There's a good chance that Steve Austin's career would have lasted a lot longer had the events of SummerSlam 1997 not taken place. Facing Owen Hart in an Intercontinental Title match, Austin was left in bad shape towards the end of the bout. Rather recklessly, Hart failed to protect Austin's neck during a Sit Down Piledriver, and it left 'Stone Cold's' neck in pieces. Remarkably, after several minutes of stalling, Austin was able to perform a basic roll up on Owen and complete the scheduled result of the match. The finish didn't look great, but the fact he was even able to move is astounding. Austin must have been in real pain. Watching the incident back now is difficult, because things could have been even worse. A broken neck is one thing, but Austin's head is eerily exposed to the ring canvas, and it could have outright killed him. There's little doubt that this one move impacted on Steve's career going forward. His neck was never the same, and he had to adapt his in-ring style to fit his new physical limitations as a wrestler.
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.
