The grouchy anti-hero that most casual wrestling fans remember the Attitude Era for, the Stone Cold character was a perfect marriage of personal talent and support and protection from the office. Austins improvised 3:16 promo after winning the 1996 King Of The Ring tournament helped kickstart the biggest boom period in US wrestling history. He wasnt the first heel to become so popular with the fans that the promotion was forced to turn him to capitalise on the magnitude of the heat he attracted: but he was by far the biggest. Steve Austin was a hellraising redneck, and planning wasnt his forte. He also worked, for the most part, with no allies and even fewer friends. Yet somehow, the Texas Rattlesnake almost always came out on top. His magnificence came, not from intricate strategy, but from an instinctive brilliance, killer timing, and the sheer, unbridled audacity of the man. His arch enemy was his own boss, who he took to the woodshed so many times that commie folk singers have written songs about him* - he filled his car with cement, attacked him in his hospital bed, and drove a truck to the ring to drench his foes with beer. Whenever you heard breaking glass, you knew that someone, somewhere was in deep, deep doo-doo and even to this day, the same noise will get a pop out of a live audience that nearly takes the roof off the arena. Ruthless, vicious, amoral and predatory, the WWE universe loved and still loves Austin: the man could deliver a Stunner to a puppy and still get a babyface pop. Utter legend, and utter magnificent bast*rd. *Were not really aware of any songs about Stone Cold Steve Austin, but if you are we need to hear about them.
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.
