Steve Austin's Wrestling Career Told In Photos, Through The Years

Steve Austin is one of the biggest names in the professional wrestling industry. The Texas Rattlesnake's wrestling career was filled with tons of memorable moments. Arguably one of the hottest babyfaces in WWE history, Steve Austin took the ball and ran with it. In the Attitude Era, he dominated the main event scene, and he won six WWE Championships.

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.Austin is an exceptional in-ring performer, and he has several marquee battles with the very best in the business. The Bionic Redneck has always been a part of the WWE family, even when he has gone away for a few years. His career has been filled with many championships, and Austin is on many wrestling fans' Mount Rushmores.

12 WCW

Before Steve Austin became a household name in WWE, he was a part of WCW's roster. Austin's WCW run was successful as he managed to win a few championships during his time in Ted Turner's company. He was a two-time WCW United States Champion, and he held the WCW World Television Championship twice.

Austin was a member of a couple of stables as he was part of the Stud Stable and the Dangerous Alliance. Moreover, Austin proved that he could play well with others as he was in a tag team with Brian Pillman as The Hollywood Blonds. The pair won the WCW Tag Team Championship, and Austin departed WCW for ECW before he joined WWE.

11 The Ringmaster

Steve Austin joined WWE in late 1995, and in January 1996, he made his debut alongside "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase. Austin was awarded the Million Dollar Championship, and he was called The Ringmaster. Austin wasn't a fan of this gimmick, and it was never going to get him to main event level status.

Nevertheless, Austin didn't need DiBiase as his mouthpiece by the spring of 1996. DiBiase heading for WCW was one of the best things to happen to Austin as he was allowed to flourish on his lonesome. Austin soon ditched The Ringmaster gimmick, and he was rechristened as Stone Cold Steve Austin.

10 King Of The Ring Winner

It's widely reported that Triple H was supposed to win the 1996King of the Ring tournament, but that failed to materialize with his involvement in the Curtain Call. Nonetheless, Austin took advantage, and after beating Marc Mero in the semifinals of the King of the Ring, he found himself going head-to-head with Jake "The Snake" Roberts in the final.

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Austin dismantled Roberts with ease and he was crowned as the King of the Ring. Austin wasn't bothered about the robe, scepter, and crown, but he cut a memorable promo, and the rest as they say is history.

9 Rivalry With Bret Hart

Steve Austin became the top heel in late 1996, and he began a legendary feud with Bret Hart. Their trilogy of matches was outstanding, and it elevated Austin to new heights. They collided in an epic match at Survivor Series with Hart getting the better of Austin.

Austin won the 1997 Royal Rumble match at Hart's expense, and they pulled off a remarkable double turn at WrestleMania 13with Austin turning face and Hart becoming a heel. Their feud came to an end at Canadian Stampede in July 1997 with The Hart Foundation besting Austin, Ken Shamrock, Goldust, and the Legion of Doom.

8 First WWE Championship Reign

For the second consecutive year, Steve Austin won the Royal Rumble match in 1998. This time, he managed to headline WrestleMania 14, and he faced an ailing Shawn Michaels, who was nursing a serious back injury with the WWE Championship up for grabs.

Had Michaels not been injured, this would have been an instant classic. Nonetheless, Austin captured the WWE Championship for the first time in his career. Austin became the undisputed babyface of the Attitude Era, and he celebrated with Mike Tyson after the match.

7 Feud With Mr. McMahon

After the Montreal Screwjob concluded atSurvivor Series1997, Vince McMahon was unveiled as the on-screen chairman of WWE. Austin became public enemy number one of Mr. McMahon's. This rivalry was magical as it turned the tide in the Monday Night War with WWE going on to beat WCW in the ratings for the first time in 83 weeks.

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McMahon attempted to make Austin's life a living hell, and he was successful in several instances. However, Austin often got the last laugh, doing favors as fans salivated at witnessing McMahon's downfall.

6 Battles With The Rock

The rivalry between Steve Austin and The Rock is arguably the greatest feud in WWE history. Their feud was at its peak in the Attitude Era, and both were popular with the fans. They are two of the biggest stars in the wrestling business. Although, Austin dominated their feud with a couple of WWE Championship wins at The Rock's expense at WrestleMania 15and WrestleMania 17.

It was a shock at WrestleMania 17 when Austin turned heel and aligned with Mr. McMahon. Ultimately, Austin and The Rock's battles were always great and fans were hooked on watching the two face off.

5 The Two-Man Power Trip

Steve Austin and Triple H had been rivals on and off for two years but on the Raw after WrestleMania 17, Austin and Triple H formed an unlikely alliance. The Two-Man Power Trip was born, and it's a shame that Triple H's untimely quadriceps injury forced this alliance to disband earlier than expected.

They had the power and the gold. Austin was the reigning WWE Champion and Triple H held the Intercontinental Championship. Their dominance was cemented at Backlash2001 when they beat The Brothers of Destruction for the WWE Tag Team Championship. The evil genius Mr. McMahon was by their side which made this duo even more dominant.

4 Retirement At WrestleMania 19

Steve Austin's injury issues mounted up, and he decided that WrestleMania 19 would be his final wrestling match. Not a bad way to bow out, and Austin would face none other than The Rock in their third WrestleMania meeting in five years.

No WWE Championship was on the line, and no WrestleMania main event this time either. Nevertheless, it was an emotionally fueled match, and these two icons tore the house down one last time. Austin won their two previous WrestleMania meetings, but this time The Rock got the victory with Austin riding off into the sunset.

3 Returning Legend

Despite retiring from the squared circle, Steve Austin was still a massive asset to WWE. The Texas Rattlesnake featured as an authority figure, and he was the Co-General Manager of Raw alongside Eric Bischoff. Austin excelled in this role, and his skits with Bischoff were entertaining.

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Austin went on to become the Sheriff for a short while, and he undertook several gigs as a special guest referee including the Battle of the Billionaires, and in back-to-back World Heavyweight Championship matches on Cyber Sundayin 2007 and 2008.

2 WWE Hall Of Famer

Steve Austin finally took his rightful spot in the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2009. The Texas Rattlesnake was the headline act and rightfully so. He was inducted by Mr. McMahon, which made a lot of sense.

Austin's polarizing career was more than worthy of getting his WWE Hall of Fame ring. It's a shame that injuries curtailed his career, but six WWE Championship reigns and multiple victories in WrestleMania main events aren't too shabby.

1 Epic WrestleMania 38 Return

It remained to be seen if Steve Austin would ever wrestle again, but fans waited 19 years to see Austin lace up a pair of boots and raise hell one more time. WrestleMania 38 emanated in his home state of Texas, and he clashed with Kevin Owens in a No Holds Barred match that headlined the first night of WrestleMania 38.

Austin looked great here, and fans were heavily invested in the match. Austin was suplexed by Owens on the concrete floor. This turned out to be an enthralling contest, and Austin picked up the victory.