Athletes - "Stone Cold" Steve Austin

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	Athletes - "Stone Cold" Steve Austin

Steven James Anderson-Williams (born December 18, 1964 in Victoria, Texas), better known by his stage name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an actor and professional wrestler. His birth name was Steve Anderson; he took on the surname Williams when he was adopted by his stepfather, Ken (his biological father had left the family when Steve was a small child).

As Steve Austin, he is best known for establishing the "anti-authority" tweener and "Boss vs. Employee" storyline, which has been used in some variation by numerous wrestlers like The Rock and John Cena. Traditionally, faces in wrestling were known as clean cut, respectable role models, and rebellious characters who bent the rules were labeled as heels. Austin effectively changed the dynamic of the face/heel structure in wrestling forever, and in the process, became one of the most beloved and influential wrestlers of all time.

Early life and career

Williams played football at North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas) and, after holding down various odd jobs, began his wrestling career in the late 1980s in Texas. He took the ring name Steve Austin when he turned professional in 1990 because there was already a prominent, if not massively famous, wrestler with the ring name (and real name) Steve Williams. Austin states that he received the blessing of actor Lee Majors to use the name "Steve Austin", the name of the character Majors played in the 1970s sci fi TV series The Six Million Dollar Man. Austin was trained by "Gentleman" Chris Adams among others.

On an interesting note, in Mick Foley's autobiography, he mentions watching a group of young wrestlers at a gym he was working at. He said that there was only one spark of talent amongst these kids - a young, muscular man with blond hair. This turned out to be Steve Austin.

World Championship Wrestling

In early 1991, "Stunning" Steve Austin moved on from the United States Wrestling Association (USWA) to the Atlanta-based World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Initially, Austin was managed in WCW by a woman named "Vivacious Veronica," but was soon rejoined by his USWA manager Jeannie Clark, now using the name "Lady Blossom." From the start of his WCW run, Austin experienced success in the ring. On June 3, Austin won the WCW World Television Championship from Bobby Eaton, kicking off the first of two WCW TV title reigns. Months later, Austin joined a faction called the Dangerous Alliance, led by manager Paul E. Dangerously. The young sensation from Texas was in veteran company, aligned with "Ravishing" Rick Rude, Arn Anderson, Larry Zbyszko, and the same man Austin defeated to win his first TV title, Bobby Eaton.

On September 2, 1992, Austin's second TV title reign came to an end at the hands of Ricky Steamboat at Clash of the Champions XX. Not long after, the members of the Dangerous Alliance parted ways. Austin would soon find success again after forming a heel tag team with the late Brian Pillman, calling themselves the Hollywood Blondes. On March 2, 1993, the Hollywood Blondes reached the top of the tag team division, winning the WCW World Tag Team Championship from Steamboat and Shane Douglas. This kicked off what the Blondes called their "Brush with Greatness" tour, in which Austin and Pillman would give lesser-known grapplers a "brush with greatness" by granting them a match each week. In the summer of 1993, the Hollywood Blondes experienced an unexpected breakup when Pillman was felled by injury. Lord Steven Regal substituted for Pillman for a tag team title defense at Clash of the Champions XXIV against Four Horsemen members Arn Anderson and Paul Roma. Austin and Regal lost the titles to them, and Austin blamed his partner Brian Pillman for the loss, citing his inability to team with him due to injury. Austin took on Col. Robert Parker as his manager, and a feud between the two former partners started, which culminated in a victory for Austin at Clash of the Champions XXV in November 1993.

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