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Stone Cold Steve Austin is often considered the biggest reason behind the ultimate success of WWE during the famous Monday Night Wars and their head to head clash with WCW. WWE was going through its most difficult time period during the mid 90s, and its rival promotion WCW, was claiming the crown each and every week.
WCW also had the biggest names in the wrestling world of the time like Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan. WWE, on the other hand, only had a younger name and they needed a magic in order to beat WCW. And that magic was Stone Cold Steve Austin, whose rivalries with Vince McMahon and The Rock earned WWE the ultimate success, and they also managed to become the biggest promotion in the wrestling world.
Stone Cold Steve Austin talks about his struggles after retirement
But it was quite unfortunate that Austin could not continue wrestling after his match at WrestleMania XIX since an old neck injury returned, and ultimately, it ended up destroying his professional wrestling career. It was a huge loss for WWE, but the promotion kept on using Austin in various non wrestling roles.
Steve Austin retired from in ring action after his match with The Rock at WrestleMania XIX
Austin was only 38 when he was forced to retire from in ring action. He surely had a lot of things in him that he could never deliver. Recently, he talked about his life after retirement, and he even discussed why it was really difficult for him. Speaking with Dale Earnhardt Jr. on DJD Classics, he said the following;
He made a one match return to action in 2022
“Hell, I retired when I was 38. [It’s not] just about the money; it’s about the good times, being with the boys, traveling down the road, being in front of a crowd, and getting that adrenaline rush. That’s what I lived and breathed, and so, I didn’t handle it well. For about three years, I drank, I hunted, and I fished, and [I] just did a lot of stupid stuff, and one morning, I woke up, and I went in the bathroom, [and said], ‘Dude, the things you’re doing are not conducive to living a long life.’”
Stone Cold Steve Austin remained out of action for 19 years before finally making a sensational in ring return at WrestleMania 38, where he had a No Holds Barred match with Kevin Owens. It remained his final matc,h and now it looks like he does not want to return to in ring action anymore. Austin will always be remembered as one of the biggest faces in the history of professional wrestling.
