9. Steve Austin Was Almost Named William Stevenson III
Dutch Mantell has been a mentor to many younger wrestlers. Whether serving as the mouthpiece via on-screen manager for younger talent or by simply offering his wisdom backstage, he's influenced a who's who list of workers. The Undertaker, Kane, and The Ultimate Warrior are a few notables who have been blessed to have learned from the knowledge of Dutch. But perhaps the biggest icon to have passed through his ranks is none other than Stone Cold Steve Austin. Dutch was booking in USWA when a rookie Steve Williams came to work for him. There already was a well-known wrestler named Steve Williams at that time (Dr. Death) so Steve would need to come up with something else. Two names that Dutch considered were Stevie Rage and William Stevenson III. Thankfully, Steve Austin was the name the two agreed upon. In addition to his name Austin also credits Mantell with giving him the best advice he ever received. After a less than spectacular performance on one night Dutch told Steve that his match was the "drizzling sh**s." Dutch then ordered him to grab a chair and watch every match on the card. Steve would heed this advice and continued to do so for most of his career. By doing this he was able to amass a vault of ring psychology by watching what did and did not work for others.
