Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Stone Cold Steve Austin

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Stone Cold Steve Austin made an impact.

Stone Cold Steve Austin is an American media personality, actor, producer, and retired professional wrestler, currently signed with WWE as an ambassador. Considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers ever, he played a vital role in the World Wrestling Federation's success during the Attitude Era in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Sections (6)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles Legacy & Impact

1989: Professional Wrestling Debut

In 1989, Steve Austin began his professional wrestling career after playing college football at the University of North Texas.

1989: WCCW Debut

In 1989, Steve Austin made his televised WCCW debut against Frogman LeBlanc, with Tony Falk refereeing. Austin won the match and a $40 payday.

May 1991: WCW Debut

In May 1991, Steve Austin debuted in World Championship Wrestling (WCW), initially known as "Stunning" Steve Austin.

1991: Signs with WCW

In 1991, Steve Austin signed with World Championship Wrestling (WCW), adopting the persona of "Stunning" Steve Austin.

September 1992: Loss of WCW World Television Championship

In September 1992 at Clash of the Champions XX, Steve Austin lost the WCW World Television Championship to Ricky Steamboat.

September 1992: Formation of The Hollywood Blonds

In September 1992, Steve Austin formed a tag team with Brian Pillman, known as The Hollywood Blonds, at the suggestion of Dusty Rhodes.

September 1992: NJPW Tour and NWA Title Challenge

In September 1992, Steve Austin participated in a tour with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), including competing in the G1 Climax tournament and challenging Masahiro Chono for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, losing by submission at the Yokohama Arena.

October 1992: Halloween Havoc Tag Team Match

In October 1992, at Halloween Havoc, Steve Austin teamed with "Dr. Death" Steve Williams, substituting for Terry Gordy, to wrestle Dustin Rhodes and Barry Windham for the unified WCW and NWA World Tag Team Championship, resulting in a 30-minute time limit draw.

March 27, 1993: Hollywood Blonds win WCW Tag Team Championship

On March 27, 1993, The Hollywood Blonds, Steve Austin and Brian Pillman, defeated Ricky Steamboat and Shane Douglas to win the unified NWA and WCW World Tag Team Championship.

June 1993: Hollywood Blonds Championship Defense at Clash of the Champions

In June 1993, at Clash of the Champions XXIII, The Hollywood Blonds (Steve Austin and Brian Pillman) defended their unified NWA and WCW World Tag Team Championship against Ric Flair and Arn Anderson, retaining the championship despite losing two falls due to a disqualification.

August 1993: Tag Team Title Loss

In August 1993, at Clash of the Champions XXIV, Steve Austin and a replacement partner Steven Regal (due to Brian Pillman's injury) lost the WCW World Tag Team Championship to Arn Anderson and Paul Roma.

November 1993: Singles Victory Over Brian Pillman

In November 1993, at Clash of the Champions XXV, Steve Austin defeated Brian Pillman in a singles match after turning on him, ending their tag team partnership.

December 1993: WCW United States Championship Win

In December 1993, at Starrcade, Steve Austin defeated Dustin Rhodes 2-0 in a two-out-of-three falls match to win the WCW United States Championship.

August 1994: Loss of US Championship to Ricky Steamboat

In August 1994, at Clash of the Champions XXVIII, Steve Austin lost the WCW United States Championship to Ricky Steamboat.

September 1994: Second US Championship Reign

In September 1994, at Fall Brawl '94: War Games, Steve Austin was awarded the WCW United States Championship by forfeit due to Ricky Steamboat's injury, but lost it five minutes later to Jim Duggan.

October 1994: Unsuccessful Championship Challenge at Halloween Havoc

In October 1994, Steve Austin unsuccessfully challenged Jim Duggan for the WCW United States Championship at Halloween Havoc.

November 1994: Unsuccessful Championship Challenge at Clash of the Champions XXIX

In November 1994, Steve Austin unsuccessfully challenged Jim Duggan for the WCW United States Championship at Clash of the Champions XXIX.

February 1995: Return from Knee Injury

In February 1995, Steve Austin returned to wrestling after recovering from a knee injury.

April 1995: US Title Tournament

In April 1995, Steve Austin participated in a tournament for the vacant United States Championship, defeating Jim Duggan but losing to Randy Savage.

May 21, 1995: Final WCW Match

On May 21, 1995, Steve Austin wrestled his final match with WCW, defeating Eddie Jackie on WCW Main Event.

June 1995: NJPW Appearance

In June 1995, Steve Austin appeared with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), teaming with Arn Anderson and Ron Simmons.

September 15, 1995: WCW Firing

On September 15, 1995, Steve Austin was fired by WCW President Eric Bischoff due to concerns about marketability and work ethic.

September 18, 1995: ECW Debut

On September 18, 1995, Steve Austin debuted in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) at Gangstas Paradise, adopting the nickname "Superstar" and doing promos and interviews due to injury.

December 18, 1995: WWF Debut

On December 18, 1995, Steve Austin debuted in WWF and it was broadcast on January 8, 1996. He was awarded the Million Dollar Championship.

1995: Signs with WWF

In 1995, after a brief stint in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), Steve Austin signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE).

January 8, 1996: Raw Debut

On January 8, 1996, Steve Austin's WWF debut was broadcast on Raw, where he received the Million Dollar Championship and defeated Matt Hardy using the moniker "The Ringmaster".

1996: King of the Ring Victory and "Austin 3:16" Promo

At the 1996 King of the Ring, Steve Austin won the tournament by defeating Jake "The Snake" Roberts. Austin delivered an iconic promo, mocking Roberts' religious faith and proclaiming the catchphrase "Austin 3:16" and ad-libbing "And that’s the bottom line, cuz Stone Cold said so."

1996: Austin's Title Reign

In 1996 Steve Austin's reign as champion lasted 175 days, the longest since 1996, before losing the WWF Championship to Angle at Unforgiven on September 23 by submitting to the ankle lock.

1996: King of the Ring Winner

In 1996, Steve Austin won the King of the Ring tournament in the WWF, marking a significant achievement in his career.

1996: Austin Shaves His Head and Ringmaster Moniker Discarded

In early 1996, Steve Austin shaved his head after being inspired by Bruce Willis' haircut in "Pulp Fiction". By March 11, 1996, his Ringmaster moniker was discarded in favor of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin after his wife suggested he drink a cup of tea before it got "stone cold".

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1997: Royal Rumble Controversy and WrestleMania 13 Match

During the 1997 Royal Rumble, Steve Austin was eliminated by Bret Hart, but officials missed it. Austin re-entered, eliminated Hart, and won. At WrestleMania 13 in 1997, Hart defeated Austin in a submission match where Austin bled profusely and passed out, refusing to tap out. Hart continued the Sharpshooter after the match, turning Hart heel and Austin babyface.

1997: Heel Turn

In 1997, after turning heel, Steve Austin altered his character, becoming a whiny prima donna and developing a strange infatuation with Vince McMahon. This happened after aligning himself with McMahon and Triple H by attacking The Rock, cementing his heel turn.

1998: Royal Rumble Win and Confrontation with Mike Tyson

In 1998, Steve Austin won the Royal Rumble, lastly eliminating The Rock. The next night on Raw, Austin interrupted Vince McMahon and Mike Tyson, flipping off Tyson, leading to a shove. Tyson was later announced as the enforcer for the WrestleMania XIV main event.

January 4, 1999: Austin Helps Mankind Win WWF Championship

On January 4, 1999, Steve Austin interfered in a match between Mankind and The Rock, striking The Rock with a steel chair to help Mankind win the WWF Championship.

June 28, 1999: Highest-Rated Raw Segment

On June 28, 1999, a 12-minute match between Undertaker and Stone Cold Steve Austin drew a 9.5 rating. It stands as the highest-rated segment in Raw history.

April 30, 2000: Austin Attacks Triple H and McMahon at Backlash

On April 30, 2000, at Backlash, Steve Austin made a one-off appearance, attacking Triple H and Vince McMahon to assist The Rock in reclaiming the WWF Championship.

2000: Entrance Theme Revamped

In 2000, Steve Austin's entrance theme was revamped, with the rock band Disturbed recording the new version. It was first used at the Unforgiven PPV event in September 2000.

January 21, 2001: Austin Wins Third Royal Rumble

On January 21, 2001, Steve Austin won his third Royal Rumble match, last eliminating Kane.

August 2001: Popularization of "What?" catchphrase

In August 2001, Steve Austin started using the "What?" catchphrase to interrupt wrestlers, encouraging audience participation. This chant became widely used at WWE events. Austin later expressed regret for creating the chant.

January 20, 2002: Royal Rumble 2002

On January 20, 2002, at the Royal Rumble, Steve Austin entered at number nineteen and lasted until the final four before being eliminated by Kurt Angle.

2002: Michaels' Absence and the Dawn of the "Austin Era"

In 1998, due to injury at the Royal Rumble by the hands of The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels was out of action. With Austin winning the WWF Championship at WrestleMania XIV, the "Austin Era" was ushered in in 1998.

2003: Co-General Manager of Raw

In 2003, Linda McMahon brought Austin back to be the co-general manager of the Raw brand, a role he played for the remainder of the year, often getting into physical altercations with talent and personnel. Austin and Bischoff continued to feud over control of the brand. At Survivor Series on November 16, Austin's team lost after Batista interfered on behalf of Bischoff. After the match Jonathan Coachman came out to gloat and got beat up by Austin. As a result, Austin was "fired" from his position as co-general manager. Mick Foley took over Austin's former role and began petitioning to have Austin re-instated. Austin returned before the end of 2003, appearing at Tribute to the Troops. He posed as Santa Claus before delivering a "Stone Cold Stunner" to both Mr. McMahon and John Cena.

2003: Retirement from In-Ring Competition

In 2003, Steve Austin was forced to retire from in-ring competition due to multiple knee injuries and a serious neck injury sustained in 1997.

2003: Resolution of disputes and match at WrestleMania XIX

In 2003, Stone Cold Steve Austin insisted that he and Triple H resolved their issues. Also, he claimed a brief dispute with The Rock was resolved quickly upon his return. He expressed his frustration at having never defeated Austin at WrestleMania, and challenged Austin to a match at WrestleMania XIX on March 30. Austin was then defeated by The Rock at WrestleMania XIX, in what would be Austin's final match for 19 years.

2003: Returns to WWE

In early 2003, Steve Austin resolved his differences with Vince McMahon and agreed to return to WWE. He expressed regret over his departure and refuted rumors of grudges against other wrestlers.

2004: "Sheriff" of Raw and WrestleMania XX

As 2004 began, Austin appeared on-and-off as the "Sheriff" of Raw on December 29, giving a Stone Cold Stunner to Bischoff and rehiring Michaels, who had just been "fired" by Bischoff. Austin appeared on-and-off as 2004 began, culminating in him being the special guest referee for the Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg match at WrestleMania XX on March 14. Following said match, Austin attacked both Lesnar and Goldberg with Stone Cold Stunners.

April 3, 2005: WrestleMania 21 Appearance

On April 3, 2005, Stone Cold Steve Austin made his first appearance on WWE programming in a year at WrestleMania 21 when he appeared with Roddy Piper on Piper's Pit. They were interrupted by Carlito, who received a Stone Cold Stunner. The segment ended with Austin and Piper celebrating with beer until Austin gave Piper a Stone Cold Stunner.

2005: Motion Picture Debut in The Longest Yard Remake

In 2005, Steve Austin made his motion picture debut in a supporting role as Guard Dunham in the remake of The Longest Yard.

March 18, 2006: Beer-Drinking Contest

On March 18, 2006, Stone Cold Steve Austin faced John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) in a beer-drinking contest at Saturday Night's Main Event XXXII.

April 1, 2006: WWE Hall of Fame Induction

On April 1, 2006, Stone Cold Steve Austin inducted Bret Hart into the WWE Hall of Fame.

March 2007: Return to WWE and Promotion of "The Condemned"

In March 2007, Stone Cold Steve Austin returned to WWE programming, partially to promote his starring role in the release of WWE Films' production "The Condemned". On March 31, he inducted Jim Ross into the Hall of Fame.

2007: First Starring Film Role in The Condemned

In 2007, Steve Austin had his first starring film role as Jack Conrad, a convict in the action film The Condemned.

October 26, 2008: Cyber Sunday Special Guest Referee

On October 26, 2008, at Cyber Sunday, Stone Cold Steve Austin was the special guest referee during a match between Batista and Chris Jericho for the World Heavyweight Championship.

January 12, 2009: Hall of Fame Induction

On January 12, 2009, on Raw, Stone Cold Steve Austin was announced to be the first member of the Hall of Fame class of 2009. He was inducted by his long-term on-screen rival Vince McMahon, who referred to Austin as "the greatest WWE Superstar of all time". During the induction, Austin said he was officially closing the door on his wrestling career and starting a new chapter in his life.

March 15, 2010: Raw Guest Host

On March 15, 2010, Stone Cold Steve Austin appeared as the guest host of Raw, moderating a contract signing between McMahon and Bret Hart for their match at WrestleMania XXVI on March 28.

2010: Appearance in The Expendables

In 2010, Steve Austin appeared in The Expendables as Dan Paine, the right-hand man for the film's primary antagonist.

2011: Tough Enough and WrestleMania XXVII

In early 2011, Stone Cold Steve Austin was announced as the head trainer and host for the revival of Tough Enough. On the March 7 episode of Raw, Austin interrupted the contract signing of the special guest referee for the Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler match at WrestleMania XXVII on April 3, originally scheduled to be JBL; Austin attacked JBL with a Stone Cold Stunner and signed the contract instead.

June 2012: Redneck Island Premiere on CMT

In June 2012, Steve Austin hosted the reality competition show Redneck Island on CMT.

July 2012: WWE '13 Cover Star

In July 2012, Stone Cold Steve Austin was announced as the cover star of the special edition of the video game WWE '13. He then began a brief, verbal feud on Raw with fellow cover star CM Punk in the months leading to release.

April 2013: Launch of The Steve Austin Show Podcast

In April 2013, Steve Austin launched a weekly podcast named The Steve Austin Show, a family-friendly podcast.

2013: The Steve Austin Show Launch

In 2013, Steve Austin began hosting the podcast The Steve Austin Show.

2013: Last American Theatrical Release Film Until 2013

Steve Austin had no American theatrical release films until 2013 after he re-teamed with Eric Roberts and Gary Daniels in Hunt to Kill.

April 6, 2014: WrestleMania XXX Appearance

On April 6, 2014, Stone Cold Steve Austin appeared at WrestleMania XXX with Hulk Hogan and The Rock in the opening segment.

July 2014: Premiere of Steve Austin's Broken Skull Challenge

In July 2014, Steve Austin's reality competition show Steve Austin's Broken Skull Challenge premiered on CMT.

2014: Podcast Transitioned to Live Broadcast

In 2014 Steve Austin's Podcast transitioned to a live broadcast for the WWE Network (podcasted after a short exclusivity period) with monthly specials

2014: Steve Austin's Broken Skull Challenge Premiere

In 2014, Steve Austin began hosting the reality competition series Steve Austin's Broken Skull Challenge.

2014: Release of Broken Skull IPA

In 2014, Steve Austin released his first beer, Broken Skull IPA, with El Segundo Brewing Company in California.

2014: Support for Same-Sex Marriage

In 2014, Steve Austin voiced support for same-sex marriage on his podcast.

May 2015: Podcast Download Numbers

By May 2015, Steve Austin's podcasts averaged 793,000 downloads a week and had nearly 200 million overall downloads.

October 19, 2015: Raw Appearance

On October 19, 2015, Stone Cold Steve Austin made an appearance on Raw, introducing The Undertaker and promoting the WrestleMania 32 event.

April 3, 2016: WrestleMania 32 Appearance

At WrestleMania 32 on April 3, 2016, Stone Cold Steve Austin (alongside Mick Foley and Shawn Michaels) confronted The League of Nations, with Austin delivering Stone Cold Stunners to Rusev and King Barrett. While Austin was celebrating with Michaels and Foley, The New Day tried to convince Austin to dance with them in celebration. While Austin reluctantly danced along at first, he soon hit Xavier Woods with a Stone Cold Stunner.

April 2016: Redneck Island Concluded

In April 2016, the fifth and final season of the reality competition show Redneck Island, hosted by Steve Austin, concluded on CMT.

September 2017: Broken Skull Challenge Entered Fifth Season

In September 2017, Steve Austin's Broken Skull Challenge entered its fifth season on CMT.

2017: Steve Austin's Broken Skull Challenge End

In 2017, Steve Austin's Broken Skull Challenge ended.

January 22, 2018: Raw 25th Anniversary Appearance

During Raw's 25th anniversary episode on January 22, 2018, Stone Cold Steve Austin appeared and performed a Stone Cold Stunner on Shane and Vince McMahon.

February 2018: Podcast Version Merged

In February 2018, Steve Austin announced that the "Unleashed" version of his podcast had been dropped and merged with the family-friendly version to appeal to more sponsors.

November 2019: Debut of Broken Skull Sessions on WWE Network

In November 2019, Steve Austin began an interview segment on the WWE Network called the Broken Skull Sessions. The premiere episode featured The Undertaker.

2019: Broken Skull Sessions Debut

In 2019, Steve Austin launched the video podcast Broken Skull Sessions, available on the WWE Network and Peacock.

2021: Straight Up Steve Austin End

In 2021, Straight Up Steve Austin ended.

March 7, 2022: Invitation to the KO Show

On March 7, 2022, Kevin Owens invited Stone Cold Steve Austin as a special guest on the KO Show at WrestleMania 38 following several promos where Owens disrespected Austin's native Texas, where WrestleMania 38 was scheduled to take place. The next day, Austin accepted the invite.