10 WWE Greats Who Made TERRIBLE First Impressions

4. Steve Austin

Ringmaster Ted Dibiase
WWE

There are a few statements about Steve Austin that ring true: Austin went on to become the biggest star in all of wrestling. Austin sold more merchandise on his own than pretty much every other wrestler in the WWF put together. Austin wasn't hired because the company thought he was special.

That last one stands out.

When McMahon signed off on Austin's contract in 1995, he did so with disinterest. He was hiring a boots n' tights worker who was labelled as little more than a "solid hand" or "in-ring mechanic". That drove the future 'Stone Cold' daft, and so did the fact that he was handed Ted DiBiase as a manager.

The rechristened 'Ringmaster' might as well have been called Mick McMidcard. He was going nowhere, 'cause Vince didn't think there was anything exceptional about him. Oh how wrong that'd prove to be. Austin became McMahon's meal ticket around two years later.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.