Ex-WWE Star Reveals He Turned Down Famous Steve Austin Gimmick: A Blast From Wrestling’s Past
Wrestling lovers might imagine they understand all there may be about the evolution of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, but a recent revelation has shed light on a charming chapter in Austin’s profession—and one that would have changed his complete trajectory within the WWE.
In a candid discussion at the Road Trip After Hours podcast with wrestling legends Teddy Long and Mac Davis, former WWF/WWE famous person Bryan Clarke revisited his career, revealing that he became once provided the long-lasting WWE character that might cross on to turn out to be the legendary “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. The revelation is a jaw-dropper for wrestling lovers who know the person’s meteoric upward thrust to repute, but it additionally begs the query: what if Clarke had said sure?
The tale begins in 1995, just after Steve Austin’s departure from WCW and his short stint with ECW, when the WWE became beginning to craft Austin’s next big personality. Originally named The Ringmaster, Austin become paired with the Million Dollar Man, Ted DiBiase, and brought as the cold, calculating person who bore the Million Dollar Championship. But all people acquainted with Austin’s adventure knows that the Ringmaster gimmick was in no way one he loved—nor did he assume it might be the important thing to his destiny stardom.
In reality, Austin himself has admitted on numerous occasions that he loathed the person even earlier than he made his debut in January 1996. However, understanding the political landscape of the WWE at the time, he determined to roll with it, hoping it would open doorways. It was a circulate of pragmatism: playing along, even if it didn’t experience true, turned into honestly a way to advantage the necessary momentum to forge a future because the breakout celebrity he could later come to be. And, of course, the relaxation is history—Stone Cold became one of the most influential figures in wrestling history, revolutionizing the business with his rebellious anti-hero persona.
But in a surprising twist, Bryan Clarke found out that he himself became surely supplied The Ringmaster man or woman earlier than Austin even entered the photo. Clarke, who debuted as Adam Bomb in 1993 after a brief stint in Smoky Mountain Wrestling, become approached with the aid of WWE officers with 3 potential gimmicks for his person. One tied into his military historical past, another turned into primarily based on his nuclear-themed personality of Adam Bomb, and the 0.33 become none apart from The Ringmaster.
Despite the allure of the high-profile association with the Million Dollar Man, Clarke said he chose the Adam Bomb gimmick instead, believing it had more creative potential. “Back in those days, what they did is they trademarked a lot of names… Adam Bomb, and of course, Steve Austin’s gimmick later on,” Clarke explained during the podcast. He continued, “That was one of the names they had in the bank, but at the time, I felt like I could do more with Adam Bomb.”
In hindsight, Clarke’s decision to take Adam Bomb changed into virtually the right one for him. The individual, acknowledged for its nuclear disaster theme, can also have had its own flaws, however it have become a memorable part of wrestling history in its own right. Austin, alternatively, could soon remodel into the unforgettable, beer-drinking, middle-finger-flipping anti-hero, Stone Cold, a person that would subsequently come to be the centerpiece of the WWE’s Attitude Era and the face of a whole era of fanatics.
A Look Into Austin’s Future
As if this captivating piece of wrestling records wasn’t enough to get lovers speaking, Steve Austin is currently dealing with his very own battles. Recently, Austin revealed he wishes surgical procedure “pretty brief,” a result of lingering knee problems that date back to an ACL tear he suffered at some stage in his college football days. These knee issues, which dogged him for the duration of his wrestling profession, have now stuck up with the legend, who has hinted that he may need to head below the knife faster in preference to later.
Although Austin hasn’t appeared on WWE television considering that his cameo at WrestleMania 38, the Texas Rattlesnake has dropped recommendations approximately doubtlessly getting worried in WrestleMania forty one. It appears the man who built a profession on defying authority might be seeking to another time make his mark inside the squared circle—but only time will tell if that happens.
The road from The Ringmaster to Stone Cold was anything but a straight line, but it’s clear that Bryan Clarke’s decision to turn down the gimmick—and Steve Austin’s willingness to embrace the role—changed the course of WWE history. What if Clarke had been the one to wear the Ringmaster persona? We may never know, but one thing is for sure: wrestling fans are better off with the Texas Rattlesnake the way we know him today.
H/t to WrestlingNews.Co
