I feel like I'm pandering to the mainstream or something. Last post was about the Rock, this one is about Steve Austin. Oh, well. I like Austin, sue me.
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin was the top name in pro wrestling in the late 90s, and going into the early part of this decade. He's played both face and heel roles at his pinnacle, and he's been spectacular at both. He wrestled his matches using a wild brawling style that,while not being as technically sound as guys like Dean Malenko and Chris Benoit, always made for a great bout. Above all else, any segment he appeared in, be it backstage, on the mic, or in the ring, just turned to gold.
Presented for the benefit of theO, here are a few shot of greatness from "the Bionic Redneck", Steve Austin.
This is a promo hyping the 2002 Royal Rumble. This was done during the height of the "What?" phenomenon Austin ushered in. He makes a shout-out to Whataburger, too. Texas pride!
Austin plays the heel in this promo, being confronted by Taz. It would have been cool to see these two have an actual match. Unfortunately, by this time, Taz had pretty much retired from in-ring action by this point.
After Wrestlemania X7, Austin became a "paranoid rattlesnake", desperately clutching his world title and keeping it around his waist at all cost. During this time, he and Kurt Angle competed in a childish war for the attention of Vince McMahon. These segments are all great, with both men playing the "non-sibling rivalry" role to perfection. Here, Angle tries to calm Vince down with song after Austin has failed to do so.
This is not only one of my personal favorite Austin segments, but one of my favorite segments in all of pro wrestling. More than anything, this epitomizes the North American pro wrestling scene: it's a totally ludicrous, funny trainwreck of a brawl. Between Booker T's constant groaning, Austin's cheesy quips, the insane length of the fight as the grocery store personnel simply watch, and commentary from McMahon and Ric Flair as they watch the whole shebang via Titantron, it's one of the most hilarious things I've seen in wrestling, and it ends in the only way it could end.
I hope you've enjoyed this trip down memory lane with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. See ya next time!
