"Stone Cold" Steve Austin helped launch the WWE into mainstream heights in the 1990s, as he's not only one of the biggest stars in the business but also one of the most notable celebrity figures in the 90s. Steve Austin is most known for his over-the-top charismatic personality, who was a heavy influence in WWE becoming an edgier product. There's no denying that Steve Austin's personality brought his stock to main-event level stardom, as it's worth noting that Steve Austin is considered one of the greatest mic-workers in business. However, Steve Austin's in-ring ability gets unnoticed by some fans, as he arguably doesn't get enough credit for his wrestling abilities. Steve Austin was once known for having a more technical-based wrestling style, which later evolved as he became more popular.
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Austin Was A Stellar Technician Specialist
Steve Austin is considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers in wrestling history. However, the foul-mouthed Texas redneck wasn't always known for his "foul-mouthed" persona. When he started his wrestling career in 1989, Steve Austin wrestled in different promotions before getting his big break in the WWE in the late 90s. One of his most notable pre-WWE gimmicks is his tag-team with Brian Pillman Jr in WCW, as they wrestled as "The Hollywood Blondes."
Both Steve Austin and Brian Pillman portrayed radically different personas than they were in WWE, as Steve Austin in WCW was night-and-day compared to what was in WWE. Furthermore, during the early years of his wrestling career, Steve Austin adopted a purely technical background to his wrestling arsenal. It may be hard to believe for some younger fans, but Steve Austin operated on a different level for almost a decade before switching up his wrestling style. And even though Steve Austin didn't have the mainstream popularity as he did when he became the "Stone Cold" character in WWE, he did have stellar matches with wrestling legends such as Ricky Steamboat, as both men had a series of classic bouts in WCW.
Many fans tend to forget that Steve Austin was a stellar in-ring technician. Just because certain wrestlers have a limited style in WWE, it doesn't indicate their entire wrestling ability. Hulk Hogan is another example of someone that fits that criteria. Although his wrestling style in WWE was limited, to an extent, he pulled off surprising technical abilities when he wrestled over in Japan, for instance.
Becoming "Stone Cold"
After multiple runs in different wrestling promotions, Steve Austin made his televised debut on WWE programming in January 1996 as "The Ringmaster" moniker. Still utilizing his technical background, Steve Austin's gimmick as "The Ringmaster" wasn't getting him anywhere as he later developed the "Stone Cold" persona. Considering that Steve Austin was becoming more aggressive with his newly adopted "Stone Cold" persona, he later developed a brawler style to his in-ring wrestling that perfectly tied into his demeanor.
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Austin Suffered A Life-Threatening Neck Injury
In 1997, Steve Austin became massively popular as he turned babyface after WrestleMania 13. Portrayed as the anti-hero character moving forward, Steve Austin's feud with The Hart Foundation led to a match at Summerslam 1997 against Owen Hart, which would ultimately be one of the most eventful moments in Steve Austin's entire wrestling career.
During that match with Owen Hart, Steve Austin suffered a life-threatening neck injury as he legitimately landed on his head due to a botch pile-driver move. One should remember that WWE was riding the momentum that Steve Austin was bringing to the company, as suffering a life-threatening injury could've halted whatever plans WWE had for Steve Austin to carry them to mainstream success.
"Stone Cold" Thrives As A Brawler
Fortunately for him, Steve Austin was only out of action for a couple of months before returning to the Survivor Series 1997 PPV to beat Owen Hart for the Intercontinental Championship. While Steve Austin successfully went on to win the WWE Championship and helped launch the company into mainstream success, Steve Austin started to phase out his former technical wrestling style and fully embraced his current brawling style.
The match with Owen Hart at Summerslam 1997 was a big turning point for Steve Austin to go a different route regarding his character. As Steve Austin was one of the many men during the Attitude era that contributed to the massive success of WWE, it'd make sense that he'd embrace a safer in-ring style. Injuries can happen at any time during a wrestler's career. It becomes an unfortunate phenomenon for performers who've had pushes, only to get ruined because of whatever serious injuries occurred.
Steve Austin's wrestling style as a brawler enabled him to wrestle longer for the WWE while also helping embrace his "Stone Cold" persona, as his character revolved around being an aggressive hot-tempered brawler. It's safe to say that Steve Austin made the right trade for a more convenient wrestling style.
