Nobody has had such a profound impact on the business as Steve Austin. The beer drinking, hell raisin’, ass whoopin’ “Stone Cold” remains one of the more important characters in WWE history. His feud with Vince McMahon helped the company defeat rival WCW in the Monday Night Wars.
Fans celebrate March 16 as “Austin 3:16” day every year. It is safe to say that Austin’s influence on the business continues to be felt to this day. Superstars from Kevin Owens to LA Knight have paid tribute to the Rattlesnake in some form or fashion.
Let’s celebrate 3:16 by revisiting some of Steve Austin’s iconic hell-raising moments in WWE.
The first stunner to Vince McMahon
The Austin-McMahon rivalry began when the Rattlesnake crossed a major line. Austin had created quite a bold reputation for himself that didn’t fit with WWE’s agenda. The Rattlesnake showed he had zero respect for the authority on multiple occasions.
Few had expected Austin to stun McMahon, who had already been revealed as WWE’s owner by that point in time. The superstar would put away his boss with the first stunner to plant the seeds for their iconic rivalry.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Austin gives The Corporation a beer bath
The Rock aligned himself with Vince and Shane McMahon at Survivor Series 1998. He’d soon ditch his babyface persona to become The Corporate Champion. Rocky would exchange a series of wins and losses with Mankind during the build-up to WrestleMania XV.
The RAW before WrestleMania saw Austin give The Corporation a huge surprise in the form of a beer bath. The Rattlesnake arrived at the arena inside a gigantic truck. What followed next was chaotic entertainment at its best.
Steve Austin stuns The Alliance
Invasion may be one of the more controversial storylines in WWE history. That being said, it did give fans some great moments. Steve Austin’s stunner rampage on the July 16, 2001, episode of RAW is probably one of the greatest moments from the otherwise underwhelming angle.
The episode saw The Alliance outnumber WWE superstars inside the ring. The crowd began to chant “Austin, Austin.” The glass shattered and out came the Rattlesnake to singlehandedly take on WCW and ECW wrestlers.
Fans cheered as Austin took out everything (or everyone) that moved in front of him with a barrage of stunners. However, the blue-eyed redneck would soon show his true colors by joining Shane, Stephanie, and Paul Heyman.
Stone Cold blows up the DX Express
Vince McMahon cost The Rock the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 16. The Great One promised “Stone Cold” Steve Austin was going to be at Backlash 2000. The McMahon-Hemsley regime tried everything in its power to catch the Rattlesnake.
Austin would show up in the parking lot on the April 27, 2000, episode of SmackDown. The Rattlesnake cut a great promo on Triple H and the rest of the DX members before he went to perform a little bit of deconstruction.
The McMahon-Helmsley Regime watched in shock as Austin completely obliterated the “DX Express” in one of the most iconic moments in the blue brand’s history. He’d hold his end of the bargain by showing up just three nights later at WWE Backlash.
Steve Austin destroys Triple H (Survivor Series 2000)
Steve Austin versus Triple H was arguably the most tense and physical rivalry of the Attitude Era. Not a night went by when both men didn’t try to kill each other. Hunter revealed himself as the mastermind behind the attack on Austin at Survivor Series 1999.
The Rattlesnake would finally get his hands on the Cerebral Assassin at Survivor Series 2000. After beating the hell out of The Game inside the Amalie Arena, Austin would take the fight to the parking lot.
The former WWE Champion tried to commit murder on live television by trapping Triple H in a car and then destroying it with a forklift. Austin’s walk away from the crime scene in pure Stone Cold fashion remains one of coldest endings to a WWE PPV.
Honorable Mentions
- The “Austin 3:16: promo
- Steve Austin drives a Zamboni to the ring
- Destroying The Rock’s car with a monster truck
- Steve Austin destroys the McMahon-Helmsley regime at Backlash 2000
- Stone Cold helps Mankind win the WWE Championship
Also read: Steve Austin Finds New Way To Be Stone Cold, Does His First Cold Plunge
