10 Wrestling Facts We Didn't Know Last Week (Dec 23)
2. The Road Warriors Came Up With Steve Austin's Smoking Skull Belt
First winning the WWF Title at WrestleMania XIV, Steve Austin would lose the belt to Kane at the 1998 King Of The Ring. The very next night on Raw, Stone Cold became champion again. Afterwards, the WWF decided to introduce a customised design for 'The Rattlesnake', one that debuted on the July 27, 1998 edition of Raw.
Dubbed the 'Smoking Skull' design, the new aesthetic would eventually be retired in the Summer of 1999. On the latest edition of his Steve Austin Show podcast, Austin discussed how the title had come to be. Incredibly, it was Hawk and Animal of The Road Warriors who suggested it.
Knowing Austin wasn't keen on the WWF Title he was carrying around anyway, the tag-team said a strong anti-hero character like Stone Cold would want his own belt. Agreeing, Austin then pitched the idea to company management.
Up until now, many have likely assumed that it was Austin himself who came up with the concept of the 'Smoking Skull' title. Hawk and Animal, then working in the WWF as The Legion Of Doom, were actually responsible.