Stone Cold Steve Austin is the trademark star of the WWF, and has successfully done what so many others have failed: crossed over as a mainstream star. He is unquestionably the biggest draw in professional wrestling, and is already a wrestling legend mentioned in the same breath as Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair and others.

Unlike other big name stars, who’s rise was slow and steady, the rise to success of Steve Austin the WWF was sudden and almost overnight. After a failed debut in the WWF, Austin dumped his manager (Ted Dibiase) and went solo. It was at the King of the Ring ’96, where Austin catapulted into the limelight.

In a mini feud with Jake The Snake Roberts, Austin verbally berated Roberts, who had the gimmick of a born again Christian, overcoming a drinking problem. After defeating Roberts in the final of the King of the Ring tournament, Austin coined a now famous phrase “Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass,” a takeoff of a bible verse Roberts had used.

Then, after more than a year as a mega heel, Austin was beginning to hear cheers mixed with his boos, and in a feud with Bret Hart, it was hart’s clean cut hero that was beginning to get the ire of the fans. So leading into their match at Wrestlemania XIII, fans were split between the good guy Bret, and the anti-hero Austin.

Wrestlemania XIII was a lackluster event, and showed the lack of depth in the WWF roster. But the half hour submission match between Bret Hart and Steve Austin was not only a spectacular match, filled with excitement and great brawling, but a super-rare double turn. Bret beat Austin into a bloody pulp by the end, and left Austin passed out in the Sharpshooter to win the match. But Austin refused medical help to the back, and left with the accolades of the crowd, and Bret left as a hated whiner.

Steve Austin is the biggest wrestling superstar of the 1990s, and continues to make headlines as we move into the year 2000. Before his reign as champion and king of the federation, it was his reign as king of the ring and his performance at Wrestlemania XIII that paved the way for his rise to fame.