There’d be no one quite like “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. The man epitomized Attitude Era. Austin’s rise to the top of the industry in the ’90s coincided with Monday Night Wars. From his intense promos to his no-nonsense attitude to his entrance, everything about the Texas Rattlesnake screamed badass.
Speaking of entrances, Austin’s theme song perfectly encapsulated his gimmick as the trash talking and ass kicking red neck from Texas. In honor of 3:16 day, let’s take a a look at some of Steve Austin’s best WWE PPV entrances.
Over the Edge 1998
Dude Love (aka Mick Foley) had won his Unforgiven: In Your House outing against Steve Austin via disqualification. Since the title didn’t change hands due to a disqualification finish, both men got themselves a rematch at Over the Edge 1998.
Austin’s entrance was preceded by a less than cordial introduction by Pat Patterson. The Rattlesnake got a thunderous pop as he made his way to the ring. The slow badass walk was followed by a great match between the champion and the challenger.
Steve Austin walks towards his first WWE Championship win (WrestleMania 14)
Steve Austin’s road to WrestleMania 14 kicked off with his second consecutive win at the Royal Rumble. The foul-mouthed, beer-drinking redneck earned the opportunity to face Shawn Michaels for the WWE Championship.
Michaels, who had suffered a brutal injury at the 1998 Royal Rumble, was told he he to drop the title to his challenger. I won’t be going into the backstage details because most of you know The Showstopper was difficult to work with during the nineties.
Back to the match entrance, WWE cameras showed Austin walking down the hallway with the heartbeat sound playing in the back. Triple H also seems to have brought back the hallway entrance ever since he took the reins of the company.
It adds so much more to the presentation.
Survivor Series 1997
Steve Austin broke his neck due to a botched piledriver at SummerSlam 1997. Austin, somehow, was able to pin Owen Hart for the win. Unfortunately, the injury left him sidelined for months and forced him to adopt the more vicious brawling style we know him for today.
Austin would successfully recover from the injury and make his return at Survivor Series 1997. The entrance would see him shoulder tackler the wall with a big skull figure on it. He would pin Owen to win the Intercontinental Championship.
WrestleMania 13
There have been many WrestleMania events, but few have altered the course of history like WrestleMania 13. On a night that featured The Undertaker versus Sycho Sid in the main event, it was Steve Austin versus Bret Hart who would steal the show.
Everything about the entire feud and the match itself was perfect. It was also probably the first and last WrestleMania event to feature the giant glass-shattering entrance for the Texas Rattlesnake.
Austin and Bret went on to deliver one of the greatest and most important matches in the show’s history – one that would alter the trajectory of both men’s careers and this business forever.
Steve Austin walks the highway to hell (SummerSlam 1998)
SummerSlam 1998 is considered one of the best WWE pay-per-views of all time. The eight-match card featured some of the biggest stars on the roster at the time. It also featured some of the best live entrances in company history.
From The Rock’s iconic, slow walk to the ring to his rare “Do You Smell?” theme to Austin’s brilliant glass-shattering entrance, WWE really knocked it out of the park with his entrance. The Texas Rattlesnake entered the iconic Madison Square Garden to a standing ovation.
Thousands of fans screamed at the top of their lungs as Austin made his way to the ring to face The Undertaker. The whole presentation was done to perfection. Austin would retain his title against The Phenom after a grueling match.
Honorable Mentions
- Survivor Series 1996
- Unforgiven 1998
- Backlash 1999
- WrestleMania XIX
Also read: Steve Austin Comments On Potential Dream Match Against CM Punk
