Steve Austin has stated that if it wasn’t for a certain rivalry then he wouldn’t have become one of the biggest stars in professional wrestling history.
Although The Texas Rattlesnake is still recognised as many fans’ favourite wrestler more than 20 years on from his retirement match at WrestleMania 19, there was a point where Austin could have faded into the rest of the field and not become the iconic star he is regarded as today.
Fired from WCW in 1995 by Eric Bischoff and briefly competing in ECW, Austin made his way to the WWE towards the end of the year as was introduced as The Ringmaster by Ted DiBiase in early 1996. Not happy with the character and looking for a change, Austin shaved his blond hair off and would later debut the “Stone Cold” persona that fans are much more familiar with.
Having a breakout performance at the 1996 King of the Ring pay-per-view, Austin won the tournament and cut the iconic Austin 3:16 promo on runner-up Jake Roberts after the match. About to begin his meteoric rise, all Austin needed was the breakout rivalry.
Later that year, Austin would cross paths with Bret Hart, leading to their excellent match at Survivor Series 1996. Despite both men looking for a different opponent at WrestleMania 13, as Hart was looking for a rematch with Shawn Michaels and Austin wanting to work with someone else, Austin and Hart would collide once more in 1997 in a submission match.
The match itself, the closing angle of Austin passing out in a pool of his own blood while in the Sharpshooter and the double turn made this one of the most iconic Mania matches in the history of the event. According to Austin, this unlikely pairing would change the wrestling landscape altogether.
Speaking with Sports Illustrated, Austin stated that his rivalry with Hart is the most important as it was what got the ball rolling for all of his other legendary encounters:
“If it wasn’t for Bret Hart, I don’t know that I would be having this interview right now,” said Austin. “My feud with Bret changed everything.”
Austin continued, revealing that although he has been a part of many iconic moments at WrestleManias over the years, 1997 was his favourite:
“I’ve been lucky to have been part of several WrestleManias. Rocking the house with the one and only Rock at WrestleMania 17 in Houston, which was basically my backyard. Winning my first championship against Shawn Michaels, the greatest in-ring performer of all-time, at WrestleMania 14, that was special. Of all the ones I’ve been part of, my favorite is WrestleMania 13 against Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart when we executed a double turn. I got busted open in that match, transitioned from a heel into a babyface. It was so paramount in the importance of ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin getting over.”
Will Steve Austin Be At WrestleMania 40?
As WrestleMania approaches, rumours have once again begun to swirl in regard to legends from the past making appearances at the biggest show of the year. According to a report, Steve Austin is one of many names that have been discussed to appear at the event.