10 Iconic Wrestling Moments That Weren't Meant To Happen

7. Austin 3:16

Daniel Bryan Mania XXX
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Steve Austin was Vince McMahon's second choice to don the King Of The Ring crown in 1996. The original winner, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, emerged from the infamous Curtain Call incident as the only viable scapegoat. Diesel and Razor Ramon were bound for WCW, of course; this was the premise behind the kayfabe-destroying farewell in the first place. Shawn Michaels was the reigning WWF Heavyweight champion, and Vince McMahon's favourite, sexiest boy. Helmsley tripped himself up, and shot himself into the dog house.

Austin grabbed the opportunity and used it as a platform to propel himself into household superstardom. He defeated Marc Mero in a choice semi-final before easily swatting aside Jake Roberts - a symbol of the fading 1980s Austin was intent on consigning to history - in a final that was, ironically enough, far from intoxicating.

“The first thing I want to be done is to get that piece of cr*p outta my ring. Don’t just get him out of my ring; get him out of the WWF - because I’ve proved, son, without a shadow of a doubt, that you don’t have what it takes anymore.”

“You sit there and you thump your bible and you say your prayers, and it didn’t get you anywhere. Talk about your psalms, talk about John 3:16 - Austin 3:16 says ‘I just whipped your a**!’”

Austin formed his own words to usher in the changing of the guard. He wasn't meant to become the biggest star in the company; he soon made himself the biggest star in the company with his brutally, blackly comedic promos.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!