"It was special" - Stone Cold Steve Austin on what it was like having his own custom belt
Stone Cold Steve Austin recently opened up about how special it was that he was given his own custom WWE Championship belt. Steve Austin had his own custom belt from 1998-1999, during his legendary run as champion.
Stone Cold Steve Austin is one of the most legendary figures in WWE history. He is a six-time WWE Champion, and a three-time Royal Rumble winner. He was inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame back in 2009, six years after he officially retired. He now has his own talk show called The Broken Skull Sessions, which is available on the WWE Network, among other ventures.
Speaking to Sam Roberts on the NotSam Wrestling podcast, Stone Cold Steve Austin shared his thoughts on what it was like having his own custom WWE Championship belt. Steve Austin received the "Smoking Skull" belt back when he was WWE Champion in 1998. He recalled how special it was, and how it did not bother anyone else in the locker oom.
"It was special for Stone Cold. When you get that belt a year in the business, it's not about you being bigger than the business, cause it's not. but it's pretty special and pretty unique, and it was accepted. The rest of the guys in the locker room, you care what they think, 'this guy has really turned into an a--hole, he's got his own belt.' You don't want that. I don't think anybody thought that."
While it was a unique belt and special to Stone Cold Steve Austin, it was unfortunately lost in 1999. The Rock threw the Smoking Skull belt into a river.
Stone Cold Steve Austin is one of only two superstars to have a custom belt
What made the custom belt special was not just its design, which as its name suggested featured a skull on the main plate, with smoke coming out of its eyes. What also made it special was that it made Stone Cold Steve Austin just one of two men to have fully customized WWE Championship belts during their title reigns.
The only other Superstar to have one was John Cena. It was rumored that The Rock was also going to have one as well, but it was decided that only Steve Austin should be the one with a custom title at the time. Perhaps that is the reason The Rock threw the Smoking Skull title in a river.
Having a custom title in your honor is definitely something special. Do you think either Drew McIntyre or Roman Reigns deserve to have their belts customized? Let us know down below.