Who REALLY Carried WWE Every Year (1985-2026)
29. 1998 (Steve Austin)
Austin 3:16 says...
Well, what didn't 'Stone Cold' say in 1998? Was there any other choice for this slot anyway? Austin won the Rumble (this time in less controversial circumstances), bagged the title from a pained Shawn at 'Mania XIV, then went on a tear in a memorable feud that produced multiple great matches vs. Mick Foley.
If you've never witnessed their sports entertainment haven at Over The Edge '98, then do yourself a favour. Fire it up on YouTube or wherever else you can find it, because it's worth hunting out. Austin's rivalry with McMahon was wrestling's hottest thing too - those guys could've played hopscotch mid-ring and viewing figures would've gone through the ceiling. When you're hot, you're hot.
Austin quickly established himself as the main man leading the 'Attitude' crusade, and he smartly worked around limitations forced by a broken neck the prior year. It's astonishing: Steve easily could've saw his dreams come crashing around him at SummerSlam 1997's due to Owen Hart's recklessness, but then something magical happened and he became a much different kind of brawling main eventer.
Millions looked forward to seeing what 'Stone Cold' was going to get up to next on Raw Is War, and his pay-per-view clashes with everyone from Michaels and Foley to Undertaker and Kane pulled monster business for the promotion. Plus, his t-shirts were one of wrestling's biggest sellers at the merch stands. Life was good.
Somewhat unexpectedly, this will be Austin's only MVP appearance on the list. That's because...