Sweet Lu

what could have been. One of the many deaths to claim someone in their prime

Championships and accomplishments NWA Big Time Wrestling / World Class Championship Wrestling NWA American Heavyweight Championship (3 times)[13] NWA American Tag Team Championship (5 times) – with El Gran Markus (2), Gary Young (1), and Chris Adams (2)[14] NWA Brass Knuckles Championship (Texas version) (1 time)[15] NWA International Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[16] NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship (6 times)[17] NWA Texas Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Jimmy Snuka (1), Pak Song (1), and Bruiser Brody (1)[18] NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship (Texas version) (1 time) – with Chris Adams and Jake Roberts[19] NWA Detroit NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Detroit version) (1 time)[20] Southwest Championship Wrestling SCW Southwest Tag Team Championship (5 times) – with Tully Blanchard[21] SCW World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Tully Blanchardhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gino_Hernandez#cite_note-21

Charles Eugene Wolfe, Jr. (August 14, 1957 – February 2, 1986) was a professional wrestler better known by his ring name Gino Hernandez. His in-ring nickname was "The Handsome Half-Breed" (a reference to his Italian/Hispanic ring name) Career At the beginning of Gino Hernandez' career, he wrestled as a rookie babyface for The Sheik's Big Time Wrestling out of Detroit. Gino was a fresh faced good looking young inexperienced wrestler who got over with the female fans with his long black hair and his good looks. He won the United States Heavyweight Championship in the Detroit area by defeating Bulldog Don Kent. Gino also wrestled at least one match around this time in the WWWF. Gino eventually lost his United States Heavyweight Championship to the man who ruled Detroit for many years: The Sheik (promoter Eddie Farhat's in-ring Psycho-Arab heel persona). Southwest Championship Wrestling "The Handsome Halfbreed" started wrestling in 1975 in Southwest Championship Wrestling (SCW) after being trained by Jose Lothario. He formed a team with Lothario and eventually turned on him, starting a feud that saw Hernandez lose his hair to Lothario as the result of a hair vs. hair match. World Class Championship Wrestling In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Gino went to World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW), then known as Big Time Wrestling, where he feuded with David Von Erich over the Texas Heavyweight Title which he won and lost to Von Erich.[4] He returned to SCW and formed a tag team called "The Dynamic Duo" with Tully Blanchard that was quite successful. Return to WCCW He returned to WCCW in 1984 and feuded with the Von Erichs; Mike, Kevin and Kerry Von Erich. In the summer, he was paired with Nickla Roberts, who was billed at the time as Andrea the Lady Giant. The duo was paired in a series of mixed tag team matches between Sunshine and Mike Von Erich, with Sunshine's aunt Stella Mae French also getting involved. He also formed a team with Chris Adams, also called the "Dynamic Duo". That version proved to be the most famous, as Adams and Hernandez drew in high revenues and television ratings for World Class in their feud with the Von Erichs.[5] The duo invented the famed gold scissors, and were known to cut hair off of their opponents after each win, a trend which would later be used in the WWF by Ed Leslie, aka Brutus Beefcake. Adams and Hernandez lost a loser-loses-hair match to Kevin and Kerry Von Erich at the Cotton Bowl on October 6, 1985. After the match, Hernandez attempted to escape, but was tackled by Chris Von Erich, who was at ringside, and eventually had his hair shaved bald. His hair quickly grew back in two months, while Adams' hair took longer. He soon turned on Adams in December 1985 (two months after losing their hair at the Cotton Bowl) and started a feud, which was to have been the top storyline of 1986 for World Class. On January 27, 1986, during a grudge match in Fort Worth, Hernandez threw "freebird hair cream" (a "hair-removal product" previously established in WCCW storyline continuity in 1983 by Freebird Buddy Roberts) into the face of Adams, who was to sell his blinding injury so he could spend time in England with his new wife Toni and his family. Hernandez was scheduled to compete on a house show the following Thursday and a non-televised wrestling card at the Sportatorium in Dallas the following Friday. Gino did not show for either of those matches, and phone calls made to him were never returned. Death On February 4, concerned with Hernandez's well-being, two World Class officials, David Manning and Rick Hazzard, and several local law enforcement officers broke into his Highland Park apartment and found Hernandez dead (he had been dead for approximately two-three days). Initially, Hernandez's death was ruled a homicide case, but following autopsy reports, his death was ruled as a result of an overdose of cocaine.[5] Many people believe Gino was murdered in a drug related incident.[6][7] According to Manning, he said that Hernandez had three times the amount of cocaine in his system that would have resulted in a fatality, and he and Kevin Von Erich stated that Gino also had cocaine in his stomach.[8] Manning also suspected foul play due to the fact that Hernandez's dead bolt on his door was not locked, as he made it a habit in the past to lock the dead bolt at all times.[8] Scotland Yard in fact contacted and questioned Adams, who had returned to England three days before hearing the news of Gino's death. Adams, who was never considered a suspect, was never charged in the case, as the FBI and Scotland Yard later ruled him out as a potential suspect. His cocaine addiction nonetheless was not a secret to many World Class mainstays, including manager Gary Hart, who tried to encourage him many times to kick the habit.[9] On the DVD "The Triumph and Tragedy of World Class Championship Wrestling," Hart said that he has pictures of all of the wrestlers he managed except for Hernandez, because it makes him too upset to see a picture of Gino. The syndicated World Class broadcast (scheduled for a February 15 airing) was scheduled to have aired a match involving Gino Hernandez, originally taped on January 24 at the Sportatorium. That match never aired; instead, announcer Bill Mercer made the announcement of Gino's death, and a different match would air instead.[10] Both Mercer and Marc Lowrance treated Hernandez's death as well as Chris Adams' blinding angle as equally significant during a time when World Class was about to go forward with their feud beginning at Texas Stadium. Adams returned the following May, and won the World Class Heavyweight Championship two months later. Personal life Wolfe was married twice, both times to Janice Marie Bancroft.[11] They were first married on April 10, 1976 in Harris County, Texas, before divorcing soon after on January 27, 1977. During their first marriage, they had a child. The pair remarried on April 12, 1978 before divorcing again on July 19, 1979. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gino_Hernandez#cite_note-11

Male Athletes Randy Savage Gino Hernandez ~Done. ~

Filmography Television The Jeff Foxworthy Show – himself Nikki – pro wrestler James "Pretty Boy" Carter, in episode "Fallback" Walker, Texas Ranger – prison inmate, in episode "Fight or Die" Mad About You – himself, in episode "Separated Beds" The Weird Al Show Arliss – himself (1 episode) Baywatch – himself (1 episode) Animated series/films Dexter's Laboratory – In episode 7 airing May 5, 1996, in the Dial M for Monkey segment, he voiced Rasslor, based on Champion of the Universe (Monkey fulfilled the role of Ben Grimm.) College University – himself Space Ghost Coast to Coast – Leonard "the Gray Ghost" Ghostal, a former professional wrestler (and Space Ghost's grandfather), in episode "Piledriver" The X's – Sasquatch King of the Hill – Gorilla, in episode, "Bill, Bulk and the Body Buddies" Duck Dodgers – Master Sergeant Emily Dickinson Jones Bolt – Thug Spider-Man - played as an amateur wrestler, Bonesaw McGraw

Championships and accomplishments Continental Wrestling Association AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[106] CWA International Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[107] NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship (3 times)[108] Grand Prix Wrestling GPW International Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[109] Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling NWA Gulf Coast Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Lanny Poffo[110] International Championship Wrestling ICW World Heavyweight Championship (3 times)[111] Pro Wrestling Illustrated PWI Comeback of the Year (1995) PWI Feud of the Year (1997) vs. Diamond Dallas Page PWI Match of the Year (1987) vs. Ricky Steamboat at WrestleMania III PWI Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (1989) PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (1988) PWI Wrestler of the Year (1988) PWI ranked him No.2 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1992[112] PWI ranked him No.9 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003[113] PWI ranked him No.57 of the Top 100 Tag Teams of the "PWI Years" with Hulk Hogan in 2003[114] Professional Wrestling Hall of FameClass of 2009[2] United States Wrestling Association USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[115] World Championship Wrestling WCW World Heavyweight Championship (4 times)[116] WCW World War 3 (1995) King of Cable Tournament (1995)[117] World Wrestling Council WWC North American Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[118] World Wrestling Federation WWF Championship (2 times)[119] WWF Intercontinental Championship (1 time)[120] King of the Ring (1987)[25] Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards Match of the Year (1987) vs. Ricky Steamboat at WrestleMania III Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame (Class of 1996) Worst Worked Match of the Year (1996) with Hulk Hogan vs. Arn Anderson, Meng, The Barbarian, Ric Flair, Kevin Sullivan, Z-Gangsta., and The Ultimate Solution in a Towers of Doom match at Uncensored Best Pro Wrestling DVD (2009) Macho Madness: The Randy Savage Ultimate Collection

In wrestling Finishing movesMacho Elbow (Diving elbow drop)[1][3] Signature movesAlternating jabs to the opponent's chest and head[104] Atomic drop[27] Diving crossbody[104] Diving double axe handle,[1] sometimes to an opponent outside the ring[1] Hair-pull hangman[1] High knee smash[104] Jumping knee drop[1] Lariat takedown[1] Piledriver[104] Scoop slam[104] Snapmare[104] Various elbow strikes[104] Vertical suplex[104] [*]Nicknames "Macho Man" "Macho King" "Mr Madness" [*]Managers Angelo Poffo Miss Elizabeth[27] Jimmy Hart[105] Sensational Sherri / Queen Sherri Gorgeous George Team Madness (Gorgeous George, Madusa, and Miss Madness) Entrance themesContinental Wrestling Association"Fame" by Irene Cara [*]International Championship Wrestling "Fame" by Irene Cara "Hot Stuff" by Donna Summer "Macho Man" by The Village People [*]World Wrestling Federation "Pomp and Circumstance" [*]World Championship Wrestling "Pomp and Circumstance" "Rockhouse" by J. Hart and H. Helm (used while a part of the New World Order; 1997–1998) "Wolfpac Theme" (used while a part of the nWo Wolfpac; 1998) "What up Mach" (Team Madness entrance theme; 1999)

Personal lifeSavage married Elizabeth Ann Hulette on December 30, 1984.[97] She later became his valet in the WWE. They separated in the summer of 1992; their divorce was finalized on September 18, 1992.[citation needed] On May 10, 2010, Savage married his long time girlfriend, Barbara Lynn Payne.[98] Death On the morning of May 20, 2011, Savage died after suffering a sudden massive heart attack[99] while driving with his wife in Seminole, Florida, a town on the Pinellas County side of the Tampa Bay area.[100] Savage became unresponsive and lost control of his vehicle, crashing into a tree. Initial reports of his death indicated that he had been killed in the collision,[101] when in fact he and his wife had been wearing seatbelts and suffered only minor physical injuries in the crash.[99] Later tests conducted by the Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner's Office revealed that Savage had suffered from an enlarged heart and advanced coronary disease and determined his official cause of death to be "atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease."[99][102] On May 30, Vince McMahon, with whom Savage had irreconcilable differences upon his departure from the WWF in 1994, paid tribute to Savage in a Time magazine article.[103]

Other media EndorsementsHe was the celebrity spokesman for Slim Jim snack foods in the mid-to-late 1990s. His catch phrase in the ads was "Snap into a Slim Jim, oooooh yeah!" In 1998, Savage accepted an award from Harvard University's humor society Harvard Lampoon as Man of the Year. Acting career Savage was cast in the 2002 film Spider-Man as the wrestler Bonesaw McGraw, based on the comics character Crusher Hogan. He made an appearance as himself in the movie Ready to Rumble and played character Jim Davies in Velcro Revolver. He also provided the voice of "The Thug", an agent in Disney's 2008 animated film Bolt, his last film appearance. Music On October 7, 2003, Savage released a rap album titled Be a Man. It includes a tribute to "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig as well as a diss track aimed at Hulk Hogan.[95] Savage promoted Be A Man with a concert tour featuring Brian Adams as his bodyguard and Ron Harris as touring manager. During this time, the development of a second album was already in progress with Savage exclaiming, "We are absolutely going to have more records."[96] However, no further albums were released.

Randy Mario Poffo[7] (November 15, 1952 – May 20, 2011),[1][6] better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, was an American professional wrestler and actor, best known for his time with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Savage held twenty championships during his professional wrestling career and is a six-time world heavyweight champion having held the WWE Championship twice, WCW World Heavyweight Championship 4 times. In addition, he also won the ICW World Heavyweight Championship 3 times, and the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship once. Also a one-time WWF Intercontinental Champion, WWE has named Savage the greatest champion of all time and credited him for bringing "a higher level of credibility to the title through his amazing in-ring performances."[8] Aside from championships, Savage was the 1987 WWF King of the Ring and the 1995 WCW World War 3 winner. For much of his tenures in the WWF and WCW, he was managed by his real life wife, "Miss Elizabeth" Hulette.[1] Savage was recognizable by wrestling fans for his distinctively deep and raspy voice, his ring attire (often comprising sunglasses, a bandanna or head band, flashy robes, and a cowboy hat), intensity exhibited in and out of the ring, and his signature catch phrase ("Ooh yeah!").[1] WWE has said of Savage, "Few Superstars were as dynamic as "Macho Man" Randy Savage. His style – perfectly punctuated by his entrance music, 'Pomp and Circumstance' – was only outshined by his performances in the ring."[3] Savage died of a sudden heart attack while driving with his wife in Seminole, Florida on the morning of May 20, 2011. Early life Poffo was born in Columbus, Ohio, the elder son of Judy and Angelo Poffo. His father was Italian American and his mother was Jewish.[9] Angelo was a well-known wrestler in the 1950s and 1960s, who was featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not! for his ability to do sit-ups for hours on end.[9] His younger brother is former professional wrestler Lanny Poffo, better known by his ring names "The Genius" and "Leaping Lanny Poffo." Randy also lived in Zanesville, Ohio where he attended Grover Cleveland Middle School. He graduated from Downers Grove North High School in a suburb near Chicago, Illinois.[10] He later moved to Lexington, Kentucky and lived there for many years.[11] Savage was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals organization as a catcher out of high school.[12] He was placed in the minor leagues to develop, where he mostly played as an outfielder[13] in the St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, and Chicago White Sox farm systems.[4] Savage was 18 when he began playing minor league baseball; one of his teammates on the 1971 Gulf Coast League Cardinals was Larry Herndon who was also his roommate.[12] Savage would swing a bat into a hanging car tire as a regular training exercise in order to strengthen his hands and make sure he utilized his legs during swings, the technique was so effective that Herndon adopted it and used it during his own career as a baseball coach.[12] Savage injured his natural (right) throwing shoulder after a collision at home plate, and he learned to throw with his left arm instead. The team was managed by Jimmy Piersall.[14] Savage's last season was 1974, when he played for the Tampa Tarpons.[13] He played 289 games in four minor league seasons, batting .254 with 16 home runs and 66 RBIs Professional wrestling career [edit] Early career Savage (right) prepares to face off against Roberto Soto in a match held in Macon, Georgia on August 23, 1977.[15]Savage first broke into the wrestling business in 1973 during the fall and winter of the baseball off season.[1] His first wrestling character, "The Spider", was similar to Spider-Man.[1] He later took the ring name Randy Savage at the suggestion of Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW) booker Ole Anderson, who said that the name Poffo did not fit someone who "wrestled like a savage".[1] Savage eventually decided to end his baseball career and become a full-time wrestler, working with his brother and father.[1] He wrestled his first match against Midwest territory wrestler the "Golden Boy" Paul Christy. Savage worked with his father and brother in Michigan, the Carolinas, Georgia, the Maritimes, and the eastern Tennessee territory run by Nick Gulas.[5] After a while, his father felt that his sons were not getting the pushes they deserved so he started the "outlaw" International Championship Wrestling (ICW) promotion in the mid-American states.[4] Eventually, ICW disbanded and Randy and Lanny entered the Memphis scene, joining Jerry Lawler's Continental Wrestling Association (their former competitors). While there, Savage feuded with Lawler over the AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship. He also teamed with Lanny to battle The Rock 'n' Roll Express; this feud included a match on June 25, 1984 in Memphis, where in the storyline, Savage injured Ricky Morton by piledriving him through the timekeeper's table, leading to the Express winning by disqualification. Later in 1984, Savage turned babyface and allied with Lawler against Jimmy Hart's First Family alliance, only to turn heel on Lawler again in early 1985 and resume the feud with him over the title.[1] This ended when Lawler beat Savage in a Loser Leaves Town match on June 8 in Memphis, Tennessee World Wrestling Federation (1985–1994) [edit] Early heel push (1985) In June 1985, Savage signed with Vince McMahon. Billed as "the top free agent in pro wrestling," Savage's first appearances on Tuesday Night Titans featured several established managers (including Bobby Heenan, Jimmy Hart, and "Classy" Freddie Blassie) offering their services to Savage.[4] He eventually declined their offers and chose Miss Elizabeth as his new manager.[4][5] His gimmick was a crazed, egomaniacal bully who would mistreat Miss Elizabeth and threaten anyone who even looked at her. He made his pay-per-view (PPV) debut at The Wrestling Classic on November 7, 1985, participating in a 16-man tournament. He defeated Ivan Putski,[16] Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat,[16] and the Dynamite Kid[16] before losing by a countout in the finals to Junkyard Dog.[16] [edit] Intercontinental Champion (1986–1987) In late 1985, Savage started a feud with Intercontinental Champion Tito Santana over that title. On the November 2, 1985 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event, he unsuccessfully challenged Santana for the title (Savage won the match by countout but not the title because a title does not change hands by countout).[17] In a rematch on the February 24, 1986 (taped February 8) edition of Prime Time Wrestling, he won the WWF Intercontinental title at the Boston Garden by using an illegal steel object stashed in his tights to knock out Santana.[18] Early in his WWF career, Savage also won two countout victories in Madison Square Garden over his future tag team partner WWF Champion Hulk Hogan (although the belt did not change hands due to the countout) as well as engaging in feuds with Bruno Sammartino and George "The Animal" Steele.[5] Savage's feud with Steele began on the January 4, 1986 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event, when Steele developed a crush on Miss Elizabeth.[19] At WrestleMania 2, Savage defeated Steele in a match to retain his Intercontinental title.[20] He resumed his feud with Steele in early 1987, culminating in two Intercontinental title matches, both won by Savage.[21][22] Savage wrestled Ricky Steamboat at WrestleMania III in the Pontiac Silverdome. After 19 two-counts, Steamboat pinned Savage (with help from George Steele, who pushed Savage from the top rope seconds before he was pinned) to end his near 14 month reign as Intercontinental champion.[23][24] The match was extremely choreographed, as opposed to the "on the fly" nature of most wrestling matches at the time.[1] Savage was a stickler for detail, and he and Steamboat laid out and rehearsed every spot in the match prior to WrestleMania, at his home in Florida.[1] The match was named 1987's Match of the Year by both Pro Wrestling Illustrated and the Wrestling Observer. Steamboat and Savage were seen cheering with and hugging other wrestlers after the match.[1][5] [edit] The Mega Powers (1987–1989) Main article: The Mega PowersSavage won the King of the Ring tournament later in 1987.[25] He also started acting less hostile toward the fans and Miss Elizabeth. When The Honky Tonk Man declared himself "the greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time", Savage began a feud with him to get the title back. On the October 3, 1987, edition of Saturday Night's Main Event, he got his shot at The Honky Tonk Man and the Intercontinental Championship, but lost out on the title when The Hart Foundation, who along with Honky were managed by Jimmy Hart, interrupted the match, getting Honky disqualified. In the ensuing beatdown, Miss Elizabeth got Hulk Hogan to save him, leading to the formation of "The Mega Powers."[26][27] At WrestleMania IV, he participated in the 14-man tournament for the vacant WWF Championship. He had successful matches against Butch Reed, Greg Valentine and One Man Gang, and then went on to the finals, in which he defeated "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase, by pinning him with the help of Hogan.[28][29][30] Savage retained the WWF title for over a year, defending it against the likes of One Man Gang[31] and André the Giant.[32] The Mega Powers' main feuds were with The Mega Bucks (Ted DiBiase and André the Giant), whom they defeated in the main event of the first-ever SummerSlam pay-per-view event,[33][34] and The Twin Towers, a tag team composed of super-heavyweights Big Boss Man and Akeem. In the case of the latter feud, Savage frequently became involved in Hogan's matches involving one of the two villains (and vice versa); the two rival factions captained opposing teams in the main event of the 1988 Survivor Series, which was won by the Mega Powers. Problems between Savage and Hogan developed, however, in early 1989 after Hogan also took Elizabeth as his manager.[27] At the Royal Rumble, Hogan accidentally eliminated Savage from the Royal Rumble match and they started to fight until Elizabeth separated them.[35] On the February 3, 1989 edition of The Main Event, Savage turned on Hogan, getting jealous over Miss Elizabeth and his self-perceived third wheel standing in the Mega Powers. He later abandoned Hogan during a tag team match against the Twin Towers, though Hogan picked up the win in the end.[36] At WrestleMania V, Savage dropped the WWF title to Hogan after a reign of 371 days.[37][38] He eventually replaced Elizabeth with Sensational Sherri. Savage would co-main event SummerSlam 1989, teaming with Zeus., a character from Hulk Hogan's movie, No Holds Barred, against The Mega-Maniacs (Hogan and Brutus Beefcake). In this match, Hogan "no-sold" Savage's flying elbow by standing straight up after Savage hit him with it in the center of the ring.[39][40] Savage and Zeus faced Hogan and Beefcake in a rematch contested in a steel cage at No Holds Barred and lost again.[41] [edit] Macho King and "retirement" (1989–1991) Savage adopted the moniker "Macho King" after defeating Jim Duggan for the King of the Ring title in September 1989 (Duggan in turn had won it from Haku).[42] On a later wrestling episode, he had a coronation as the new "King of the WWF" led by wrestler The Genius (actually Savage's brother, Lanny Poffo), in which Ted DiBiase gave him a sceptre as a gift. Savage would use that sceptre as a weapon numerous times. The "Macho King" and Hulk Hogan met one last time (intended to end their ongoing year long feud), when Savage got a shot at Hogan's WWF Championship on the February 23, 1990 edition of The Main Event.[43] The pinfall was counted by new heavyweight boxing champion James Buster Douglas despite Savage kicking out at two, Douglas then punched Savage in the face after Savage confronted and then slapped Douglas. Savage then began feuding with the "Common Man" Dusty Rhodes, losing a mixed tag match (along with Sherri) to Rhodes and Sapphire at WrestleMania VI[44] but beating him in a singles match at SummerSlam 1990.[45] In late 1990, Savage started a feud with then-WWF champion The Ultimate Warrior. The feud escalated at Royal Rumble 1991, when Warrior refused to promise Savage the right to challenge him for the title, should Warrior defend it successfully against Sgt. Slaughter (Slaughter had already granted Savage this opportunity, should he beat Warrior). Savage had sent Sensational Queen Sherri out before the match to try to persuade the Warrior to promise this in a face-to-face interview laced with sexual innuendos, but was unsuccessful. Outraged, Savage promised revenge, which he got during the Slaughter-Warrior title match. Before the match began, Randy "Macho King" Savage attacked the champion, resulting in the Ultimate Warrior having to crawl to the ring. Later, Savage ran out to the ring and smashed the sceptre over Warrior's head, (knocking him unconscious for Slaughter to pin), and then immediately sprinted back to the locker room.[46] The events at the Royal Rumble led to a career-ending match at WrestleMania VII, which Savage lost.[47] After the match, Savage was attacked by Queen Sherri as he lay dejected in the ring.[1] This was too much for Miss Elizabeth who happened to be in the audience.[4] Elizabeth rushed to Savage's aid, fighting off Sherri and reuniting with her one-time love to huge crowd appreciation.[1] Despite his retirement from active wrestling, Savage stayed in the WWF in an non-wrestling capacity while the Ultimate Warrior was fired by Vince McMahon after SummerSlam later that year.[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Miss_Elizabeth.jpgReturn and feud with Jake "The Snake" Roberts (1991–1992)Savage returned to television in a non-wrestling role as the "Macho Man" after WrestleMania VII as a broadcaster. Meanwhile the storyline with Miss Elizabeth continued, culminating with Savage proposing to her in the ring leading to an on-air wedding at SummerSlam 1991 dubbed The Match Made in Heaven. It was at this time that Savage was targeted by Jake "The Snake" Roberts, who was by now a villain. On an edition of Prime Time Wrestling prior to SummerSlam, the announcers and several wrestlers threw a "bachelor party" for Savage, with Roberts' arrival deemed unwelcome by the rest of the contingent.[48] In the post-SummerSlam wedding reception, Roberts and his new ally, The Undertaker, made their presence known by hiding a live snake in one of the newly married couple's wedding presents; Elizabeth was frightened when she opened the gift box, and the Undertaker blindsided Savage by knocking him out with the urn. Sid Justice ran off both Roberts and The Undertaker. Savage, still unable to compete due to his WrestleMania VII loss to the Ultimate Warrior, immediately began a public campaign to have himself reinstated as an active wrestler to gain revenge on Roberts; however, WWF president Jack Tunney refused. Meanwhile, Roberts cut a series of promos berating Savage. The feud began to boil over during a television taping for WWF Superstars of Wrestling October 21 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, when Roberts cut an in-ring promo to goad Savage – who was providing TV commentary – into the ring. After he was lured into the ring, Roberts attacked Savage, eventually tying Savage into the ropes before getting a live cobra to bite his arm. Savage then urged fans to lobby Tunney to reinstate Savage, under the rallying cry "Reinstatement! That's the plan! Reinstate the Macho Man!" In response, Tunney reinstated Savage and announced a match between him and Roberts for the This Tuesday in Texas pay-per-view event. Savage won the match,[49] and the two continued to brawl afterward. The feud continued throughout the winter, ending after a match on the February 8, 1992 episode of Saturday Night's Main Event, which Savage won;[50] Roberts had planned a backstage ambush of Savage and Elizabeth after losing the match, but was stopped by The Undertaker. [edit] Feud with Ric Flair Savage then began an onscreen feud with WWF Champion "Nature Boy" Ric Flair. According to the storyline, Flair claimed that he had slept with Savage's wife Miss Elizabeth, going as far as presenting pictures of Elizabeth and Flair together. This culminated in a title match at WrestleMania VIII; Savage won the match and his second WWF Championship.[51][52][53] During this time, Savage and Elizabeth separated in real life, and Elizabeth made her final WWF appearance on April 19, 1992, during an overseas tour of England. However, the Savage-Flair feud continued, keeping the Flair-Elizabeth television storyline intact until Elizabeth's final WWF appearance (a match between Savage and Shawn Michaels) aired on WWF Prime Time Wrestling in June. About this same time, WWF Magazine published photos of Savage and Elizabeth, which were identical to those featuring Elizabeth and Flair; it was revealed that Flair had doctored the Savage-Elizabeth pictures. The former couple were divorced on September 18, 1992. [edit] Teaming with Ultimate Warrior For the better part of 1992, Savage and his old nemesis Warrior (who returned to the WWF at Wrestlemania VIII), peacefully co-existed. However, when it was announced that Warrior was the new Number One Contender for Savage's WWF Championship, old tensions resurfaced and they had several heated exchanges prior to the match. Savage defended the title against Ultimate Warrior at SummerSlam 1992. Savage lost the match by countout, after having his knee injured by Flair and Mr. Perfect but retained the championship. After the match Warrior helped a badly injured Savage to the back.[54][55] On the September 14 episode of Prime Time Wrestling (taped September 1), Savage lost the WWF title to Flair after interference by Razor Ramon.[48] He formed a tag team with The Ultimate Warrior known as the "Ultimate Maniacs" after both men were attacked by Flair and Mr. Perfect during their match at SummerSlam. After his title loss shortly after, an injured Savage backed Warrior to be the man to dethrone Flair. On the November 8, 1992 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event, they took on Money Inc. (Ted DiBiase and Irwin R. Schyster) for the WWF Tag Team Championship. Money. Inc. lost by countout but retained their title.[56] Savage and Warrior were scheduled to face Flair and Ramon in a tag team match at Survivor Series 1992. Warrior was fired from the WWF weeks before the event, so Savage chose Mr. Perfect, executive consultant to Flair, as his partner to replace Warrior. Perfect initially laughed off the suggestion, but was angered by Bobby Heenan and his insinuations that he could never again wrestle at his previous level, and accepted the match. Despite initial distrust (an interview prior to the match had Savage admit to Perfect that he neither liked nor trusted him), the duo defeated Flair and Ramon via a disqualification.[57] [edit] Color commentator and departure (1993–1994) When Monday Night Raw began in January 1993, Savage served primarily as a color commentator, wrestling only occasionally against characters such as Doink, The Repo Man, Rick Martel, and Crush. However, he was the runner up in the Royal Rumble match at Royal Rumble 1993, where he was eliminated by Yokozuna.[58][59] He returned to pay-per-view at Survivor Series 1993 as a substitute for Mr. Perfect and competed in the 1994 Royal Rumble match. His last WWF pay-per-view appearance as a competitor was a victory over Crush in a Falls Count Anywhere match at WrestleMania X.[60] Savage also made periodic appearances in Jim Cornette's Smoky Mountain Wrestling promotion in fall 1994. Meanwhile, Savage was also a color commentator for the 1994 King of the Ring and made his final WWF pay-per-view appearance at the 1994 SummerSlam, where he served as the master of ceremonies. At the end of October 1994, Savage's WWF contract expired and he abruptly left to sign with the competing World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Savage was given an on air farewell by Vince McMahon on the November 7, 1994 edition of Monday Night Raw.[61] [edit] World Championship Wrestling (1994–2000) [edit] Sporadic feuds (1994–1996) Savage signed with WCW, and his first appearance was on the December 3, 1994 edition of WCW Saturday Night prior to Starrcade. Savage made reference to the love/hate relationship he had with Hulk Hogan, then the WCW World Heavyweight Champion. Savage eventually saved Hogan from an attack by the 3 Faces of Fear, shaking hands with his friend and rival. His first WCW feud was against Avalanche. At SuperBrawl V, he teamed up with Sting and took on Avalanche and Big Bubba Rogers in a tag team match, which Sting and Savage won.[62] However, his encounter with Avalanche continued and ended at Uncensored, with Savage getting the win by disqualification after a fan, who happened to be Ric Flair dressed in drag, attacked Savage.[63] This led to Savage and Flair resuming their earlier feud. He participated in the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship tournament and went on to defeat The Butcher in the first round[64] and "Stunning" Steve Austin in the quarterfinals.[64] He interfered in Flair's match against Alex Wright, attacking Flair and causing Wright to get disqualified, which set up a tournament semifinal match in which the winner would face the winner of the Sting and Meng match for the United States Championship at the June 1995 Great American Bash. Savage and Flair's tournament semifinal match never took place however, due to Savage and Flair brawling in the backstage area prior to the match and being eliminated from the tournament.[64] They were instead given their own match in the main event, which Flair won.[65] Savage defeated Flair in a later Lifeguard Lumberjack match at Bash at the Beach.[66] Later that year, during part of the storyline in which Arn Anderson and Ric Flair turned on each other, Flair (looking for a partner to take on Anderson and Brian Pillman in a tag match) tried to recruit Savage to be his partner. Remembering the rivalry (and how Flair had attacked Savage's father, Angelo Poffo, which was the catalyst for their feud back in May), Savage refused. At World War 3, Savage won his first WCW World Heavyweight Championship by winning the first-ever 60-man three-ring battle royal.[67] He lost the title to Flair a month later at Starrcade 1995: World Cup of Wrestling; earlier that night, he defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan.[68] Savage won his second WCW World Heavyweight Championship back from Flair on the January 22, 1996 edition of Nitro[69] but lost the title back to Flair the next month in a steel cage match at SuperBrawl VI.[70] In January 1996, Savage brought Elizabeth with him into WCW as his valet once again, but she turned on Savage in his last title loss to Flair. Thereafter, Flair claimed that Elizabeth had given him a sizable amount of Savage's money, taken in their divorce settlement, which Flair used to set up a "VIP section" at Monday Nitro events. Flair and Savage continued to feud until June 1996. At Bash at the Beach, the nWo was formed when Hulk Hogan turned on Savage, Sting, and Lex Luger and joined "The Outsiders", a tag team of former WWF wrestlers Kevin Nash and Scott Hall.[71] After their inception, one of their main enemies became Savage himself, who was one of the leaders of the WCW crusaders against the nWo before joining them a year later. At Halloween Havoc, Savage faced Hogan for the WCW title but lost when the Giant interfered and chokeslammed him.[72] [edit] NWO member (1997–1998) After months of abuse from the nWo, Savage joined them at SuperBrawl VII, when he helped Hogan defeat Roddy Piper in a rematch of their Starrcade match the previous year. He also reunited with Elizabeth, who had joined the nWo several months earlier. He began feuding with Diamond Dallas Page and DDP's wife Kimberly. Their feud lasted almost eight months which included tag team matches,[73][74][75] a no disqualification match at Spring Stampede,[76] a falls count anywhere match at The Great American Bash 1997: Savage/Page II,[77] and a Las Vegas Death match at Halloween Havoc.[78] In early 1998, Savage started a feud with Lex Luger which culminated in a match at Souled Out, which Luger won.[79] Luger also won a rematch between the two at SuperBrawl VIII.[80] When Hogan failed to recapture his "nWo" Title from Sting, it was Savage's turn, and he got his shot at Spring Stampede. Hogan tried to make sure that Savage would not win the title because Hogan felt that he was the only nWo member who should be World Champion, since he was the leader of the stable. With the help of Nash, however, Savage beat Sting for his third WCW World Heavyweight Championship, despite tearing the ACL in his knee during the match.[81][82] The following night on Nitro, Hogan faced Savage for the championship. For a while it looked like Hogan had Savage beat,[83] but for the second consecutive night, Nash came to Savage's aid, powerbombing Hogan.[83] Savage tried to capitalize on this, but an interfering Bret Hart attacked Savage and preserved the victory for Hogan.[83] Savage then joined with Nash and others to form the nWo Wolfpac, a split from Hogan's group, which became known as nWo Black and Red (Wolfpac) and nWo Black and White (Hollywood).[84] Savage went on to feud with both Hart and Roddy Piper.[85][86] [edit] Team Madness and departure (1998–2000) Main article: Team MadnessAfter the June 15 edition of Nitro, Savage took a hiatus from the company to recover from at least two major knee surgeries. He made only one more appearance in 1998, helping Ric Flair defeat Eric Bischoff for the Presidency of WCW on the December 28, 1998 edition of Monday Nitro.[87] When Savage returned, he debuted a new look and theme music, sporting a slicked back ponytail, earrings, and a new villainous attitude, as well as introducing his then 22-year-old girlfriend Gorgeous George as his valet.[1] His first action was as the guest referee in the main event at Spring Stampede, which was won by Diamond Dallas Page.[1] For a short time afterward, Randy interfered in DDP's matches to make sure that Page kept his World Title, but when Kevin Nash won it at Slamboree, Savage went after the title himself.[4] It was around that time that Madusa and Miss Madness joined Macho Man as his other two valets; together they were known as Team Madness.[88] At The Great American Bash, Sid Vicious returned to WCW and helped Macho Man attack Kevin Nash.[1] This led to a tag team match at Bash at the Beach between Nash and Sting against Savage and Sid Vicious, in which whoever scored the winning fall would win the WCW World Title. Savage won his fourth and final WCW World Heavyweight Championship when he pinned Nash.[89] Savage's last reign as champion did not last long. The next night on Nitro, he lost the title to a returning Hollywood Hogan, when Nash interfered and powerbombed Macho Man (in a reversal of the situation from the previous year, in which Nash had attacked Hogan to help Savage keep his title, albeit unsuccessfully).[90] Team Madness slowly started to disband, after Madusa and Miss Madness began fighting each other over who was responsible for Savage's title loss.[4] Savage soon fired both of them and started a feud with Dennis Rodman, defeating him at Road Wild.[91] Savage made his final WCW appearance on Thunder on May 3, 2000, where he participated in the 41-man battle royal for a title shot at The Great American Bash. Savage had a sardonic side to his personality, which was recalled by former WCW television commentator Mark Madden after Savage's death: "Once, with WCW's entire roster on a charter plane experiencing EXTREME turbulence - a few girls were CRYING, a few guys were SHAKING - Randy broke the tension by saying, 'Just think of the rating the memorial show's gonna draw, boys - OOOH, YEAH!' " [edit] Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2004–2005) [edit] In ring return, illness and departure (2004-2005) Savage made his return to professional wrestling at TNA Wrestling's Victory Road by confronting Jeff Jarrett.[92] At Turning Point, he teamed up with Jeff Hardy and A.J. Styles to defeat the Kings of Wrestling (Jarrett, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall), in his last in ring match.[93][94] The main event of Final Resolution in January 2005 was scheduled to be Jarrett and Savage for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.[1] Savage's plan was to win the belt and then drop it back to Jarrett at the next pay-per-view. On February 18, 2005, Savage left TNA amid health concerns

Male Athletes Steve Austin Brian Pillman ~Done. ~

FOOTBALL Career information Position(s): Linebacker Height: 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) Weight: 228 lb (103 kg) College: Miami (Ohio) Organizations As player: 1984 1985 1986 Cincinnati Bengals Buffalo Bills* Calgary Stampeders *Offseason member only

Championships and accomplishmentsPro Wrestling Illustrated PWI ranked him #84 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003[8] Stampede Wrestling Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Bruce Hart[9] Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame[10] World Championship Wrestling NWA United States Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Tom Zenk[11] WCW World Light Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[12][13] WCW World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with "Stunning" Steve Austin[14] NWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with "Stunning" Steve Austin[15] Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards 5 Star Match (1991) with Sting, Rick Steiner, and Scott Steiner vs. Ric Flair, Larry Zbyszko, Barry Windham, and Sid Vicious (February 24, WarGames match, WrestleWar) Feud of the Year (1997) with Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Jim Neidhart, and Davey Boy Smith vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin Most Underrated (1994) Rookie of the Year (1987) Tag Team of the Year (1993) with Steve Austin as The Hollywood Blonds

In wrestlingFinishing moves Air Pillman (Springboard clothesline)[6] Signature moves Chop block[6] Cross armbar with neckscissors[6][7] Diving crossbody,[6] sometimes while performing a corkscrew[6] Dropkick,[6] sometimes from the top rope[6] Enzuigiri Leaping lariat[6] Scoop powerslam Snap DDT Spinning heel kick Tornado DDT[6] Managers Marlena Beulah McGillicutty Nicknames "Flyin'" Brian Pillman[6] "California" Brian Pillman[6] Brian "F'n" Pillman[6] "The Walking / Ticking Time Bomb"[6] "The Rogue Horseman"[6] "The Loose Cannon"[6] Entrance themes "Rocket" by Def Leppard (NWA / WCW; 1989–1990) "Don't Bite the Hand That Feeds" by Ratt (NJPW) "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns N' Roses (ECW; 1994) "Shitlist" by L7 (ECW; 1996)

Brian William Pillman (May 22, 1962 – October 5, 1997) was an American football player and professional wrestler best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and World Championship Wrestling. Pillman had a legacy as "The Loose Cannon", a wrestling gimmick that would see him do a series of worked-shoots that would gain him a degree of infamy for his unpredictable character. He was also known for being extremely agile in the ring, although a car accident in April 1996 from which he received extensive ankle injuries limited his in-ring ability. Football career Brian graduated from Norwood High School in Norwood, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati. While attending Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, Pillman played football for the then-Redskins (now Redhawks) as a Defensive Tackle where he set records in the "tackles for loss" category. A two-time Second Team All-American, he went undrafted by the National Football League, joining the hometown Cincinnati Bengals as a free agent in 1984 (where he won the Ed Block Courage Award for his team) and later the Canadian Football League for the Calgary Stampeders in 1986. He also played for the Buffalo Bills in preseason action in 1985 but was the last player cut before the start of that season. His attempts to make the roster of the Bengals were covered in a series of articles in The Cincinnati Enquirer. Professional wrestling career[edit] Stampede Wrestling (1986–1989)Following the end of his football career, Pillman remained in Canada and began training as a wrestler under Stu Hart and his sons. He debuted in November 1986 in Hart's Calgary-based Stampede Wrestling promotion. Pillman quickly formed a tag team with Hart's son Bruce known as Bad Company (not to be confused with Badd Company). In April 1987, Bad Company won the Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship, defeating Ron Starr and the Cuban Assassin in the finals of a tournament. Their reign lasted until October 1987, when the titles were held up following a controversial ending to a match between Bad Company and their opponents, Jerry Morrow and Makhan Singh. Bad Company defeated Morrow and Singh in a rematch in November 1987 to regain the titles, eventually losing them to Morrow and the Cuban Assassin in July 1988. While in Stampede Wrestling, Pillman had his girlfriend at the time, Trisa Hayes (also known as Beulah McGillicutty), portray his sister in order to get him over as a face by seating her at ringside and having heel wrestlers taunt her so that he could rescue her. [edit] National Wrestling Alliance / World Championship Wrestling (1989–1994)In 1989, Pillman returned to America and began wrestling for the National Wrestling Alliance, which evolved into World Championship Wrestling, where he was known as Flyin' Brian due to his athletic ability and variety of aerial maneuvers. He was known for his missile dropkick and diving crossbody. Along with The Rockers (Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty of the WWF), he was one of the first American wrestlers to incorporate a variety of Mexican lucha libre moves into his arsenal. He held the NWA United States Tag Team Championship with "The Z-Man" Tom Zenk between February 1990 and May 1990. Pillman later feuded with Barry Windham, who he harassed while dressed as the masked Yellow Dog after losing a Loser of the fall-leaves-WCW match (Pillman was eventually reinstated). He also held the short-lived WCW World Light Heavyweight Championship twice between October 1991 and February 1992, feuding with Brad Armstrong, Jushin Liger, Richard Morton, and Scotty Flamingo. Pillman turned heel in September 1992, frustrated by Brad Armstrong's knee injury and vacating the WCW World Light Heavyweight title, when he was scheduled to wrestle Armstrong for the title at the Clash of the Champions. In November 1992, he formed a team with Barry Windham, gunning for the NWA and WCW World Tag Team Championships held by Ricky Steamboat and Shane Douglas. Windham and Pillman lost to Steamboat and Douglas at Starrcade on December 28. Their team lasted until January 1993, as Windham had his sights on the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Pillman continued the tag team title hunt by forming a tag team with "Stunning" Steve Austin known as the Hollywood Blonds. On the March 27, 1993 edition of WCW Power Hour, the duo won the championships from Steamboat and Douglas. The team quickly became popular for their brash attitudes, and critically acclaimed matches with Steamboat and Douglas through the spring of 1993. After the feud with Steamboat and Douglas ended, they went on to feud with The Four Horsemen, mainly Ric Flair and Arn Anderson, mocking their ages and parodying Flair's interview show "A Flair for the Gold", with their own "A Flair for the Old". They would lose the NWA and WCW World Tag Team Titles to Anderson and Paul Roma at Clash of the Champions XXIV (Lord Steven Regal substituted for Pillman, who sufferd a leg injury in a tag team match on an episode of WCW Main Event prior to the Clash of Champions). After the Hollywood Blonds separated in October 1993, Pillman became a face, feuding with his old partner Austin. He would also go after the WCW World Television Championship, held by Lord Steven Regal, with whom he wrestled to a 15-minute time limit draw at Spring Stampede.[citation needed] [edit] Extreme Championship Wrestling (1994)Pillman would venture into Extreme Championship Wrestling in 1994, as part of a talent exchange between ECW and WCW. His most notable match there was teaming with Shane Douglas, replacing an injured Steve Austin, with Sherri Martel as their manager, losing to Ron Simmons and 2 Cold Scorpio. [edit] World Championship Wrestling (1994–1996)Pillman made his return in late 1994 as a face, but slowly progressed into a tweener, feuding with wrestlers such as Brad Armstrong, Eddie Guerrero, Alex Wright, and Marcus Bagwell. In September 1995 Pillman formed a team with Arn Anderson, and began feuding with Ric Flair. After costing Flair a match to Arn Anderson at Fall Brawl, Flair Recruited the help of Sting to team up against Pillman and Anderson at Halloween Havoc. Pillman and Anderson attacked Flair before the match, forcing Sting to come out alone. When Sting needed a tag the most, Flair came out at the last minute with a bandage on his head, tagged Sting, and immediately turned and attacked him removing the fake bandage from his head to show it was all plan between Pillman, Anderson and Flair from the start. These actions signaled the reuniting of the Four Horsemen. This incarnation was Flair, Anderson, Pillman, and Chris Benoit. On September 4, 1995, Pillman wrestled the first match on the very first episode of WCW Monday Nitro, defeating Jushin Liger in a SuperBrawl II rematch. At the end of 1995, Pillman developed his "Loose Cannon" gimmick, cultivating a reputation for unpredictable behavior. During this period of time, Pillman changed his once Hollywood Blond and Flyin' Brian clean athletic look for an edgy, out of control image. Even his allies in the Horsemen, especially Anderson, were wary of his behavior and tried in vain to keep him in check. Almost all of the time Pillman could be seen wearing leather vests, sunglasses, jewelry and graphic T-shirts with skulls, monsters and sayings on them. Pillman frequently blurred fact and fiction with his worked-shoots. In a match with Eddie Guerrero on the January 23, 1996 edition of Clash of the Champions, Pillman grabbed commentator Bobby Heenan by the collar, causing Heenan (who had a history of neck problems) to blurt out "What the fuck are you doing?" live on the air (Heenan has since stated that he didn't know it was Pillman grabbing him and he blurted out the remark because he thought he was a fan grabbing him). Pillman outed Kevin Sullivan as booker during the February 1996 SuperBrawl VI pay-per-view in an I Respect You Strap match where the loser announces that they respect the other wrestler, much like an "I Quit" match. Pillman grabbed the microphone, saying, sarcastically, "I respect you, booker man". The words "booker man" were cut from the commercial tape. Pillman was fired by WCW President Eric Bischoff in February 1996 after SuperBrawl VI. In Bischoff's autobiography he said that Pillman was fired so that he could go and develop the "loose cannon" gimmick in ECW then return to World Championship Wrestling with more legitimate heat. Bischoff claims it was a plan he and Pillman came up with together. It would later backfire on Bischoff as Pillman did not return. Extreme Championship Wrestling (1996)Immediately following his departure from WCW, Pillman returned to the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based Extreme Championship Wrestling promotion, appearing at the annual Internet convention, ECW CyberSlam, on February 17, 1996. During an interview conducted in the ring by Joey Styles, Pillman insulted Bischoff, calling him a commentator, a "gofer", and a "piece of shit". He turned his attention to the ECW audience, derisively calling them "Smart Marks". After Styles attempted to end the interview, Pillman threatened to "yank out [his] Johnson" and urinate in the ring. Pillman was confronted by ECW owner Tod Gordon, booker Paul Heyman, and wrestler Shane Douglas, who had him removed from the ring by security guards. While being dragged from the arena, Pillman attacked a plant sitting in the audience with a fork he produced from his boot. Although he did not wrestle for ECW, Pillman made several further appearances with the promotion, engaging in a war of words with Douglas, setting up a proposed feud. He gained the backstage ire of New Jack when he referred to the tag team consisting of New Jack and Mustafa (The Gangstas) as "Niggas with Attitudes" (not as a racist comment, but in reference to the rap group N.W.A) when crashing one of their interviews.[1] With his "Loose Cannon" persona, Pillman became the talk for all three major promotions, as he successfully left WCW, he was on his way to the WWF, and he was scheduled to wrestle Shane Douglas in ECW, until tragedy struck on April 15, 1996 when Pillman was badly injured after falling asleep while driving his Hummer H1 in Kentucky and driving into a tree trunk, flipping the vehicle. He was in a coma for a week and suffered a shattered ankle, forcing doctors to fuse it together in a fixed position. [edit] World Wrestling Federation (1996–1997)Pillman signed a contract with the World Wrestling Federation on June 10, 1996, with the signing announced in a press conference. He was the first wrestler to sign a guaranteed contract with the WWF, indicative of the period in which Vince McMahon began to protect the company from abruptly losing talent to WCW, with Lex Luger, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall all previously doing so. Pillman acted as a commentator while recovering from his broken ankle, transitioning to a wrestling role after attacking a fan during an episode of WWF Shotgun Saturday Night. Following WrestleMania 13, Pillman aligned himself with his friends Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Davey Boy Smith, and Jim Neidhart as part of the anti-American Hart Foundation, all of whom he was familiar with from his Stampede Wrestling roots. He began feuding with his former partner, Steve Austin. In the course of the feud, Austin was given on-screen credit for damaging Pillman's ankle in October 1996 after placing it in between the seat and backrest of a folded chair and then jumping on the chair (this particular style of attack has since been dubbed "The Pillmanizer," in honor of this incident, despite Shane Douglas performing exactly the same maneuver to Raven in ECW nearly a full year earlier). After his feud with Austin, he feuded with Goldust over Marlena until his death.[citation needed] On the November 4, 1996 episode of Monday Night Raw, Pillman took part in the infamous "Pillman's got a gun" angle with Steve Austin. When Pillman initially arrived to the WWF, he aligned himself immediately with his longtime friend and former tag team partner Austin, serving as his lackey while he recovered. However when Pillman began noticeably favoring Austin's nemesis, Bret Hart, Austin had enough and brutally attacked him in the ring during an interview on an episode of WWF Superstars in October 1996. Austin and Pillman had been feuding for several weeks, and Austin had finally decided to take matters into his own hands and visit Pillman, whom he had already injured, at his home in Walton, Kentucky. WWF interviewer Kevin Kelly sat in Pillman's house with a camera crew and the Pillman family, while Pillman's friends surrounded the house to protect him. Austin was attacked by Pillman's friends as soon as he arrived but quickly subdued them. He then proceeded to break into Pillman's home and advance on his nemesis. Pillman responded by producing the same 9 mm pistol that he had displayed earlier and pointing it at a hesitant Austin, while Kelly and Pillman's wife Melanie screamed for help. The camera feed was then disrupted, with the scene fading to black. The on-scene director contacted commentator Vince McMahon and reported that he had heard "a couple explosions." The transmission was restored shortly before the end of Raw, and viewers witnessed Pillman's friends dragging Austin from the house while Pillman aimed the gun at him and announced his intention to "kill that son of a bitch!" Pillman also slipped up by making the mistake of saying "fuck" on live television, which meant that it could not be edited out. The WWF (and Pillman personally) eventually apologized profusely for the entire angle, with Pillman claiming that the profanity "just slipped out". Personal life and deathPillman developed multiple throat polyps as a child and had over 40 operations before the age of three.[2] Pillman dated Terri Runnels while they were in World Championship Wrestling together before her marriage to Dustin Rhodes. He later married Melanie on March 17, 1993. She already had two children at the time, Alexis and Jesse. At the time, he also had two children, his daughters, Danielle and Brittany. Brian and Melanie had two children together, Brian Jr. & Skylar.[3] Pillman never learned that Melanie was pregnant with Skylar, who was born on May 5, 1998, seven months after Pillman's death in October 1997.[4] Brian was scheduled to wrestle with Goldust the night after his death. Goldust and Pillman were in a long lasting rivalry.Brian was late that night. Eventually some WWE staff went looking for him. They found him dead.Some time during the night or early morning prior to the October 5, 1997 In Your House: Badd Blood pay-per-view in St. Louis, Pillman died in a Bloomington, Minnesota hotel room at the age of 35.[2] An autopsy found that a previously undetected heart condition, arteriosclerotic heart disease, had led to his death.[2] The condition had also led to the death of his father.[2] Pillman's use of drugs and alcohol also contributed to his death.[2] In early 2008, Pillman's stepdaughter, Alexis Reed, started her wrestling career as a valet and ring girl under the name "Sexy" Lexi Pillman. Alexis died, aged 26, on Thanksgiving night, November 26, 2009, from injuries sustained in an automobile accident.

Championships and accomplishmentsPro Wrestling Illustrated PWI Feud of the Year (1998, 1999)[67] vs. Vince McMahon PWI Match of the Year (1997)[68] vs. Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13 in a Submission match PWI Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (2001)[69] PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (1998)[70] PWI Rookie of the Year (1990)[71] PWI Wrestler of the Year (1998, 1999, 2001)[72] PWI ranked #1 of the Top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1998 and 1999[73][74] PWI ranked #19 of the Top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI Years in 2003[75] Teen Choice Awards Choice Pro Wrestler (1999) Texas Wrestling Federation TWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with The California Stud[76] World Championship Wrestling WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[77] WCW World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Brian Pillman[78] WCW World Television Championship (2 times)[79] NWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Brian Pillman[80][81] Million Dollar Championship (1 time)[82]1 WWF Championship (6 times)[83] WWF Intercontinental Championship (2 times)[84] WWF Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with Shawn Michaels (1), Dude Love (1), The Undertaker (1) and Triple H (1)[85] King of the Ring (1996)[86] Royal Rumble (1997, 1998, 2001)[87] Slammy Award for Freedom of Speech (1997) Fifth Triple Crown Champion WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2009)

In wrestling Finishing moves As "Stone Cold" Steve Austin Stone Cold Stunner (Seated three-quarter facelock jawbreaker, usually preceded by a kick to the midsection) As "Stunning" Steve Austin Stun Gun (Flapjack dropped into a hangman)[61] As The Ringmaster Million Dollar Dream (Cobra clutch)

Personal lifeAustin dated Kathryn Burrhus throughout high school and college, and the two married on November 24, 1990. Nonetheless, Austin pursued a relationship with Jeannie Clark ("Lady Blossom"), with whom he was working. His marriage to Burrhus was quickly annulled on August 7, 1992,[49] and Austin and Clark married on December 18, 1992. Together, they have two daughters, Stephanie (born in 1992) and Cassidy (born in 1996).[50] He also adopted Jade, Clark's daughter with former husband Chris Adams. Jade is also married to professional wrestler Adam Windsor.[51] Austin and Clark divorced on May 10, 1999 and their daughters live in Southend-on-Sea, England with Clark, while Jade lives in America with her husband and son.[50][52] In December 2007, the Wrestling Observer newsletter reported that "Stone Cold" Steve Austin legally changed his real name (Steven Williams) to his wrestling name Steve Austin.[53] Austin currently resides in Los Angeles, California and Tilden, Texas. Marriage to Debra MarshallOn September 13, 2000, Austin married WWE Diva Debra Marshall.[54] On June 15, 2002 police were called to their residence in San Antonio, Texas.[37] They found a hysterical Marshall with bruises.[55] Austin had left the house and was asked by police not to return. On August 14, 2002, Austin was arrested and charged with domestic abuse. He pled no contest on November 25, 2002 and was given a year's probation, a $1,000 fine, and ordered to carry out eighty hours of community service.[56] Marshall would later claim that Austin was a steroid user and this incident was the result of roid rage.[57] Austin filed for divorce from Marshall on July 22, 2002 and the divorce was finalized on February 5, 2003.[58] On June 29, 2007, Marshall told Fox News that Austin beat her three times.[59] She also stated that WWE put a gag order on her so she would not reveal that Stone Cold hit her, as it would cost the company millions of dollars.[60] The WWE did not respond to her allegations.

Filmography FilmYear Film Role Notes 2005 The Longest Yard Guard Dunham 2007 The Condemned Jack Conrad Produced by WWE Films 2009 Damage John Brickner Direct-to-video 2010 The Stranger The Stranger The Expendables Dan Paine Hunt to Kill Jim Rhodes Direct-to-video 2011 Knockout Dan Tactical Force Tate 2012 Recoil John Varrett The Package Thomas Boyette [edit] TelevisionYear Film Role Notes 1998–2002 Celebrity Deathmatch Himself 4 seasons 1999 Teen Choice Awards Himself 1999–2000 Nash Bridges Detective Jake Cage Six episodes 2000 Dilbert Judge One episode 2005 The Bernie Mac Show Himself 2010 Chuck Hugo Panzer Two episodes 2011 Tough Enough Host/head trainer

Steve Austin (born Steven James Anderson; December 18, 1964, later and formerly Steven James Williams),[1] better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin,[2] is an American film and television actor and retired professional wrestler currently signed to WWE. Austin wrestled for several well-known wrestling promotions such as World Championship Wrestling (WCW), Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and most famously, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), which later became World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 2002. Billed as "The Most Popular Superstar in WWE History",[3] he gained significant mainstream popularity in the WWF during the mid-to-late 1990s as "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, a disrespectful, beer-drinking antihero who routinely defied his boss, Vince McMahon.[4] This defiance was often shown by Austin flipping off McMahon and incapacitating him with the Stone Cold Stunner, his finishing move.[5] McMahon inducted Austin into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009. Austin is also known for his love of beer, especially Busch. Austin held nineteen championships throughout his professional wrestling career, and is recognized by WWE as a six-time World Champion, having held the WWF Championship on six occasions, and the fifth Triple Crown Champion. He was also the winner of the 1996 King of the Ring tournament, as well as the 1997, 1998 and 2001 Royal Rumbles. He was forced to retire from in ring competition in early 2003 due to a series of knee and neck injuries sustained throughout his career. Throughout the rest of 2003 and 2004, he was featured as the Co-General Manager and "Sheriff" of Raw. Since 2005, he has continued to make occasional appearances. In 2011, Steve Austin returned to WWE to host the reality series Tough Enough. Early lifeAustin was born Steven James Anderson in Victoria, Texas. After his father left the family, his mother, Beverly, re-married to Ken Williams, and Austin adopted his stepfather's surname, and spent most of his childhood in Edna, Texas[1] After attending high school, Austin got a football scholarship at Wharton County Junior College, followed by a full scholarship at North Texas State University Professional wrestling career"Stone Cold" Steve Austin Ring name(s) "Stone Cold" Steve Austin[2] The Ringmaster "Stunning" Steve Austin "Superstar" Steve Austin Billed height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[6] Billed weight 252 lb (114 kg)[6] Born December 18, 1964 (1964-12-18) (age 46)[1] Austin, Texas[7] Resides Los Angeles, California Billed from Victoria, Texas[6] Trained by Chris Adams[8][9] Debut May 11, 1989[8] Retired March 30, 2003[8] [edit] World Championship Wrestling (1991–1995)Main articles: Dangerous Alliance, Hollywood Blonds, and Stud Stable After some time, Austin decided to become a professional wrestler and enrolled at the wrestling school run by Chris Adams, whose school was run out of the Dallas Sportatorium where he was wrestling for World Class Championship Wrestling. Austin made his debut in World Class in 1989 under his real name, but was later given the name "Steve Austin" by Memphis-area booker Dutch Mantel. Austin's run in Memphis was part of the merger between World Class and the Continental Wrestling Association out of Memphis, with the combined company known as the United States Wrestling Association. Austin would eventually return to Dallas and feud with Adams, with Percy Pringle and Jeannie Adams (Adams' real-life former wife and Austin's girlfriend at the time) as his valets. It was during this time Austin adopted the "Stunning" nickname that followed him to WCW. Austin left WCCW after its final folding in 1990 and signed with WCW the next year. He was originally paired with a valet named Vivacious Veronica,[10] but was later joined by Jeannie Adams, known as "Lady Blossom".[9][10] Just weeks after his debut, Austin defeated Bobby Eaton for his first WCW World Television Championship on June 3, 1991. Later that year, Austin joined Paul E. Dangerously's Dangerous Alliance.[9][11] Austin lost the WCW Television Championship to Barry Windham in a two out of three falls match on April 27, 1992. He regained the title from Windham on May 23. Austin enjoyed a second lengthy reign before losing to Ricky Steamboat on September 2, 1992. The Dangerous Alliance disbanded shortly thereafter.[12] At Halloween Havoc, he replaced Terry Gordy, teaming with "Dr. Death" Steve Williams to wrestle Dustin Rhodes and Barry Windham for the unified WCW and NWA World Tag Team title.[12] The teams wrestled to a thirty-minute time limit draw.[12] In January 1993, Austin formed a tag team known as The Hollywood Blonds with Brian Pillman.[9] They won the WCW World Tag Team Championship on March 3, defeating Ricky Steamboat and Shane Douglas. The Hollywood Blonds held the title for five months.[9] At Clash of the Champions XXIII the Blonds faced Ric Flair and Arn Anderson in a two-out-of-three-falls tag Team title match. Flair and Anderson defeated the Blonds, but were not awarded the title as one fall had been determined by a disqualification.[13] At Clash of the Champions XXIV, Austin and Pillman were scheduled to defend their title against Anderson and Paul Roma. An injured Pillman, however, was replaced by Steven Regal. Austin and Regal lost to Anderson and Roma.[14] With Pillman still injured, Austin joined Colonel Robert Parker's Stud Stable.[15] After Pillman returned, Austin betrayed and defeated him in a singles match at Clash of the Champions XXV.[16] At Starrcade, in a two-out-of-three-falls match, Austin defeated Dustin Rhodes in two straight falls to win the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship.[9] Austin lost the title to Ricky Steamboat on August 24, 1994. Austin was scheduled to face Steamboat in a rematch for the title at Fall Brawl, but Steamboat was unable to wrestle due to a back injury, and Austin was awarded the title by forfeit. His second reign as US Champion ended just minutes later when he lost to Steamboat's replacement, Jim Duggan in a match that lasted thirty-five seconds.[17] Austin unsuccessfully challenged Duggan for the United States Championship at both Halloween Havoc 1994 and Clash of the Champions XXIX.[18][19] After returning from a knee injury in early 1995, Austin took part in a tournament for the vacant WCW United States Heavyweight title, where he defeated Duggan via count-out in the first round, but lost to Randy Savage in the quarterfinals. [edit] Extreme Championship Wrestling (1995)In 1995, Austin was fired by WCW Vice President Eric Bischoff, after suffering a triceps injury, while wrestling on a Japanese tour; Bischoff and WCW did not see Austin as a 'marketable' wrestler.[9][20] Austin described his opinion on being fired over the phone as Eric Bischoff having taken the coward's way out. Eventually, Austin was contacted by Paul Heyman of Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), who had managed him in WCW.[9] Heyman hired Austin to do in-ring interviews, as he still had not recovered from his injury enough to wrestle.[21] While in ECW, Austin used the platform to develop his future "Stone Cold" persona as well as a series of vignettes running down WCW in general and Bischoff in particular.[9][21] While with ECW, Austin was known as "Superstar" Steve Austin.[22] He had a match with The Sandman and feuded with Mikey Whipwreck.[22] Whipwreck, who was the ECW World Heavyweight Champion at the time, defeated Austin at November to Remember.[23] The Sandman defeated Steve Austin and Whipwreck in a Triple Threat match at December to Dismember in 1995 for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship.[24] Heyman would later state that he had wanted Austin to win the ECW Title, but Austin had refused because he felt he was more effective "as the hunter, rather than the hunted." [edit] World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (1995–2002, 2003-present)[edit] The Ringmaster (1995–1996)Main article: Million Dollar Corporation In late 1995, Austin joined the WWF after Kevin Nash and Jim Ross helped convince WWE's owner Vince McMahon to hire him.[9][22] Initially, Austin wrestled as "The Ringmaster" and was managed by Ted DiBiase,[9] who awarded him with the Million Dollar Championship.[25] Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated Savio Vega at in his first WrestleMania appearance, at WrestleMania XII.[26] During this time, Austin shaved his head bald. At In Your House: Beware of Dog, Austin lost a "Caribbean Strap match" to Vega. In accordance to the pre-match stipulations, DiBiase was forced to leave the WWE, giving Austin the opportunity to forge his own path.[27] Austin later told announcer Dok Hendrix (Michael P.S. Hayes) that he had purposely lost the match in order to rid himself of DiBiase, who was headed for rival promotion World Championship Wrestling (WCW). [edit] Austin 3:16 and rise to superstardom (1996–1997)Austin's genuine rise to superstardom began at the 1996 King of the Ring. Austin began using his trademark finishing maneuver, the Stone Cold Stunner; with this new technique, he won the King of the Ring tournament.[9] After defeating Marc Mero in the semi-finals, Austin defeated Jake "The Snake" Roberts in the finals.[9][27] At the time, Roberts was portraying a born-again Christian, so after the match, Austin cut a now famous promo during his coronation, telling Roberts,[28] "You sit there and you thump your Bible, and you say your prayers, and it didn't get you anywhere! Talk about your psalms, talk about John 3:16... Austin 3:16 says I just whupped your ass!". "Austin 3:16" ultimately became one of the most popular catch phrases in wrestling history,[9] and subsequently the slogan became one of the best-selling t-shirts in WWE merchandise history. Austin spoke about Bret Hart constantly and taunted him relentlessly. Hart finally accepted Austin's challenge and returned to the WWF in October 1996. At Survivor Series, in a match to determine the number-one contender to the WWF Championship, Hart pinned Austin in a match which helped create the foundations for the eventual year-long feud between the two.[27] The match came hot on the heels of an incident broadcast live on Raw, which saw Austin "break into" Brian Pillman's house, with Pillman holding a gun. During the 1997 Royal Rumble match, Austin was originally eliminated by Bret Hart, but the officials did not see it, and he snuck back into the ring and eliminated Hart by throwing him over the ropes, winning the match himself.[29] This led to the first-ever pay-per-view main event of Austin's WWF career at In Your House 13: Final Four, after Shawn Michaels suffered a knee injury and left the WWF Championship suddenly vacant. Austin was eliminated early from the four-way match at In Your House 13 for the title after injuring his own knee, but was involved in the finish which saw Hart win his fourth WWF Championship,[27] which he lost the next night on Raw to Sycho Sid due to Austin's interference, continuing his feud with Hart. At WrestleMania 13, Hart defeated Austin in a 'Submission' match with Ken Shamrock as a special referee. During the match, Austin had been cut and was bleeding profusely from his face, but he still refused to tap out when Hart locked in his Sharpshooter. Austin finally passed out from blood loss, still held in the Sharpshooter, and lost the match. Hart, after the bell, continued to assault Austin, who despite his wounds refused any assistance back to the locker room, thus turning Hart heel and Austin babyface in a rare double-turn.[27] Austin eventually got his revenge on Hart in the main event of In Your House 14: Revenge of the 'Taker, in a match to determine the number-one contender to The Undertaker's WWF Championship. Austin won when Hart was disqualified due to assistance from The British Bulldog, earning him a title match against The Undertaker at In Your House 15: A Cold Day In Hell. Austin faced Hart once again in a street fight on the April 21 episode of Raw, injuring his opponent's leg with a steel chair during the bout. The match was ultimately awarded to Hart when Austin refused to let go of his own Sharpshooter. He proceeded to beat Hart while on a stretcher in the back of an ambulance. At A Cold Day In Hell, Austin had The Undertaker down with the Stunner, but while distracted with a timely interference by Brian Pillman, Stone Cold's old tag partner, Undertaker nailed Austin with a Tombstone Piledriver and achieved the victory.[27] During this time, Austin found a way to win the WWF Tag Team Championship on two separate occasions. On May 25, 1997, Austin and Shawn Michaels defeated Owen Hart and The British Bulldog for the title. They held the title until July 14, before Michaels was forced to vacate due to an injury.[30] That same night a tournament was held to determine who would face Austin and a partner of his choosing for the vacant championship. Hart and Bulldog won the tournament, with Austin refusing to pick a partner and choosing to wrestle the former tag team champions by himself.[31] Late in the match, a debuting Dude Love came out to offer assistance and Austin became a two-time tag team champion.[32] Austin continued his feud with the Hart family, becoming embroiled in a heated rivalry with Owen Hart, who pinned a distracted Austin and secured victory for The Hart Foundation in the ten-man Tag Team match main event of In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede, where Austin was partnered with Ken Shamrock, Goldust, and The Legion of Doom.[33] At SummerSlam, Austin and Owen Hart faced each other with Hart's Intercontinental Championship on the line and an added stipulation that Austin would have to kiss Hart's buttocks if he lost.[31] During the match Hart botched a piledriver and dropped Austin on his head, resulting in a legitimate broken neck and temporary paralysis for Austin. As Hart stalled by baiting the audience, Austin managed to crawl over and pin Hart using a roll-up to win the Intercontinental Championship. A visibly injured and dazed Austin was helped to his feet by a number of referees and led to the back. Due to the severity of his neck injury, Austin was forced to relinquish both the Intercontinental Championship and the Tag Team Championships. Austin was sidelined until Survivor Series. However, in the interim he made several appearances, one being at Bad Blood where he was involved in the finish of a match between Hart and Faarooq, which was the final match in a tournament for the Intercontinental Championship. Austin hit Faarooq with the Intercontinental Championship belt while the referee's back was turned, causing Hart to win the match.[31] Austin's motive was to keep the Intercontinental Championship around Hart's waist, as demonstrated when he interfered in Hart's matches on the October 20 and 27 episodes of Raw.[31] Austin regained the Intercontinental Championship from Hart at Survivor Series. With Hart out of the way, Austin set his sights on The Rock, who stole Austin's belt on the November 17 episode of Raw after Austin suffered a beating by his Nation of Domination stablemates.[31] In the weeks to come, The Rock began declaring himself to be "the best damn Intercontinental Champion" ever.[31] The Rock kept possession of the belt until D-Generation X: In Your House, when Austin defeated him to 'retain' the title and get his belt back. As Austin had used his pickup truck to aid in his victory, McMahon ordered him to defend the title against The Rock the next night on Raw.[31] In an act of defiance after forfeiting the title to The Rock, Austin tossed the belt into a New Hampshire river.[6] [edit] Feuding with Mr. McMahon (1997–1999)On September 22, 1997, on the first-ever Monday Night Raw to be broadcast from Madison Square Garden, Owen Hart was giving a speech to the fans in attendance. During his speech, Austin entered the ring with five NYPD officers following, and assaulted Hart. As it looked Austin was going to fight the officers, Vince McMahon ran into the ring to lecture Austin about why he couldn't be "physically" able to compete. After telling McMahon that he respects the fact that he and the WWF cared, Austin attacked McMahon with a Stone Cold Stunner, leaving McMahon in shock. Austin was then arrested on charges of trespassing, assault, and assaulting a police officer. This marked the beginning of the Austin-McMahon rivalry. With Bret Hart's departure for WCW, Austin and Shawn Michaels were the top superstars in the company. Austin won the 1998 Royal Rumble, lastly eliminating The Rock.[34] The next night on Raw, Austin interrupted Vince McMahon in his presentation of Mike Tyson, who was making a special appearance, over the objection of McMahon referring to Tyson as "the baddest man on the planet." Austin flipped off Tyson, which led to Tyson shoving Austin much to McMahon's embarrassment, who began to publicly disapprove of the prospect of Austin as his champion. Tyson was later announced as "the special enforcer" for the main event at WrestleMania XIV, although he appeared to be aligning himself with WWF Champion Shawn Michaels' stable D-Generation X.[9][35] This led to Austin's WWF Championship match against Michaels at WrestleMania XIV, which he won with help from Tyson, who turned on DX by making the deciding three-count against Michaels, and later hit HBK with his knock-out punch. In fact Shawn Michaels had suffered two herniated discs and another completely crushed at the hands of The Undertaker in a Casket match at the Royal Rumble.[9] This victory ushered in the Austin Era,[9] and with it, The Attitude Era On the Raw after Austin won the WWF Title, Vince McMahon presented him with a new title belt and warned Austin that he did not approve of his rebellious nature and that things could be done "the easy way or the hard way." Austin gave his answer in the form of another Stunner. This led to a segment a week later where Austin had pledged a few days prior in a meeting to "play ball" with McMahon, appearing in a suit and tie, with a beaming McMahon taking a picture of himself and his new corporate champion. The entire thing was a ruse by Austin who in the course of the segment proceeded to tear off the suit, tell McMahon it was the last time he would see Austin dressed like this, punch his boss in the "corporate grapefruits," and take another picture of the two of them while McMahon was doubled over in pain. In April 1998, it appeared Austin and McMahon were going to battle out their differences in an actual match, but the match was declared a no-contest when Dude Love made an appearance. This led to a match between Dude Love and Austin at Unforgiven: In Your House, where Austin hit McMahon with a steel chair, then the following month they had a rematch at Over the Edge: In Your House for the WWF Championship. Austin managed to retain the title despite McMahon acting as the referee and his "Corporate Stooges" (Gerald Brisco and Pat Patterson) as timekeeper and ring announcer, respectively. McMahon continued to do everything he could to ruin Austin, and he finally scored a big victory for his side at the 1998 King of the Ring tournament.[9] There, Austin lost the WWF Championship to Kane in a First Blood match.[9] Austin further infuriated McMahon by winning back the championship the next night on Raw.[9] Austin also emerged victorious against The Undertaker at SummerSlam. In response, McMahon set up a Triple Threat match at Breakdown: In Your House, where The Undertaker and Kane pinned Austin at the same time. McMahon decided to vacate the WWF Championship[9] and award it based on a match between The Undertaker and Kane, in which Austin was the guest referee. Austin refused to count for either man and attacked both towards the end of the match. McMahon later fired him, although Austin got revenge by kidnapping McMahon and dragging him to the middle of the ring at "gunpoint," which ended up being a toy gun with a scroll that read "Bang! 3:16." Also the segment was very "embarrassing" to McMahon as it showed he was so scared that he urinated his pants. Stone Cold was later re-signed by Shane McMahon. In the semifinals of the Survivor Series tournament to award the vacant WWF championship, Austin lost to Mankind, after Shane double-crossed Austin. The next night on Raw, Judge Mills Lane ruled that The Rock had to defend his newly won WWF Championship against Austin that night. The Undertaker interfered and hit Austin with a shovel, earning Austin a disqualification victory, but The Rock kept the championship. At Rock Bottom: In Your House, Steve Austin defeated The Undertaker in a Buried Alive match after Kane Tombstoned The Undertaker into the grave. With this victory, Austin qualified for the 1999 Royal Rumble. Austin's next definitive chance to exact revenge on Mr. McMahon came during the 1999 Royal Rumble match. On Raw, McMahon drew Austin's entry number with the obvious intention of screwing him over. Austin drew entry number one, while McMahon drew number two thanks to WWF Commissioner Shawn Michaels. During the Rumble match, McMahon slipped out of the ring and into the crowd as Austin chased him down. It turned out to be a trap as McMahon led Austin into the lobby restroom where he was ambushed by members of The Corporation. Austin was injured and taken away in an ambulance. With Austin gone and not in the Rumble match, McMahon joined the announce table in calling the match. Later on, however, Austin returned in an ambulance and re-entered the Royal Rumble, delivering a Stunner to the Big Boss Man and eliminating him. With the assistance of the Corporation and a last minute interference from The Rock, Austin was eliminated by McMahon himself, and McMahon won the 1999 Royal Rumble.[9] With McMahon turning down his number-one contender spot against The Rock, WWF Commissioner Michaels awarded Austin the title shot during Raw the next night. At St. Valentine's Day Massacre, Stone Cold got a one-on-one match against McMahon in a Steel Cage match, with the WWF Championship opportunity at WrestleMania XV at stake.[9] During the match, Paul Wight made his debut, breaking through from under the ring and attacking Austin. Wight's attack propelled Austin into the side of the cage forcing the cage to give way and dropping Austin to the floor first, making him the victor.[9] Austin defeated The Rock at WrestleMania XV for his third WWF Championship.[9] Austin faced The Rock in a rematch at Backlash, in which Shane McMahon was the referee. During the match, Vince McMahon approached the ring, only to hand Austin back his 'Smoking Skull' belt and take Shane out of the proceedings. Austin won the match when another referee made the count. The Undertaker, however, won the WWF Championship from Austin at Over the Edge. Due to events revolving around Vince McMahon, Stephanie and Linda McMahon made Stone Cold the Chief Executive Officer of the company. Vince and Shane McMahon challenged Austin to a Handicap Ladder match at King of the Ring with the CEO title on the line, which the duo of father and son won. The next night on Raw, however, Austin made it clear that while he was the CEO of the company, he could have a title shot at any time and place to be determined by himself. Austin made the WWF Championship match that night on Raw and defeated The Undertaker to win his fourth WWF Championship. However, after he won it, The Undertaker came and hit him with the title belt, leading to a First Blood match between the two at Fully Loaded where Mr. McMahon stipulated that if Austin lost he would never be able to wrestle for the WWF Championship again, and if Austin won, he would never see McMahon again. Austin won after interference from X-Pac, hitting The Undertaker with a TV camera and gave McMahon a goodbye Stone Cold Stunner. Austin held on to the WWF Championship until SummerSlam when he lost it to Mankind in a Triple Threat match also featuring Triple H.[9] Austin would get his rematch at No Mercy against Triple H but lost after The Rock accidentally struck him with a sledgehammer that was meant for Triple H. When Survivor Series rolled around, Triple H was still champion. Austin was booked into a Triple Threat match for the WWF Championship against Triple H and The Rock. However, Austin was run down by a car in the parking lot.[9] The Big Show would replace Austin in the match and would win the WWF Championship. What followed was neck surgery by Dr. Lloyd Youngblood and a nine-month rehabilitation with the car angle as his reason for leaving.[9] In reality, Austin had needed neck surgery since the Owen Hart incident in 1997 Return and heel turn (2000–2001)Main article: The Power Trip Austin appeared at Backlash 2000, attacking Triple H and Vince McMahon to help The Rock reclaim the WWF Championship. At Unforgiven, Austin made his official return. The company, meanwhile, tried to find out who ran him down at Survivor Series the previous year.[9] Rikishi finally admitted to being the driver because "he did it for the people."[9] At No Mercy, Austin was back to face Rikishi in a No Holds Barred match. During the match, Austin motioned he was going to drive his truck into Rikishi, who by that time was a bloody mess. Before he could, he was stopped by officials, the match being deemed no-contest and Austin was (kayfabe) arrested and later bailed by Commissioner Mick Foley. During a handicap match against Rikishi and Kurt Angle, Triple H came down with the apparent intention of teaming with Austin. After clearing the ring, Triple H smashed his sledgehammer over Austin's head, and revealed it was actually him behind the whole scheme, devised to shield the WWF Championship from Austin and end his career. At Survivor Series, Triple H had plotted to run Austin down again during their match (thus repeating the events of the previous year's Survivor Series) but his plot failed when Austin lifted Triple H's automobile with a forklift, then let it drop 20 feet, causing Triple H to shout "Holy shit!" just before the car was released. Also, in the year 2000, Stone Cold Steve Austin competed in a 6 man Hell in a Cell match at Armageddon for the WWF Championship, against Triple H, the Undertaker, Rikishi, Kurt Angle and The Rock. In the end, Stone Cold Steve Austin gave The Rock a Stunner and was about to pin him when Triple H came in the way and got a stunner. But Kurt Angle took advantage of the situation and pinned The Rock and picked up the victory, hence retaining the WWF Championship. After the match, Stone Cold Steve Austin delivered a stunner to Kurt Angle, while he was celebrating his victory. Austin won his third Royal Rumble in January 2001,[36] last eliminating Kane. His rivalry against Triple H ended at No Way Out in a Three Stages of Hell match, with Triple H beating Austin two falls to one. Then, at WrestleMania X-Seven, Austin turned heel by hitting The Rock with a steel chair several times to win the WWF Championship.[9] After the match, Austin shook hands and shared a beer with Vince McMahon. With the victory, Austin became a five-time WWF Champion. The next night on Raw, after teasing a quick face turn, the heel turn continued. He also altered his character considerably over the next few months, in a deliberate turn from the rebellious and anti-establishment character beloved by the fans, Austin became a whiny, temperamental prima donna who would complain incessantly when he felt he was not getting the respect from the fans and wrestlers that he deserved. He also developed an infatuation with McMahon, going to great lengths to impress him and even going so far as to hugging him and bringing him presents. McMahon, though visibly uncomfortable and wary by the attention, was still grateful to have Austin with him instead of against him. During a cage match with The Rock in a rematch for the title, Triple H came down to the ring with a sledgehammer and together with Austin viciously attacked The Rock and put him out of action. Austin further cemented his heel turn the following Thursday on Smackdown! when, during an interview with Jim Ross about his actions at WrestleMania, thought Ross was denouncing their friendship and then proceeded to attack and brutally assault Ross. Austin and Triple H became a team and called themselves The Two-Man Power Trip.[9] Austin and Triple H were the top heels in the company, and feuding with The Undertaker and Kane. After defeating Kane and The Undertaker for the WWF Tag Team Championship at Backlash2001, they held the Tag Team Titles, the WWF Championship (Austin), and the WWF Intercontinental Championship (Triple H) all at once. At Judgment Day2001, Triple H lost his Intercontinental Title to Kane. Then, the following night on Raw, Austin and Triple H wrestled against Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit with the Tag Team Titles on the line. Midway through the match, Triple H tore his quadriceps muscle.[9] As planned, the team lost the Tag Team Titles at the end of the match when Triple H accidentally hit Austin in the stomach with a sledgehammer, but the injury to Triple H, which kept him out for the remainder of the year, forced the WWF to go in another direction. Austin had a minor injury for a month. [edit] The Invasion (2001)See also: The Invasion Austin was paired with Kurt Angle and feuded against Jericho and Benoit. This culminated with a Triple Threat match at King of the Ring, in which Austin faced the former tag team champions. Although WCW's Booker T interfered, Austin scored the victory and retained his championship. The feud ended at that point, as Benoit had neck surgery after the match, sidelining him for the following year. In July 2001, with Benoit out for surgery, the Austin/Jericho feud was dropped without a mention. With the Rock still away making movies, the WWF desperately rushed out the plans for The Invasion. As The Invasion storyline began and progressed, McMahon was watching helplessly as his empire crumbled around him due to The Alliance luring more and more talent away from the WWF, and his biggest allies, Austin and Angle, were too busy sucking up to him and bickering amongst themselves to successfully counter the Alliance. Austin made it known that he was against teaming with Angle, whom Austin saw as both a threat to his WWF Championship, as well as an annoying tag-along. A frustrated McMahon appealed to Austin to return to his old Texas Rattlesnake persona, even imploring him to give him a Stone Cold Stunner. Though intending to fire up Austin, it backfired and only seemed to hurt the feelings of Austin, as he promptly left the arena, dejected. But the week before InVasion, the old Stone Cold Steve Austin "returned," delivering Stunners to the Alliance members. This was all part of the setup for a swerve at the event, where Austin betrayed the WWF team and partner Angle to help the Alliance win, as Austin assumed leadership of the group.[9] The reason why Austin did this was that he felt McMahon was grooming Angle to take over his spot, and that he himself was "unappreciated" when McMahon insisted he return to the old Austin. This turned him heel once more. Austin lost and regained the WWF Championship in a feud with Angle, who was put over by Austin as a threat. Austin lost the title to Angle at Unforgiven before regaining it on the October 8, 2001 episode of Raw.[9] In a swerve, Angle joined the Alliance just before Survivor Series.[9] As the Invasion angle dragged on, it was ultimately decided to bring the plot line to an end with Austin and a group of ECW and WCW wrestlers facing The Rock and a group of WWF wrestlers at the Survivor Series. Austin and his team lost after Angle betrayed him, thus ending the Invasion angle. The next night on Raw, as McMahon was about to award Angle with the WWF Championship for actions at Survivor Series, Ric Flair came out and announced that he owned half of the WWF. Austin came out and attacked Angle and McMahon, taking back the WWF Championship. Austin then had a beer bash with Flair, turning Austin face once again. Austin would hold the WWF Championship for another month before losing it to Chris Jericho at Vengeance 2001 due to interference from Booker T. Jericho defeated both The Rock and Austin consecutively that night, winning the WCW World Title and later the WWF Title and combining them to create the unprecedentedWWF Undisputed Championship. After that, Austin continued another feud with Booker T. In one angle, Austin defeated Booker T in an unofficial grocery store fight. [edit] Issues with Bookings and Creative Teams (2002)Beginning 2002, although Austin's character remained with the WWF's most popular wrestlers as top face, his upcoming story lines in the build-up to WrestleMania were somewhat questionable compared to those of his previous years. In the 2002 Royal Rumble, Triple H made his long-awaited return from injury, with he and Austin two of the last four participants in the ring along with Kurt Angle and Mr Perfect. Austin was eliminated by Kurt Angle, however he shortly went back in the ring and hit all three with a steel chair. A few days later on Raw he defeated Kurt Angle to earn a shot at Chris Jericho's WWF Undisputed Championship at No Way Out 2002. In the build-up to No Way Out, McMahon had re-signed the New World Order, who started a feud with him after (kayfabe) Austin refused a beer gift. Problems in the backstage creativity were however then seemingly beginning to surface. Austin was reported as being unhappy regarding Hulk Hogan's return to the WWF, and was reported as refusing to lose to Hogan in a proposed match at WrestleMania X8, while Hogan reportedly told McMahon the same regarding losing to Austin. Consequently, the match was re-billed as The Rock defeating Hogan, whilst Austin defeated Scott Hall, climaxing his feud with the nWo. In a surprise altercation the next night on Raw, Austin refused to show up and took a week-long break without the company's consent, claiming exhaustion. McMahon claimed his actions caused fury among fans who had paid to see him that night. Austin returned on the April 1, 2002 episode of Raw, the first of the new "brand extension" era. The show was centered on which show he would sign with, and he ultimately chose Raw. Austin entered a feud with The Undertaker that resulted in a number-one contender's match for the WWE Undisputed Championship at Backlash 2002, which Austin lost despite having his foot on the rope when he was pinned. He would later be betrayed by Big Show, who went on to rejoin the nWo, and Ric Flair. Austin then defeated Big Show and Flair in a handicap match at Judgment Day. [edit] Departure from WWEIn an interview on WWE television by telephone in May 2002, Austin stunned the company and fans by launching a verbal attack on the direction the company was heading in and slated the creative team for not using him the way he felt they previously did. The commentators struggled to keep Austin's opinions on a neutral wavelength, leading to the WWE apologising to fans for the outburst and stated it was not part of Austin's current or upcoming storylines. McMahon responded a week later on the same show playing down the outburst, claiming that Austin was merely the type of wrestler who was occasionally difficult to work with. The WWE rehired Eddie Guerrero for Austin to feud with, while also prepping Austin for a feud with Brock Lesnar. Austin, however, vetoed any matches that would result in him losing to Lesnar and ultimately walked out of the company.[37] Austin later explained that he thought hot-shotting a rookie made Austin look weak and did not give Lesnar a proper stage for such a big win over a star of the magnitude that Austin held. Further fanning the flames amongst Austin's growing number of detractors was a well-publicized domestic dispute incident between Austin and his wife Debra.[37] On June 3, following the dispute with Debra, Austin made his last appearance for WWE on Raw. After Austin no-showed the episode of Raw the following week, his storylines were dropped.[37] Austin walked out again publicly stating he felt bad storylines were presented to him by the creative team. This time his departure was for good.[37] McMahon, along with longtime Austin supporter and real-life friend Jim Ross, buried Austin on WWE programming, referring to him as "taking his ball and going home" because he wasn't getting his way, whilst also explaining to the fans that neither he nor Ross were able to persuade Austin to change his mind. McMahon insisted that Austin owed an apology to all the fans across the world, especially those who paid solely to see him that night. McMahon toasted to Austin's career with a beer thanking him for all his hard work nonetheless. The Rock also made an appearance on Raw despite being drafted to Smackdown!, and announced his frustrations towards Austin. Austin's merchandise continued to sell greatly in the weeks following his departure, however with no sign of a return likely to be seen, the company stopped marketing his character, his merchandise, and removed his profile from WWE.com. This period was documented in an episode of WWE Confidential. Return to WWE and retirement (2003–2004) Austin faces off against The Rock at WrestleMania XIX in Austin's last match.For the remainder of 2002, Austin kept a low profile and did not make any public appearances in or out of wrestling. It was reported however by the end of the year, Austin and McMahon met and resolved their differences. He then agreed to return to the company in early 2003. In an interview with WWE Raw Magazine, he announced deep regret over the situation that led to his departure and the way in which he'd left, and deeper regret over inaccurate speculation regarding his alleged grudges held against other WWE wrestlers, claiming he had no problem with Scott Hall rejoining the company, although he admitted he still held strong reservations about his singles match with Hall at WrestleMania only lasting 7 minutes and felt build-up to the match did not live up to his or Hall's fans expectations, and was angered by speculation suggesting he disagreed with Kevin Nash re-joining the company, insisting he and Nash have always been good friends. He confessed he had a major rift with Paul Levesque's (Triple H's) role in the company upon his return in 2002, but insisted as of 2003 they resolved their issues. In addition, he claimed a brief dispute with Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) was resolved quickly upon his return, and that none of his disputes with the talent roster continued or played the major part in his departure. In February, Austin returned at No Way Out in a short match against Eric Bischoff. Austin would wrestle only one match between then and WrestleMania in another short match against Bischoff on Raw but was then defeated by The Rock at WrestleMania XIX, who returned about the same time as a smug, "sell out" villain, which, ultimately, became Austin's last official match in WWE. It was also revealed later in the documentary "The Mania Of Wrestlemania" (Based around the Wrestlemania 19 event) that the letters O.M.R were put on his jacket for his match against The Rock symbolically meaning "One More Round" The night after on Raw, Bischoff (kayfabe) "fired" Austin on medical grounds. The next morning, Austin gave an interview on wwe.com announcing his retirement from wrestling, although he stated that he and Vince McMahon had reached an agreement seeing him only appear in non-wrestling roles on a weekly basis. In reference to Bischoff firing him on Raw that week, he said that although firing was for storyline purposes, he admitted the medical problems read out on Raw were real and mainly related back to his injury sustained at SummerSlam 1997 in a match with Owen Hart, and had begun to seriously plague him since late 2001. He confessed wrestling against the advice of his doctors up to his departure in 2002, which forced him to quit wrestling, and cited this as the sole reason as to why he suddenly departed, with doctors advising an awkward or violent move performed on him could have resulted in Austin being permanently disabled or resulting in death. The following week, Austin began his non-wrestling career with the WWE and began a fresh storyline when he was brought back by Linda McMahon as the Co-General Manager of Raw. He continued this storyline for the remainder of the year, still showing wrestling moves including the Stone Cold Stunner and several exchanges of punches and kicks, although limiting regularity of these being performed. On the November 17, 2003 edition of Raw, Austin was "fired" from Raw as the result of a stipulation in a match at Survivor Series where Austin's hand-picked team of wrestlers failed to beat Bischoff's team of wrestlers. Austin quickly returned to WWE television before the end of 2003 when he was part of the WWE Tribute to the Troops taped live in front of U.S. troops in Iraq, posing and stunning Mr. McMahon. He finally came back on Raw on December 29 as its "Sheriff", giving a Stone Cold Stunner to Eric Bischoff and rehiring Shawn Michaels, who had just been "fired" by Bischoff. Austin appeared on and off as 2004 began, culminating in him being the special guest referee for the notorious match between Brock Lesnar and Goldberg at WrestleMania XX in which fans cheered for Austin and jeered both Lesnar and Goldberg due to both men announcing their departures from the company following the event. Then, on April 17, WWE put out a press release on their website claiming that Steve Austin and WWE were unable to settle long-running contract disputes and had again parted ways. [edit] Hall of Famer (2005-present)Austin made his first appearance on WWE programming in a year at WrestleMania 21 where he was confronted by "Rowdy" Roddy Piper in Piper's Pit until Carlito interrupted to insult both. This resulted in Carlito receiving a Stone Cold Stunner from Austin and Piper throwing him out of the ring. The segment ended with Austin and Piper celebrating with beer until Austin gave Piper a Stone Cold Stunner as well. He then appeared on the following nights Raw. At ECW One Night Stand Austin came to the ring following the show's main event. Wearing a Las Vegas Outlaws (of the failed XFL) jersey, Austin came to the ring to give The Sandman a beer which he had asked for. However, Austin invited the whole locker room to the ring for a Beer Bash. However, before the bash he demanded the WWE Crusaders come to the ring for a fight. Tazz came to the ring, which started the brawl. After Taz applied the Tazzmission to Kurt Angle the brawl ended. ECW stood alone in the ring after throwing all of the Crusaders out of the ring. Mick Foley (as Cactus Jack) then dragged Eric Bischoff to the ring. The Dudley Boyz gave him a Dudley Death Drop, followed by Chris Benoit giving him a Diving Headbutt, Rey Mysterio followed that with a 619. When Austin then asked Bischoff about his feelings on the night, he responded with "Fuck ECW", which prompted Austin to give Bischoff a stunner. As the Dudley Boyz took Bischoff outside, and loaded him onto a WWE production truck, the remaining ECW Originals took part in a "beer bash" as the show went off the air. He was on Raw the following night. Then, at WWE Homecoming, Austin again returned to Raw, delivering Stunners to all four members of the McMahon family.[38] An angle including Jim Ross being fired led to a match in which Austin agreed to face Ross's replacement, Jonathan Coachman, at Taboo Tuesday, with the stipulation of Ross regaining his announcing job if Austin were to win and Austin losing his own job if he lost the match. Austin hurt his back prior to the match, and could not wrestle unless he was heavily medicated, so the match was cancelled. To explain away his failure to appear at Taboo Tuesday, Vince McMahon said on Raw that Austin had been involved in an accident, thus preventing him from competing. Batista substituted for Austin defeating The Coach along with Vader and Goldust. The stipulation was dropped due to Austin not competing.[39] Austin returned to WWE briefly to face John "Bradshaw" Layfield in a beer drinking contest at the March 5, 2006 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event. Austin won by disqualification as he saw JBL cheating by pouring the beer down his clothes. Austin gave a stunner to JBL and then celebrated with the Stone Cold beer salute. Austin then inducted Bret Hart into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 1, 2006.[40] Austin returned to WWE programming (appearing on Raw, ECW, and SmackDown!) in March 2007, partially to promote his starring role in the release of WWE Films' production, The Condemned. On March 31, 2007, Austin inducted his friend Jim Ross into the WWE Hall of Fame. At WrestleMania 23, Austin, as a special guest referee, officiated the match between Bobby Lashley and Umaga. The stipulation for the match was that if Lashley lost, Donald Trump's head would be shaved, and if Umaga lost, Mr. McMahon's head would suffer the same fate. In the course of the event, Austin delivered stunners to Umaga, Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon, and Donald Trump. Lashley eventually won the match, and Trump, Austin and Lashley then shaved Mr.McMahon's head on live TV. Stone Cold ended by stunning McMahon as well as Donald Trump and toasting beers.[41] He then appeared in a video on the June 11 edition of Raw as part of "Mr. McMahon's Appreciation Night", where he shared his thoughts on his past feuds with McMahon. Austin appeared on the August 18, 2007 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event, as a possible illegitimate child of Mr. McMahon and stunned McMahon and Jonathan Coachman. Austin appeared at SummerSlam where he was the replacement for Matt Hardy to battle Montel Vontavious Porter in a Beer Drinking Contest. The match ended in a no contest after Austin handed a beer to MVP and gave him the Stone Cold Stunner.[43] Austin made another appearance at Cyber Sunday, where he guest refereed a World Heavyweight Championship match between the champion Batista, and the challenger The Undertaker. Batista walked out the champion after delivering a Batista Bomb to The Undertaker.On the November 5, 2007 edition of Raw, Austin made an appearance to confront Santino Marella for criticizing The Condemned.[44] The argument ended as Marella received a Stone Cold Stunner from Austin, who then walked backstage only to return with a Budweiser beer truck to hose down Marella and his valet Maria with beer.[44] On December 10, 2007 during the Raw 15th Anniversary Spectacular, Austin returned after Vince McMahon received the mandible claw from Mankind and a chokeslam from The Undertaker for proclaiming himself "the greatest Raw superstar of all time." Shortly after, McMahon received a Stone Cold Stunner(which as of 2011, would be the last one McMahon would take, because in July 2011, McMahon was told by his doctors not to take anymore "bumps"[45]) as Austin called out all WWE stars in attendance to the ring to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Raw. The show closed as Austin, Triple H and Hornswoggle poured beer on McMahon, who was knocked out outside the ring. On October 26, 2008, at Cyber Sunday, Austin was the special guest referee during a match between Batista and Chris Jericho for the World Heavyweight Championship. In between the match Stone Cold told a fleeing Jericho that if he was counted out or disqualified, Batista would win the title. During the course of the match, Batista accidentally knocked Austin down. When Austin recovered, Randy Orton, who had come out as the third referee, knocked Austin back down, only to receive a Stone Cold Stunner when Austin recovered. Eventually Batista won the match by hitting his signature Batista Bomb on Chris Jericho, leading Austin to give the three count, making Batista the new World Heavyweight Champion.[46] On January 12, 2009, edition of Raw, Austin was announced to be the first member of the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2009.[47] He was inducted by his long-term on-screen rival Vince McMahon, who referred to Austin as "The Greatest WWE Superstar of all time." During the induction, there were "one more match" chants, to which Austin said he was officially closing the door on his wrestling career and starting a new chapter in his life. At WrestleMania XXV, Austin was introduced alongside the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2009. After the introductions, Austin's theme music hit, and he re-entered the ringside area wearing a vintage "Austin 3:16" shirt driving an ATV. He then enjoyed his trademark beer bash with the fans. Austin returned to the company on the March 15, 2010 episode of Raw as its guest host. On that episode of Raw he moderated a contract signing between Vince McMahon and Bret Hart for their match at WrestleMania XXVI. In the same episode Austin met up backstage with his longtime rival Shawn Michaels, who asked Austin whether he believed that Michaels could end the Undertaker's undefeated WrestleMania streak in their upcoming match. Austin replied "Hell yeah I think you can beat the Undertaker, but I don't think you're going to, The streak is going to go 18-0". Michaels lost the match extending the Undertaker's streak to 18-0 and forcing Michaels to retire. On the 900th episode of "Raw"; which took place on August 30, 2010; the intro and theme for Stone Cold Steve Austin were shown. However, this was only a trick by fellow wrestler CM Punk who was attempting to prove a point about what the Straight Edge Society believed was a disturbing history of the WWE. Steve Austin did not actually make an appearance on this night. Austin in WrestleMania XXVII, performing his entrance with his signature ATV.In early 2011, Austin was announced as the head trainer and host for the revival of WWE Tough Enough. On the March 7 edition of Raw, Austin interrupted the contract signing of the special guest referee to the Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler match at WrestleMania XXVII, originally scheduled to be John "Bradshaw" Layfield. After stunning Layfield, Austin signed the contract instead and became the official guest referee for the scheduled match.[48] Although Lawler won by submission, the anonymous Raw General Manager reversed the decision and disqualified Lawler, claiming that Austin had "overstepped his authority". He appeared on Raw the following night with the cast from Tough Enough, while also getting into an altercation with The Miz and Alex Riley On April 7, 2011, Austin gave an Interview where he talked about his return, filming Tough Enough and the respect he has for CM Punk. Austin was asked about a return to the ring and said that he felt that if he had to, he had two more years in him and could still do a full-time schedule. However, he then stated that he was happy with where he was at in life and wanted to be able to hunt and fish 10–20 years from now and be able to do it pain free. On the June 6th edition of Raw, Austin appeared live alongside old rival Vince McMahon to declare Andy Leavine as the winner of Tough Enough. He also served as the Special Guest Referee in the evening's tag team main event, John Cena and Alex Riley vs. The Miz and R-Truth. The end of the match came as a result of Austin hitting the infamous Stone Cold Stunner on The Miz, which was followed by an Attitude Adjustment from Cena and then the pinfall victory. However, the Anonymous Raw General Manager chimed in and the GM's ringside mouthpiece Michael Cole announced that since Austin had abused his authority as referee, The Miz and R-Truth win via disqualification. Austin did not take kindly to the GM overturning his decision and Cole also received a Stunner, which was followed with another Attitude Adjustment courtesy of Cena. Austin and Cena closed the show, celebrating with a beer bash. Austin was the special guest GM on the 3-hour All-Star edition of Monday Night Raw, eminating live from the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum (or simply Nassau Coliseum) in Long Island, New York, where all Superstars and Divas have performed. Also in his special guest GM time, He destroyed the GM Laptop by running over it with his ATV. This is the second time the GM Laptop was destroyed since Edge destroyed it on September 27, 2010. He also announced that the next week of Raw (June 20, 2011, also the Raw after Capitol Punishment); eminating live from the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Maryland; will be another 3-hour show where the WWE Universe takes the authority to choose the opponent or stipulation of a match. He then announced that the show is named "Power to the People". [edit] Television and film careerSteve Austin filmed guest roles on Celebrity Deathmatch and Nash Bridges, where he played Detective Jake Cage. His motion picture debut was in a supporting role as Guard Dunham in the 2005 remake of The Longest Yard. Austin had his first starring film role, as Jack Conrad, a dangerous convict awaiting execution in a Salvadoran prison, who takes part in a illegal deathmatch game that is being broadcast to the public in the 2007 thriller The Condemned. In 2010, Austin appeared in the film The Expendables as Dan Paine, the bodyguard and right hand man for the primary antagonist of the film. This role featured Austin working alongside other action stars such as Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Terry Crews, and Randy Couture. It has been suggested by Bruce Willis that he will return for a sequel of The Expendables.

here he is without the roids pumping him up

nice variety of her during different stages of her career. She really is still beautiful.

ON Smoke on the Water-Deep Purple