You see, it was becoming clear even in the very beginning stages of the year 1996, that Steve Austin had the potential to be a big star. He was showing all the signs of a real mean streak, and he damn sure had all the tools to wrestle in a main event. One problem - no one let the man speak for himself. If you’ve ever read any history on Austin, you know that when he entered the WWF in 1995, the Federation assigned him the name "The Ringmaster" and stuck him with Ted DiBiase as a manager. DiBiase did all of the talking for Austin, and also gave Steve the "Million Dollar Championship" belt.
Even with DiBiase holding him back (don’t get me wrong, DiBiase was the man back in his day), Austin went on to have a feud with Savio Vega, and one hell of a brutal match at Wrestlemania XII. Austin’s mean streak really started to show at this point. I believe it was at May’s In Your House event that Vega defeated Austin in a strap match. The stipulations of the match stated if Vega won, DiBiase was gone for good. In reality, DiBiase was headed for WCW, but either way, Austin was now free and could use the mic for his own forum.
Of course, our next step comes at King of the Ring, 1996. Austin totally smashed through Marc Mero, Savio Vega, and I believe a couple others on his way to the finals of the tourament against Jake Roberts. It should also be noted that Austin had just debuted his new finishing move, called the Stone Cold Stunner. It had a little less flare about it back then compared to now, but it got the job done. Anyway, Austin and Roberts met in the finals. Surely you all know the story about Austin and his match with Mero earlier in the night causing him to need stitches in his lip, but he went on anyway. Roberts had sore ribs from a beating from Vader earlier in the night, and Stone Cold took full advantage. Austin finished the job with his new finisher, and proceeded to take the stand on his "throne" (the WWF still did a full coronation ceremony at this point), and as the mic was given to him, an era began...
(To Jake Roberts, who had recently found a new religious calling..)
"You sit there and you thump your bible and say your prayers, and it didn't get you anywhere! Talk your psalms, talk about John 3:16...Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass!"..."All he’s gotta do is go find a cheap bottle of thunderbird and try to dig up some of that courage he had in his prime!"
(On other matters...)
"I don’t give a damn what they are, they’re all on the list, and that’s Stone Cold’s list, and I’m fixin to start runnin through all of them!"..."You ain’t gotta like it, but that’s damn sure the way it’s gonna be...and that’s the bottom line, because Stone Cold said so!"
When it first happened, there had been very little profanity ever on Federation programming, and practically no one ever talked trash in any believable fashion like you see today. So when Austin opening his mouth, and that came out, all I could think was "wow".
The rest of 1996, and the first couple months of 1997 just added to Austin’s bad ass persona. Austin was the son of a bitch that you’re supposed to hate. He was the guy who crippled people because he felt like it, the bastard who as much as you hated him, you had to admire him for saying what he wanted to say. Here’s a few of my more memorable Austin heel quotes:
(To Gorilla Monsoon, former WWF Commissioner/President)
"You sit there and call yourself the Gorilla, yet you hee haw out here like a jackass!"
"As far as Gorilla Monsoon goes, I’ve got a big bunch of bananas and I can tell you where to stick each and every one of ‘em!"
(Bret Hart...)
"You put the letter S in front of Hitman, and you’ve got my exact opinion of Bret Hart!"
"Any man who wears the color pink deserves to have his ass kicked!"
"You keep talking about getting screwed Bret, I’m not bringing a condom to the ring son, what I am bringing is a big can of whoopass!"
(To Vince McMahon)
"You treat me like a dog and you expect me to smile? You remind me of a jackass!"
(On Brian Pillman)
"Just look at his shit eating grin and tell me this guy doesn’t need to get his ass kicked!"
(To Rocky Maivia, who had just won the New Sensation Slammy)
"I wanna see your phone bill son, as many times as you must’ve called in and voted for yourself, cuz there’s no way I didn’t win this award."
And the list goes on and on. Quotes like that, and the absolute ass-kickings that Austin handed out on a regular basis made him such a huge heel, that I, and apparently many others, had no choice but to love the man.
From that King of the Ring appearance in 1996 through Wrestlemania 13 in 1997, Stone Cold was on a tear. He beat the living hell out of the likes of Vader, Mankind, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, the Undertaker, and many others. However, his crowning achievement as a heel was to successfully call Bret Hart out from semi-retirement and a match at MSG at Survivor Series 1996. Although Hart came out on top, the feud continued basically until Bret left the Federation at the same event one year later.
However, my favorite Austin heel moments came from the encounters he had with Brian Pillman, who was supposedly one of Austin’s good friends (they had been tag team partners in WCW). Pillman attempted to conduct an interview with Stone Cold on WWF Superstars, but as Pillman concluded the interview, he angered Stone Cold by calling Bret "the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be". Stone Cold cut Pillman off about halfway through the phrase, attacking him from the side. Pillman already had a bum leg from a car accident, but Austin decided to make it a little worse. In one of the single coolest beat downs that I have ever seen, Austin took a steel folding chair, wrapped it around Pillman’s injured leg, and jumped off the top rope onto the chair repeatedly, throwing out WWF officials as they came in to try and help out poor Brian. Austin crippled Pillman, and as he says on "’Cause Stone Cold Said So", "that took the shit eating grin right off his candy ass face!"
It didn’t stop there though, Austin started the trend of backstage segments as well. Whether it be raiding the Pillman household and breaking in, trying to break into Bret Hart’s locker room, or beating the hell out of the production assistant, Austin was always raising hell.
But as Bret Hart continued to get more and more on the fans’ nerves with his whining about fairness, Austin continued to grow on the fans for his pure hatred of the Hit Man. And at Wrestlemania 13, a double turn occurred. As Hart won the match (an I Quit match) without Austin submitting (he passed out from the pain and blood loss), Austin gained respect for being a tough bastard, and Hart lost all respect for attacking Austin even after the match was over. Austin was a face. And it was cool, probably up until about a year later as far as I’m concerned. But Austin has gone back to his roots, and if he follows his past formula, which it’s looking like he will, then we are in for one hell of an entertaining show.
Seeing Austin turn on the fans and beat the hell out of the Rock with a steel chair at Wrestlemania X7 made me giggle like a little girl, but more than all that, it caused me to become a Stone Cold Steve Austin mark once again. The next night, he beats the hell out of the Rock again, this time with Triple H’s help. Smackdown, he beats the hell out of Jim Ross, and then on RIW this week he and Triple H beat the hell out of the Hardyz and Lita with chairs; DOES IT GET ANY BETTER?! It’s no secret that I tend to like the guys most people hate. I have my favorites, guys I’ll stick by forever (Undertaker, Kane, even Triple H), but I had grown tired of Austin as a babyface. It is SO GREAT to see him back as a heel. Austin is best as a heel. Although, the problem is, I think a lot of people share my mentality. That is, I feel as though how can you not cheer a guy who uses the stiff end of a steel chair to beat up a woman? It might be a little sick and twisted, but how do you think Austin got over to begin with? He beat the hell out of helpless people, although they were heels, I’ll give you that (Bret Hart...RAW in April 1997).
I just hope that the WWF doesn’t get scared and pull out of it. The fans are still popping pretty good when that glass breaks, but keep in mind they pop when Triple H’s music starts, but then chant asshole at him 30 seconds later. For that matter, the fans pop half the time when Vince McMahon comes out, then the booing starts. All I’m saying is that heel or not, Austin is recognized as a big name, and whenever his music hits, the fans know to expect something big, that’s why they pop.
Plain and simply, Austin as a face accomplished what it needed to, the WWF climbed to the top of the industry once again. Austin and Vince raked in the merchandising dollars, and made plenty of memorable moments together. But now that the Rock and others are cemented on top as well, it’s time for Austin to return to his roots, what he’s best at, and that’s being a heel, a bad ass, a bastard. Stone Cold Steve Austin just isn’t "Stone Cold" as a face. So Vince, WWF, if you’re reading this, keep Austin heel, don’t get scared and turn away from it. It’s still new to everyone, but Austin is best as a bad boy. And THAT, is the bottom line.
And just for the record...I know I said I’d write about the WCW sale in my next column...whoops. Looks like I lied. I’ll get it done eventually.
Until next time...
