Steve Austin, upon adapting the 'Stone Cold' persona in WWE, became one of the biggest names in the industry, and the character needs no introduction. Years prior, Austin had been a great member of the WCW mid-card scene, but it was clear the folks in charge didn't see the guy as an having much upward mobility on the roster, and cut him loose in 1995. Eric Bischoff was the one who released Austin from his WCW contract, and the whole thing didn't sit well with the now-infamous wrestler. Spending a modest amount of time under the banner of ECW, before quickly moving on to Vince McMahon's juggernaut, Austin credits the extreme owner, Paul Heyman, for pulling some of the best promos of his career out of him. Heyman's side of the story is that he simply gave Austin a mic, and let him get things off his chest. The end result was gold - Austin pulled no punches with some of the folks he'd come across in WCW, whom he felt had held him back from being a true superstar. This promo is a brilliant example of using reality to further develop a character, and create your own style.