Before Stone Cold Steve Austin became the most successful wrestler in WWF (and WWE) history, he was Stunning Steve Austin, tag team and midcard lifer in WCW. Sidelined by a triceps injury while wrestling in Japan, Austin was recuperating at home when he was asked to come to Atlanta for a taping to cut some promos and keep his character alive while he was unable to wrestle. Opinions vary as to the course of events: Austin either refused to go, no-showed the taping, or simply told his wife to tell the office that he wasnt in when they called. Whatever the exact circumstances, Bischoff wasnt pleased. Austin was called again and told he was being let go. Well, it's better than one of WCWs trademark youre-hurt-youre-fired Fed Ex termination letters. Austin was furious, but still injured and unable to go elsewhere to wrestle. That is, until his erstwhile Dangerous Alliance teammate Paul Heyman called and asked him to come to ECW ironically, just to cut a few promos, keep his hand in. Full of white-hot anger and frustrated ambition, needing a place to vent it, Austin accepted, and began refining the character that would one day become the Texas Rattlesnake. The WWF would come calling only a few months later. Bischoff and Austin have since reconciled to a degree, the Rattlesnake having mellowed considerable in middle-age: in a recent podcast interview, he admitted that he didn't recall refusing to go to the taping, but that it sounded like him, and that he'd have reacted in the same way as Bischoff. Of course, in 1998 Bischoff's story was slightly different: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnZDYCFfZ-E Yeah, you keep telling yourself that, Easy-E.
Professional writer, punk werewolf and nesting place for starfish. Obsessed with squid, spirals and story. I publish short weird fiction online at desincarne.com, and tweet nonsense under the name Jack The Bodiless. You can follow me all you like, just don't touch my stuff.
