Major WWE star details Stone Cold Steve Austin's profound impact on his wrestling career
Stone Cold Steve Austin was WWE's face and the man who led the promotion's Attitude Era. Recently, Kevin Owens spoke about The Texas Rattlesnake and his profound impact on his career in the Stamford-based promotion.
Over a decade ago, Kevin Owens had an illustrious career as an independent performer before he signed with the Stamford-based company and appeared on the then-Black and Gold brand. The Prizefighter is arguably one of the most decorated current stars in WWE and won multiple titles throughout his tenure.
However, one of the most special moments of his career came when Stone Cold Steve Austin vouched for him. In a video titled WWE Retrospective, the 40-year-old star recited an incident where he met Steve Austin for the first time. He later explained how The Texas Rattlesnake vouched for him on his podcast, which led to a tryout with WWE.
"I was the biggest Stone Cold Steve Austin fan in the world. I will fight anyone who wants to try to challenge me for that title. When he came back in 2003 in Montreal, at the Bell Centre, I almost passed out from screaming my head off. And then I met him in 2005 and got advice from him that shaped my career. Then I got to be on his podcast in 2012 or 2013, which helped me get more eyes on me. Then I got to ask him if I could use his finisher, got his approval to do it, and wrestled him at WrestleMania. That story is insane, and I can't believe it happened to me," Owens said. (From 28:25 to 29:02)
Kevin Owens did face Stone Cold Steve Austin in WWE
In 2022, Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins were teaming up sporadically on Monday Night RAW. However, the two stars had no opponents for each other heading into WrestleMania 38.
While Vince McMahon had a mystery opponent in mind for The Visionary, The Prizefighter called out Stone Cold Steve Austin. After weeks of insults and jabs at The Texas Rattlesnake, the six-time World Champion appeared at WrestleMania 38.
The two stars had a No Holds Barred match, which The Texas Rattlesnake won. On the second night, Steve Austin made another appearance and hit Vince McMahon, Austin Theory, and Pat McAfee a stunner.
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