Ranking Stone Cold's X Most Badass WWE Moments on Austin 3:16 Day

For pro wrestling fans around the world, March 16 is a celebration of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, who memorably introduced them to the gospel of "Austin 3:16" and proceeded to deliver countless instances of his unbridled badassery.

In celebration of the Texas Rattlensake and his iconic Hall of Fame career, relive these 10 most badass moments he was responsible for in WWE.

10. A Third Royal Rumble Victory

The rivalry between Austin and Triple H nearly cost him a shot at a historic third Royal Rumble victory in 2001.

Beaten and bloodied by The Game before he could ever enter the Rumble match, Austin returned to the fray, his head split open but his desire to headline WrestleMania undeniable.

Showing off that toughness and grittiness that had come to define his on-screen persona, The Texas Rattlesnake overcame everyone from Billy Gunn to The Rock to be one of the final two competitors in the match.

Armed with a steel chair, he would overcome the seemingly unbeatable Kane and cash his ticket to the main event of WrestleMania X-Seven, where he would clash with Rock in one of the most iconic main events in WWE history.

But not before overcoming another split forehead and dropping some fools with a Stone Cold Stunner or two.

Austin remains the only Superstar to win three Royal Rumble matches.

9. You Get A Stunner and You Get A Stunner (Raw, July 16, 2001)

After being implored to help WWE in its battle against the WCW/ECW Alliance, Austin roared into the arena on the July 16 episode of Raw and unleashed hell, obliterating anyone who stood in his way.

Some caught fists, many endured Stone Cold Stunners, but everyone who pledged their allegiance to the opposition caught a beatdown at the hands of the WWE champion.

It was a moment that gave fans a taste of the old Stone Cold after months of an unfamiliar smiling, hugging, singing heel version of the character in the wake of an unforgettable betrayal back at WrestleMania X-Seven.

He would stab fans and his WWE teammates in the back once more six days later at the Invasion pay-per-view when he joined The Alliance as its leader, but for that brief moment in time, The Texas Rattlesnake looked like the in-your-face ass-kicker fans had first fallen in love with four years earlier.

8. Street Fight (Raw, April 21, 1997)

Getting a measure of revenge from WrestleMania 13 by beating Hart down and sending him out of the arena on a stretcher was not enough for The Texas Rattlesnake.

Despite a warning from Gorilla Monsoon, Austin re-emerged from the driver's side seat of the ambulance to attack a restrained Hitman, giving fans a look at the lengths to which he would go to get his lick back and open up a can of whoop ass on his rivals.

One of the best angles in Raw history, it only further enhanced Austin's shining star and proved to the audience and management alike that Stone Cold was the anti-authority rebel needed to battle back in the Monday Night Wars.

7. "Price Check On A Jackass!" (SmackDown, December 13, 2001)

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Never one to keep his vengeful beatdowns limited to the arena, Austin caught up with Booker T in a local grocery store on the December 13 episode of SmackDown.

What resulted was a wild, messy brawl that saw Austin beat Booker up and down the aisles of the market, humiliating him and physically punishing him for costing him the Undisputed WWE Championship at the previous Sunday's Vengeance pay-per-view.

No item was safe from his use in the unforgettable segment, which concluded at the cashier and ended with Austin uttering the now infamous phrase, "price check on a jackass!"

6. The Beer Truck (Raw, March 22, 1999)

Six days before WrestleMania XV, Austin interrupted the evil Mr. McMahon, his silver-spoon son Shane, and WWE champion The Rock by driving a beer truck into the arena.

After a brief verbal back-and-forth that sold the magnitude of the upcoming main event between him and The Corporate Champion at the Showcase of the Immortals, Austin did something that would live in the annals of WWE history by spraying his three rivals down with the adult beverage.

Austin soaked all three and at one point, had the CEO and Chairman of the Board swimming laps in beer while fans erupted, joyfully cheering on ol' Stone Cold as he got one over on his tormentors ahead of his latest chance to regain the title he had won for the first time just one year earlier.

Austin's willingness to operate heavy machinery would become one of his most endearing trademarks, be it a Zamboni, cement truck, or monster truck, he would drive any kind of monstrous vehicle into an arena if need be and unleash hell on his enemies and anyone else who stood in his path.

5. A Stunning Return To The Ring (WrestleMania 38)

Austin had not wrestled a match since his retirement match against The Rock at WrestleMania XIX when he returned to the squared circle in 2022 for a match with Kevin Owens.

The Texas Rattlesnake returned to the WrestleMania stage and waged war with a former Universal champion, battling him in and around the squared circle, then into the stands of the enormous AT&T Stadium in suburban Dallas.

Stone Cold took bumps on the unprotected floor, put his body through everything fans would have expected him to, and proved that he was the same ass-kicker that he had always been.

Then, he dropped Owens with a Stone Cold Stunner to put an exclamation point on the return to the squared circle, capping off a moment fans and Austin himself were unsure they would ever see again.

4. King of the Ring 1996

Lost amid a King of the Ring tournament victory and one of the most historically significant promos in wrestling history is one of Austin's gutsiest performances.

During the semifinal round match with "Wildman" Marc Mero, Austin suffered a bloody gash on his lip. Despite the victory over the newcomer, he was forced to make a hospital trip to have the wound sewn up, returning just in time to hit the ring for the KOTR final against Jake "The Snake" Roberts.

Austin defeated the born-again legend and joined Doc Hendrix on stage for his coronation, where he first uttered the phrase, "Austin 3:16 says I just whooped your ass!"

Not bad for a guy who wrestled two matches, made a pit stop at the hospital, had part of his mouth sewn together, and came up with arguably the most iconic promo off the top of his head.

A total display of badassery from someone for whom that label would routinely be applied.

3. Stunning the Boss (Raw, September 22, 1997)

Fed up with being told what he could and couldn't do amid a neck injury suffered a month earlier at SummerSlam, Austin rolled into Madison Square Garden for the September 22, 1997 episode of Raw and did something no man had ever done: he left the owner and voice of WWE lying unconscious inside the squared circle.

Austin dished out his first Stone Cold Stunner to Vince McMahon during an in-ring segment that saw him feign listening to the owner and operator, only to say, "hell, you can kiss my ass" and drop him with his devastating finisher.

It was the first time fans had witnessed the longtime commentator and owner of WWE physically assaulted like that and left lying, courtesy of one of his employees. It was the latest act of defiance from Austin as he continued to build momentum as as the antihero that would carry WWE back to the top of the pro wrestling world and past WCW in the Monday Night Wars.

Still a badass moment that would be repeated countless times over the next five years.

2. Austin and Tyson! Austin and Tyson!

Just 24 hours after winning his second, consecutive Royal Rumble match, Austin rolled into Raw and infuriated Mr. McMahon by interrupting the introduction of Mike Tyson as the special guest enforcer for WrestleMania.

With testosterone overflowing, Austin came face-to-face with the heavyweight boxer and warned the Baddest Man on the Planet that he had his eyes locked on "the world's toughest son of a b***h!"

As expected, things turned physical, with each man shoving the other and a melee breaking out. It was another act of defiance by a fearless Austin, who went toe-to-toe with an athlete who had the ability to knock him out with one punch.

The brawl that ensued ended up on mainstream television, with news channels and ESPN repeatedly playing the video, which highlighted WWE's resident badass ahead of his world title match against Shawn Michaels at the biggest show of the year.

1. Blood From A Stone (WrestleMania 13)

Austin rolled into WrestleMania 13 in March of 1997 for a Submission Match with Bret "Hitman" Hart that would serve as the latest, greatest chapter of their rivalry. A physical, violent battle, it spilled from the ring and into the stands at the historic Rosemont Horizon, home of some of the most iconic matches in WWE history.

At one point, Austin was sent head-first into the guardrail, splitting him open and leaving him a bloody mess. Late, Hart locked his compromised opponent in a Sharpshooter, but ol' Stone Cold refused to quit.

With the cameraman shooting his face closeup, capturing the drama as blood poured down his face, over his teeth, and to the mat below, Austin battled before his body gave out and he passed out from the pain.

The fans appreciated the grittiness and toughness Austin displayed and by the end of the match, would instigate a double-turn, with the bald-headed badass becoming the beloved shades-of-grey babyface and the former goody-two-shoes Hitman becoming a hated heel, forever changing the course of WWE history.