10 Unthinkable Origins Behind Famous Wrestling Moments

5. Why Steve Austin Wasn't Chilly McFreeze

Edge WWE
WWE

Stone Cold Steve Austin was very nearly named Chilly McFreeze or Fang McFrost.

In the exposition-polluted, hyper-literal world of WWE, those names were drafted by the old creative services department when they were tasked with coming up with a name for a new, cold, dispassionate character. It's no wonder they were perilously close to going out of business in the mid-'90s, Jesus Christ almighty. Imagine applying that thought process to other wrestlers.

The Undertaker, an undead mortician, becomes Grave McDigger.

Shawn Michaels, arrogant heartthrob, becomes Saxon Legs.

Razor Ramon, the Tony Montana-influenced bad guy, becomes Peter Peter Chicken Plucker. Or Peter Peter P*ssy F*cker, if he came up in the Attitude Era.

This company was and is so delightfully stupid. Austin was inspired to play this character after watching a documentary about infamous serial killer Richard Kuklinski. Fang McFrost is a Scottish snowman vampire. Which, incidentally, somehow wasn't one of several nicknames imposed on Drew McIntyre.

Mercifully, for the actual future of the company, Austin's then-wife Jeannie urged Steve to drink his tea lest it go "stone cold", and this moment of happenstance informed his epiphany.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!