20 best WWE gimmicks of all time, ranked
By Mark Lynch
2. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
Real name: Steven James Anderson
"And that's the bottom line cause Stone Cold said so!" - "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
Every iconic wrestler has a moment where they separate themselves from everyone else. For “Stone Cold” it was winning King of the Ring. His “Austin 3:16” promo shocked the world. It was the first time anyone said anything so blasphemous and the fans loved it. Austin saw this and kept that momentum going.
Austin’s personality was going against the establishment. It’s why his “heel turn” (WrestleMania 17) upset people. Like Anakin, Austin was supposed to destroy the Sith (Vince). Instead, he joined him. Thankfully, he went back to stunning the people in charge and drinking beer in the ring. He's so beloved, that everyone forgot that ever happened.
Who knows where the WWE would be without Stone Cold Steve Austin. In the late '90s, he was what WWE was all about and those levels of popularity where out-of-this-world. The biggest star of the Attitude Era (and perhaps any era ever), Austin was a true megastar that ushered in a new cutting-edge era for both WWE and wrestling. That will probably never be done again, and his character was largely responsible for that.