Before he became Stone Cold Steve Austin, he was known as "The Ringmaster." There was something that changed in Austin's demeanor when he was Stone Cold Steve Austin, and it was clear that he was going to become the franchise player in WWE. Stone Cold is an exceptional brawler, and his in-ring skills improved immensely and he was unmatched on the mic.

RELATED: Steve Austin's Last 10 Rivalries, Ranked From Worst To Best

Moreover, Stone Cold's debut year in 1996 was exceptional which saw him win the King of the Ring tournament. The following year, he won the Royal Rumble match and a couple of Intercontinental Title runs followed. Whilst, some of his first few rivalries were amongst the best in his career, some completely missed the mark.

10 The Undertaker

Stone Cold v Undertaker IYH 15

The Undertaker is one of Stone Cold Steve Austin's greatest rivals,and their first major feud in 1997 was brief. Austin became the number one contender for Undertaker's WWE Championship at In Your House 15: A Cold Day in Hell.

This was a golden opportunity for Stone Cold to become the WWE Champion for the first time but he lost the match. The Hart Foundation were at ringside but Stone Cold gave a good account of himself and proved that he belonged in the upper echelons of the card.

9 Marc Mero

Stone Cold v Marc Mero King of the Ring 1996

Stone Cold and Marc Mero had a physical encounter at King of the Ring 1996 which saw Austin bleed profusely from the mouth. Austin defeated Mero en route to winning the King of the Ring tournament with ease. Inevitably, their feud continued with Austin looking to build on his momentum.

They had a rematch at In Your House 9: Internation Incident and they failed to back up their King of the Ring outing a month prior. Nonetheless, Austin banked another important victory and continued his upward trajectory in WWE.

8 Brian Pillman

Stone Cold v Brian Pillman

Stone Cold and Brian Pillman had a lot of history together as The Hollywood Blonds in WCW in 1992 and 1993. However, they reconciled briefly in 1996 but Austin turned his back on Pillman. Austin was not pleased with The Loose Cannon backing Bret Hart and he took exception to this by breaking Pillman's ankle.

Nonetheless, things got taken to the next level in their rivalry with Pillman pointing a gun at Austin with Austin breaking into Pillman's house. They certainly pushed the envelope with the Attitude Era in full swing. Sadly, their rivalry ended prematurely as Pillman's life was tragically cut short at 35.

7 Savio Vega

Stone Cold v Vega

Stone Cold credits his rivalry with Savio Vega for helping him settle down in WWE. Their feud in 1996 is underrated and they had some matches together that were exceptional. Nevertheless, Austin defeated Vega in his WrestleMania debut outing at WrestleMania XII.

RELATED: 5 Wrestlers Stone Cold Made Look Legit (& 5 He Made Look Like A Joke)

This feud didn't just benefit Austin, it also gave Vega time to have a meaningful program. Austin still had Ted DiBiase as his manager during this time frame but The Million Dollar Man was poised to join WCW. To write DiBiase out of storylines, Austin lost a Caribbean Strap match to Vega at In Your House 8: Beware of Dog.

6 Dude Love

Stone Cold v Dude Love Over The Edge 1998

After Stone Cold captured the WWE Championship from Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XIV, he needed a new rival to feud with. Enter Dude Love, who ditched his Cactus Jack character and he turned heel in the process.

Dude Love was handpicked by Mr. McMahon to unseat the rebellious Austin as the WWE Champion. Austin and Dude Love briefly had a stint as Tag Team Champions together in 1997. Nevertheless, fans were in store for two magnificent WWE Title matches between the pair at Unforgiven: In Your House and Over The Edge: In Your House. They split victories with Dude Love prevailing by DQ, and Austin winning outright at the latter event.

5 Shawn Michaels

Stone Cold v Shawn Michaels King of the Ring 1997

At the close of play at Royal Rumble 1997, the main event of WrestleMania 13 should have been Stone Cold and Shawn Michaels for the WWE Championship. Austin won the '97 Royal Rumble match, and HBK regained the WWE Title from Sycho Sid. However, Michaels lost his smile and vacated the WWE Championship which halted that match from happening.

Nonetheless, when HBK returned, he teamed up with Austin and they defeated Owen Hart and The British Bulldog to win the Tag Team Championship. They couldn't co-exist for long, and they clashed at King of the Ring 1997. There was no definitive winner but they had a remarkable match that easily could have headlined the show. Austin and Michaels finally clashed for the WWE Title at WrestleMania XIV with Austin dethroning Michaels for his maiden WWE Championship reign. It's a pity they didn't feud for longer due to Michaels' injury but it was a good rivalry.

4 Owen Hart

Stone Cold v Owen Hart

Stone Cold's war with the Hart Foundation saw Austin chase Owen Hart's Intercontinental Championship. The King of Harts earned a monumental win for his team at In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede when he pinned Austin. Nonetheless, Austin got his revenge at SummerSlam 1997, when he ended Hart's Intercontinental Title reign.

RELATED: Owen Hart's Last 10 WWE PPV Matches, Ranked From Worst To Best

Sadly it came at a huge cost as Hart botched a Tombstone Piledriver which instantly broke Austin's neck. Austin didn't perform in the ring for three months but he was still involved in storylines and aided Hart in some matches as he wanted to take him out himself. Austin recovered and recaptured the Intercontinental Championship from Hart at Survivor Series. Austin didn't trust Hart in the ring after the incident at SummerSlam which hampered their matches.

3 The Rock

Stone Cold v The Rock DX

Before Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock had their three WrestleMania encounters, they feuded over the Intercontinental Championship. Rock was the leader of The Nation and Austin was hellbent on retrieving the title belt that Rock had stolen. Their match at D-Generation X: In Your House was abrupt with Austin retaining the gold.

The early stages of their rivalry were a precursor of things to come in 1998-2003 in their iconic rivalry. However, Austin forfeited the Intercontinental Championship and he infamously dashed the title into the Piscataqua River. Austin also outlasted Rock in the 1998 Royal Rumble match to punch his ticket to a WWE Title match at WrestleMania XIV.

2 Mr. McMahon

Stone Cold v Vince McMahon

Stone Cold's rivalry with Mr. McMahon was pivotal as it turned the tide in WWE's favor to defeat WCW in the Monday Night Wars. Austin gave McMahon a Stunner for the first time on an episode of Raw in September 1997. A couple of months later, the Mr. McMahon character was born after the fallout of the Montreal Screwjob.

Austin was over, and fans salivated every time that Austin would scupper McMahon's plans. The chairman of the board often gets the last laugh, and he did in 1999 when he eliminated Austin to win the Royal Rumble match.

1 Bret Hart

Stone Cold v Bret Hart WrestleMania 13

The rivalry that truly put Stone Cold on the map was his feud with Bret Hart in late 1996-1997. The Excellence of Execution took a well-earned sabbatical after he dropped the WWE Championship to Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XII. However, Austin was fearless, and he goaded Hart into returning to WWE.

Their trilogy is one of the greatest in WWE history, and this was before Austin suffered his tragic neck injury at SummerSlam. Hart returned to winning ways at Survivor Series, and they executed a double turn at WrestleMania 13 with Stone Cold turning face, and Hart becoming a villain. Austin and Hart's encounters were captivating to watch, and it showed that Austin had a lot in his repertoire.

NEXT: Every Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart Match, Ranked