Steve Austin remains at the top of the mountain when looking at the historically great all-time WWE superstars. The emergence of Austin during the Attitude Era put WWE over the top in passing WCW to win and dominate the Monday Night Wars. Other major superstars like The Rock, Triple H and Mick Foley thrived at the time, but Austin was clearly the most valuable WWE name.
The history of Austin’s career along with his relatively early retirement led to many myths forming about him. We will look at the ones that have little to no truth behind them. Fans passed around these rumors and legends until they became part of Austin’s legacy. Find out just which ones were false despite being discussed quite often. These are ten Steve Austin myths that are just not true.
10 Was Instantly a Top Star after the Austin 3:16 Promo
Steve Austin’s infamous King of the Ring 1996 promo with the Austin 3:16 line is when most believe he became a major star. The win of the tournament and the memorable promo did make it the biggest night of his career, but he wasn’t a top star just yet.
Austin’s next few programs would see him in lower mid-card storylines against Marc Mero and Yokozuna. WWE didn’t start pushing towards that next level until Bret Hart returned. The first major match for Austin in the main event tier came against Bret at Survivor Series 1996, which took place five months after the Austin 3:16 promo.
9 Didn't Want to Put Over Brock Lesnar
Steve Austin’s departure from WWE in 2002 came with the story that he refused to put over Brock Lesnar during an episode of Raw. The reason for Austin’s anger wasn’t necessarily losing to the next major star like Brock.
Austin was upset that WWE wanted to have him lose an attraction match on free television with zero build. This was a fair point from Austin as he was coming off a run as the face of the company. Austin has stated he would have put over Brock if they had a real angle and build for a match.
8 Had Career-Ending Injury
The belief of many wrestling fans is that Steve Austin’s neck injury completely prevented him from ever wrestling again after WrestleMania 19. Austin was dealing with pain and was advised to lower the contact risks in matches, but that was still his own decision.
The advice was given before WrestleMania 19 as Austin decided to still work that match to have one more performance on the big stage. Austin even reportedly considered coming out of retirement for a match with CM Punk after they teased tension during an interview, but the timing never worked out.
7 Was Easy to Work with During his Peak
Steve Austin had a better reputation than prior top faces of the company for WWE like Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels. Despite not having as many problems as his prior peers, Austin still wasn’t the easiest person to deal with. Rumors of him being an easy-going top guy would be proven incorrect.
Austin was quite vocal about his direction and shut down ideas. Matches with Jeff Jarrett, Marc Mero and Chyna were all shut down by Austin for personal reasons. Even the dream match with Hulk Hogan never happened due to Austin having issues with how Hogan carried himself.
6 Doesn't Like Others Using the Stunner
Steve Austin has posted criticisms about wrestlers using the stunner finisher in the past. The main issue Austin took with it was the move being used as a secondary one with opposing wrestlers kicking out. Austin also would add advice in terms of the form used incorrectly by others.
Kevin Owens would prove that Austin wasn’t selfish about the move. The use of the finisher by Owens would see Austin publicly showing support and privately giving KO the okay to add it to his rotation. Time will tell if Owens can get to the top of WWE with the stunner.
5 Didn't get along with Rock and Triple H
The rivalry and real-life competition between Steve Austin, The Rock and Triple H saw three legitimate top-level superstars all striving to become the face of WWE. Austin had the strongest run with Rock right behind him and Triple H a respectable third.
Older rumors would see the belief that all three men had personal issues with each other. Rock and Triple H’s tension appeared to be true before making peace years later. However, Austin has revealed he always loved his two fellow top stars despite competing with them for the top overall spot.
4 Flopped as The Ringmaster
Steve Austin’s WWE start as The Ringmaster led to a disappointing first few months with Ted DiBiase. The run would see a lack of chemistry between Austin and DiBiase split them up. Austin didn’t get the chance to showcase his true potential with a manager.
However, the theory that this run was a huge flop would be inaccurate. Austin was doing fine in the mid-card and even started to break out during a feud with Savio Vega. It just limited his potential as things changed for the better when DiBiase made the jump to WCW.
3 Didn't Accomplish Much in WCW
WCW never used Steve Austin as a top star and would get rightfully criticized for releasing him. However, it wasn’t as if Austin’s time in WCW was worthless. The run saw him often being utilized on television consistently with noteworthy accomplishments.
Austin had two United States Championship reigns, two Television Championship reigns and two Tag Team Championship reigns. The tag title success came teaming with Brian Pillman in the West Hollywood Blondes for a tremendous run together. Austin even had classic matches against Ricky Steamboat to show off his in-ring skills.
2 2001 Heel Turn Didn't Work
The iconic WrestleMania 17 main event between Steve Austin and The Rock ended with Austin turning heel by aligning with Vince McMahon. Austin accomplished more success as a face and has stated he regretted the angle that made him team with McMahon.
The memory of some that the heel turn flopped would be incorrect. Austin was the most hated man on the roster with The Rock becoming even more beloved for it. Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit and Rob Van Dam all became bigger stars as faces due to the feuding with Austin as a heel.
1 Abandoned WWE By Walking Out
One of the biggest misconceptions about Steve Austin is that he was going into business for himself by being selfish when leaving the company in 2002. Fans forget that WWE using Austin horribly even though he was arguably the biggest star in company history.
The mind games from WWE with his booking frustrated Austin before the breaking point. Horrible feuds with Scott Hall, Ric Flair, and Big Show hurt Austin’s momentum. The loss to Brock Lesnar without any build would have ruined what was left of his legendary status. Austin had valid reasons for leaving WWE given how poorly they were booking him.