10 Things You Learn From Watching 1996 On WWE Network

4. Steve Austin Didn't Explode Straight After Winning King Of The Ring

Stone Cold Steve Austin
WWE.com

It's fairly common knowledge that the infamous 'Curtain Call' incident cost Hunter Hearst Helmsley the chance to become 1996 King Of The Ring. Shunted into his place, Steve Austin (who had shed his Ringmaster guise and been re-dubbed Stone Cold by this point) was the one who eventually triumphed in the tournament.

Beating both Marc Mero and Jake Roberts, Austin then delivered his historic "Austin 3:16" speech that made him a star. Common WWE storytelling has Stone Cold blowing up after this, becoming a top name almost overnight. Watching the pay-per-views from 1996 make it clear that this wasn't the case.

Following King Of The Ring, Austin beat Mero again at In Your House 9 before defeating Yokozuna on the SummerSlam 'Free For All'. Austin's next pay-per-view win came at In Your House 11 against Triple H in October.

It wasn't until he faced Bret Hart at Survivor Series in November that things really started to look promising for Austin. Contrary to what the company spout, it took months for Stone Cold to become a smash hit in the WWF.

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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.