During
his coronation ceremony, the superstar took the
opportunity to speak his mind—and the legacy of
"Austin 3:16" was born! Within a year, Stone
Cold became the biggest phenomenon in the history of the
Federation, stomping the @#$% out of the "take your
vitamins and say your prayers" theory of the past
era.
After a bitter feud with Bret Hart, which saw the two engage in a bloody war at WrestleMania 13, Austin went on to capture the Federation Tag Team Championship with Shawn Michaels in May of 1997. After the Heartbreak Kid was forced out of action due to injuries, Dude Love stepped in as Stone Cold’s partner, and together they reclaimed the title. That August at the ‘97 SummerSlam, Stone Cold nearly had his career ended by Owen Hart.
| The Texan’s neck was severely damaged by his foe’s piledriver, and he was paralyzed on the mat before miraculously rolling up Owen for the title! However, the superstar was put out of action with the injury and forced to vacate the gold. |
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Stone Cold’s return to the ring came at the 1997 Survivor Series, where he dismantled Owen to reclaim the Intercontinental Championship. After Federation owner Mr. McMahon stripped him of the title and awarded it to The Rock, Austin set his sights on the grandest prize in the sport—the Federation Title. His road to the championship began at the 1998 Royal Rumble, where he eliminated The Rock to earn his shot at the title at WrestleMania XIV.
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That night in Boston’s FleetCenter with Mike Tyson serving as the special "Enforcer", the Rattlesnake beat Shawn Michaels—ushering in a new era of "Attitude" in the Federation! It took eight long f’in years for Stone Cold Steve Austin to make it to the top—and according to him "there ain’t no way in hell anyone--not even Vince McMahon, is going to keep me from getting it back!" |
