Stone Cold Steve Austin
Steve Austin, also known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American media personality, actor, producer and retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, as an ambassador. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he was integral to the development and success of the World Wrestling Federation during the Attitude Era, an industry boom period in the late 1990s and early 2000s where wrestling reached the peak of its mainstream popularity.
Austin began his professional wrestling career in 1989, after playing college football at the University of North Texas. He signed with World Championship Wrestling in 1991 and adopted the persona of "Stunning" Steve Austin, a villainous in-ring technician, and he won the WCW World Television Championship and the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship twice each, alongside one reign with a double crown of the WCW World Tag Team Championship and NWA World Tag Team Championship, with Brian Pillman. After a brief stint in Extreme Championship Wrestling, Austin signed with the World Wrestling Federation in 1995.
In the WWF, Austin initially debuted under the short lived gimmick of The Ringmaster, an in-ring technician character before being repackaged as a short-tempered, brash and brazen anti-establishment antihero named "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, becoming the most popular wrestler of the Attitude Era off the back of his feud with company chairman Vince McMahon. He won the WWF Championship six times, the WWF Intercontinental Championship twice, the Million Dollar Championship once, and the WWF Tag Team Championship four times, making him the fifth WWF Triple Crown Champion. He is also a record three-time Royal Rumble winner, won the 1996 King of the Ring, and headlined multiple WWF pay-per-view events, including its flagship event, WrestleMania, four times. He was forced to retire from in-ring competition in 2003 after multiple knee injuries and a serious neck injury at the 1997 SummerSlam event, making sporadic appearances ever since. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009, and returned for a final match against Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 38 in April 2022.
Austin hosts the podcast The Steve Austin Show, and the video podcast Broken Skull Sessions available on the WWE Network and Peacock. He collaborates with El Segundo Brewing on Broken Skull IPA and Broken Skull American Lager. He also hosted the reality competition series Steve Austin's Broken Skull Challenge and Straight Up Steve Austin.
Early life
Steve Austin was born Steven James Anderson on December 18, 1964, in Austin, Texas. After his parents divorced, his mother moved the family to Victoria, 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 in Edna, Texas. Austin also has a third brother, Jeff, and a sister, Jennifer.He attended Edna High School where he was a running back for the schools football team all 4 years. Following his graduation he then attended Wharton County Junior College for one year where he played linebacker. After a successful season with the team he was offered a full scholarship and transferred to the University of North Texas. He continued playing as a linebacker but switched to defensive end after a knee injury. Austin's father also played football at Rice University. 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.” He ultimately dropped out of college just a few credits short of graduating.
Austin developed an early interest in professional wrestling, regularly watching Houston Wrestling promoted by Paul Boesch. While in college, he lived near the Dallas Sportatorium, where World Class Championship Wrestling held events. He legally changed his name to Steve Austin in December 2007.
Professional wrestling career
Early career (1986–1989)
Steve Austin began his wrestling training in 1986 under Chris Adams at the Dallas Sportatorium, when Adams was affiliated with World Class Wrestling Association. Although the training emphasized technical skills, Austin later expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of instruction on the business side of wrestling.Austin made his in-ring debut later that year in a televised WCWA match using his real name at the time, Steve Williams. During the merger of WCWA and the Memphis-based Continental Wrestling Association into the United States Wrestling Association, 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 during this period. One of his early storylines involved a feud with his trainer, Chris Adams.
World Championship Wrestling (1991–1995)
Dangerous Alliance (1991–1992)
Austin debuted in World Championship Wrestling in May 1991. He was nicknamed "Stunning" Steve Austin, a name and gimmick he later said he could not commit to. Austin was originally paired with a valet named Vivacious Veronica but was later joined by Jeannie Adams, known as "Lady Blossom". Just weeks after his debut, Austin defeated Bobby Eaton for his first WCW World Television Championship on June 3, and later that year joined Paul E. Dangerously's Dangerous Alliance. Austin lost the WCW World Television Championship to Barry Windham in a two-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 to Ricky Steamboat at Clash of the Champions XX in September 1992, while the Dangerous Alliance disbanded shortly thereafter.In August and September 1992, as part of a working agreement between WCW and New Japan Pro-Wrestling, Austin wrestled four matches in Japan. He took part in the 1992 G1 Climax, defeating Arn Anderson in the first round before losing to Keiji Muto in the second round. He and Arn Anderson then defeated Raging Staff in a tag team bout held in the Ryōgoku Kokugikan in Tokyo. In his final bout, Austin challenged Masahiro Chono for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in the main event of the "Battle Hold Arena" event at the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, losing by submission after Chono applied an STF.
Hollywood Blonds; Stud Stable (1992–1993)
In September 1992, Austin formed a tag team known as the Hollywood Blonds with Brian Pillman, at the behest of lead booker Dusty Rhodes. Austin would later say that he was not excited about being placed into a tag team, as he was earmarked for a run with the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship with Harley Race as his manager. Initially billed under their individual personas, Pillman decided the pair needed their own finishing move, ring gear and team name, with traveling partner Scott Levy proposing The Hollywood Blonds, used in the 1970s by Buddy Roberts and Jerry Brown. At Halloween Havoc in October 1992, Austin teamed with "Dr. Death" Steve Williams to wrestle Dustin Rhodes and Windham for the unified WCW and NWA World Tag Team Championship, wrestling to a 30-minute time limit draw.On March 27, 1993, the Hollywood Blonds won the unified NWA and WCW World Tag Team Championship by defeating Ricky Steamboat and Shane Douglas, and held the championship for five months. In the main event of Clash of the Champions XXIII in June 1993, the Blondes defended their championship against Ric Flair and Arn 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 a disqualification caused by Barry Windham. At Clash of the Champions XXIV In August 1993, Austin and Pillman were scheduled to defend their championship against Anderson and Paul Roma but a legitimately injured Pillman was replaced by Steven Regal, with whom Austin lost to Anderson and Roma.
With Pillman injured, Austin joined Colonel Robert Parker's Stud Stable. After Pillman returned, the team was broken up when Austin turned on him, a decision Austin describes as a "mystery". Austin defeated Pillman in a singles match at Clash of the Champions XXV in November 1993.
United States Champion; departure (1993–1994)
At Starrcade in December 1993, Austin defeated Dustin Rhodes 2–0 in a two-out-of-three-falls match to win the WCW United States Championship. At Clash of the Champions XXVIII in August 1994, Austin lost the Championship to Ricky Steamboat. He was scheduled to face Steamboat in a rematch at Fall 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. 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. Austin unsuccessful challenged Duggan for the championship at both Halloween Havoc in October 1994 and Clash of the Champions XXIX in November 1994. The influence of Hulk Hogan and the Hulkamania era was beginning to take hold in WCW, with vice president Eric Bischoff saying this was likely the reason Austin lost to Duggan, who had been a popular figure during that period of time. 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.Following Clash 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 via countout in the first round but losing to Randy 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 on WCW 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 and Ron Simmons. At the "Super Power Group Declaration VI" event in the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, Austin, Anderson, and Mike Enos lost to J-J-Jacks and Junji Hirata in a six-man tag team match.
During the NJPW tour, Austin suffered a torn triceps. While rehabilitating, Austin was fired by WCW President Eric Bischoff on September 15, 1995. Bischoff did not see Austin as a marketable wrestler, and additionally thought Austin was hard to work with.