Stone Cold Steve Austin was the most popular superstar of WWEs Attitude Era, and arguably, the most popular in the companys history. However, Austin was dealing with a concerning neck injury throughout most of his meteoric rise to success. In late 1999, it was decided to write Stone Cold out of WWEs programming, allowing him to undergo neck surgery. With Austin on the sidelines for nine months, other superstars stepped up to the plate -- most notably, Triple H and The Rock. However, Stone Cold was back to his old ways upon his in-ring return in September of 2000. All seemed well for Austin in the years following, but following 2003s WrestleMania XIX, he was fired by Eric Bischoff -- in storyline -- due to medical reasons. Stone Cold confirmed in a WWE.com interview the following day that his ongoing health issues stemmed from his original neck injury in 1997. Despite stepping away from active competition, Austin continued to be featured on WWE television in a non-competitive role for over a year. Stone Cold continues to make intermittent appearances for the company to this day -- even getting physical on a handful of occasions. However, despite recent rumors to the contrary, Austin seems far from a return to active competition.
Douglas Scarpa is a freelance writer, independent filmmaker, art school graduate, and pro wrestling aficionado -- all of which mean he is in financial ruin. He has no backup plan to speak of, yet maintains his abnormally high spirits. If he had only listened to the scorn of his childhood teachers, he wouldn't be in this situation.
