In the Summer of 2002, Steve Austin was in a weird place in his life. Having been a mega-star since his explosion as 'Stone Cold' in 1998, Austin had also been a very well-regarded pro wrestler for years before that. Sadly, injuries mounted up for the man, and by the time 2002 rolled around, his star wasn't shining quite as brightly as it had before. To make matters worse, his personal life wasn't exactly running smoothly either. Marrying Debra Marshall in September, 2000, the pair would divorce officially in February, 2003, but not before allegations of domestic abuse were levied against Austin, thrusting him into the news headlines for all the wrong reasons. Shortly after Austin had walked out on WWE in early-June, 2002, police were called to the residence he shared with Debra on June 15th. Arrested for apparently becoming aggressive with his wife, Austin was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine, fulfill 80 hours community service, and handed a year's probation. Needless to say, this was not good press for the guy, who thankfully was able to get his career back on track in 2003 for one big last hurrah against The Rock at WrestleMania XIX.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
