From Being Fired to Wrestling Legend
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WWE: Greatest Stars of the '90s
WWE: Greatest Stars of the '90s
When we think of Stone Cold Steve Austin, we think of a wrestling legend who dominated the ring during the late 90s. But we didn't see him on his road to reaching that status; Austin faced many challenges before finally making it big in wrestling. He started in 1989, and some of his early unsuccessful gimmicks included "Stunning" Steve Austin and "Superstar" Steve Austin. Even though he won some titles at WCW, he was considered a mid-carder, and they saw no future potential in him and even fired him.
Austin would briefly be at ECW, where he improved at promos, before joining the WWF, where his initial Ringmaster gimmick didn't become popular. At that point, he had also been experiencing hair loss for a few years, which he had been insecure about. It took Steve seeing the Pulp Fiction movie with a bald Bruce Willis starring to convince him to shave his hair off. He would shortly adopt the Stone Cold moniker after he requested a change from the ringmaster persona.
His fortune began to change with his improved mic skills, new look, and some luck. Austin won the 1996 King of the Ring after the originally planned winner, HHH, was punished. During that tournament run, he would ad-lib two of his signature catchphrases, "Austin 3:16" and "And that's the bottom line, cuz Stone Cold said so.".
From there, Stone Cold's rise to fame was meteoric. He became a multiple-time WWF Champion, headlined WrestleMania multiple times, and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009.
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Quotes
He blew everyone out of the water. Nobody anticipated that. I don’t think anybody anticipated that with him,
Ted DiBiase
They brought me up there strictly as a mechanic. There were no plans to make me a star,
Steve Austin
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.
Steve Austin
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An autobiography about Stone Cold Steve Austin
References
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Steve Austin Reminisces About Ad-Libbing Infamous “Austin 3:16” Line
The WWE Hall of Famer revealed how he came up with the two lines on the fly that night and how Jake's religious promo that night made way for the debut of Austin 3:16.
Wrestling Inc
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Steve Austin pitched to be related to WWE legend Hulk Hogan during WCW days, Eric Bischoff reveals
Ultimately, Bischoff didn't run with the idea because he didn't think Hogan would work with Austin.
TalkSport
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Epic Error: Remembering When WCW Fired 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin 24 Years Later
In 1995, 24 years ago, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin was fired from WCW, unceremoniously, via phone call. But unbeknown to everyone—Austin included—that firing was a butterfly effect that changed the direction of the wrestling business for the next five years.
Bleacher Report
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Ted DiBiase On Stone Cold Steve Austin's Rise: "I Don't Think Anybody Could Have Predicted It"
No one anticipated the rise of Steve Austin, including his very first manager in the World Wrestling Federaton.
Fightful
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Stone Cold Steve Austin reveals the key battle that defined him
But it took a Hollywood actor (also fighting the battle of bald) to inspire Austin to finally make the move, and create the look that became so famous.
news.com.au
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Hall of Fame opens to wrestler Stone Cold Steve Austin
Nothing caught the fans’ attention. He was a worker, a jobber, a mechanic — someone that bigger stars beat on their way to championship matches and bigger paychecks.
Chron
