Often, WWE will remark that the 1996 King Of The Ring was the night on which 'Stone Cold' began his ascent up the ladder in the company, becoming an overnight success. In reality, this is far from the truth - Steve Austin would take a lot longer to reach the top of the mountain and truly connect with fans - but few can claim this wasn't an important night for 'The Rattlesnake'. The catchphrase 'Austin 3:16' was born at the King Of The Ring, but it almost never happened. Instead, it was supposed to be one Hunter Hearst Helmsley who would have his coronation as 'King', but Triple H had ruined that opportunity by breaking kayfabe in the infamous 'Curtain Call' incident at Madison Square Garden. Looking to punish Hunter, Vince McMahon instead cancelled plans for his King Of The Ring win, handing the title to Steve Austin instead. Triple H would eventually win the tournament the following year, but who knows how different WWE history could have been had Austin not been able to coin the phrase which would sell millions of t-shirts worldwide.
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.
