Despite Austins rocky road while competing down South, he managed to attain a certain level of success. Although he seemed forever stuck in the midcard, Stunning Steve was often considered to be at the upper reaches of that division. This standing was evident through Austins multiple reigns as both WCWs United States and Television Champion. During Austins run with WCW, he managed to capture both championship titles on two separate occasions. As a matter of fact, he won the WCW Television Championship just a few weeks after his debut with the company, beating Beautiful Bobby Eaton for the strap. Nearly a year after first winning the title, Austin began to trade the belt with Barry Windham. After dropping the Television Championship to Windham on April 27, 1991, Austin was able to regain the gold on May 23rd of that year. Stunning Steve held the belt for another few months before losing it to the legendary Ricky Steamboat in September. By the end of 1993, following a run with Brian Pillman as the Hollywood Blonds, Austin found himself back in singles competition. At that years Starrcade pay-per-view, he challenged Dustin Rhodes for the WCW United States Championship. After a thrilling two-out-of-three falls contest, Austin walked away with the gold. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xmdvn_steve-austin-vs-dustin-rhodes-10-91_news He then quickly entered a feud with Ricky The Dragon Steamboat over the coveted US title. The two battled in a handful of tag and singles matches before the feud was cut short. At the 28th Clash of the Champions television event, Steamboat defeated Austin for the gold. The two were set to face off in a rematch for the title at Fall Brawl, but unfortunately, Steamboat was forced to retire following a back injury. The belt was forfeited and awarded to Austin, who was then immediately put into an impromptu title match -- but more on that later. It was clear that WCW saw some value in their newest superstar, but Austin was never given the opportunity to grow as a superstar or move up the ladder -- a common occurrence for homegrown talent in the company.
Douglas Scarpa is a freelance writer, independent filmmaker, art school graduate, and pro wrestling aficionado -- all of which mean he is in financial ruin. He has no backup plan to speak of, yet maintains his abnormally high spirits. If he had only listened to the scorn of his childhood teachers, he wouldn't be in this situation.
