10 Ways Wrestlers Became The Most Badass Versions Of Themselves
1. Steve Austin: Cut THAT Promo
Upon arriving in WWE, Steve Austin was infamously decreed a solid in-ring mechanic who could help carry even the greenest worker to a respectable match, but nothing more, and certainly not a star. So unenthused by his 'Ringmaster' was Vince McMahon that he gave him Ted DiBiase to do his talking for him, and when the 'Million Dollar Man' bounced to WCW, Austin was almost rechristened Chilli McFreeze, for god's sake. CHILLY MCFREEZE.
Instead, 'The Ringmaster' became 'Stone Cold,' and thus commenced one of the most legendary runs in company history.
Austin found his voice at King Of The Ring 1996. Having bested Jake 'The Snake' Roberts in the tournament finals, he cut his star-making "Austin 3:16" promo, providing WWE's video team with a legendary clip destined to be replayed forever and the era's most iconic catchphrase, giving him the perfect springboard to megastardom.
'Stone Cold's' reinvention made him the most important figure in WWE's most important era, and, of course, the ultimate pro-wrestling badass. His beer-swigging anti-hero character was Attitude personified. Without him, there's a very real chance Vince McMahon's promotion wouldn't have survived the Monday Night Ways, and he remains the benchmark against which all other WWE hardmen are judged.