The rise of Steve Austin as “Stone Cold” helped transform WWE during the Monday Night Wars and usher in the Attitude Era. According to longtime wrestling producer David Sahadi, however, the character almost disappeared before it had the chance to take off.
Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Sahadi recalled a meeting at WWE headquarters in the mid 1990s where Vince McMahon expressed concern about how audiences were reacting to Austin. At the time, Austin was supposed to be positioned as a villain, but fans had already begun cheering him.
Sahadi said McMahon believed the reaction was a problem and began discussing drastic changes to the character.
“Stone Cold Steve Austin was nearly killed, nearly dead on arrival, because Vince wanted to be heel,” Sahadi said. “When he started getting popular, it’s right before the Mike Tyson thing. Vince held a meeting in corporate and I was there. Kevin Dunn and some corporate executives were there too.”
According to Sahadi, McMahon suggested reverting Austin back toward a version of his earlier persona.
“Vince is like, ‘You know what? I want fans to boo Stone Cold Steve Austin and they’re not. They’re cheering him. So we need heels. I’m thinking about turning him back into like the Ringmaster character, getting his hair stubbly and wearing the powder blue tights.’”
The idea reportedly stunned everyone in the room.
“Oh my gosh, no,” Sahadi recalled thinking. “This really happened. We’re sitting there shocked and Vince is asking for suggestions.”
Eventually, WWE executive Kevin Dunn spoke up and suggested that the company allow the audience reaction to guide the character rather than trying to force fans to reject Austin.
“Kevin Dunn finally said, ‘Vince, the crowd is liking this. Let’s just let it go where it wants to go.’”
Sahadi believes that moment played a major role in shaping WWE’s future. At the time, the company was struggling during its ratings battle with World Championship Wrestling.
“It was that close to being killed before his great rivalry with Bret Hart where he bled out,” Sahadi said. “If Stone Cold never arrived and existed, what would have happened with WWE?”
Sahadi said McMahon had even warned staff during that period that the company’s situation had become dire.
“Vince held a meeting where he said WCW is kicking our ass. We’ve been losing the ratings for over a year and if we don’t change we’ll be out of business in two months.”
Austin’s character would soon explode in popularity through his rivalry with Bret Hart and the famous angle with Mike Tyson heading into WrestleMania 14. The momentum helped WWE reverse the tide of the Monday Night Wars and launch the Attitude Era.
“If Vince kills Stone Cold, you might not be here talking about this today,” Sahadi said.
Do you think WWE would have survived the late 1990s without Stone Cold Steve Austin, or was his rise the moment that saved the company?
