10 Worst Things Stone Cold Steve Austin Has Ever Done
Crossing The Bottom Line...
As the 1996 King Of The Ring, Stone Cold Steve Austin served notice to every one of the WWE Superstars. He didn't give a damn what they were, hey were all on the list - and that was Stone Cold's list - and he was fixing to start running through all of them.
Indeed, 'The Rattlesnake' didn't mince his words in his iconic address that came in place of a gimmicky coronation. Ludicrous crowns and capes didn't make good content by the mid-1990s, but Austin had kicked around long enough by then to know that he had to be the change to see the change. Walking dry every mudhole he stomped from that point onwards, Stone Cold's legacy was that of t*ts getting popped and opponents getting dropped.
WWE's business was rebuilt on his back, with few of his actions ever held up to serious scrutiny thanks to the (literal, in his case) breakneck pace the industry moved at during his pomp. Not least because he was reinventing the wheel - 1996's Austin still sought boos before steering into the antihero sentiment that had engulfed the entire organisation. Kayfabe wasn't totally dead, but Stone Cold's character was virtually incapable of doing wrong. Others followed suit, further enhancing his impeccable influence.
Total pieces of sh*t were suddenly, as Vince McMahon would say, "sh*tting ice cream", but what sludge was left behind after the sweet treats melted away?
10. He Cheated To Win The Royal Rumble
Small change in comparison to the acts of violence and viciousness still to come, but 'The Rattlesnake's vindictive Royal Rumble victory in 1997 yet again triggered Bret Hart into another turn-foreshadowing tantrum.
Delivering on promises to ruin Bret Hart's life after losing an outstanding Survivor Series singles match the prior November, Austin sent himself to WrestleMania at 'The Hitman's expense after the 'Excellence Of Execution' thought he'd at last eliminated him from the Royal Rumble match and his life.
Clocking that the outside officials were tied up with warring frenemies Mankind and Terry Funk, Austin simply slid back in and dumped the remain Hart and the other remaining competitors to steal the win.
It was shan, but very smart. And it was getting him over. Over over.
WWE's product was magnificently booked for the bulk of that year, but pay-per-views and television tapings were full of happy accidents such as these - the company couldn't have made Austin look any more of a pr*ck for how he'd won the match, but had at least given him a 45:07 stint to plant a seed that he had at least been partially deserving of his ill-gotten gain.