW World Television Championship on June 3, 1991. Later in that year, he joined Paul E. Dangerously's Dangerous Alliance.[9] On April 27, 1992, Barry Windham defeated Austin in a two out of three falls match to win the WCW Television Championship. Austin won the title back from Windham on May 23. He held the title until he lost the title to Ricky Steamboat on September 2, 1992. The Dangerous Alliance stable broke up a while later. During Halloween Havoc, he replaced Terry Gordy and teamed with "Dr. Death" Steve Williams in a match against Dustin Rhodes and Barry Windham for the unified WCW and NWA World Tag Team title.[10] The match ended in a thirty-minute time limit draw.[10]

In January 1993, Austin joined Brian Pillman to form the tag team The Hollywood Blonds.[11] Austin and Pillman defeated Ricky Steamboat and Shane Douglas on March 3 to win the WCW World Tag Team Championship. The Blonds held the titles for five months. At Clash of the Champions XXIII, Austin and Pillman competed in a two-out-of-three-falls tag team title match against Ric Flair and Arn Anderson. The Blonds were defeated by Flair and Anderson but they were not given the titles because one of the falls was counted by a disqualification.[12] The Blonds were scheduled to defend their title against Anderson and Paul Roma at Clash of the Champions XXIV. Pillman was however injured and was replaced by Steven Regal. Anderson and Roma defeated Austin and Regal at the event. While Pillman was still injured, Austin joined Colonel Robert Parker's Stud Stable. When Pillman returned, he was betrayed by Austin and was defeated in a singles match against Austin at Clash of the Champions XXV.[13]

Austin defeated Dustin Rhodes with two straight falls in a two-out-of-three-falls match to win the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship at Starrcade.[11] On August 24, 1994, Austin lost the championship to Ricky Steamboat. Austin was supposed to have a rematch for the title at Fall Brawl but won the title by forfeit after Steamboat was not able to compete because to a back injury. His reign as champion only lasted minutes when lost to Jim Duggan, who was acting as Steamboat's replacement. The match only lasted thirty-five seconds.[14] He had a rematch against Duggan for the United States Championship at both Halloween Havoc 1994 and Clash of the Champions XXIX but didn't win either matches.[15][16] After Austin returned from a knee injury in early 1995, he took part in a tournament to crown the new WCW United States Heavyweight title. Austin defeated Duggan in the first round by count-out but lost in the quarterfinals to Randy "Macho Man" Savage

Extreme Championship Wrestling

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When Austin suffered a triceps injury while on a tour of Japan, he was fired by WCW Vice President Eric Bischoff. WCW and Bischoff thought that Austin would not be a 'marketable' wrestler.[17] After he was fired, Austin expressed his opinion on being fired by Eric Bischoff over the phone as having taken the coward's way out. Bischoff said that he fired Austin because he refused to do a taping in Atlanta. When he heard that Austin was fired, Paul Heyman who ran Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), contacted him. Heyman hired Austin to perform in-ring interviews because Austin was still not recovered from his injury enough to compete.[18] Austin's time in ECW helped build his future "Stone Cold" persona. He appeared in vignettes which ran down WCW and Bischoff. Some of the more memorable promos that he did involved his then-status as WCW Monday Nitro host by introducing Monday NyQuil. He was also joined by "Bongo", (which were a set of bongo drums that were meant to represent Steve "Mongo" McMichael) in helping to promote the show "where the big boys play with each other"[18]

During his time in ECW, he was known under the ring name "Superstar" Steve Austin.[19] He feuded with Mikey Whipwreck and had a match with The Sandman.[19] Austin challenged for the ECW Championship but was defeated by Whipwreck at November to Remember.[20] Austin competed in a Triple Threat match at December to Dismember against The Sandman and Whipwreck for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship but he did not win the match.[21] Heyman said later on that he wanted to have Austin win the ECW Championship but Austin did not want to win it because he felt that he was more effective "as the hunter, rather than the hunted."[22]

World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE

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On March 7, 2022, after many months him insulting Texas, Kevin Owens invited Austin to be a guest on his talk show The KO Show at WrestleMania 38 which Austin later accepted in a video reply.[23] During the show, Owens challenged Austin to a No Holds Barred match which he agreed. The two fought around the arena and Austin won after hitting Owens with the stunner and getting the pinfall. It was Austin's first match in 19 years.[24]

In wrestling

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Accomplishments

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Austin during his time as WWF Champion

Television

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References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Stone Cold Truth (p.10)
  2. 2.0 2.1 Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Stone Cold Truth (p.55)
  3. "WWE: WWE Magazines > WWE Magazine Feature of the Week > Feature of the Week_20090507". Archived from the original on June 1, 2009. Retrieved September 9, 2009.
  4. 4.0 4.1 ""Stone Cold" Steve Austin: 2009 WWE Hall of Fame Inductee". WWE. Archived from the original on July 28, 2012. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  5. "Stone Cold Steve Austin set to host new 'Tough Enough' -- EXCLUSIVE". EW.com.
  6. "WWE Hall of Famer "Stone Cold" Steve Austin to host new reality series for CMT". ProWrestling.net. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  7. Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Stone Cold Truth (p.5)
  8. 8.0 8.1 Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Stone Cold Truth (p.85-86)
  9. Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Stone Cold Truth (p.89)
  10. 10.0 10.1 Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Stone Cold Truth (p.91-93)
  11. 11.0 11.1 ""Stone Cold" Steve Austin biography". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on March 8, 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
  12. "The Chrononaut Chronicles: Clash of the Champions XXIII". 411mania. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  13. "WCW Clash of the Champions XXV". The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
  14. "WCW Fall Brawl 1994 results". Pro Wrestling History. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  15. "WCW Halloween Havoc 1994 results". Pro Wrestling History. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  16. "The Chrononaut Chronicles: WCW Clash of the Champions XXIX". 411mania. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  17. Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Stone Cold Truth (p.117–118)
  18. 18.0 18.1 Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Stone Cold Truth (p.120)
  19. 19.0 19.1 Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Stone Cold Truth (p.123–125)
  20. "ECW November to Remember 1995 results". Pro Wrestling History. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  21. "ECW December to Dismember 1995 results". Pro Wrestling History. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  22. "Paul Heyman Talks To WWE About Steve Austin & ECW". Wrestling Inc. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  23. ""Stone Cold" Steve Austin to confront Kevin Owens on "The KO Show" at WrestleMania". WWE. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  24. "4/2 WWE WrestleMania 38 Results: Keller's detailed match report with analysis including Charlotte vs. Rousey, Lynch vs. Belair, Austin on KO Show". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  25. "Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 1998". The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  26. "Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 1999". The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  27. "Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Top 500 Wrestlers of the PWI Years". The Internet Wrestling Database. Archived from the original on September 21, 2011. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  28. "TWF Tag Team Championship history". Solie. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  29. "United States Championship - Steve Austin (December 27, 1993 - August 24, 1994)". WWE. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  30. "United States Championship - Steve Austin (September 18, 1994 - September 18, 1994)". WWE. Archived from the original on October 14, 2013. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  31. "WCW World Tag Team Championship history". Solie. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  32. "World Television Championship history". Solie. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  33. "$$ Million Dollar Belt Title History $$". Wrestling Information Archive. Archived from the original on April 23, 2007. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  34. "WWE Championship - "Stone Cold" Steve Austin (March 29, 1998 - June 28, 1998)". WWE. Archived from the original on December 21, 2013. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  35. "WWE Championship - "Stone Cold" Steve Austin (June 29, 1998 - September 27, 1998)". WWE. Archived from the original on December 21, 2013. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  36. "WWE Championship - "Stone Cold" Steve Austin (March 28, 1999 - May 23, 1999)". WWE. Archived from the original on December 21, 2013. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  37. "WWE Championship - "Stone Cold" Steve Austin (June 28, 1999 - August 22, 1999)". WWE. Archived from the original on December 21, 2013. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  38. "WWE Championship - "Stone Cold" Steve Austin (April 01, 2001 - September 23, 2001)". WWE. Archived from the original on December 21, 2013. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  39. "WWE Championship - "Stone Cold" Steve Austin (October 08, 2001 - December 09, 2001)". WWE. Archived from the original on December 21, 2013. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  40. "Intercontinental Championship - Stone Cold (August 03, 1997 - Present)". WWE. Archived from the original on November 10, 2013. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  41. "Intercontinental Championship - Stone Cold (November 09, 1997 - December 08, 1997)". WWE. Archived from the original on November 10, 2013. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  42. "World Tag Team Championship - Stone Cold & Shawn Michaels (May 26, 1997 - July 14, 1997)". WWE. Archived from the original on December 21, 2013. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  43. "World Tag Team Championship - Stone Cold & Dude Love (July 14, 1997 - September 07, 1997)". WWE. Archived from the original on December 15, 2013. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  44. "World Tag Team Championship - Stone Cold & Undertaker (July 26, 1998 - August 10, 1998)". WWE. Archived from the original on December 27, 2013. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  45. "World Tag Team Championship - Stone Cold & Triple H (April 29, 2001 - May 21, 2001)". WWE. Archived from the original on December 21, 2013. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  46. "King of the Ring 1996 results". Wrestling Supercards and Tournaments. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  47. "Royal Rumble 1997: Rumble Match". WWE. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  48. "Royal Rumble 1998: Rumble Match". WWE. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  49. "Royal Rumble 2001: Rumble Match". WWE. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  50. "Slammy Moment No. 6: Stone Cold Wins the Freedom of Speech Slammy in 1997". WWE. Archived from the original on December 11, 2013. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  51. "WCW WrestleWar '92". Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
  52. "WWF WrestleMania 13". Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved January 1, 2014.

Other websites

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