10 Worst Things Stone Cold Steve Austin Has Ever Done
2. He Broke Brian Pillman's Ankle
Earnest and ultra-violent heel work from the 'Toughest S.O.B' right as WWE were gradually embracing a harder edge, Stone Cold Steve Austin's heinous assault on his former tag team partner and best friend required the slimmest of justifications. Which was perfectly in keeping with the long journey 'The Rattlesnake' had embarked upon.
Austin didn't hate Pillman, but he did hate Bret Hart and didn't care for the 'Loose Cannon's celebratory tones when talking about 'The Hitman's return. And that - that simple saccarine gesture - was enough for this.
Brian Pillman had barely recovered from a horrific car accident in late-1996, when Stone Cold put him back on the shelf with a brutal attack on his surgically repaired ankle. It covered the need for a real life re-do on the surgeon's table, but didn't half enhance a programme that sadly never got the pay-per-view payoff it deserved.
The pair even helped usher in a brand new entry into the pro wrestling glossary by virtue of the beating. Wrapping a chair around an ankle and breaking it with a stomp became known as "Pillmanizing" a foe in tribute to Austin's airing of the wicked assault.