Steve Austin struck gold when he stumbled upon the idea of naming himself 'Stone Cold'. His previous gimmick name, 'The Ringmaster' hadn't resonated with Austin, and he felt he needed to shake things up. Stone Cold was perfect, and it later led to Austin being dubbed 'The Rattlesnake' and 'The Texas Rattlesnake'. Both names were effective. In 1999, Austin had been forced from the ring by a serious neck injury which threatened to derail his career entirely. Undergoing an extensive, lenthy operation to have vertebrae in his neck fused, the former technical master had to completely rejig his in-ring repertoire. Thus, Austin became much more a brawler, reliant on more distractions to fill out his matches. Partly due to the surgery and the fact he wore knee braces, Austin was quietly dubbed 'The Bionic Redneck'. Of course, this was in reference to his Texas roots and tough guy, cowboy persona, but was also supposed to sell the idea that he was now a feared heel rather than an anti-hero babyface. 2001 was a strange year for Austin's career, and this nickname plays a role in that fact.
