Stone Cold Steve Austin was the epitome of charisma and epicness back in his prime and no matter what he did, the poster boy of the Attitude Era could do no wrong in the eyes of the fans. Merely years into his now-legendary tenure, Austin was forever immortalized.
The fans hung onto his every word and his popularity grew to eclipse veteran superstars such as Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, and Randy Savage. Early on, Austin alone held the fort and his illustrious run in the company was integral to WWE winning the Monday Night Wars. Steve Austin was the biggest badass in wrestling history and no one has come close ever since and highly likely, no one ever will.
Among his many accolades such as PPV main events and multiple championship victories, Austin holds the rare distinction of having his own personalized championship belt.
The Smoking Skull Belt Added To Austin's Character
The Smoking Skull Championship belt was a modified version of the WWE World Title and the design of said championship was molded to further add to the aura of Steve Austin, with smoking skulls and rattlesnakes carved onto the center plate. The belt was fitting for a rebel who went against the status quo and he brought along a custom championship as a testament to his defiance towards authority.
Austin introduced the Smoking Skull belt on the July 27, 1998 edition of Monday Night RAW. With Undertaker and Vince McMahon in the ring, Austin walked down the ramp whilst holding onto his custom made belt and from that point forward, the belt became synonymous with the character of Steve Austin as he had stomped down on the decades of history associated with the original belt by introducing his own version.
After losing to Kane and Undertaker at In Your House: Breakdown PPV in 1998, the WWE Title was declared vacant until Survivor Series of that same year. The Rock won the finale of the Deadly Games tournament and McMahon handed him the original version of the WWE belt. McMahon had stolen the customized title from Austin in the closing moments of the Breakdown PPV and the boss restored the sanctity of the championship and his company with The Rock as his corporate champion.
Rock and Austin would go on to feud for the world championship, culminating in a classic main event on an otherwise underwhelming WrestleMania. Austin defeated his rival in the main event and on the next episode of RAW, the new champion demanded that McMahon return the Smoking Skull Belt to his possession.
McMahon, currently embroiled in a feud with Undertaker and his Ministry of Darkness, accepted the demand but his son, Shane, intervened. Shane McMahon stole the belt from the possession of his father and handed the same to the Rock.
This led to the iconic segment in Detroit where Austin was sent plummeting into a river, alongside his custom belt, all courtesy of the Rock. Rock and Austin squared off in the ring at the following PPV, Blacklash 1999 and upon defeating his rival once again, Austin finally got his hands on his very own belt and the PPV went off the air with hoisting both championship belts to the delight of the red-hot crowd.
The Smoking Skull belt formed the basis of the conflict at the PPV and Austin very much treated the championship as an extension of himself as it symbolized his contempt of authority. SummerSlam of the same year, where Mankind defeated Austin and Triple H to win the WWE title, was the last time the belt was seen on television.
The Road Warriors Suggested The Idea Of A Separate Belt
Austin expanded on the origins of his iconic belt and stated that he disliked the original design as the belt had bruised his face during one of his segments. The idea of a separate belt came from the Road Warriors, Animal and Hawk. The duo suggested that the new face of the company would look good with a modified design and Austin ran with the idea.
Interestingly, Austin had the belt manufactured without the knowledge of McMahon and the boss was not happy. He demanded that Steve Austin retire the belt but with the crowd adoring the new design, the Smoking Skull Belt returned to television and the company started selling replicas.
Over the years, various superstars have introduced custom designs, with the most notable inclusion being the 'spinner championship' brought forward by John Cena, but not a single one comes close to the belt held by Austin.
The hype and conflict of the Smoking Skull belt will never be replicated as there will never be another Steve Austin. Points for the eco-friendly belt by Daniel Bryan though.