Watch: When Stone Cold Steve Austin came to the aid of a future WWE Superstar
December 22, 1997. Stone Cold Steve Austin delivered a thunderous Stunner to Santa Claus himself after the latter kicked a future WWE Superstar out of the ring.
By late 1997, Austin had become one of the biggest superstars in WWE. Earlier that year, he wrestled Bret "The Hitman" Hart at WrestleMania 13, in one of the greatest matches in the company's history.
On this day in 1997, @steveaustinBSR gave us a #SantaStunner. 🎅 https://t.co/IvuDXWGAMw
Stone Cold Steve Austin avenges a 12-year old kid and hits a Stunner on Santa Claus
During the December 22, 1997 episode of RAW, WWE treated the live audience with an exclusive clip from the previous week. After the December 15 episode of RAW ended, Santa Claus asked the popular female star, Sable, whether she had been naughty or nice.
Instead of Sable, a young fan came out and said something to Santa. To the latter's utter disappointment, the kid stated that he wasn't the real one.
In response, Santa Claus kicked the kid out of the ring to a loud chorus of boos. For those unaware, the kid that Santa kicked out happened to be one of The Usos!
Suddenly, Stone Cold Steve Austin's music hit, and he told Santa to shut up. 'The Rattlesnake' then said that he shouldn't have kicked an innocent kid outside of the ring.
In a hilarious twist, Austin reiterated that the man sitting before him wasn't the real Santa. Austin then asked the imposter what he wanted for Christmas as a six-year-old kid.
Here's Santa's response:
“I think it was a Barbie doll and Tiddlywinks!”
An annoyed Stone Cold Steve Austin had had enough of Santa Claus at that point. He approached the kid and asked if the guy in the ring was real or not, to which the kid answered with a resounding no.
Austin then told Santa that he had "a little Christmas present" for him and hit him with a devastating Stunner, to a big pop from the audience.
Little did Steve Austin know that the kid he helped that night would go on to become one of the biggest tag team stars in the history of WWE. Earlier this year, WWE ranked The Usos #7 in its "The 50 Greatest Tag Teams" list.