"Stone Cold" Steve Austin

/wiki/"Stone Cold" Steve Austincreator

You sit there and you thump your bible and you say your prayers, and it didn't get you anywhere! You talk about your psalms, talk about John 3:16 -- well, Austin 3:16 says, "I just whipped your ass"!

STONE COLD!!! STONE COLD!!! STONE COLD!!!
—Jim Ross

(glass shatters)

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin is the poster boy for WWE's Attitude Era, the biggest Professional Wrestling superstar of The Nineties, and one of the most popular wrestlers of all time. He was voted the third greatest superstar of all time by the WWE roster for WWE's 50 Greatest Superstars of All Time DVD set (behind Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker).

He is not to be confused with that other Steve Austin (hence his nickname "Bionic Redneck").

You can read all about his extensive and impressive career at That Other Wiki.

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin provides examples of the following tropes:

Stone Cold Steve Austin: McMahon 3:16 says I just pissed my pants!

  • Best Beer Ever
  • Big Damn Heroes: While a lot of wrestlers will do run-ins to save fellow wrestlers, Stone Cold was probably the master at it. There's nothing quite like watching a collection of heels giving a beatdown to an outmatched face only to hear that famous glass break and watch Stone Cold run in and lay waste to everybody he can find. Of note are his run-in to save Stephanie from The Undertaker and the Ministry of Darkness the Raw after Backlash '99 (probably the first time Stone Cold acted like a genuine hero as opposed to just a Nineties Anti-Hero), his run-in to help the Rock finally take the WWF Championship from Triple H a year later at Backlash '00, and his run-in with a pool cue to take out EVERY MEMBER of the Alliance and save the WWF roster in the early part of the Invasion before he turned later at the next PPV.
    • Driving a beer truck to the ring may be the greatest BDH moment in WWE history. Try to suppress the nostalgic feelings whenever that clip is shown.
  • Big Eater: His promos often consist of him discussing how much food he's eaten.

"I ordered a Whataburger with cheese, a Whataburger without cheese, a Whataburger with double cheese, some French fries, another Whataburger with double cheese...

    • He was working on building his gut that time for Royal Rumble... because a low center of gravity makes it harder for him to get thrown over the top rope.
  • Bittersweet Ending: Austin's final match was at Wrestlemania XIX against The Rock; he lost.
  • Blond Guys Are Evil: His natural hair color, which he grew out long "surfer style" to play the Heel "Stunning" Steve Austin in WCW.
  • Breakup Breakout: He and Brian Pillman formed the Hollywood Blondes in WCW: Austin went on to become the biggest star of all-time. Pillman, however, is revered as a legend in his own right, pioneering the high-flying cruiserweight style in North America that would go on to be a staple of the late 90s. Pillman was poised for super-stardom, avoiding the trope, but his untimely death stopped that.
  • Catch Phrase
    • "Austin 3:16 says I just whooped your ass!"
    • "If ya wanna see Stone Cold (produce yet another Crowning Moment of Awesome), gimme a hell yeah!" "Hell yeah!"
    • "And that's the bottom line, cause Stone Cold said so!"
    • "DTA[1]! Don't Trust Anybody!
    • "WHAT?!"
    • And more recently, in his Twitter-posted magic trick videos: "How does he do it, ladies and gentlemen, how does he do it?"
  • Celebrity Deathmatch: As Himself, a regular character in the series during several seasons. Also the Gadgeteer Genius and science and weapons advisor. Often seen performing Percussive Maintenance on his Time Machine.
  • Cheap Heat
  • Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: There's a reason one of his nicknames is "The Rattlesnake".
  • Cloudcuckoolander: Ever seen his Twitter page? His wars with sharks and Toyota Priuses, and his misadventures in Chickensaurus farming are classics.
    • Austin's heel act in 2001 was the embodiment of this trope.
  • Cool Car: Austin got to drive a lot of awesome vehicles during the Attitude era, including (but not limited to) a tanker truck full of beer, a Zamboni, a collection of monster trucks, and a cement mixer (see below).
  • Dem Bones
  • Demoted to Extra: Following his match with The Rock at WrestleMania XIX, Austin appeared on WWE programming in a non-wrestling capacity (mainly as an authority figure) until 2004, when he left the company due to contract disputes and a budding acting career.
    • Austin had also retired due to injuries at that time: he hasn't wrestled another match since.
    • In 2002, Austin was scheduled to face rising star Brock Lesnar on Raw in a match during the King of the Ring tournament; Austin would have jobbed to Lesnar (who, in fact, eventually went on to win the tournament). However, Austin - who had been shafted out of a match with Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania X8, facing Scott Hall instead - felt that losing to Lesnar on Raw would do neither man any favors (Austin losing to a rookie would make him look weak, and Lesnar would be denied the biggest stage for a win of that caliber). After disagreements with the creative staff over the issue, Austin took his ball and went home, no-showing Raw and not appearing on WWE programming until 2003.
  • Domestic Abuse: Austin did this to his former wife Debra Marshall and an ex-girlfriend of his in Real Life, the former of which claimed that Austin forced her to write a letter saying that everything was okay. Not cool Austin.
  • Don't Do Anything I Wouldn't Do: Austin said this to Goldberg when handing him a ticket to No Way Out 2004, in which Goldberg's enemy, Brock Lesnar, was defending the WWE Championship. The problem with this was later lampshaded by Vince McMahon:

Vince McMahon: There isn't a damn thing you wouldn't do!

  • The Dragon: To his Arch Enemy Vince McMahon following his Face Heel Turn at Wrestlemania 17. Probably one of the most shocking examples.
  • Drill Sergeant Nasty: Plays this role on the new season of Tough Enough along with Bill DeMott.
  • Drives Like Crazy
  • Drop the Cow: Since Austin's active career with the WWE ended, any appearance he makes is just buildup until he inevitably Stone Cold Stunner(s) everyone in the ring, whether it makes any sense or not. The crowd always goes crazy for this. Arrive. Stunner. Leave.
  • Enemy Mine: Stone Cold and the Rock were never friends even as mutual faces, though a common Raw main event was to team the two together against their respective opponents at the upcoming PPV. Usually, the other team was part of the same stable (and thus more unified), so a reoccurring theme was whether Austin and the Rock could get along enough to beat them.
  • The Farmer and the Viper: Many times, Stone Cold would act friendly to somebody else only to kick them in the gut and then stun them for the hell of it. Sometimes, he even lampshaded it by saying "DTA! Don't trust anybody!" right after.
  • Finishing Move: The Stone Cold Stunner. The move was popularized through Austin to the point where it's exclusively called a "Stunner" whenever anyone performs it.
    • Plus it's a lot simpler than saying "Three-quarter facelock jawbreaker."
  • Flipping the Bird: The Stone Cold Salute.
  • Game-Breaking Injury: While everyone will rightfully speak the world of the late Owen Hart, he is also noted for shortening the career of Stone Cold with that infamous piledriver, which was so devastating that WWF virtually banned the popular move for everyone effective immediately. Stone Cold was able to sustain his career by changing from a typical chain wrestler to his signature kick-and-punch Main Event Style (that eventually spread company-wide to save wear-and-tear) before the neck injury put him out for good in 2003.
  • Garbage Wrestler: Due to his neck problems, most of Austin's wrestling repertoire in WWF consisted of just beating the shit out of the other guy.
  • Good Is Not Nice: Heel, face, or neutral, if you get on his nerves he will Stun you. And that's if he's feeling particularly nice.
  • Groin Attack: Austin in his ring attire would sometimes stomp his opponent's family jewels between the legs when he's down. For some reason, this doesn't seem to get him disqualified.
  • Ha Ha Ha No: A clip of Austin laughing and then suddenly falling into a stone-faced, serious expression has built its way up to Memetic Mutation status.
  • Heel Face Turn: At Wrestlemania 13 he fought a brutal submission match with Bret Hart, but refused to submit and endured the pain until he passed out. This heralded Austin properly being recognized as a Face by the WWF while Bret Hart made a Face Heel Turn by attacking Austin after the bell. A year later, Austin would be the biggest star wrasslin' has ever seen.
    • However, while Austin was feuding with the reunited Hart Foundation, he and the other Americans still got the heel treatment in Canada and Europe.
  • Heroic Comedic Sociopath: Austin's character since his retirement has been built on this. If he offers you a beer, DO NOT TAKE IT.
    • Actually, probably smarter to take it. If you do, you'll probably only be on the receiving end of a stunner. If you don't, he might take it personally.
    • Take the beer and toast with him, but run the hell out of the ring IMMEDIATELY after.
    • It's gotten to the point where, when Austin gave commentators Booker T and Josh Matthews stunners while celebrating with them after Michael Cole's defeat at WrestleMania 27, Josh and Booker actually got mad at Michael Cole for getting them so excited over his defeat that they'd be dumb enough to get in the ring with Austin in a beer bash, knowing the end result.
  • Hollywood Tone Deaf: Austin has admitted that he's a bad singer, and he employed this "skill" during his skits with Kurt Angle and Vince McMahon. See Crowning Moment of Funny.
  • Hot-Blooded
  • How Much More Can He Take?: Austin at the end of his "Submission Match" at WrestleMania 13.
  • Improbable Weapon User: During his brawl with Booker T in the supermarket, he uses everything from flour to eggs to milk to frozen pizzas to kick Booker's ass.
  • It Will Never Catch On: What Eric Bischoff said after Austin was fired from WCW over the phone.
  • Kick the Dog: Austin's 2001 heel turn was full of this, from brutally attacking his friend Jim Ross, and The Hardy Boyz and Lita (the latter two with Triple H), and then attempting to cripple Kurt Angle when it became apparent that he cannot beat Angle in a one-on-one match.
  • Kick the Son of a Bitch: Stone Cold Steve Austin tormented Vince McMahon in many ways during their feud, such as attacking him in the hospital and holding him hostage with a gun (it was a toy though). As one of the most prominent wrestling villains of the late 1990s, Vince received no sympathy from the fans.
  • Large Ham: Several of Austin's promos fell into this category.
  • Lovable Rogue / Wild Card: Austin was a "tweener", but was mainly treated as a face in feuds...
    • Popularity Power: ...and even after he was turned heel in 2001, people still cheered for him...
      • ...or when he was pretty clearly in the wrong, he was still cheered. A good example was when he came back in 2000 after his 1999 Survivor Series collision and was "investigating" who did it (i.e. just beating up anyone he felt like). Commissioner Mick Foley was almost unreasonably lenient with Austin's behavior, only asking that Steve not interfere with matches, which Stone Cold continued doing with impunity. Eventually, Foley was backed into a corner and had to suspend Austin. Despite the fact that Foley was only doing his job and Austin was being unreasonably selfish in his behavior, Austin's massive popularity led to Foley getting boos during the semi-feud.
  • Nineties Anti-Hero: Pretty much the Trope Codifier for Professional Wrestling, the Stone Cold character got its start when Austin was in ECW before he came to WWE and ran with a lot of the themes ECW was gaining its fanbase with.
  • No Celebrities Were Harmed: Austin (or equivalent) appeared in the animated adaptation of Dilbert as the judge during a child custody hearing over Dilbert's baby.
  • Not Cheating Unless You Get Caught
  • Odd Couple: With Kurt Angle and Vince McMahon during the start of the Invasion storyline. It's often considered some of the funniest promos in WWF.
  • One-Man Army
  • Overly Long Gag: WHAT? WHAT? WHAT?
  • Power Stable: The Dangerous Alliance in WCW. The WCW/ECW Alliance in World Wrestling Entertainment (interesting as Austin had been in WWE, WCW, AND ECW). His tag team with Triple H (known as the Power Trip) kind of qualifies, as they were just as dominant as a Power Stable even though they were only a tag team, winning multiple titles.
  • Rated "M" for Manly: This promo definitely sums it up best.
  • Real Life Writes the Plot: In a sense. After a botched piledriver by Owen Hart injured Austin's neck, Austin had to change his wrestling style to accommodate his injury; in turn, other wrestlers adapted to this, and produced what is termed by some as the "main event style" that is still employed to this day.
    • An actual version of this happened following the infamous "Curtain Call Incident" involving The Kliq (Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Triple H, and Shawn Michaels, a mixture of babyfaces and heels, all hugged each other in the middle of the ring following one of Nash's last matches in the WWF). Somebody had to take the fall; with Hall and Nash leaving for WCW, and Shawn holding the WWF Championship, Triple H had to accept the punishment - which was to be denied winning the 1996 King of the Ring tournament. The man who took his spot as the tournament's ultimate victor? Steve Austin, who was catapulted to superstardom thanks to the victory.
      • Even if Triple H had won the tournament, Austin could have become a star anyway. However, this would have robbed the world of Austin's coronation speech where he mocked runner-up Jake "The Snake" Roberts, boasting that Jake's prayers and John 3:16 didn't get him anywhere before telling the born-again Christian Jake Roberts that Austin 3:16 means he just whooped your ass. Thus, one of the most popular Catch Phrases ever was born.
  • "The Reason You Suck" Speech: When acting as GM for the "All Star" edition of Raw on June 13, his first appearance is giving an EPIC one to The Miz, not even giving Miz a chance to speak.
  • Refuge in Audacity
  • Rule of Cool: After King of the Ring 1996, Austin ran on this and beer for the rest of his career.
  • Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Seeing R-Truth dressed up in a Confederate military uniform and spewing nonsensical ramblings generated this response from Stone Cold.
  • Sobriquet: "Stunning" and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.
  • Stunned Silence: The only time he's had this reaction in his entire career was the aforementioned R-Truth dressed as a Confederate soldier skit. Keep in mind this is a career that's had him Kayfabe arrested, ran over and had an undead cult leader hang him from a gothic cross, try to kill him at least once, as well as trying to both bury him alive and embalm him while still alive. This shows just how bad he considered the R-Truth skit when that was the first and only time he's ever been struck completely dumb by anything the WWE has ever done. And bear in mind, while he wasn't there in a wrestling capacity (he was an authority figure at the time), Austin was there for the KATIE VICK angle. Something that had most people just shaking their heads at, and he didn't bat an eye.
  • Take That: Austin did several promos ripping into WCW and Eric Bischoff in his time in ECW.
  • Ten-Minute Retirement: Done quite a bit during his feud with Vince McMahon.
    • Subverted with his real-life retirement which has so far lasted almost eight years and counting.
  • Third Person Person: Although The Rock is more known for this, Stone Cold fell into this quite often as well.
  • Throw It In: Austin's "Stone Cold" moniker was inspired by a comment from his wife at the time; she handed him a cup of tea, and remarked that he should hurry up and drink it before it got "stone cold".
    • Mick Foley in his book mentioned how Austin was at the time searching for a suitable "cold" nickname to suit his character, and was very lucky for that one to come along, as the writers had been coming up with some stinkers. Foley mentioned Austin could have had the exact same personality, but the moment he was announced as "Chilly McFreeze", there's not much hope.
      • Austin actually appeared on at least one TV broadcast as "Ice Dagger" Steve Austin. Which... isn't that bad of a nickname, really.
  • Underwear of Power
  • Villain Protagonist: While there's no question that he was an Anti-Hero from 1998 onward, it could be argued that he was basically a Villain Protagonist in 1997. Although the crowd was firmly on his side against the Hart Foundation, he acted like the same vicious heel he had always been - beating up on babyfaces, even the ones who helped him. When Mankind helped him in a handicap match, for example, he hugged him and then gave him a Stunner and told him he'd never work with a freak like him. When he was forced to relinquish the Intercontinental and Tag Team Titles thanks to his neck injury, he made a hitlist of the three main authority figures (Jim Ross, Sgt. Slaughter, and Vince McMahon) and made sure to beat them all up while mocking them for it the whole time. Mind you, they were all babyfaces and were looking out for his safety. Just 18 months earlier, that same type of storyline was used to get Vader over as a monster heel.
  • Villain Team-Up: In 2001, with Triple H (as the Two-Man Power Trip).
  • Vitriolic Best Buds: Austin and The Rock in real life.
  • WHAT!? and What. and (what?): Basically, if there was a way to say "what", Austin managed to do it at some point in his career.
  • What Could Have Been: Austin and Pillman, former tag partners with a great relationship and great chemistry, could have had some legendary feuds over the years had Pillman not died at 35.
  • Would Stone Cold Stunner A Girl: Gloriously played straight with Stephanie McMahon.
  • Your Princess Is in Another Castle: After several months of Vince McMahon constantly trying to keep him away from the title, Austin finally won it back at WrestleMania 15. Vince later revealed himself as the Higher Power behind Undertaker's Ministry of Darkness after having his henchmen screw Austin out of the title again.

...and that's the bottom line, ’cause Stone Cold said so! *glass shatters*

  1. ↑ you sonuvabitch
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