Steve Austin

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin: 2022 Biography, Net Worth, Family, Income

Steve Austin, born Steven James Anderson on December 18th 1964, became one of the most famous stars in the history of professional wrestling after spearheading the wrestling boom of the late 1990s/early 2000s in a period known as the ‘Attitude Era’.

Austin made his professional wrestling debut in 1989. After working the territories for a couple of years, he was eventually signed by World Championship Wrestling in 1991. The Texas native made a name for himself in WCW, with successful runs as part of The Dangerous Alliance and as one half of The Hollywood Blonds, alongside Brian Pillman.

But after an injury-ridden 1995, Austin was unceremoniously fired by WCW over the phone by Eric Bischoff. A brief stint in ECW followed, but the future Hall of Famer made his way to WWE (Then known as the WWF) by the end of the year.

Debuting as ‘The Ringmaster’ in early 1996, Austin was awarded the Million Dollar Championship by his manager Ted DiBiase. However, Austin struggled to connect with his new gimmick and soon pitched a change to his character. Partly inspired by ‘The Iceman’ serial killer, Richard Kuklinski, Austin changed up his look and began performing under the name ’Stone Cold’ Steve Austin.

The ‘Stone Cold’ persona saw Austin begin to rise up the ranks in the WWF, beginning with his King Of The Ring tournament victory in 1996, where he defeated Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts in the final. This significant victory in Austin’s career is widely remembered for the legendary post-match promo, which saw him birth the now iconic ‘Austin 3:16’ catchphrase and inspire one of the best selling pieces of merchandise in WWE history.

Austin’s momentum continued to grow over the next couple of years, with classic matches such as his WrestleMania 13 bout against Bret Hart putting him well and truly on the map. However, it was his feud with Mr. McMahon in late 1997 that really launched Austin’s career into the stratosphere.

Now one of the biggest stars in the company, Austin won the 1998 Royal Rumble match and went on to defeat Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XIV to win his first WWF Championship and usher in the ‘Austin Era’.

Thus began one of the most successful periods in professional wrestling history with ‘Stone Cold’ at the forefront of the industry. Classic feuds with the likes of The Undertaker, Kane and Mick Foley followed, but Austin’s greatest rival of this period was The Rock.

The two men transcended wrestling in the late 90s and became cultural icons while also headlining a trilogy of WrestleMania main events between 1999 and 2003. Following the final match of their iconic trilogy at WrestleMania 19, Austin quietly retired from in-ring competition and would not wrestle a match for almost two decades.

The Texas Rattlesnake remained a regular presence on WWE television following his retirement, appearing in a variety of roles while also finding success outside of wrestling as an actor, media personality and podcast host.

Steve Austin’s most recent match came in 2002, when he shockingly came out of retirement to face Kevin Owens in an impromptu ‘No Holds Barred’ match at WrestleMania 38, performing in his first wrestling match in over 19 years.

Net Worth

As of November 2022, Steve Austin has an estimated net worth of $30 Million.

Family

Steve Austin has been married four times, firstly to his high school girlfriend Kathryn Burrhus between 1990 and 1992. He then married his former wrestling manager Jeanie Clarke in 1992, with whom he had two children, Stephanie and Cassidy, and also adopted Jade, Clarke’s daughter from a previous relationship.

Austin and Clarke divorced in 1999 and he went on to marry another former wrestling manager in Debra Marshall in 2000, whom he later divorced in 2003.

Since 2009, Austin has been married to his fourth wife, Kristin Feres.

Income

Although now retired from wrestling, Austin is estimated to still earn $3 million a year.

Record

According to Cagematch.net, Steve Austin has competed in 1464 matches since his debut in 1989. He has a record of 817 wins, 527 losses and 120 draws, giving him a win percentage of 55.8%.

Figures correct as of November 10th 2022.

WCW Career

• WCW World Television Champion – 2 times
• WCW United States Heavyweight Champion – 2 times
• WCW World Tag Team Champion – 1 time
• NWA World Tag Team Champion – 1 time

WWE Career

• WWE Champion – 6 times
• WWE Intercontinental Champion – 2 times
• WWE Tag Team Champion – 4 times
• King Of The Ring Winner – 1996
• Royal Rumble Winner – 3 times (1997, 1998, 2001)

Charity

Steve Austin was part of the ‘We’re Texas’ virtual charity event in 2021, which helped raise money for those affected by the Winter storm in Texas.

Also, like many WWE stars, Austin has been involved with the Make-A-Wish Foundation for many years.