“You sit there and thump your Bible, and you say your prayers, and it didn’t get you anywhere! Talk about your Psalms, talk about your John 3:16…Austin 3:16 sys I just whipped your ass!”

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin –June 23, 1996

We’ve heard this before, Oh Hell Yeah; this was the beginning of Stone Cold Steve Austin. Steve Williams (not Dr. Death) finally solidified his mark or moniker in the WWF (E).

Let’s take a look at the Evolution of this Wrestling Superstar; This “Ringmaster”.

Steve Austin, born Williams, started out like most modern day superstars in what was then called “World Class Championship Wrestling. Steve's first professional match was on May 11, 1989. He adopted the name Austin due to the already known wrestler “Dr. Death” Steve Williams. “Stunning” was added during his tenure in USWA where he feuded with his former trainer and wrestler “Gentlemen Chris Adams. 1991 came the prime time break he was looking for or should we say Saturday evening break when he wrestled for WCW. This was where Steve Austin gained fame as a TV Champ, A US Champ, he was a member of Paul E. Dangerously’s Dangerous Alliance, and he was also a member of Colonel Robert Parker’s Stud Stable. However Steve Austin’s Stint in WCW will forever be remembered though the infamous tag team called the Hollywood Blonds. ‘Stunning” Steve Austin tag teamed with the Late “Flying Brian Pillman. This formidable tag team did enhance the WCW tag team picture until injury force Steve to wrestle on his own until the inevitable turning on Flyin Brian in front of a wrestling audience. This storyline ended in the controversial Steve Austin “Invading Brian Pillman’s home and Pillman brandishing a pistol to ward off the intruder.

Shortly after this event Austin suffered an injury and while injured he was fired by then head honcho Eric Bischoff. The much maligned over the phone firing of the at the time “unmarketable wrestler” would prove to be the seed that spawn “Stone Cold”.

Enter ECW; Paul Heyman (Dangerously) gave Steve the opportunity to go on live TV and shoot down the WCW. At this time WCW was started to gain exposure as it was in the Monday night wars with WWE. Austin Brief stint with ECW landed him in Connecticut with Vince as the “Ringmaster” A moniker that never really fit as Ted DiBiase was the manager/spokesperson for Austin. From his days as a “Blond” Austin was coming into his own on screen so being silent wasn’t his cup of tea or “can of beer”.

Austin left for a brief period came back with the blond hair gone and wrestled in the 1996 Pay-Per-View the King of the Ring, which what would turn out to be the birth of “Stone Cold”. During this match he suffered a cut lip which required stitches after two preliminary matches we saw Austin in the finals with the then spiritually and rehab renewed Jake Roberts. Austin won the match with his newly utilized move the “Stunner”; and during the induction ceremony…No one knew the seed that was planted years prior would sprout the infamous Austin 3:16. The first of many.

The Attitude Era wasn’t ready for this type of attitude, fans were introduced to a new kind of hell raising; middle finger stone cold saluting and more beer drinking than the law allowed. Austin participated in many high profile matches some that rivaled matches the like of Flair VS Rhodes. Two matches that probable solidified Austin in the books was the Championship match VS Bret Hart when Steve passed out from too much blood loss and the match where Owen Hart Mistakenly broke Austin neck as he went on to win the Intercontinental title. This would prove to be a slow sting in the Rattle Snakes reign. From here the Stone Cold train fought epic battles and won titles over likes of Mankind, The Rock at Wrestlemania, Undertaker, and even won tag team gold with Triple H (who can forget the two man power trip)?

Stone Cold’s legacy will be best remembered and is still remembered for his longtime feud with the Boss (Good ol Vince McMahon). He became everyone’s hero as he represented what we all would like to do and say to our bosses on one occasion or another. He bucked authority left the WWE on several occasion due to being unhappy with storylines, he even had his own Belt at one point the Smoking Skull Belt.

Today we see Austin making special appearances, still delivering the middle finger, a stunner here and there, all the while stomping a mud hole in someone and walking it dry. Some of the best Stone Cold spots are him driving a beer truck to the ring, pouring cement in Vince’s Custom made Camaro, or Smashing the Rock’s car with a monster truck. Who can forget the beer truck showers?

We also have come to know Stone Cold the actor. He has movies “The Longest Yard” to his credit and he has starred in the WWE produced “The Condemned”.

When we thank of wrestling superstars we think of Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Rick Steamboat, Dusty Rhodes, however even the popularity of Hulk-a-mania from 1984-to even today; even the popularity of the NWO and DX combined… It can honestly and arguably be said that from 1996- to the present Stone Cold Steve Austin is one of the biggest names in wrestling….OH HELL YEAH!