13. Michael Hayes Gave Steve Austin The Stone Cold Stunner
After Steve Austin reinvented himself as Stone Cold, there was still one piece of the puzzle missing: a new finishing move. He was still using the Million Dollar Dream sleeper hold, a remnant of his ill-fated spell as Ted DiBiases Ringmaster. Wanting to disassociate himself from DiBiase and feeling an impactful move was better than a submission, Austin racked his brain trying to come up with something. On May 27, 1996, Michael Hayes came up to Austin and told him, I think I have come up with a better finishing move for you. He then demonstrated what would later become known as the Stone Cold Stunner, the perfect sudden-fire impact hold for Austins brash, in-your-face character. However, Hayes had not come up with the move at all. He had actually stolen it from Johnny Ace (John Laurinaitis). Ace had sent in a tape of a match of his from Japan with the intention of securing a WWF job, but Hayes had stole his Ace Crusher finisher and gave it to Austin. Stone Cold had a new finishing move that helped catapult him into the stratosphere, while Ace never did get that WWF wrestling contract. He did secure a top-level office job with the company years later mind, so it did not work out too badly for him in the end.
James Dixon
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The author of the highly acclaimed 'Titan' book series, James Dixon has been involved in the wrestling business for 25 years as a fan, wrestler, promoter, agent, and writer. James spent several years wrestling on the British independent circuit, but now prefers to write about the bumps and bruises rather than take any of them. His past in-ring experience does however give a uniquely more "insider" perspective on things, though he readily admits to still being a "mark" at heart.
James is the Chief Editor and writer at historyofwrestling.co.uk and is responsible for the best-selling titles Titan Sinking, Titan Shattered, and Titan Screwed, as well as the Complete WWF Video Guide series, and the Raw Files series.
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