While he didn't invent the shooting star press or do his promos in rhyme, The Texas Rattlesnake is as innovative as anyone on this list. In WCW Stone Cold was a workhorse, a technician, a mechanic. A great wrestler, sure, but he was missing something. After being fired by WCW he went to ECW for a short stint in 1995 and vented his frustrations in a series of memorable promos. Austin believed he could be a star and when he signed with the WWF later that year things looked bright. Then he was saddled with the lame Ring Master gimmick and crowds didn't react. Something had to change. Changing his name to Stone Cold Steve Austin and adding the Stone Cold Stunner to his game, Austin developed an attitude. By doing and saying whatever he wanted Austin, a heel, began to be cheered by a sizeable portion of the audience. He turned face in his classic match with Bret Hart at Wrestlemania XII and never looked back. The anti-hero was in and the traditional play by the rules, say your prayers and eat your vitamins babyface was definitely out. Austin realised that and he went on to change the business, doing record numbers for the WWF. After suffering some painful neck injuries he adopted and then popularised a brawling style that was different from anything else at that time in wrestling. Austin was an innovator and his innovations changed the business forever.
