Stone Cold Steve Austin and Geraldo Rivera: Difference between pages

Revision as of 22:31, 12 March 2006

Revision as of 23:20, 17 April 2007

Line 1:

{{redirect5|Heraldo|the official [[student newspaper]] of [[De La Salle University-Dasmariñas]]|Heraldo Filipino}}

{{Infobox Wrestler|

{{Infobox_Celebrity

name="Stone Cold" Steve Austin

| name = Geraldo Rivera

|image=StoneColdSteveAustinPortrait.jpg

| image = GeraldoRiveraEX.jpg‎ ‎

|names="Stunning" Steve Williams<br>"Superstar" Steve Austin<br>The Ringmaster<br>'''"Stone Cold" Steve Austin'''

| imagesize = 200px

|height=6 ft 2 in (188 cm)

| caption =

|weight=252 lb (114 kg)

| birth_date = [[DecemberJuly 184]], [[19641943]] (age 63)

|death_date birth_place =

| death_date =

|birth_place = [[Victoria, Texas]]

| death_place =

|resides=

| occupation = Host of ''[[Geraldo at Large]]'' (Fox News Channel)

|billed=

| salary =

|trainer=[[Christopher Adams|Chris Adams]]

| networth =

|debut=1989

| website = [http://www.geraldo.com Official website]

|retired=

|}}

'''Gerald Michael Rivera''' (born [[July 4]], [[1943]]), known to TV audiences as '''Geraldo Rivera''', or simply '''Geraldo''', is an [[United States|American]] television [[journalism|journalist]] and former [[talk show]] host. He is known to have an affinity for dramatic, high-profile stories, and a style that is often described as [[sensationalism|sensationalistic]]. He is also known for his extreme enthusiasm and excitement.

'''Steven James Anderson-Williams''' (born [[December 18]], [[1964]] in [[Victoria, Texas]]), better known by his [[stage name]] '''"Stone Cold" Steve Austin''', is a [[professional wrestling|professional wrestler]]. His birth name was '''Steve Anderson'''; he took on the surname '''Williams''' when he was adopted by his stepfather, Ken (his biological father had left the family when Steve was a small child).

As Steve Austin, he is best known for establishing the "anti-authority" [[tweener (professional wrestling)|tweener]] and "Boss vs. Employee" [[angle (professional wrestling)|storyline]], which has been used in some variation by numerous wrestlers like [[Dwayne Johnson|The Rock]] and [[John Cena]]. Traditionally, [[face (professional wrestling)|face]]s in wrestling were known as clean cut, respectable role models, and rebellious characters who bent the rules were labeled as heels. Austin effectively changed the dynamic of the [[face (professional wrestling)|face]]/[[heel (professional wrestling)|heel]] structure in wrestling forever, and in the process, became one of the most beloved and influential wrestlers of all time.

Rivera hosts the [[newsmagazine]] program ''[[Geraldo at Large]]'', and appears regularly on [[Fox News Channel]].

==Early life and career==

==Early life==

Williams played [[college football|football]] at North Texas State University (now the [[University of North Texas]]) and, after holding down various odd jobs, began his wrestling career in the late 1980s in [[Texas]]. He took the ring name Steve Austin when he turned professional in 1990 because there was already a prominent, if not massively famous, wrestler with the ring name (and real name) [[Steve Williams (wrestler)|Steve Williams]]. Austin states that he received the blessing of [[actor]] [[Lee Majors]] to use the name "Steve Austin", the name of the character Majors played in the 1970s [[science fiction|sci fi]] [[television program|TV series]] ''[[The Six Million Dollar Man]]''. Austin was trained by [[Christopher Adams|"Gentleman" Chris Adams]] among others.

Rivera was born in [[New York City, New York]] to Cruz Rivera Rivera (later "Allen Cruz Rivera"), a [[Puerto Rican]], and Lilly Friedman, a [[Jewish American]].<ref>http://www.wargs.com/other/rivera.html</ref> He grew up on [[Long Island, New York]]. He is an alumnus of the [[University of Arizona]], where he played [[lacrosse]] at midfield. From September 1961 to May 1963 he attended the [[State University of New York Maritime College]], where he was a member of the rowing team. [http://www.geraldo.com/v5/Biographical/Sailing-Book-continues.gr] [http://www.fsmaa.org/NFFS/1998/nf980924.cfm] He received his [[J.D.]] from [[Brooklyn Law School]] in 1969 and later attended [[Columbia University]]. He was a [[Attorney at law|lawyer]] for a New York Puerto Rican group, the [[Young Lords]], and attracted the attention of a news producer when he was interviewed about the group's occupation of a [[Harlem]] church in 1970.

==Career and controversy==

On an interesting note, in Mick Foley's autobiography, he mentions watching a group of young wrestlers at a gym he was working at. He said that there was only one spark of talent amongst these kids - a young, muscular man with blond hair. This turned out to be Steve Austin.

===Early stages===

Rivera was hired by [[WABC-TV]] in New York City as a reporter for ''[[Eyewitness News]]''. In [[1972]], he garnered national attention and won an [[Emmy Award]] for his report on the neglect and abuse of mentally retarded patients at [[Staten Island]]'s [[Willowbrook State School]] and began to appear on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] national programs such as ''[[20/20]]'' and ''[[Nightline]]''. After [[John Lennon]] watched Rivera's report on the patients at Willowbrook, he and Rivera formed a benefit concert called [[Live in New York City|"One to One"]] (released in 1986 as ''[[Live in New York City]]''.) Ironically, Rivera would be one of the correspondents reporting Lennon's murder on ''[[Nightline]]'' on [[December 8]], [[1980]]. Rivera also appeared in ''[[The US vs. John Lennon]]'', a movie about Lennon and [[Yoko Ono]]'s lives in New York City. It was released in 2007.

==World Championship Wrestling==

Around this time, Rivera also began hosting ABC's answer to [[NBC]]'s ''Midnight Special'', the Saturday night musical program, ''Goodnight America'', which featured rock acts of the day. The show featured the famous refrain from [[Arlo Guthrie]]'s song, "City Of New Orleans," as the theme ("Goodnight America, I love you"). The song served as the later inspiration for the network's hugely successful morning show, ''[[Good Morning America]]''.

[[Image:Austin & Pillman.jpg|left|thumb|170px|"Stunning" Steve Austin and [[Brian Pillman|Flyin' Brian Pillman]], the [[Hollywood Blondes]].]]

In [[October]] [[1985]], ABC's [[Roone Arledge]] refused to air a report done by Sylvia Chase, for ''20/20'' on the relationship between [[Marilyn Monroe]] and [[John F. Kennedy]] and [[Robert Kennedy]]. Rivera publicly criticized Arledge's journalistic integrity, claiming that Arledge's friendship with the [[Kennedy family]] (for example, [[Pierre Salinger]], a former Kennedy aide, worked for ABC News at the time) had caused him to spike the story; as a result, Rivera was fired. Sylvia Chase quit ''20/20'', although she later returned to ABC News many years later. It has never aired.

Rivera's longtime friend{{Fact|date=February 2007}} [[Cheech Marin]] parodied him as '''Horrendo Revolver''' on ''[[Cheech & Chong's Wedding Album]]''.

In early 1991, "Stunning" Steve Austin moved on from the [[United States Wrestling Association|USWA]] to the [[Atlanta, Georgia|Atlanta]]-based [[World Championship Wrestling]]. Initially, Austin was [[manager (professional wrestling)|managed]] in WCW by a woman named "Vivacious Veronica," but was soon rejoined by his USWA manager [[Jeannie Clark]], now using the name "Lady Blossom." From the start of his WCW run, Austin experienced success in the ring. On [[June 3]], Austin won the [[WCW World Television Championship]] from [[Bobby Eaton]], kicking off the first of two WCW TV title reigns. Months later, Austin joined a faction called the [[Dangerous Alliance]], led by manager [[Paul Heyman|Paul E. Dangerously]]. The young sensation from Texas was in veteran company, aligned with "Ravishing" [[Rick Rude]], [[Arn Anderson]], [[Larry Zbyszko]], and the same man Austin defeated to win his first TV title, Bobby Eaton.

[[Image:GeraldoRiveraFNC2004.jpg|thumb|right|Geraldo Rivera on the [[Fox News Channel]] in [[2004]]]]

On [[September 2]], [[1992]], Austin's second TV title reign came to an end at the hands of [[Ricky Steamboat]] at ''[[Clash of the Champions]] XX''. Not long after, the members of the Dangerous Alliance parted ways. Austin would soon find success once again, as he formed a heel tag team with the late [[Brian Pillman]], calling themselves the [[Hollywood Blondes]]. On [[March 2]], [[1993]], the Hollywood Blondes reached the top of the tag team division, winning the [[WCW World Tag Team Championship]] from Steamboat and [[Shane Douglas]]. This kicked off what the Blondes called their "Brush with Greatness" tour, in which Austin and Pillman would give lesser-known grapplers a "brush with greatness" by granting them a match each week. In the summer of 1993, the Hollywood Blondes experienced an unexpected breakup when Pillman was felled by injury. [[William Regal|Lord Steven Regal]] substituted for Pillman for a tag team title defense at Clash of the Champions XXIV against [[Four Horsemen (professional wrestling)|Four Horsemen]] members Arn Anderson & [[Paul Roma]]. Austin & Regal lost the titles on this night, and Austin blamed his partner Brian Pillman for the loss, citing his inability to team with him due to injury. Austin took on [[Robert Fuller|Col. Robert Parker]] as his manager, and a feud between the two former partners started, which culminated in a victory for Austin at ''Clash of the Champions XXV'' in November 1993.

===Talk show and Satanism special===

Austin won the [[WCW United States Championship]] on [[December 27]], [[1993]] at ''[[Starrcade]]'', defeating "The Natural" [[Dustin Rhodes]] in two straight falls of a two-out-of-three-falls match. Austin would go on to hold the title on two different occasions. His second reign lasted all of a few minutes, on [[September 18]], [[1994]] at ''[[Fall Brawl]]''. The champion at the time, Ricky Steamboat, was asked by then-WCW Commissioner [[Nick Bockwinkel]] to forfeit his title to Austin due to injury. After Austin was awarded the championship, he was forced to defend the title immediately against "Hacksaw" [[Jim Duggan]]. A shocked Austin lost his title to Duggan in a match which lasted a mere 35 seconds.

In 1987, Rivera began producing and hosting the daytime talk show ''Geraldo'', which ran for 11 years. The show featured controversial guests and theatricality, which led to ''[[Newsweek]]'''s characterization of his show as "[[Trash TV]]". One of the early shows was titled "Men in Lace Panties and the Women Who Love Them". His nose was broken in a well-publicized brawl during a 1988 show, involving [[Nazi-Skinheads|neo-Nazi skinheads]], [[Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice|anti-racist skinheads]], [[black people|black]] activists, and [[Jew]]ish activists.

In 1987, he hosted the first of a series of [[prime time]] special reports dealing with an alleged epidemic of [[Satanic ritual abuse]]. He stated:

In 1995, Austin toured [[Japan]], where he suffered a [[tricep]] injury. WCW Vice President [[Eric Bischoff]] fired Steve over the phone, telling Austin he was unmarketable. This embittered Austin for several years. At the time, Austin was living close to the ___location of WCW headquarters, and felt Bischoff could have visited him while convalescing and fired him to his face.

:Estimates are that there are over 1 million [[Satanism|Satanists]] in this country ... The majority of them are linked in a highly organized, very secretive network. From small towns to large cities, they have attracted police and [[FBI]] attention to their Satanic [[child sexual abuse|sexual child abuse]], [[child pornography]] and grisly Satanic murders. The odds are that this is happening in your town.{{citequote}}

=== Later career ===

==Extreme Championship Wrestling==

In 1994, he began hosting nightly discussion of the news on [[CNBC]] called ''[[Rivera Live]]'' while continuing to host ''Geraldo''. The show was portrayed in the final episode of ''[[Seinfeld]]'', with Rivera as himself reporting on the lengthy [[trial]] of the show's four main characters.

As Austin healed from his tricep injury, he was contacted by his former manager in WCW, Paul Heyman. Heyman was in charge of his own promotion at the time, the [[Philadelphia]]-based [[Extreme Championship Wrestling]], and wanted to offer Austin a platform for which he could air out his frustrations toward WCW. This is where Austin would develop his future "Stone Cold" persona. Austin would use his wit and biting sense of humor to air out his grievances, imitating Eric Bischoff and other WCW luminaries. One of his most famous vignettes centered around Austin (in the role of Bischoff) announcing the lineup for what he called "Monday Nyquil". "Bischoff" announced there would be a "Bottle of Geritol On a Pole" match, in which WCW wrestlers who were past their prime would use their sticks and walkers to do battle. As "Superstar" Steve Austin, he was able to connect with the viewing public in a manner he was never allowed to do while with WCW.

Later, he would take his talk show in a different direction, moving it from "Trash TV" to a more subdued, serious show, and changed its name from ''Geraldo'' to ''The Geraldo Rivera Show''. By this time, the show had run its course, and after being on the air for almost two years with its new title was cancelled in 1998.

Austin also made his return to the ring under the ECW banner, feuding with [[Jim Fullington|The Sandman]] and [[Mikey Whipwreck]]. Whipwreck, who was the ECW World Champion at the time, scored a huge upset win over Austin at ECW's ''[[November To Remember]]'', on November 18, 1995. Years later, Paul Heyman stated he originally wanted to book Austin to win the World championship, but Austin disagreed, feeling it would be better for business if Austin was the "hunter" instead of the "hunted."

In 1997, Rivera contracted with [[NBC]] to work as a reporter for six years for $30 million. During 1998 and 1999, he extensively covered the [[Clinton impeachment|impeachment]] of President [[Bill Clinton]]. Following the terrorist attacks of [[September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attack|September 11, 2001]], he accepted a pay cut and went to work for the [[FOX News|Fox News Channel]] as a war correspondent in November 2001. Rivera's brother Craig accompanied him as a cameraman on assignments in [[Afghanistan]].

==World Wrestling Federation==

In January 1996, Austin joined the [[World Wrestling Entertainment|World Wrestling Federation]]. Initially, Austin used the moniker "The Ringmaster", holder of [[Ted DiBiase]]'s unsanctioned "Million Dollar Belt", a title DiBiase created for himself in 1989. Not liking his ring name at all, Austin asked WWF writers to come up with a new name for his character that would suggest a ruthless, cold-hearted persona; according to legend and Mick Foley in particular, the writers suggested "Chilly McFreeze", "Freezy Pops" and "Ice Dagger", among other, less ridiculous pseudonyms. Austin then came up with the name '''"Stone Cold" Steve Austin''', after his then-wife Jeannie Clark (the same woman who managed Austin in the USWA and WCW) advised him to drink his [[tea]] before it became "stone cold." Austin shaved his head bald, a look he has maintained for a decade now, and overcame [[Savio Vega]] in a tough bout at ''[[WrestleMania XII]]''. At an ''[[In Your House]]'' [[pay-per-view|PPV]] event subtitled "Beware of Dog", Austin lost a "Caribbean Strap Match" to Vega. In accordance to the pre-match stipulations, DiBiase was forced to leave the WWF. With DiBiase no longer with the WWF, Austin had the opportunity to forge his own path. He would later tell announcer [[Michael Hayes (wrestler)|Dok Hendrix]] he purposely lost the match in order to rid himself of his manager.

===War coverage controversies===

===Austin 3:16===

During the [[U.S.]] war in [[Afghanistan]] in 2001, Rivera was derided for a report in which he claimed to be at the scene of a [[friendly fire]] incident; it was later revealed he was actually 300 miles away. Rivera faulted a minor misunderstanding for the discrepancy.

Austin's genuine rise to superstardom began on [[June 23]], [[1996]], when he won the WWF's annual ''[[King of the Ring]]'' single-elimination tournament on [[pay-per-view|PPV]]. After toppling [[Marc Mero]] in the semi-finals, he defeated the veteran [[Aurelian Smith, Jr.|Jake "The Snake" Roberts]] in the final, who was then incorporating a moral, [[Christianity|Christian]] message in his gimmick. After the match, Austin cut a [[promo (professional wrestling)|promo]] during his coronation which viciously mocked Jake's reformed lifestyle.

Another controversy arose in early 2003, while Rivera was [[embedded]] with U.S. military personnel in [[Iraq]]. During a Fox News broadcast, Rivera began to disclose an upcoming operation, even going so far as to draw a [[map]] in the sand for his audience. The military immediately issued a firm denouncement of his actions, saying it put the operation at risk, and nearly expelled Rivera from Iraq. Two days later, he announced that he would be reporting on the Iraq conflict from [[Kuwait]].<ref name=cnn-irq>[http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/03/31/sprj.irq.rivera/ "Confusion surrounds Rivera's expulsion from Iraq"], [[CNN]], April 1, 2003</ref>

:"You sit there and you thump your [[Bible]], and say your prayers, and it didn't get you anywhere! Talk about your Psalms, talk about [[John 3:16]]... Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass!"

The "map in the sand" incident inspired a [[List of Law & Order episodes (season 14)|14th season]] episode of [[NBC]]'s legal drama ''[[Law & Order]]'', entitled "[[Embedded (L&O episode)|Embedded]]".<ref name=cnn-irq /> It was also spoofed on ''[[The Daily Show]]'', in which correspondent [[Stephen Colbert]] drew a map in the sand of where Rivera's head had gone, finally concluding that his objective was "sticking his head up his own ass."

'''Austin 3:16''' ultimately became one of the most popular [[catchphrase|catchphrases]] in wrestling history. Austin would later [[turn (professional wrestling)|turn]] [[face (professional wrestling)|face]], as spontaneous fan support for him grew larger by the week.

A third controversy arose when he announced he was carrying a weapon while reporting in Afganistan. He said, "If they're going to get us, it's going to be in a gun fight. It's not going to be a murder. It's not going to be a crime. It's going to be a gun fight." Many were offended by the very fact that as a reporter he was carrying a weapon. The other aspect of the controversy, however, was due to the fact that he had often promoted civilian [[gun control]] prior to his time reporting in Afganistan, such as when (after the [[Columbine High School massacre]] in [[Littleton, Colorado]]) Rivera asked, "How much longer are we gonna take it? How much longer are we gonna be wrapping in the flag of patriotism to justify 250 million guns out there? How much longer?" As an [[NRA]] magazine article pointed out, "Rivera, who has made plenty of noise in the past by promoting various anti-gun proposals, revealed recently that while covering the war in Afghanistan, where he doesn't feel quite so safe, he's conveniently jumped to the other side of the fence."<ref name=aim>[http://www.aim.org/media_monitor/A770_0_2_0_C/ "NRA Targets Geraldo Rivera"], ''AIM'', March 5, 2002</ref>

Austin was not originally intended to win the tournament. The WWF originally booked [[Triple H]] to win. However, the WWF changed its plans a few weeks before the PPV because of the [[Clique_%28professional_wrestling%29#Curtain_Call:_The_MSG_Incident|MSG Incident]].

===Michael Jackson trial===

Austin, still a heel, was somewhat underused by the WWF for the next few months, and was mired in midcard feuds with the likes of [[Rodney Anoai|Yokozuna]] and [[Triple H]]. One thing drove Austin on, however: the in-exile and unhappy [[Bret Hart]]. Austin spoke about Hart constantly and taunted him relentlessly on TV (one memorable quote had Austin saying "If you put the letter 'S' in front of 'Hitman', you get my exact opinion of him"), before Hart finally accepted Austin's challenge and returned to the WWF in October 1996. At the ''[[Survivor Series]]'' that November, Hart cleanly pinned Austin in a match which helped create the foundations for the eventual year-long feud between the two. In spite of his loss, Austin's ever-growing popularity and notoriety multiplied after his strong showing. The match came hot on the heels of a highly controversial incident broadcast live on ''RAW'', which saw Austin "break into" the late [[Brian Pillman]]'s house, with Pillman allegedly brandishing a [[gun]].

During the [[2005 trial of Michael Jackson]], Rivera held an interview with the [[pop star]] from the famed [[Neverland Ranch]]. Following this, he went on Fox News' ''[[The O'Reilly Factor]]'', telling the audience he was convinced that Jackson was innocent and would be found not guilty. He even vowed to promptly shave his distinctive trademark [[moustache]] in the event of a guilty verdict.

After Jackson was [[acquittal|acquitted]], Rivera rejoiced on ''[[Access Hollywood]]'', boasting that his acquittal prediction had come true and his moustache had been accordingly spared. The reaction became a subject of ridicule for many late-night talk-show hosts.

===Feud with the Hart Foundation===

Two months later, Austin won the 1997 ''[[Royal Rumble]]'' match; he was eliminated by Bret Hart, but the officials did not see it, and he snuck back into the ring and eliminated Hart. Due to real-life events largely revolving around [[Shawn Michaels]], Hart and Austin were booked at the 11th hour for a re-match at ''[[WrestleMania 13]]'' in March 1997. Hart defeated Austin in a Submission match refereed by [[Ken Shamrock]], but the iconic image of the night was Austin's grimacing, bloody face being massively cheered on by the live [[Chicago, Illinois|Chicago]] crowd, as the relentless Hart refused to release his patented Sharpshooter. Despite Austin's passing out that led to his defeat, he did not tap out and refused to give up, which made Austin the new fan favorite. He would then replace Bret Hart as the new hero of the WWF, although Austin was not going to be the traditional hero. One of the main distinguishing features about Austin's character was that he was one who broke the rules and defied authority, and thus was considered to be an "anti-hero," or as a fan put it, "He was a hero that didn't try to be one." For many reasons, Austin's persona and his attitude would lead the WWF into perhaps their most popular era yet - the "Attitude" Era.

===Recent activity===

After a rematch with Hart, a WWE Championship shot against [[Mark Calaway|The Undertaker]], and brief tag team runs with both Shawn Michaels and Mick Foley, Austin challenged Bret Hart's younger brother, the late [[Owen Hart]]. Austin's anti-Hart and anti-Canada stance made him easily the most popular star the WWF had for over a decade, but he certainly wasn't popular up in [[Calgary]] during the ''Canadian Stampede'' PPV in July 1997. Austin was almost booed out of the country by the fiercely Hart-loyal crowd and the sight of a handcuffed Austin being led out of the arena by "policemen" while giving the finger - the "Stone Cold Salute" - to the fans is one of the resounding images of his career.

Rivera's last regular series on Fox News Channel was ''At Large with Geraldo Rivera'', shown on Saturday and Sunday nights. He ended the program on [[October 9]], [[2005]], in order to begin a new weekday syndicated show, ''[[Geraldo at Large]].'' The new series features many Fox News Channel correspondents, including [[Laurie Dhue]] and [[Phil Keating]], and Rivera frequently appears on Fox News to promote his latest stories. On January 4, 2007, Fox cancelled ''At Large'' because of low ratings.

On an [[August 4]], [[2006]] appearance on ''[[The O'Reilly Factor]]'', Rivera criticized [[Comedy Central]] program hosts [[Jon Stewart]] (of ''The Daily Show'') and Stephen Colbert (of ''[[The Colbert Report]]''), saying that despite their current success they ultimately "count for nothing." In addition, Rivera said that the two shows "basically play clips of old ladies slipping on ice and people laughing".

At ''[[SummerSlam]]'' 1997, disaster struck when Austin suffered a near-career ending neck injury as a result of a [[botch (professional wrestling)|botched]] piledriver by Owen. After being briefly paralyzed, Austin recovered and was able to win the match as planned, but the incident would force him to take time off for surgery in 1999 and would be one of the factors that shortened his career. Although Austin recounts that he had specifically asked Hart not to perform the dangerous piledriver move on him, where an opponent's head is placed between the other wrestler's legs, and viciously dropped to the mat, giving the illusion of being dropped on your head, in this instance, Austin's head was not safely tucked above Hart's legs when the move was performed, legitimately dropping Austin on his head. In fact, during that match of ''SummerSlam'' 1997, after realising that Austin was hurt, Owen pranced around the ring claiming that Austin was going to "Kiss his ass" (as the stipulation of the match was that if Austin lost, he would kiss Owen's ass). In reality though, he was shocked and scared of the possibility that he may have ended Austin's career. This injury was played up on WWF TV afterwards, to explain why Austin did not wrestle for several months. The WWF would use Austin's injury as a backdrop for his intense rivalry with Owen Hart, leading to various backstage beatings, match interferences and even costing Owen Hart and [[David Smith (wrestler)|The British Bulldog]] their WWF World Tag Team Championship shot at ''WWF In Your House: Ground Zero'' in 1997. At the 1997 ''Survivor Series'', Owen Hart would walk into the Montreal arena wearing a T-Shirt mocking Austin's "3:16" moniker: "Owen 3:16" and the back said "I Just Broke Your Neck". Owen would lose the WWF Intercontinental Championship that night at the ''Survivor Series'' to Stone Cold. Austin was always angered at Hart for performing the move on him after he requested him not to, and despite the WWF playing up Hart as a vicious crippler, Hart himself was always uncomfortable with it, as he had a reputation of being safe to work with, never having hurt anyone in the ring. Austin harbored a grudge against Hart for injuring him until Hart's death in 1999, although perhaps some of his anger was misplaced, as it was more of the fact that this legitimate injury that threatened paralysis was made into a storyline than it was the injury itself.

Rivera was promptly satirized on several episodes of the two programs thereafter. Colbert, [[Stephen Colbert (character)|in-character as a parody of O'Reilly]], sided with Rivera, and demanded Stewart "apologize to Geraldo" multiple times. He asked Stewart, "What are you implying Jon? That Geraldo and O'Reilly are [[narcissism|narcissists]] enthralled with their own overblown [[ego]]s? Projecting their own petty insecurities onto the world around them? Inventing false enemies for the sole purpose of boosting their own sense of self-importance? Itty-bitty [[Richard Nixon|Nixon]]s minus the relevance or a hint of vision? How dare you!"

"Austin 3:16" T-shirts were becoming the hottest item in wrestling and the "Austin 3:16" interpretation of the classic "#1" foam hand, now [[the finger|flipping a middle finger]] to the world, was also a best seller.

Eventually, Stewart was forgiven when Colbert made him wear a duplicate of Rivera's trademark moustache.

===Austin vs. McMahon===

After regaining the WWF Intercontinental Championship at ''WWF Survivor Series'' in 1997, and retaining it at December's ''WWF In Your House: DeGeneration X'' PPV, he would hand that championship over to [[The Rock (entertainer)|The Rock]], as his sights were now on bigger things. Austin won the 1998 ''Royal Rumble'' in January, his second consecutive win, which triggered a [[angle (professional wrestling)|storyline]] feud with WWF owner [[Vince McMahon]], which in turn ultimately helped lead to the WWF's final victory over WCW in their war for the pro wrestling marketplace and Monday night TV ratings. Simultaneously, the feud catapulted Austin to mainstream superstardom, the likes of which had not been seen since the glory years of [[Hulk Hogan]] in the 1980s. Austin was even cast in recurring roles on two TV series: [[MTV|MTV's]] [[animated series]] ''[[Celebrity Deathmatch]]'', and [[CBS]]' ''[[Nash Bridges]]'', and featured in the nationwide "Got Milk?" ad campaign.

In an October 2006 episode of ''The O'Reilly Factor'', the host accused Rivera of being a "[[secular]] [[progressivism|progressive]]". Rivera laughed, and replied, "What? Secular progressive? I'm a [[Far left|radical]]!"

The feud with McMahon officially began after the Royal Rumble on an episode of RAW is WAR, when Austin crashed McMahon's announcement of [[Mike Tyson]] as a guest at ''[[WrestleMania XIV]]''. A few weeks later, also on ''RAW'', Austin told McMahon to kiss his ass and gave him the Stone Cold Stunner for the first time. Shortly after that, Tyson appeared to join [[D-Generation X]] against Austin in the leadup to ''WrestleMania XIV''.

On January 4, 2007, it was announced that Rivera would return to Fox News Channel and ''At Large with Geraldo Rivera''. As such, his syndicated program would be cancelled. [http://tv.com/story/7870.html?tag=news_headlines;title;7] Although the program received some media attention in cities like New York for defeating ''The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric'' in the 25-54 demographic, overall, ratings for the Rivera program were suffering.

Austin went on to win his first WWF Championship in March 1998, defeating Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XIV in [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]]. Mike Tyson served as special guest referee for their contest, but helped Austin win. After the match, when Shawn Michaels shoved Tyson, Tyson knocked him out with one punch. Photographs of Austin & Tyson celebrating together after the bout made [[newspaper]]s worldwide. By now, Austin's authority-challenging, beer-swilling everyman persona was firmly over with the fans, who loudly lapped up every middle finger, swear word and catchphrase, including "Hell Yeah!" and "Cause Stone Cold Said So!"

On April 5, 2007, Rivera got in a on-air shouting match with O'Reilly regarding a [[drunk driving]] death perpetrated by an [[illegal alien]] with multiple previous arrests. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NM7hoauFLDU]

The next night on ''RAW'', Vince McMahon offered to work with Stone Cold, but only if Austin would agree to do things "his way." Austin refused, giving McMahon another Stunner and thereby choosing to do things "the hard way." The feud built over the next few weeks until finally McMahon challenged Austin to a match on RAW that ended in a disqualification due to interference from [[Mick Foley|Dude Love]]. The Austin vs. McMahon match resulted in the first ratings victory by the WWF in the [[Monday Night Wars]] against WCW in 84 weeks.

==Marriages==

The two feuded throughout 1998 and 1999, with Austin being challenged by McMahon's [[The Corporation (professional wrestling)|Corporation]], resulting in some of the best TV the company ever produced. The success of the feud helped usher in the most successful era in WWF history, the Attitude Era. The rivalry was "blown off" at St. Valentine's Day Massacre in February 1999, when Austin defeated McMahon in a Steel Cage Match. At ''[[WrestleMania XV]]'', Austin defeated the Rock to win the WWF Championship. Austin and McMahon would resume their feud post-WrestleMania with the climax coming at [[Fully Loaded]] where Austin defeated Undertaker in a First Blood match. The stipulation being that if Austin won, McMahon would have to resign appearing on WWF television, ending Vince's on-screen role for months.

*[[Erica Levy]] (10 August 2003— ) one child, a daughter born in August [[2005]]

*[[C.C. Dyer]] (11 July 1987 – 2000) (divorced) two children

*[[Sherryl Raymond]] (31 December 1976 – 1984) (divorced) one child

*[[Edith Vonnegut]] (14 December 1971 – 1975) (divorced)

*[[Linda Coblentz]] (1965 – 1969) (divorced)

==Footnotes==

After more feuds and arguments with The Undertaker, Mr. McMahon and the re-emerging Triple H, Austin's body began to genuinely wear out, forcing him to wear braces on his knees, and he also was still suffering lingering effects from his ''[[SummerSlam]]'' 1997 neck injury. That injury, compounded by years of general wear and tear, forced him to undergo serious spinal fusion surgery in late 1999. When it was learned by the WWF that Austin needed the surgery and a year away from action, Austin's injury was staged as a backstage hit-and-run incident at ''[[Survivor Series]]'' 1999. Austin would not wrestle for a full 11 months after the surgery.

{{reflist}}

==External links==

* [http://www.geraldo.com Official website]

*[http://web.archive.org/web/20061120091015/http://www.geraldo.com/v1/iraq.php "Geraldo Rivera Official Statement Regarding Embedment Controversy", 4 April 2003] - Rivera tells the story of his Iraq "Map in the Sand" (archive)

*[http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/01/international/worldspecial/01MEDI.html "Pentagon Says Geraldo Rivera Will Be Removed From Iraq"] - ''The New York Times'', April 1, 2003

*[http://www.religioustolerance.org/geraldo.htm Geraldo Rivera's Influence on the Satanic Ritual Abuse and Recovered Memory Hoaxes] - from religioustolerance.org

*[http://www.snopes.com/media/celebrity/geraldo.asp Urban Legend about Geraldo Rivera's name being changed from Jerry Rivers] - from snopes.com

*{{imdb name|id=0729273|name=Geraldo Rivera}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rivera, Geraldo}}

Ausin made a brief appearence at an episode of ''SmackDown!'', where he destroyed DX's bus by dropping a girder from a crane onto it, causing it to explode. At ''Backlash 2000'', he was to appear in The Rock's corner during his match for the WWF Heavyweight Championship against Triple H. He did not appear until late in the match but his presence helped The Rock win the match and become the champion.

Austin made a successful wrestling comeback in October 2000 to avenge his on-screen storyline hit-and-run attacker. It transpired that the driver was actually [[Solofa Fatu|Rikishi]], but when their battles failed to set the world on fire, the focus was shifted to Austin taking it out on Rikishi's alleged puppetmaster, Triple H. Austin and Triple H met in a series of intense matches, one at ''Survivor Series'' that ended in a no contest when Austin raised a car with Triple H still inside with a crane and dropped it to the floor below, and finally culminating in a Three Stages of Hell match at ''[[No Way Out]]'' 2001, in which Triple H was able to defeat Stone Cold 2-1 after they had won one a piece, Triple H won the third match, a cage match.

===2001 to 2002===

During this time, Austin won his third ''Royal Rumble'' in January 2001, last eliminating his old nemesis, Kane. As of 2006, he is the only wrestler to win the Royal Rumble three times. Then, on [[April 1]], [[2001]] at ''[[WrestleMania X-Seven|WrestleMania 17]]'', Austin made one of the most shocking [[Heel (professional wrestling)|heel]] turns ever, hitting [[The Rock (entertainer)|The Rock]] with a steel chair to win the WWF Championship, aligning himself with WWF boss Vince McMahon. Commentator Jim Ross infamous line "He's sold his soul to the devil, to win the [[WWF Title]]." The next night on ''[[RAW]]'', after teasing a quick face turn, the heel turn continued as during a cage match with The Rock in a rematch for the title, Triple H came down to the ring with a sledgehammer. many thought he was coming to help The Rock but it transpired that he had joined the Austin/McMahon partnership by hitting The Rock instead. Austin and Triple H became a Tag Team and called themselves [[The Two-Man Power Trip]].

Unlike the storyline involving [[Hulk Hogan|Hulk Hogan's]] heel turn back in 1996, fans never got into Austin's turn. They argued the utter lack of explanation towards the heel turn and the fact that the WWE refused to turn Triple H (who by this time was being cheered heavily by fans) face as an opponent for Austin, since The Rock left the company immediately after ''Wrestlemania X-Seven'' to film a movie and was unable to continue his feud with Austin.

The WWE positioned Austin and HHH as the villains of the company and had them feud with Undertaker and Kane for the bulk of April and May of 2001. Fans turned off and ratings fell at an alarming rate for the company's flagship brand ''RAW''. Many argue it was Austin's heel turn that caused the drastic drop in ratings, as most fans struggled to accept him in this new role, especially after being rivals with both McMahon and HHH for so long. Others argue though that the Undertaker and Kane feuds have been done so many times before between Austin that it was just becoming too repetitive and that he should be feuding with rising stars like Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho.

The Two-Man Power Trip had many rivalries, most notably being against The Undertaker and Kane, and against The Hardy Boyz. After ''Backlash 2001'', they held the WWF Tag Team Titles, the WWF Heavyweight Title (Austin), and the WWF Intercontinental Title (Triple H) at once.

Ultimately in June, 2001 the WWE started an angle between [[The Two-Man Power Trip]] and Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho, which culminated in Benoit and Jericho winning the tag-team belts from Austin and HHH. However the match featured a tragic turn of events for the company, as HHH suffered a major quadriceps injury during the match and would be out for nearly seven months. Things were made even worse when, several weeks later, Chris Benoit was forced to leave as well for surgery for long-standing injuries he suffered from and had put off having surgery.

Hastily, Steve Austin was paired with popular rookie wrestler Kurt Angle and continued feuding with Jericho and Benoit (who opted to wait until after that month's PPV to have his surgery. Austin's matches with Jericho and Benoit were widely praised, though many argued that the fact that Austin always won the match did little to elevate the two Canadians. Rumors circulated that Austin had been convinced by fellow veterans the Undertaker and HHH to not put the two wrestlers over as top guys, playing into Austin's growing paranoia regarding the apparent failure of his heel turn. Indeed, as soon as July 2001 began, with Benoit out for surgery, the Austin/Jericho feud was dropped without a mention.

With HHH out and Rock still away making movies, the WWE desperately rushed out the plans for the WCW/WWF Invasion. Still wanting to prove himself as a heel, Austin politically manuevered himself into the role as "leader" of the WCW (and later ECW) alliance alongside Stephanie and Shane MacMahon. Fans were not entirely fond of this storyline either, as fans never associated Austin with either brands (though Austin did spend time with both companies) and Austin spent much of the angle belittling the WCW and ECW talent who made up [[The Alliance]], which included Austin's "WHAT?" catchphrase which he would say after every sentence of his opponent. Fans still sometimes chant the phrase after pauses in other wrestlers' promos, most notably Kurt Angle and Vince McMahon's.

As the Invasion storyline continued, Vince McMahon had been begging for Stone Cold to return to his old "Texas Rattlesnake" persona. Austin refused though, as he was developing into a more comedic character, exchanging gifts, singing songs and giving hugs over the summer of 2001. But the week before the Invasion Pay-Per-View, the old Stone Cold Steve Austin "returned", delivering stunners to the WCW/ECW alliance members, and temporarily turning face. This was all part of a swerve at the event, where Austin betrayed the WWF team and partner Kurt Angle to help The Alliance win, as Austin assumed leadership of the group.

Austin lost and regained his title in a feud with [[Kurt Angle]] in a feud that many fans enjoyed, partially due to Angle being put over by Austin as a legitimate threat. As the Invasion angle dragged on and on, it was ultimately decided to bring the plotline to an end with Austin and a group of ECW and WCW wrestlers facing the Rock and a group of WWE wrestlers at that year's ''[[Survivor Series]]''. Austin and his team lost and Austin was promptly turned back to a babyface again, with no explanation given other than "Austin being Austin". Austin would hold the WWF Championship for another month before losing it to the first Undisputed WWF Champion in history, Chris Jericho at the Vengeance Pay-Per-View in December 2001. Jericho beat both The Rock and Austin consecutively in that night winning the World Title (formally the WCW Title) and later the WWF Title and combining them to create the WWF Undisputed Championship. Austin had gotten into a short feud with Booker T after this, as he had cost Austin the match with Jericho, and the immediate rematch on ''RAW'' the night after the PPV.

Austin's spot as top face in the WWF was not as secure as it had been in previous years, as Triple H was set to return from injury and headline ''[[WrestleMania X8]]'' against Chris Jericho. At the time, Vince McMahon had re-signed Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash for a storyline that would bring the [[nWo]] back into the wrestling world. They would feud with Austin and The Rock, and rumors began that a dream match between Hogan and Austin would take place. But due to Austin's refusal to work with Hogan because of past experiences with him in WCW, the match with Hogan was given to The Rock, and Austin was reduced to a feud with Scott Hall. Austin refused to lose to Hall at the event for reasons such as not believing that a recovering addict as Hall should be awarded with a big victory at ''WrestleMania'', and Austin's fear for his safety in the ring with a person like Hall considering his problems. After ''WrestleMania X8'', Austin had no-showed the next two weeks of programming. This would be the first of Austin's walk-outs on the WWF/WWE.

Austin returned on the April 1, 2002 episode of ''RAW'', the first of the new [[brand extension]] era. The show was centered on which show he would sign with. Ultimately, he chose ''RAW'' after stunning Vince McMahon, the then owner of ''SmackDown!'', but also stunned Ric Flair, who would be his boss on ''RAW''. He would from there continue his feud with the nWo, and start a feud with Flair as well. Austin's last appearance was on June 3, 2002, when he defeated Flair in a match where he would become Austin's servant. The angle wasn't furthered because Austin had decided to walk out again on bad storylines that were presented to him by the creative team. This time though, he wouldn't return for almost 9 months.

Bored and run down, Austin began to create problems backstage as the WWE rehired [[Eddie Guerrero]] for Austin to feud with, while prepping Austin for a feud with WWE golden boy [[Brock Lesnar]]. By this point, Austin was vetoing any matches that would result in him losing and ultimately walked out of the company when the writing staff wanted Austin to lose to Brock Lesnar, as part of the set-up to his PPV match against Eddie Guerrero in June 2002. This act was at first viewed as unprofessional and in a negative light by fans. But viewpoints changed when Austin later explained that he thought hot-shotting a victory did no favors to either side, as it made Austin look weak losing to a rookie, and didn't give Lesnar a proper stage for such a big win over a star of the magnitude that Austin holds.

Austin later publicly stated that at the time, his anti-social attitude behind the scenes were the result of him dealing with chronic knee and neck injuries that had never properly healed. Further fanning the flames amongst Austin's growing number of detractors was a well-publicized domestic dispute incident between Austin and his wife [[Debra Marshall|Debra]], which led to his evasion of the police. Austin served probation time for the offense, and has not discussed it publicly since. However, the event permanently tarnished Austin's reputation with many of his fans, who saw Austin becoming the same sort of self-absorbed prima donna that Austin railed against when he was fired from WCW.

==World Wrestling Entertainment==

Soon before walking out on WWF, the company would change its name from WWF to WWE in an unrelated legal fight with the [[World Wildlife Fund]]. The company's slogan for the brand name change, "Get the F Out!" was perceived by some as a jab at Austin leaving the company. The Rock used the line in a WWE vignette about the name change, further fueling such speculation.

In February 2003, he returned to WWE at ''No Way Out'' in a short match against [[Eric Bischoff]]. Austin was finally defeated by the Rock at ''[[WrestleMania XIX]]''. The night after on ''[[WWE RAW|RAW]]'', Bischoff "suspended" Austin because on medical grounds, however he was brought back by Linda McMahon becoming "Sheriff" for ''RAW'', much to the horror of his old WCW nemesis and then ''RAW'' brand General Manager, Eric Bischoff (outside the ring, the two men have largely settled their differences). The move to the role of "Sheriff" was a way to keep Austin on-camera while limiting Austin's in-ring performance (due to his injuries). However, Austin's on-camera persona as a self-absorbed bully who only cared about himself and the pain he could inflict on others failed to catch on and was even reflected in both [[Chris Jericho]] and [[Christian]] regularly giving shoot-style promos condemning Austin for his selfish bullying of other wrestlers. Ultimately, on the [[November 16]], [[2003]] edition of ''RAW'', Austin was "fired" from RAW as the result of a stipulation in a match at WWE's ''Survivor Series'' PPV where if Austin's hand-picked team of wrestlers failed to beat Jericho and Christian's team of wrestlers. He sat out TV shows for several weeks to [[sell (professional wrestling)|sell]] the storyline and make it appear like a real firing, but quickly returned to WWE television before the end of 2003, when he was part of a WWE [[Christmas]] special taped live in front of U.S. troops in [[Iraq]], posing as Santa Claus and stunning Mr. McMahon.

Austin appeared on and off as 2004 began, culminating in him being the special guest referee for the match between [[Brock Lesnar]] and Goldberg at ''[[WrestleMania XX]]''. The "dream" match was hounded by contract disputes and [[Lesnar's]] pursuit of an [[NFL]] career, so Austin ended up the only man over at the end by stunning both participants. Then on [[April 17]] [[2004]], WWE put out a press release on their [[website]] claiming that Steve Austin and WWE were unable to settle long-running contract disputes and had again parted ways, reportedly over a contract dispute about WWE's control of Austin's non-WWE projects, such as [[film|movies]] and music. Austin could thus no longer use "Stone Cold" to promote himself, as that name is trademarked by WWE; Austin had to correct many in interviews to ensure they do not refer to him by that moniker. Another issue that may have influenced WWE in its decision is Austin's recent history of domestic violence incidents, which WWE saw as tarnishing their popular image.

In November 2002, he pleaded no contest to a [http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/stonecoldplea1.html misdemeanor assault charge] after striking his then-wife during an argument. Police in [[San Antonio, Texas|San Antonio]] were investigating charges that he threw his current girlfriend to the ground during a domestic dispute on [[March 24]], [[2004]].

=== Return to the ring ===

Steve Austin made his first appearance on WWE TV in a year on [[April 3]], [[2005]] at ''[[WrestleMania 21]]'' in [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]]. Austin was interviewed by 2005 [[WWE Hall of Fame|Hall of Fame]] inductee [[Roddy Piper|"Rowdy" Roddy Piper]] in a [[Piper's Pit]] segment and then Stone Cold Stunned both Piper and [[Carly Colon|Carlito Caribbean Cool]]. Austin then stunned [[Maven Huffman|Maven]] and [[Mike Bucci|Simon Dean]] on the following night's WWE ''RAW'' show, also from Los Angeles.

Austin appeared at the WWE-promoted ''[[ECW One Night Stand]]'' event, sharing beer at the end with ECW wrestlers, including [[Jim Fullington|The Sandman]]. The following night on ''RAW'', Austin acted as a special guest enforcer in an Intercontinental title match and cost [[Mark Copani|Muhammad Hassan]] a submission victory against then-Intercontinental Champion [[Shelton Benjamin]]. After the match, Austin promptly delivered Stunners to both Hassan and Hassan's manager [[Shawn Daivari|Daivari]], then drank beer with Benjamin to celebrate. The appearance did not sooth many critics of Austin, especially when Austin called Hassan and Daivari "sand people" during a promo that set up the match between Hassan and Benjamin (although the live audience, not fans of Hassan, cheered at the reference).

At ''[[WWE Homecoming]]'', Austin again returned to ''RAW'', delivering stunners to all four members of the McMahon family including long-time neutral McMahon, Linda. The following week, Linda and her family united in the ring and 'fired' announcer [[Jim Ross]], a good friend of Stone Cold, for failing to apologize properly for his inaction during this incident. This angle led to a match in which Austin agreed to face Ross's replacement, [[Jonathan Coachman]], at ''[[Taboo Tuesday#2005|Taboo Tuesday]]'', with the stipulation of Ross regaining his announcing job if Austin were to win, and Austin losing his own job if he lost the match. However, Stone Cold supposedly broke the agreement and once again walked out on the company, just days before his well-publicized match was to take place. Reports indicated that Austin was furious when he was told that he would lose the match after interference from [[Mark Henry]], and that the WWE had no intention on bringing Jim Ross back as head announcer on ''RAW''. To explain away his failure to appear at ''[[Taboo Tuesday]]'' Vince McMahon said on ''Monday Night RAW'' that Austin had actually pinched a nerve in his back the week before moving furniture, thus preventing him from competing (though the insincerity of the promo made it obvious he thought Austin was "faking it"). A substitution for Austin was made in the form of [[Dave Batista|Batista]], who faced the Coach along with [[Leon White|Vader]] and [[Virgil Runnels III|Goldust]], brought in to generate some last minute interest in the match. To explain away the stipulation regarding Jim Ross, it was stated that the stipulation was conditional on Austin competing and that since Batista instead was the one who wrestled, that the match would have no stipulations attached to it. Recently there have been rumors circulating that Austin will return to the ring to fight [[Hulk Hogan]] at ''Wrestlemania 22'' in Chicago, Illinois but that appears to have been shot down, as Austin has had some heat with Hogan back in WCW, along with the fact that Austin did not want to deal with the same kind of backstage politics that Hogan had recently displayed during his Shawn Michaels feud.

It was announced [http://www.wwe.com/superstars/halloffame/2006inductors] that Austin will be inducting [[Bret Hart|Bret "The Hitman" Hart]] into the [[WWE Hall Of Fame]] on April 1st, 2006, the night before the ''[[Wrestlemania 22]]'' PPV. It was appropriate because Austin was Hart's last ''WrestleMania'' opponent (coincidentally in Chicago) in a match that catapulted Austin to stardom.

The official website of World Wrestling Entertainment recently had an interview with Stone Cold Steve Austin. The first question asked him what he had been up to recently, to which Austin replied that he was 'taking acting classes'. This new venture, possibly inspired by the success enjoyed by The Rock seemed to be his current priority, making an imminent WWE appearance unlikely. See http://www.wwe.com/inside/hotbeds/talkingtexas for the full interview. On the 10th of March Smackdown JBL challenged Austin to a beer drinking contest at Saturday Night Main Event.

==Wrestling facts==

===Finishing and signature moves===

*'''As Stone Cold Steve Austin'''

**'''''Stone Cold Stunner''''' ([[Professional wrestling throws#Stunner|Three quarter facelock jawbreaker]])

**[[Professional wrestling attacks#Lou Thesz Press|Lou Thesz Press]]

**''Bionic Spinebuster'' ([[Professional wrestling throws#Spinebuster slam|Spinebuster]])

**[[Professional wrestling aerial techniques#Axe handle elbow drop|Axe handle elbow drop]]

**[[Professional wrestling attacks#Stomp|Mudhole stomping]]

**[[Professional wrestling holds#Mount|Mounted]] [[punch (strike)|punches]]

**[[Piledriver (professional wrestling)|Piledriver]]

**[[Professional wrestling attacks|Clothesline]]

*'''As The Ringmaster'''

**'''''Million Dollar Dream''''' ([[Professional wrestling holds#Cobra clutch|Cobra clutch]])

*'''As "Stunning" Steve Austin'''

**'''''Stun Gun''''' ([[Professional wrestling throws#Flapjack|Flapjack]] with opponent dropped on top rope throat first)

**''That's a Wrap'' ([[Professional wrestling holds#Figure four leglock|Standing figure four leglock]])

**''Hollywood and Vine'' (Shin grapevine with Achilles tendon hold)

==Championships and accomplishments==

*'''[[National Wrestling Alliance]]'''

**1-time [[NWA World Tag Team Championship|NWA World Tag Team Champion]] (with [[Brian Pillman]])

*'''[[Pro Wrestling Illustrated]]'''

**PWI ranked him # '''19''' of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the [[PWI Years]] (2003)

**PWI ranked him # '''50''' of the best tag teams of the PWI Years with Brian Pillman.

**PWI Rookie of the Year Award (1990)

**PWI Match of the Year Award, versus [[Bret Hart]] (1997)

**PWI Most Popular Wrestler Award (1998)

**PWI Wrestler of the Year Award (1998)

**PWI Feud of the Year Award, versus [[Vince McMahon]] (1998)

**PWI Feud of the Year Award, versus [[Vince McMahon]] (1999)

**PWI Wrestler of the Year Award (1999)

**PWI Wrestler of the Year Award (2001)

**PWI Most Hated Wrestler Award (2001)

*'''Texas Wrestling Federation'''

**1-time TWF Tag Team Champion (with [[Rod Price (wrestler)|Rod Price]])

*'''[[World Championship Wrestling]]'''

**2-time [[WWE United States Championship|WCW United States Heavyweight Champion]]

**2-time [[WCW World Television Championship|WCW World Television Champion]]

**1-time [[WCW World Tag Team Championship|WCW World Tag Team Champion]] (with [[Brian Pillman]])

*'''[[World Wrestling Entertainment|World Wrestling Entertainment/Federation]]'''

**6-time [[WWE Championship|WWF Champion]]

**2-time [[WWE Intercontinental Championship|WWF Intercontinental Champion]]

**4-time [[WWE World Tag-Team Championship|WWF World Tag Team Champion]] (1-time with [[Shawn Michaels]], 1-time with [[Mick Foley|Dude Love]], 1-time with [[Mark Calaway|The Undertaker]], and 1-time with [[Triple H]])

**1996 [[King of the Ring]]

**1997 [[Royal Rumble]] Winner

**1998 [[Royal Rumble]] Winner

**2001 [[Royal Rumble]] Winner

**[[Million dollar belt|WWF Million Dollar Champion]]

**[[Triple Crown Champion]]

**Steve Austin holds the record of the most [[Royal Rumble]] wins, a grand total of three, at least one more than any other wrestler. He is one of only three wrestlers to also win back to back Royal Rumbles. As well, he is the only wrestler to win the Royal Rumble after technically getting eliminated, in which he returned to the ring when none of the referees noticed his elimination.

*'''[[Wrestling Observer Newsletter]]'''

**He is a member of the [[Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame]] (inducted in 2000)

**1990 Rookie of the Year

**1993 Tag Team of the Year (with Brian Pillman)

**1996 Best Heel

**1996 Best Interviews

**1997 Feud of the Year (vs Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Jim Neidhart, Davey-Boy Smith and Brian Pillman)

**1997 Best Interviews

**1997 Most Charismatic Wrestler

**1997 Match of the Year (vs Bret Hart)

**1998 Wrestler of the Year

**1998 Best Box Office Draw

**1998 Feud of the Year (vs Vince McMahon)

**1998 Best Interviews

**1998 Most Charismatic Wrestler

**1999 Best Box Office Draw

**1999 Feud of the Year (vs Vince McMahon)

**2001 Best Interviews

**2001 Best Brawler

**2003 Best Non-Wrestler

==Championship succession==

{{start box}}

| colspan = 3 align = center | '''[[WWE Championship|WWF World Heavyweight Championship]]'''

|-

| width = 30% align = center | Preceded by:<br/>'''[[Shawn Michaels]]'''

| width = 40% align = center | First

| width = 30% align = center | Succeeded by:<br/>'''[[Glen Jacobs|Kane]]'''

|-

| width = 30% align = center | Preceded by:<br/>'''[[Glen Jacobs|Kane]]'''

| width = 40% align = center | Second

| width = 30% align = center | Succeeded by:<br/>'''Vacated'''

|-

| width = 30% align = center | Preceded by:<br/>'''[[The Rock (entertainer)|The Rock]]'''

| width = 40% align = center | Third

| width = 30% align = center | Succeeded by:<br/>'''[[Mark Calaway|The Undertaker]]'''

|-

| width = 30% align = center | Preceded by:<br/>'''[[Mark Calaway|The Undertaker]]'''

| width = 40% align = center | Fourth

| width = 30% align = center | Succeeded by:<br/>'''[[Mick Foley|Mankind]]'''

|-

| width = 30% align = center | Preceded by:<br/>'''[[The Rock (entertainer)|The Rock]]'''

| width = 40% align = center | Fifth

| width = 30% align = center | Succeeded by:<br/>'''[[Kurt Angle]]'''

|-

| width = 30% align = center | Preceded by:<br/>'''[[Kurt Angle]]'''

| width = 40% align = center | Sixth

| width = 30% align = center | Succeeded by:<br/>'''[[Chris Jericho]]'''

|-

| colspan = 3 align = center | '''[[WWE Intercontinental Championship|WWF Intercontinental Championship]]'''

|-

| width = 30% align = center | Preceded by:<br/>'''[[Owen Hart]]'''

| width = 40% align = center | First

| width = 30% align = center | Succeeded by:<br/>'''[[Owen Hart]]'''

|-

| width = 30% align = center | Preceded by:<br/>'''[[Owen Hart]]'''

| width = 40% align = center | Second

| width = 30% align = center | Succeeded by:<br/>'''[[The Rock (entertainer)|The Rock]]'''

|-

| colspan = 3 align = center | '''[[WWE World Tag-Team Championship|WWF World Tag Team Championship]]'''

|-

| width = 30% align = center | Preceded by:<br/>'''[[Davey Boy Smith|The British Bulldog]] and [[Owen Hart]]'''

| width = 40% align = center | First (with [[Shawn Michaels]])

| width = 30% align = center | Succeeded by:<br/>'''Vacant'''

|-

| width = 30% align = center | Preceded by:<br/>'''Vacant'''

| width = 40% align = center | Second (with [[Mick Foley|Dude Love]])

| width = 30% align = center | Succeeded by:<br/>'''Vacant'''

|-

| width = 30% align = center | Preceded by:<br/>'''[[Mick Foley|Mankind]] and [[Glen Jacobs|Kane]]'''

| width = 40% align = center | Third (with [[Mark Calaway|The Undertaker]])

| width = 30% align = center | Succeeded by:<br/>'''[[Mick Foley|Mankind]] and [[Glen Jacobs|Kane]]'''

|-

| width = 30% align = center | Preceded by:<br/>'''[[Mark Calaway|The Undertaker]] and [[Glen Jacobs|Kane]]'''

| width = 40% align = center | Fourth (with [[Triple H]])

| width = 30% align = center | Succeeded by:<br/>'''[[Chris Jericho]] and [[Chris Benoit]]'''

|-

| colspan = 3 align = center | '''[[Royal Rumble]]'''

|-

| width = 30% align = center | Preceded by:<br/>'''[[Shawn Michaels]]'''

| width = 40% align = center | First

(1997)

| width = 30% align = center | Succeeded by:<br/>'''Himself'''

|-

| width = 30% align = center | Preceded by:<br/>'''Himself'''

| width = 40% align = center | Second

(1998)

| width = 30% align = center | Succeeded by:<br/>'''[[Vince McMahon]]'''

|-

| width = 30% align = center | Preceded by:<br/>'''[[The Rock (entertainer)|The Rock]]'''

| width = 40% align = center | Third

(2001)

| width = 30% align = center | Succeeded by:<br/>'''[[Triple H]]'''

|-

| colspan = 3 align = center | '''[[King of the Ring]]'''

|-

| width = 30% align = center | Preceded by:<br/>'''[[Nelson Frazier, Jr.|Mabel]]'''

| width = 40% align = center | First

| width = 30% align = center | Succeeded by:<br/>'''[[Triple H]]'''

|-

| colspan = 3 align = center | '''[[Million Dollar Belt]]'''

|-

| width = 30% align = center | Preceded by:<br/>'''[[Ted DiBiase]]'''

| width = 40% align = center | First

| width = 30% align = center | Succeeded by:<br/>'''Retired'''

|-

| colspan = 3 align = center | '''[[WWE United States Championship|WCW United States Heavyweight Championship]]'''

|-

| width = 30% align = center | Preceded by:<br/>'''[[Dusty Rhodes|"The Natural" Dustin Rhodes]]'''

| width = 40% align = center | First

| width = 30% align = center | Succeeded by:<br/>'''[[Ricky Steamboat]]'''

|-

| width = 30% align = center | Preceded by:<br/>'''[[Ricky Steamboat]]'''

| width = 40% align = center | Second

| width = 30% align = center | Succeeded by:<br/>'''[["Hacksaw" Jim Duggan]]'''

|-

| colspan = 3 align = center | '''[[WCW World Television Championship]]'''

|-

| width = 30% align = center | Preceded by:<br/>'''[[Bobby Eaton]]'''

| width = 40% align = center | First

| width = 30% align = center | Succeeded by:<br/>'''[[Barry Windham]]'''

|-

| width = 30% align = center | Preceded by:<br/>'''[[Barry Windham]]'''

| width = 40% align = center | Second

| width = 30% align = center | Succeeded by:<br/>'''[[Ricky Steamboat]]'''

|-

| colspan = 3 align = center | '''[[WCW World Tag Team Championship]]'''

|-

| width = 30% align = center | Preceded by:<br/>'''[[Ricky Steamboat]] and [[Shane Douglas]]'''

| width = 40% align = center | First, (with '''[[Brian Pillman]]''' as the '''[[Hollywood Blondes]]''')

| width = 30% align = center | Succeeded by:<br/>'''[[Arn Anderson]] and [[Paul Roma]]'''

|-

{{end box}}

==Books==

Autobiography: ''[[The Stone Cold Truth]]'' with [[Dennis Brent]] 2003

==References==

*[http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0329041austin1.html The Smoking Gun]

*[http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0329041austin2.html The Smoking Gun (2)]

==External links==

{{wikiquote}}

*[http://www.wwe.com/superstars/raw/stonecold/ WWE profile]

*[http://www.simply-stunning.net Simply-Stunning.net (fansite)]

*[http://steveaustincrazy.tripod.com/ Steve Austin Crazy (fansite)]

*{{imdb name|id=0042524|name="Stone Cold" Steve Austin}}

[[Category:19641943 births|Austin, Steve]]

[[Category:Adoptees|Austin,American Stevejournalists]]

[[Category:American professionaltelevision wrestlers|Austin, Stevepersonalities]]

[[Category:PeopleColumbia fromUniversity Texas|Austin, Stevealumni]]

[[Category:ECWJewish alumni|Austin,American Stevejournalists]]

[[Category:AmericanLiving actors|Austin, Stevepeople]]

[[Category:AmericanPeople televisionfrom actors|Austin,Long SteveIsland]]

[[Category:FilmPeople actors|Austin,from SteveNew York City]]

[[Category:ProfessionalPuerto wrestling executives|Austin, SteveRican-Americans]]

[[Category:NorthReporters Texasand Mean Green football players|Austin, Stevecorrespondents]]

[[Category:EntertainersAmerican whotelevision playedtalk football|Austin,show Stevehosts]]

[[Category:LivingUniversity people|Austin,of SteveArizona alumni]]

[[Category:Perry Mason cast members]]

[[Category:American libertarians]]

[[Category:American lawyers]]

[[defr:SteveGeraldo AustinRivera]]

[[nl:Geraldo Rivera]]

[[la:Stephanus Augustinus Frigidus Lapis]]

[[ja:ストーン・コールド・スティーブ・オースチン]]

[[pt:Stone Cold Steve Austin]]

[[fi:Stone Cold Steve Austin]]