Stone Cold Steve Austin

Background

Stone Cold Steve Austin has been a force to reckon with in the ring since his debut in the world of wrestling. Born Steven James Anderson, in Austin, Texas, Stone Cold is one of four siblings. He played football in college, from which he got a scholarship at the University of North Texas. It was in 1989 that he began wrestling as a rookie. He was trained by Gentleman Chris Adams, and he fought at World Class Championship Wrestling. He quickly learned the skills and techniques and was well on his way to being one of the best. He later left the newly formed U.S.W.A. — a merger between W.C.C.W. and the Continental Wrestling Association — and found a home at World Championship Wrestling where, under the alias Stunning Steve Austin, he soon won his first W.C.W. Television Championship.

His time with W.C.W. saw him also being paired with wrestler Brain Pillman, with whom he competed in tag team competitions and won the W.C.W. World Tag Team Championship as the Hollywood Blonds. The team later split and Stone Cold, returning from an injury, was let go by W.C.W. He later found a new start with Extreme Championship Wrestling, in 1995, where he did promotional material and interviews as Superstar Steve Austin. The following year, Stone Cold joined the World Wrestling Federation, debuting as the Ringmaster, and won his first Wrestlematian competition. He had his second daughter in the same year, his first having been born in 1992. The year 1997 came with his feud with Vince McMahon, who took a title away from him and also found himself at the receiving end of Stone Cold’s stunner on multiple occasions.

By the end of the ’90s, Stone Cold had clashed with most W.W.E. superstars, including The Rock, Triple H, and even The Nature Boy, Rick Flair. The early 2000s found him at odds with the W.W.E. writers over the storylines and creative changes. He had his last two matches against Eric Bischoff and later The Rock, with whom he settled his feud, along with his other fallouts with other wrestlers. He officially retired from W.W.E. in 2003 but continued making appearances. He took a whack at acting, landing roles in “The Longest Yard” and “The Condemned,” as the protagonist, Jack Conrad. He legally changed his name to Steve Austin and married Kristin Feres. He tried his hand at hosting and started a podcast, “The Steve Austin Show,” later changing it to “Broken Skull Sessions” and hosting his peers from W.W.E. His accomplishments inside the ring were plenty, including his W.W.E. Championships and his induction into the W.W.E. Hall of Fame.