Steve Austin, born Steven James Anderson on December 18, 1964, in Austin, Texas, is an American media personality, actor, producer, and retired professional wrestler. He is widely known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. He is signed to WWE as an ambassador.
A native of Texas, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin played college football at North Texas State University prior to becoming a professional wrestler in 1989. Famous for his Austin 3:16 tagline, he became one of the best-known WWE wrestlers before his retirement in 2003.
After Austin’s pro wrestling career ended, he acted in several films and also hosts various reality TV series and podcasts.
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.
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.
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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.
As a young man, the future “Stone Cold” Steve Austin had dreams of becoming a rock star. He would practice signing autographs so that he would be ready when the time came. He discovered professional wrestling while flipping channels on his television and found his future career goal.
In junior high, he says he “broke out of [his] shyness when he found football" and ultimately used athletics to help boost his confidence. While attending Edna High School, he was a running back on the football team, a straight-A student, and a member of the National Honor Society. He recalls wanting to be a rock star, but because he couldn’t sing or play any musical instruments, he shelved that career path. Instead, he “fell in love with” wrestling, which he says “just resonated” with him while flipping through the TV channels one day.
After high school, he enrolled at Wharton County Junior College and eventually received a full scholarship to North Texas State University to play football. While there, he soon realized he didn’t enjoy playing football anymore before eventually dropping out of college. He eventually went on to work on a freight dock about 30 miles outside Dallas, earning $400 per week.
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 (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 as Paul Bearer in WWF) during this period.
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His wrestling career kicked off in mid to late 1989 with the United States Wrestling Association (USWA). Making just $15-$20 per night, he struggled to afford food but saw it as an opportunity to pay his dues. Before his first match in Memphis, he learned there was already a wrestler named "Dr. Death" Steve Williams.
Dutch Mantel gave Steve Austin the name that he would carry throughout his wrestling career. On a card in Memphis, Tennessee, Dutch Mantel approached Williams to ask him his stage name. He replied “Steve Williams,” but Mantel informed him that he could not use that name. The belief was that it would cause confusion because “Dr. Death” Steve Williams was also on the card. He was given 15 minutes to come up with a new name, and, with the help of booker Dutch Mantell, he settled on “Stunning Steve Austin.” At the time, he was known for wearing red robes with sequins. He left USWA in 1990.
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.
The following year, Jim Ross recruited him for the WCW, where the guaranteed standard deal included a $75,000 salary. While in the WCW, Austin also became part of a tag team known as The Hollywood Blonds.
Steve Austin as "Stunning" Steve Austin in WCW
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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. In August and September 1992, as part of a working agreement between WCW and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), 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 (Super Strong Machine and Tatsutoshi Goto) in a tag team bout held in the Ryōgoku Kokugikan in Tokyo.
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 (substituting for Terry Gordy) teamed with "Dr. Death" Steve Williams to compete for them.
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.
During a 1995 three-week WCW tour in Japan, Austin suffered a tricep injury after jumping into the ring off the top rope, and upon returning to the United States, he underwent his first major surgery. Soon afterward, he received a call from WCW Vice President Eric Bischoff informing him that he’d been fired.
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. During the NJPW tour, Austin suffered a torn triceps.
While rehabilitating, Austin was fired by WCW President Eric Bischoff on September 15, 1995.
Austin got released from WCW, due to inactivity, because of an injury in 1995 and got immediately hired by ECW, where he spent a few months honing his promo and interview skills, while nursing his torn triceps. He only wrestler a handful of matches in ECW.
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.
He debuted in WWF in December of 1995 as 'the Ringmaster' Steve Austin, managed by the Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase. WWE CEO Vince McMahon hired him in 1995 as the “Ringmaster” character, which Austin later called a “bad gimmick.” Austin soon thought the Ringmaster gimmick was weak and asked for a change.
Having battled thinning hair for a few years, he decided to shave his head in early 1996. 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 against Savio Vega.
After six months, while living in a log cabin on 10 acres outside of Douglasville, Georgia, Austin requested a character change. He says his then-wife made him a cup of tea, warning that he better drink it “before it gets stone cold,” and immediately suggested that be his new persona. Austin created a back-story that he was from Victoria, Texas, also shaving his head and growing a goatee to “appear more menacing.”
His in ring persona has gradually evolved into 'Stone Cold Steve Austin', a cold blooded and ruthless character, based on 'The Iceman' Richard Kuklinski.
After several months of competing as a mid-card talent and doing little of note, Austin's rise in popularity began at the 1996 King of the Ring, where he won the tournament by defeating Jake "The Snake" Roberts. The win would prove to be an unexpected stroke of luck as Hunter Hearst Helmsley was originally scheduled to win the tournament, but he was legitimately punished for taking part in the Curtain Call incident before the tournament.
At the time, Roberts was portraying a born-again Christian, which inspired Austin to ad-lib a famous promo during his post-win coronation, kayfabe mocking Roberts' religious faith and proclaiming the now-iconic catchphrase "Austin 3:16" as derision of the Bible verse John 3:16.
"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 about John 3:16...
The next night at RAW, there were Austin 3:16 signs and homemade Austin 3:16 t-shirts throughout the arena. This was the same reaction that The Four Horsemen got when they referenced the name and four-finger salute for the first time on television. Many wrestlers believe that Austin, particularly with his “Austin 3:16” promo, was the catalyst to the start of wrestling’s Attitude Era.
Hulkamania had begun to wane and the Attitude Era was the beginning of a resurgence within professional wrestling.
During an episode of Superstars, 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. It would lead to the infamous "Pillman's got a gun" segment on Raw wherein Austin broke into Pillman's home while he was nursing his injury. 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 apologized after.
At Survivor Series, Austin met Hart as expected in a match to determine the number-one contender for the WWF Championship, in what would be Austin's first major PPV match in his WWF career. Hart defeated Austin by using a turnbuckle to push himself backward while locked in the Million Dollar Dream, in a match that lasted almost half an hour.
During the 1997 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. This led to the first-ever PPV main event of Austin's WWF career at In Your House 13: Final Four, where he competed in a four corners elimination match against Hart, The Undertaker, and Vader for the vacant WWF Championship. Austin was eliminated early from the match after injuring his knee; Hart would win the match and the championship.
Hart lost the championship the next night on Raw to Sycho Sid due to Austin's interference, continuing their feud. At WrestleMania 13, Hart defeated Austin in a highly acclaimed submission match with Ken 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.
But the moment that separated Austin from his peers in the locker room came at the end of the match. "Stone Cold" was nearly broken, trapped in Hart’s Sharpshooter. But he refused to submit, and as seconds ticked into minutes, he still would not tap. 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 Hart heel and Austin babyface in a rare double-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, and Austin 3:16 merchandise t-shirts were reported in May 1997 to have become the best-selling WWF t-shirts since Hulkamania.
Austin eventually got his revenge on Hart in the main event of In Your House 14: Revenge of the 'Taker, defeating him in a match to determine the next contender to The Undertaker's WWF Championship. Austin won when Hart was disqualified due to assistance from The British Bulldog. On Raw, Austin partnered with the returning Shawn Michaels, as they both had a mutual enemy in the Harts. They defeated Owen Hart and The British Bulldog for the WWF Tag Team Championship.
Despite being champions, the two constantly argued and ultimately faced each other in a match at King 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. 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. Late in the match, a debuting Dude Love came out to offer assistance.
At SummerSlam 1997, Austin and Owen faced each other with the Intercontinental Championship on the line, with Owen adding a stipulation that Austin would have to kiss his buttocks if he lost. During the match, Owen botched 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 a roll-up to win the championship. A visibly injured and dazed Austin was helped to his feet by several referees and led to the back. Due to the severity of his neck injury, Austin was forced to relinquish both championships.
But Austin’s momentum, and WWE career, nearly halted in a freak injury at 1997’s SummerSlam.
On September 22, on the first-ever Raw to be broadcast from Madison 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. Austin was then arrested as part of the storyline, and was sidelined until Survivor Series. However, in the interim, he made several appearances, one being at Badd Blood where he was involved in the finish of a match between Owen and Faarooq for the vacant Intercontinental Championship.
After Bret Hart's controversial departure for WCW, Austin and Michaels were the top stars in the company. Austin won the 1998 Royal Rumble, lastly eliminating The Rock.
In late 1997, McMahon kicked off the WWE’s edgier golden age, known as the "Attitude Era," marked by more violence, chaos, sexuality and blatantly over-the-top, more reality-based storylines. During this time, which became the height of his fame, Austin had a recurring storyline pitting McMahon as his main rival for several years.
The latter rivalry began in late 1997, when Austin, furious at McMahon for stripping him of the Intercontinental Title, delivered a "Stone Cold" Stunner to his boss in front of the Madison Square Garden crowd. It wouldn’t be the first time Mr. McMahon felt the wrath of Austin.
Austin took on Superstars such as Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker, but he’s best remembered for his battles against two men - The Rock, and the WWE Chairman himself, Mr. McMahon.
The Rock and Austin criss-crossed just as often as Austin and Mr. McMahon. To put the rivalry in perspective, "Stone Cold" and The Rock headlined three WrestleMania pay-per-views together from 1999 to 2003, a feat no other Superstar has ever even come close to accomplishing.