The 411 Wrestling Top 5 01.28.09: Week 7 – Steve Austin Moments

Hello everyone and welcome to 411 Wrestling’s Top 5 List. What we are going to is take a topic each week and all the writers here on 411 wrestling will have the ability to give us their Top 5 on said topic, plus up to three honorable mentions. At the end, based on where all these matches rank on people’s list, we will create the 411 Wrestling Top 5 list. The scoring is very similiar to the Wrestler of the Week as it looks like this:

#1 Choice – 5 points
#2 Choice – 4 points
#3 choice – 3 points
#4 Choice – 2 points
#5 Choice – 1 point
Honorable Mentions will break ties, but get no points.

Also, in the case of a tie, the most votes win, regardless of where it is listed in the individual Top 5. I will also use this rule in the event that one match is mentioned more often, but is one point behind. For example, one second place vote and two Honorable Mentions will defeat simply one first place vote.

So, on to this week’s topic…

THE TOP 5 STEVE AUSTIN MOMENTS

Stone Cold Steve Austin, the face of the Attitude Era in the WWE, and the head of the 2009 Hall of Fame Class. Now, normally, I would have done this for the week after it was announced, but some event known as the Royal Rumble kinda got in the way. You know, the event Stone Cold has won a record three times. But before any of that, Steve Austin had a bit of a run with WCW and a small piece with ECW under the mad genius of Paul Heyman. But without the run of Stone Cold, Steve Austin would have just been another mid level guy who never amounted to much and get lost in the shuffle of the WWE like others before him. Today, we look back and our favorite and best Steve Austin moments, ranging from his crazy promos with various vechiles to his brutal matches and Wrestlemania moments.

So what did our great group of writers select? Let’s find out…

Julian Bond

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Austin’s Beer Truck – The moment that Austin pulled through the curtain with a humongous beer truck, I knew that one of the most memorable scenes ever seen in a wrestling ring was about to take place. Oh the memories.

The “What?!?” Phase – This very unique phase of Stone Cold’s career, which included his well-executed heel turn and also surprisingly some of Austin’s best promo work in the form of his rants to his “Alliance” members and songs with Kurt Angle, was great to witness while it lasted.

King of The Ring Promo (Austin 3:16) – I remember watching this as a videotape rental from Blockbuster as a kid and seeing Austin kick the crap out of Jake “The Snake” Roberts and then proceeding to take his King of The Ring throne with shouting one of the sweetest promos I have ever heard in the form of “Austin 3:16 just whooped your ass”. I like many others had a strong feeling that the man would eventually go on to much greater things from that night on.

5.Austin vs. The Rock – Part 3 (Wrestlemania 19) – There were so many elements that made this match so memorable. Not only was the match a picture-perfect conclusion in the Austin/Rock Wrestlemania trilogy, the drama surrounding it was even more compelling. Not only was it, unknowingly to some, Austin’s final match, the man almost didn’t make it to the ring that night due to the suffering of some serious health issues the day before. What it all equaled was an awesome bout that saw the Texas Rattlesnake’s final bow in the squared circle.

4.Austin vs. Vince McMahon – Steel Cage – This steel cage match (which took place in the “old school” blue-gated cage) between WWE owner Mr. McMahon and Stone Cold Steve Austin was the beautiful climax to their then over 1 year feud. The story behind it was perfect: in order for Austin to get a World title shot against his arch-rival The Rock, all he had to do was kick McMahon’s ass in a cage…sounds easy enough. So what naturally proceeded was a hell of an ass-whooping from Austin and McMahon sold it like a pro (especially with a sick-ass bump he took from the side of the cage into a table). To top this all off with a shocker ender involving the debut of The Big Show and Austin then after barely escaping the cage to win, was a pretty cherry on top at the time in the epic McMahon/Austin feud.

3.Austin Driving the Zamboni – While Austin’s stunt with the beer truck was much more grand and craziest, I found his ride on the Joe Louis Arena Zamboni to be more memorable and enjoyable for a number of reasons, mainly personal. As a proud native of the city of Detroit, we had our awesome hockey team, the Detroit Red Wings, just come off of their 2nd consecutive Stanley Cup win back in 98′ and me and my friends were hyped that Raw was in town this night. So when we all witnessed Austin driving a damn Zamboni from backstage to the ring, crashing the thing, and then jumping off to fight with Vince McMahon and company. The moment made me feel proud to be a Detroiter.

2.Austin vs. Triple H – Three Stages of Hell – The feud between Triple H and Austin reached a boiling point here at No Way Out 2001 and this was a rare main-event type blowoff, where there was no belt, title shot, or anything special on the line. Just a straight-laced conclusion to a crazy bloody feud. With just being exciting with the fact that these two rivals were going to tear each other apart with the “Three Stages of Hell” stipulation, I didn’t expect anything else from this match but straight-up brawling. But instead I got a true glimpse of Austin’s true-blue wrestling ability. Rather than just the expected “kick and stomp” routine he always skillfully showed in the ring, the man put on a full-blown wrestling clinic with moves that I’ve never seen him do before. At the conclusion, I had a brand new respect for Austin because he was much, much more than a beer drinking, finger-flipping brawler in the ring and it made me want to look back at his past work to see if he’s been hiding it till the time was right to pull these moves back out again.

1.Austin vs. The Rock – Part 2 (Wrestlemania X-7) – This was easily the best Wrestlemania match I have ever witnessed and the best in the Rock/Austin Wrestlemania Trilogy. At the time, the hype behind this match was sickening and everyone was on the edge of their seats wondering who was going to win. Not only was the Rock at the top of his game here, but Austin was pulling out all of the stops in pulling out all types of moves that were rarely done by him. The climax of this came when Austin put his old school “Million Dollar Dream” submission hold on the Rock and almost appeared that he was going to make him tap out. Pairing this pitch-perfect wrestling with Austin’s out of nowhere heel turn and alliance with long-time foe Mr. McMahon, it made this one of, if not, the most memorable moment of Austin’s career.

Scott Rutherford

HONORABLE MENTIONS

The Kurt Angle Promo’s – After years of The Rattlesnake we suddenly got a different Steve Austin who was fighting for the affection of Vince McMahon with Kurt Angle. What followed was some of the funniest and goofiest moments in either mans career. Pure entertainment.

Three Stages Of Hell vs. HHH – For my vote his greatest singles match. While he lost the match it signaled the return of Steve Austin back from neck surgery and ready to go again in the ring.

His First Match – I couldn’t tell you who it was against or if he even won, but the first match of the biggest wrestler of the past 20 years is a definite highlight for me.

5.King of the Ring – While “the” promo is often cited as the ground zero for Steve Austin’s ascent, his performance on the whole PPV for my mind is the full tale. His match against Marc Mero is truly a lost classic as it showed Austin’s true in ring talent, the squashing of Jake Roberts showed his ruthlessness and the promo was the cherry that showed that magnetic charisma that galvanized so many people into becoming fans again.

4.Austin vs. The Rock – Degeneration X PPV – We all know the story, Austin was just back from his neck injury and in no proper state to wrestle, The Rock was at the beginning of his rise to the top of the heap but not yet the icon he was destined to become. The match however is fascinating on many levels because almost everything these two became to the sport is right here in a frantic 6 minutes of mayhem. Austin brought the crowd and Rocky the heat, Austin created a spectacle and The Rock was willing to do whatever it took to complete that. This match got everybody talking about Austin based just on the reaction from the crowd to his antics and you would have to be a idiot to not see the biggest star in history was right there.

3.The Hollywood Blondes – I’m not going to single out a match because who the Blondes were and what happened to them is the bigger story. These guys were MONEY and were wasted away on politics, which is an irony all itself as politics forced Austin into this teaming and politics split them up when certain people in the archaic structure that was WCW. These guys got over on sheer force of will and not taking the demotion as a demotion but a chance to prove others wrong. They had a fantastic catch phrase (“Your brush with greatness is over”) and look and the in ring work was just spectacular. When they were split Austin received a decent push and while Ricky Steamboat made him a legit main eventer in the ring, the bookers turned him into a jobber having him drop the US Title to Jim Duggan in 30 seconds on PPV. This all added up to one pissed off Steve and when he got the chance in ECW the future of the sport of revealed and Vince laughed all the way to the bank while Austin attained wrestling immortality.

2.Monday Night Nyquil – We all knew Austin had a certain charisma about him based on the “Stunning” character he portrayed in WCW. This was something different. This was the anti-authoritarian outsider that would later become realized in the WWE. ECW didn’t have Steve Austin for that long but his time there was invaluable to the future of the sport because without it, it’s doubtful Vince would have ever given him a second glance.

1.Over the Edge ’98 vs. Dude Love – I don’t consider this Austin’s best match but the importance it carried was massive as well the influence it had on wrestling in general. While Austin had won the world title a couple months previous, the long range booking of him against Vince McMahon had fated this match as its flash point making is THE Austin moment of his career. With the willing Mick Foley as an opponent, Austin created a red hot match full of excitement and fun that ECW only wished they could do and WCW had no idea how to even attempt. For better or worse The Main Event Style was birthed here and Austin was the main to bring it (more because of the restrictions of injury than any grand plan). Personally speaking, this match re-sparked my long love of wrestling which was cursory for many years because of the general staid wrestling climate of the previous five years. This match, with its pulsing action and insane crowd heat turned me back and for that, it remains my favorite Steve Austin moments.

Robert S. Leighty Jr

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Shot a Hogan – Just before inducting Bret Hart into the Hall of Fame, Austin took a second to take a shot at Hulk Hogan (who was sitting just behind Austin with the following line: “I lost something and was going through my bag in the back and I found a can of ass whoop with Hulk Hogan’s name on it.” AWESOME!

The Trilogy: You can have your Lord of the Rings and your Star Wars, but I will take Austin/Rock at WrestleMania any day of the week.

Fun Times w/ Angle: The best part of the heel turn was all the backstage segments Austin had with Kurt Angle, Debra, and Vince. Easily some of the funniest shit you will ever see from 2 supposed bad asses.

5.The Zamboni – Everyone seems to like the Beer Truck, or the cement truck best, but for some reason I just loved the Zamboni. He ran over lighting and crashed the thing into the ring (causing it to shift), and it also gave him a platform to dive off onto Vince. The crowd went batshit and I can vividly remember an inflattable Austin punching bag being tossed into the ring. Just good times all around!

4.Austin vs. Vince I – It was this first sanctioned match between the two on an episode of RAW that finally ended WCW’s reign at the top of the weekly ratings. All night they built to this match and showed the Stooges training Vince. JR was hilarious as he talked about just buying a house and wondering how he was going to pay for it if Austin killed the ruler of the WWF. The crowd was superjacked for this and while it ended as a cop-out it was still a pivotal moment in wrestling history.

3.Pillman/Austin: The Gun Angle – One of the most controversial moments ever on RAW and one that damn near got the show thrown off the air (if you believe some). Austin crippled Pillam by “pillmanizing” his ankle. Pillman was stuck at home recovering and Austin paid him a visit. We got a crazy ass Austin beating the piss out of Pillman’s friends and then breaking into the house while Pillman was wielding a pistol. Both men were quite awesome in this role and it was one of the few times where the WWF was ahead of the curve in regards to what WCW was doing in 1996.

2.The Birth of Austin 3:16 – It seemed innocent enough at the time. Steve Austin had just defeated Jake Roberts to win the 96 King of the Ring and gave a post match promo to rub it in to Jake a little. Jake was on a religous kick and Austin shot back at him with “you talk about your Psalms, talk about John 3:16. Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass.” The crowd response was immediate and Austin was on his way from the midcard to a money feud with Bret Hart and that leads to…

1.Hart vs Austin: WrestleMania 13 – The greatest match of Austin’s career and probably the most important match of Austin’s career. This match turned him into the star of the future for the WWE and gave us of the most iconic images in wrestling history. Austin fighting through the pain of the sharpshooter with blood just pouring from his head, and never giving Hart the satisfaction of quitting. Just a tremendous visual in a tremendous match that pulled off the double switch better than any match in history.

Owain J. Brimfield

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Beating up Vince in hospital – Comic gold, sold to perfection by Mr McMahon.

Beating up Booker T in the supermarket – I’m unsure if this is funnier than the previous mention, but still, just as gold.

5.Austin vs Dude Love, Over the Edge ’98 – One of the most overbooked main events in WWE history. The story, with McMahon and the Stooges conspiring to move the finish line further and further away, was pitch perfect and the match featured one of the more innovative finishes I can remember. Combined with the comic genius of Dude Love, Mick Foley’s most underrated persona, this was one of the best main events of the year.

4.King of the Ring ’96 – Like Rutherford says, the Austin 3:16 promo was the deal clincher, but the man’s performance across the entire tournament was what cemented him as a legitimate future main-eventer. From an underrated clash with Marc Mero to a ruthless domination of Jake Roberts and the coining of a catchphrase that would come to define the Attitude Era, rarely has one man made such an impact in one night.

3.The first Royal Rumble win – Austin was dominant in ’97, and if Austin 3:16 had been a star-making performance, this was cementing the star into the sidewalk. Ten glorious eliminations (including ‘Taker and Bret Hart, no less) were enough to make Austin the strongest Rumble performer in the history of the match, and of course his victory would lead onto a certain other encounter with the Hitman at Wrestlemania 13.

2.Austin vs. The Rock, WMXVII – Main eventing the offical Best PPV Ever you’d be hard pressed to leave off this list, but the fact that this was (and probably remains) one of the biggest matches in wrestling history bumps it right up there. While the WM19 match remains an awesome match, for my money it has nothing on their WM17 clash, which was one of the finest main events you could hope for. Add into that an absolute shocker of a finish and you have a bonafide classic.

1.Austin vs. Bret Hart, WMXIII – Surely one of the most famous images of Austin’s lengthy career is of the blood-soaked Rattlesnake steadfastly refusing to submit to one of the most powerful submission holds in the business. It remains easily the best double turn in history as well as one of the finest submission matches, and while Austin/Rocky may beat it out for prestige, for me this is the singular moment that marked out Austin’s career as one for the record books.

Larry Csonka

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Austin’s Beer Truck – I don’t care if some people hate it, that shit was great.

The Austin Rock Concert – Tremendous…

September 22nd, 1997 – The Stunner Heard Round the World… – I think this is the right date, but regardless of that, the first stunner on Vince is a moment I always remember.

5. The Hollywood Blondes – I agree with my associate Scott Rutherford in placing the Hollywood Blondes run on the list here. Austin and Pillman weren’t properly being used, and when WCW put them together, it WORKED big time. For my money, their short run was one of the very best, and they could have been one of the all time great teams, if WCW would have just given them the right chance. This is a classic case of the bookers giving two guys chicken salad and them turning it into chicken cordon bleu.
4. Austin vs. Rock II – WrestleMania X-7 – Oh Yes, part II of the Rock/Austin WrestleMania trilogy. They say that sequels don’t usually live up to the original, but there are exceptions. The Godfather Part II, Breakin’ II: Electric Boogaloo and of course this WrestleMania match, Austin vs. Rock II. The video package for this match was tremendous as the song “My Way or the Highway” worked perfectly for this feud. If you watched this video and didn’t get into this match then you are no fan I have to say. The way they stole each other’s stuff, went back to classic matches for spots that the fans would know (WrestleMania 13: Austin rolls him in and flips him off before attempting the Stunner but Rock gets a sharpshooter. Lots of blood to take you back to that imagery but he make the ropes. Survivor Series 96/WrestleMania 8: Rock walks up the ropes in the corner and rolls back over onto Austin) and just the general big time feel was all-perfect. The way these two were built up and carried themselves just made everything feel like a big time (sorry for the pun) event. In the end, most figured that it would be a replay of WrestleMania XV, this time with Austin being beat down like Rock was. But once again Vince took the opportunity to screw the Rock and do something no one thought would actually come to pass; he would join forces with Steve Austin. All you have to do is go back to that line: “I need to beat you Rock. I need more than anything you could ever imagine.” While some think that this was the beginning of the end for the Austin character, in the build it made complete sense.

3. The ECW Debut Interview – While I always liked Stunning, going back to the days when he first broke in and feuded with Chris Adams, and all the way into his WCW run, I always felt that there was something missing to take him to the next level. Mainly a chance, to me, the first interview he did with ECW was the chance, and he shined here. Also, you can see the beginnings of the Stone Cold character coming through, here is the video.

2. Austin vs. Hart: WrestleMania XIII – I have been able to watch this match over and over again and never get tired of it. The early part of the match was great as Austin actually tries to use some Hart signature moves, including the sharpshooter. Austin facials are excellent as he has the most evil smirk ever. The tide really turned when Austin gets busted open huge on the floor. He would try to choke out Hart with an extension cord, but Hart would grab the ring bell and lay out Austin. This is when the sharpshooter gets locked in. The ending has to be one of the most dramatic ever, and has been often imitated but never duplicated. Hart locks in that Sharpshooter and Austin, in possibly one of the greatest visuals ever fights it off and blood just continues to pour from his head. He starts to fade and there is the puddle of blood he lays in, and they battles almost out only for Hart to relock in the hold and for Austin to pass out in his own blood. Hart wins the match, but never gets the satisfaction of Austin giving up. Bret, visibly upset tries to beat down Austin more, only for Ken Shamrock to be the bad ass and not let him. Hart then gets booed from the building. Besides the match itself being great, it also has been referred to as the “perfect double turn.” They took these two men and were able to make Hart into a heat machine as a heel and allow Austin to become the anti-authority babyface. The ending was perfect as he refused help, stunnered a ref and walked out on his own power. This was just about as perfect as you can get. I also personally loved the addition of Ken Shamrock as the special referee. They wanted a ref that wouldn’t stop the match for no reason (See WM: Hart vs. Backlund w/Piper as ref) and with his UFC background, he was seen as the ultimate bad ass that would do the job and not be afraid of either guy. I think his role is down played a lot due to how great Hart and Austin were, so Ken gets some love from me here. This was a totally awesome match here, and the only reason to watch the event in all honesty.

1. Austin 3:16… – You sit there and you thump your Bible, and you say your prayers, and it didn’t get you anywhere! Talk about your Psalms, talk about John 3:16… Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass! THE moment for him, as the next night, “Austin 3:16” signs started to litter arenas around the country, and the Stone Cold phenomenon truly began.

Jarrod Westerfeld

HONORABLE MENTIONS (Up to 3)

5.Steve Austin vs. Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho (WWF World Heavyweight Championship King of the Ring 2001) – I think one of the main reasons this match gets overlooked, if not all together forgotten, is a series of answers: firstly, many acclaim Steve Austin’s best work to be with the Rock for the WWF Championship, the second being this is a Benoit match and because of his actions many simply write off any of his bouts as being something not worth noting anymore, and thirdly a lot of the focus, at this time, was still centered around the Alliance and the departure of Triple H due to his quad injury. That all aside, however, this match still holds up and is a fantastic thrill ride that showed these men had tremendous chemistry and ability to keep the fans involved in all that was going on in the ring. I simply cannot recall a single dull spot in this match, and the hype and build going into it was simply fantastic, especially given this was a new Austin character who was a fresh breath after years of dominance as the lovable bad guy he had portrayed himself to be.

4.The Extreme Superstar Promo -You all know it, the infamous promo Steve Austin cut upon his arrival in ECW. The cutting, stabbing words of one pissed off Steve Austin aimed at his former management in WCW who kept telling him, time and time again, that they had other plans for him. That nothing he suggested was good enough for him. That others were more suited for the run he was asking for. It’s the best impersonation of Dusty I’ve ever heard and that promo still puts a smile on my face to hear the business spill out from someone who had all the tools to be a big star talk about managements need to hold him back in favor of the ancient and old relics that still try to protect themselves and their spots.

3.Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart (Submission Match Wrestlemania 13) – Again, a feud that defined him and a match that launched him into the annals of history as the most iconic wrestler in the industry. What can be said about this match is simply this: it was tremendous. The feud was heating up to such an extent that it was viewed as more important than the WWF title match at that time because here you had a former hero to the company in Bret Hart representing the old and tired character that fans were growing out of while Steve Austin represented a new, harder edged persona that fans could gravitate towards in the middle of a cultural revolution. Fans still sing high praises of this match for a good reason – Austin didn’t have to win to keep the fans on his side, he only had to show them just how tough he was to keep them wanting more of Stone Cold.

2.Steve Austin vs. Triple H (Three Stages of Hell No Way Out 2001) – This is a tremendous match that has already made the top 5 lists before in previous week editions, but it’s so brilliant in Austin’s career for all sorts of reasons. First it was the beginning of a shift that Austin’s character would need to keep him from growing stale, something a minority of fans (such as myself) were having with him – this match allowed for a heel Austin to actually become a concept just before the infamous handshake with the devil himself at Houston. Secondly, this match is brilliant for what it did with its storytelling. For weeks Triple H was boasting about how wrestling ability and how in a single fall wrestling match Austin would be outmatched, yet the first fall, the regular wrestling match, showcased classic Steve Austin at his finest. Steve Austin worked hard and worked with a strong talent to pull out one of the best 2 of 3 falls matches in modern wrestling history and that’s enough reason to slide this in the top 5.

1.Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass – It was the defining moment in a career that forever launched Steve Austin from the depths of mid-card hell right into the lime light success. A super-nova icon whose appeal and fandom would grow to heights that not even Hulk Hogan could have rivaled. The dimensions of this man to be able to coin such a brilliant promo that stabbed at the fake virtues of Jake Roberts while dubbing himself an almost messiah of brutality is simply brilliance. If people didn’t buy that he was a great entertainer before this, they certainly became believers after this very night.

Jeremy Thomas

HONORABLE MENTIONS (Up to 3)

“WHAT?” – I couldn’t actually give this one points because of how FUCKING IRRITATING it is these days, but the legacy of this can’t be denied. I wager it’ll be around forever, much like “WHOOO!” following knife-edge chops and RVD comments on 411 articles.

Austin Stuns EVERY McMahon at WWE Homecoming – Pure personal preference here. It wasn’t an important moment, it wasn’t a great match or a great moment. But it was pure hilarity watching Stone Cold stun Vince, Shane, Steph, and then even Linda as each of them came down to the ring, and I loved every moment.

The Austin/Rock Concert – The boss is right on this one, it was just a freaking awesome promo, the crowd was into it, and they were having a great time. Gotta love it.

5.The Beer Truck – I loved the Beer Truck; it was one of the moments that really defined the Attitude era for me. It was one of the most over-the-top, raucous moments ever, as Austin crashed the Corporation’s little celebration party and hopped on top of the beer truck. As Vince, Shane and Rock freaked out in the ring, Austin cut one of his usual rabid promos, mocking the Rock’s catchphrases in the process. The Rock then fired back, but got cut off as Austin sprayed the ring with beer. It was a classic moment that was a highlight of Austin’s career for me, and I don’t know how someone can’t love it.

4.The Hollywood Blondes – Two guys in the right place at the right time, and they created a truly great team. Austin and Pillman always worked well off each other, both as friends and as enemies. I hate the fact that they were broken up as quickly as they were due to the terrible backstage politics that plagued WCW, because these guys could have been something truly special as a team. Of course, if they hadn’t then we may never have gotten Stone Cold and everything that followed, but that doesn’t change the fact that this was an awesome team cut criminally short.

3.Steve Austin vs. The Rock (WrestleMania X-7) – My personal favorite match of these two is their WrestleMania rubber match at XIX, but that’s for entirely personal reasons because I was there. This was the better match by far, as Austin wasn’t breaking down yet physically. They went out there and put on an absolutely killer match; like Larry, I also felt the Limp Bizkit song fit the feud perfectly, and God help me I actually LIKE that damned song specifically because of it’s involvement of the hype for this match. The drama and storytelling of the match was intense and the shocking turn at the end had everyone’s jaws on the floor. Great drama, great storytelling, great match. GREAT match.

2.The Birth of Austin 3:16 – Where it all began. There have been moments where fan reaction contributed to the birth of an era; the Socko era is one I remember. This was another. Austin had a stellar performance in the King of the Ring tournament and beat Jake the Snake, then turned that those religious promos around. This turned into a phenomenon, and from that point on, Austin 3:16 was embedded in the consciousness of professional wrestling forever.

1.Bret Hart vs Steve Austin (WrestleMania 13) – Steve Austin’s best match of all-time is right here. Anyone who says they don’t like this match…well, I can’t reason with you then, because I don’t understand how you work. It’s one of the all-time amazing matches not only of Austin’s career, but Bret Hart’s and WrestleMania as well. The drama of the match is intense, and that unforgettable visual of Austin in the Sharpshooter, and Austin shouting in rage and pain with blood dripping down his face and into his mouth is something I’ll never, ever forget. This did the double-turn beautifully and is a match that has been tried to be duplicated, to put someone over as the guy who loses by submission only by passing out many times. They’ll never, ever be able to equal the original, though. This is a match that I watch at least once a year, and I think I probably always will; there are very few matches I can say that for.

Michael Bauer

5.Austin shoots on WCW – This would also be known as Steve Austin’s debut promo with ECW. Austin had just been fired by WCW and was invited by Paul Heyman to tak about it. It was perhaps the greatest promo he ever had, because Austin was just himself, not caring about a character or being the King of Whoop-ass.

4.“Austin just gave Mr. McMahon a Beer Bath!” – Of every type of truck that Stone Cold used during the Attitude Era, nothing was better than when he drove a beer truck into the arena and proceeded to spray down Vince, Shane, and The Rock in gallons and gallons of beer. This was tons better than the cement truck to wreck one of the hottest cars ever, the Zamboni, or the Monster Truck on The Rock’s limo. I think it is especially true because it was so unexpected for the time it happened.

3.Austin 3:16 says “I Just Whipped Your Ass!” – The offical birth of Stone Cold happened at King of the Ring in 1996 after running through a beaten and already broken Jake Roberts in the finals. While all of the speeches of the winners had something memorable, this was the only one that truly wasn’t boring. Austin was still full heel here, but man did he electrify the crowd.

2.Steve Austin wins his first WWE Title (WrestleMania XIV) – While the year before was the offical start of the Attitude era, this was the true changing of the guard. Granted, Michaels was going away because of his back, but he still put on a decent match with Austin and made Austin look like the superstar of the WWE. Austin would go on to have a total of six WWE Heavyweight Title reigns and it all started here.

1.Bret Hart vs Steve Austin (WrestleMania XIII) – Without a doubt, this match and the vision of Stone Cold Steve Austin with the Crimson Mask, screaming in pain and refusing to give up to the Sharpshooter, is THE moment that defined that Steve Austin was going to be a main eventer in the WWE. Oh, and it defined the beginning of the Attitude Era, and Stone Cold was the front man leading the charge as the kick-ass, take no bullhshit, ass whopping son of a bitch. Without this match and the way it ended, Stone Cold may have never had is WWE Hall of Fame run.

So with all said and done, here is the 411 Wrestling’s Overall Top 5 Steve Austin Moments.

5. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Triple H in Three Stages of Hell: 8 points (2 2nd place votes, 1 Honorable Mention)

4. Austin’s Debut Promo for ECW: 10 points (1 2nd place vote, 1 3rd place vote, 1 4th place vote, 1 5th place vote)

3. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Rock at Wrestlemania XVII: 14 points (1 1st place vote, 1 2nd place vote, 1 3rd place vote, 1 4th place vote)

2. Austin wins the King of the Ring and debuts Austin 3:16: 24 points (2 1st place votes, 2 2nd place votes, 1 3rd place vote, 1 4th place vote, 1 5th place vote, 1 Honorable Mention)

1. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart at Wrestlemania 13: 27 points (4 1st place votes, 1 2nd place vote, 1 3rd place vote)