8 Time-Bending Wrestling Facts That Will Melt Your Brain
6. Matt Hardy's Freak Steve Austin Stat
Steve Austin's departure from WCW set off a chain reaction that changed the wrestling landscape forever. After Paul Heyman granted him the opportunity to publicly air the grievances he had with being fired by Eric Bischoff in ECW, Austin would go on to become the biggest box office draw of his (and arguably any) generation in the WWE.
Debuting as The Ringmaster on the 18th December, 1995 episode of Monday Night Raw, Austin's opponent was none other than future tag team legend, Matt Hardy. Sauntering towards the ring in the Million Dollar Championship belt, flanked by Ted Dibiase, the match was billed as tuning Steve up ahead of the 1996 Royal Rumble, with Austin winning the match in less than five minutes.
To put what this means into perspective, Matt Hardy was Steve Austin's first match in WWE, and yet Hardy is still wrestling today. Matt has lasted so long at the top level that he was in a WWE ring at the same time that Ted Dibiase was an active character, and before the rise of 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin, and that is pretty mindblowing.