It's an entirely arguably point that by 1991 - with only two years in the wrestling business - Steve Austin was your favorite wrestler's favorite wrestler, and certainly your favorite die-hard fan's favorite, too. Thus, the idea of Austin being the junior member of Paul E. Dangerously's "Dangerous Alliance" made sense. By July 1991, Ric Flair had left WCW for the WWF, and the company was aggressively in a rebuilding phase with Sting, Lex Luger, Barry Windham, head booker Dusty Rhodes' son Dustin, and the tandem of Cactus Jack and Abdullah the Butcher as top stars. In the gatekeeper role on the midcard were the "Dangerous Alliance" of the best remaining pieces of some great groups, as well as a few top-tier talents: former half of the Midnight Express Bobby Eaton, ex-WWF main eventer Rick Rude, former Four Horsemen member Arn Anderson, ex AWA World Champion Larry Zbyszko and then WCW TV champion Steve Austin. It was a powerhouse crew, and with managers Heyman and Madusa rounding out the team, Austin working with Heyman was a great space for the touted young wrestler to grow. Of course, Austin and Heyman's legacy as a pair extends far and deep into Austin's career, as when Austin was released from WCW in 1995, it was in the Heyman-booked ECW where Austin was able to expand his persona into the "Stone Cold" character that later gained significant acclaim in the WWF/WWE. Insofar as being the man largely responsible for aiding in the confidence building of one of wrestling's biggest box office draws, he's certainly one of the more significant Heyman protegees.
Besides having been an independent professional wrestling manager for a decade, Marcus Dowling is a Washington, DC-based writer who has contributed to a plethora of online and print magazines and newspapers writing about music and popular culture over the past 15 years.
