How Stone Cold Missed Out On A Lucrative Shoe Endorsement Deal, Explained
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Over the last number of years, the crossover between sneakers and wrestling has increasingly grown. Years ago, scarcely would wrestlers compete in sneakers. Nowadays, it has become the norm as numerous competitors can be seen wearing a variety of shoes from different brands to the ring. It has also expanded into collaborations between brands and wrestlers. Whether it be the New Day’s FILA sneakers or the Young Bucks and the Lucha Brothers’ respective sneakers with Diadora, it is becoming more and more common. However, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin just missed his opportunity to have his very own shoe deal long before wrestlers were even in the conversation for them.
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A Collaboration With The "Texas Rattlesnake" Made Sense
Steve Austin is one of the biggest names in professional wrestling history. His role and legacy within the sport speaks for itself. With abilities on the microphone that are virtually unmatched with his tell-it-as-it-is attitude, combined with his brawling style, Austin skyrocketed to the top of the wrestling world. Nobody was able to do what Austin could in that ring.A multi-time world champion with classic matches under his belt, it only made sense that Austin would be contacted for a shoe deal endorsement. At the time, nobody in wrestling had received such offers. However, Austin accidentally let his chance for a deal go by.
How Steve Austin's Agent Missed An Opportunity For The Shoe Deal
On an episode of Complex’s YouTube show “Sneaker Shopping”, Austin told Joe La Puma about how he missed out on an offer from Hi-Tec Magnum. Austin had been wearing the boots and was a big fan of them, continuing to wear the boot to this day. Austin and his agent were approached by the company who expressed interest in wanting a sponsorship deal with the “Texas Rattlesnake.” However, his agent told Austin to pass on the offer and wait.
Austin’s agent told him that if they continued to wait, eventually Nike would send an offer to Austin for a sponsorship deal. Austin listened to his agent, who he assumed would be right about Nike. This offer, however, never came to be. In retrospect, Austin said that it never would have made sense for Nike to approach him because, in his words, “When was Nike ever gonna make a badass boot, made for a badass wrestler who is kicking the hell out of everyone on TV?! They don’t and they didn’t.” Austin regrets not taking the deal with Hi-Tec Magnum, as he believes it would have made perfect sense.
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"Stone Cold" Steve Austin's Merchandise Is Iconic
Despite Austin’s missed chance for a signature shoe, the wrestling legend still enjoyed some of the most iconic and recognizable wrestling merchandise in the history of the business. His legendary “Austin 3:16” is the best selling t-shirt in wrestling history. He has had a number of other t-shirts that are iconic as well. Austin has also had numerous other pieces of clothing, toys, action figures, collectibles, and memorabilia too. With his status as an icon in the ring, there will never be a shortage of collectibles or clothing for the fans of “Stone Cold.”
The name “Stone Cold” Steve Austin requires no introduction. He will always be mentioned in discussions of the greatest of all time. It is almost surprising that nobody has reached out for a shoe collaboration with Austin since then. However, with the increased number of collaborations of sneakers with wrestlers, perhaps it is only a matter of time. Maybe one day fans will walk into a store, purchase their pair of “Stone Cold” sneakers, and stomp a mudhole dry. One thing is for certain, whether a shoe deal or not, Austin will always have his place among the greats of professional wrestling fans.
