How Good Was 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin Actually?
Moments
“Oh, I’ll take it from here, nurse.”
“Tyson and Austin! Tyson and Austin! Tyson and Austin!”
“I need to beat you, Rock. I need it more than anything you could ever imagine.”
“Hell, it’s already 10 o’clock in the morning. I don’t drink coffee at 10 o’clock in the morning where I come from. I’ll take a cold beer instead.”
The Corporation beer bath.
The pop he generated when he returned to help Mankind win the WWF title.
The first time he blasted Vince McMahon with the Stone Cold Stunner.
Every other time he blasted Vince McMahon with the Stone Cold Stunner.
Wrestling isn’t about trying to make moments; it’s about doing great work that yields them. Not everything Austin did was outstanding. His late 2000 programme with Triple H was goofy. His vengeful, moody persona around the same time actively detracted from the vibe surrounding the product. Even at his peak, Austin was lumbered with some dreadful material, often throughout his never-ending programme with the Undertaker. The attempt at embalming him alive, the crucifixion angle, the invariably dire and overlong matches: all utterly rotten.
But, when you don’t pore over every detail with a forensic deep-dive, Austin’s career is possibly the most highlight-studded compendium of “moments” ever, all of which converge to make him the most unforgettable pro wrestling character there ever was.