STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN

Stone ColdStats
Height: 6 foot 2
Weight: 252 pounds
From: Victoria, Texas
Signature Move: Stone Cold Stunner
Entrance Video: WATCH
Career Highlights: WWE Champion; Intercontinental Champion; World Tag Team Champion; King of the Ring (1996); Royal Rumble winner (1997, 1998, 2001); WCW U.S. Champion; WCW Tag Team Champion
Besides being one of the most popular, dangerous and rebellious Superstars in the history of WWE, Stone Cold Steve Austin is also a six-time WWE Champion, the only three-time Royal Rumble Match winner and a King of the Ring winner, among many other distinctions. He has also won the WWE Championship at WrestleMania on three separate occasions.
Stone Cold is arguably the most popular WWE Superstar of all time, but he has been very quiet since WWE Homecoming in October. But Stone Cold has finally broken his silence. The Texas Rattlesnake recently conducted an interview with WWE.com and talked about some of the greatest wrestlers to ever come out of Texas. Stone Cold brought up names like Dusty Rhodes, the Funks and even Shawn Michaels. But one name he didn't mention was JBL. He gave the former WWE Champion credit for being from Texas, but he left it at that.
JBL took notice of the interview and was irate. The media maven was so enraged that he called out Stone Cold. He didn't even call out the Texas Rattlesnake for a match. Instead, JBL called him out for a Beer Drinking Contest at Saturday Night's Main Event. Stone Cold's beer-drinking antics are legendary, but JBL wanted to beat Stone Cold at his own game.
The Wrestling God had 25 beers each set up for himself and Stone Cold. He said he didn't want to get tipsy, so the winner would be determined by who could drink the most beers in one minute. JBL said he wanted to do it like the old days in Texas - back to back. Stone Cold didn't trust JBL, so moments after the contest began, Stone Cold snuck up on JBL and caught him - JBL had been spilling his beer instead of drinking it. Relizing he was caught, JBL threw a beer at Stone Cold and retreated. But the Wrestling God's WrestleMania 22 opponent, Chris Benoit, came out and threw him back in the ring. Stone Cold made JBL pay the price and after drenching him with beer, he hit him with a classic Stone Cold Stunner.
WWE.DoubleClick.renderAd('300x250');
Prior Saturday Night's Main Event, Stone Cold was last seen right around WWE Homecoming. He returned for RAW's first night back on the USA Network, Oct. 3, 2005. Mr. McMahon came to the ring and showed some embarrassing moments on the Titan tron of the Texas Rattlesnake. Stone Cold was none too happy with this and came to the ring and showed some moments of his own, embarrasing Mr. McMahon. Mr. McMahon wanted to start with a clean slate, but Stone Cold thought giving him a Stunner would be a better idea. One by one, the rest of the McMahon family came to the ring, but they all met the same fate as the family's patriarch, even WWE CEO Linda McMahon. With all of the McMahons laying in the ring, Stone Cold broke into a celebration like only he could - with a lot of beer.
Stone Cold's claims to fame are many, but he is perhaps best remembered for his battles with WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon that began in 1998. The rivalry led to Stone Cold occupying many unique roles outside the ring, including a stint as WWE CEO. In fact, it was Mr. McMahon who spoke out against Stone Cold's return during a meeting with the WWE Board of Directors to decide The Rattlesnake's reinstatement — yet another battle against Mr. McMahon that Stone Cold won.
While a neck injury may have forced Stone Cold to stop competing in the ring after WrestleMania XIX, he continues to be a star. And since he recently signed a three-picture deal under the WWE Films banner, he will soon be thrust back into the international spotlight.
But whether it's Hollywood or in the WWE ring, Stone Cold will always be a trash-talking, beer-swilling, finger-gesturing, ass-kicking son of a bitch ... and he, and the millions of WWE fans around the world would not have it any other way.
Stone Cold Steve Austin broke into the world of sports-entertainment in 1990 in Texas, where he was trained by “Gentleman” Chris Adams. It was against Adams that Stone Cold had his first heated rivalry. It only fanned the flames when Steve took on Lady Blossom, Adams’ ex-wife, as his manager.
Stone Cold’s USWA tenure lasted about a year before he moved on to WCW. There, he won the WCW Television Championship immediately under the moniker of “Stunning” Steve Austin. It would be the first of two TV championship reigns while in WCW.
Stunning Steve became a member of a faction known as the Dangerous Alliance in late 1991, aligning himself with the now-notorious Paul Heyman. The formidable group consisted of Steve, “Ravishing” Rick Rude, Arn Anderson, Bobby Eaton and Larry Zbysko.
Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat would wrest the Television Championship from Stone Cold at Clash of the Champions, and the Alliance split up not long after. But this series of events had a silver lining, as Stone Cold found chemistry and substantial success teaming with Brian Pillman as “The Hollywood Blondes.” The two would strut to the ring, taking turns playing the role of film director and movie star under the lights and before the attentive crowd.
Their “breakthrough hit” (and Steve’s revenge) came on March 2, 1993, when the Hollywood Blondes won the WCW Tag Team Championship from Steamboat & Shane Douglas. This marked the start of the Blondes’ “Brush with Greatness” tour, where they fought lesser-known and “never-will-be” wrestlers each week. This, Steve said, was their “brush with greatness.”
In August 1993, Pillman was injured and the disintegration of the Hollywood Blondes began. In Pillman’s place, Steve teamed with William (Lord Steven) Regal for a tag title defense at Clash of the Champions against Arn Anderson & Paul Roma. It was the Horsemen’s night; they captured the WCW Tag Team Championship. Out of building frustration, Steve turned on Pillman, then defeated his former partner at Clash of the Champions in November.
By December, Steve had his sights set on Dustin Rhodes’ WCW United States Championship. Steve took that belt in decisive fashion at Starrcade that month, beating Rhodes with two straight falls in a best-of-three title bout.
Steve held the United States Championship through the first half of 1994, at which time he renewed his unsettled rivalry with Ricky Steamboat. The Dragon struck first and took the U.S. Championship at Clash of the Champions in August. But Steve was awarded the championship via forfeit when Steamboat couldn’t answer the bell for their scheduled pay-per-view rematch at September’s Fall Brawl.
Soon after, Steve departed for a tour through Japan. While there, he suffered a knee injury and was written off by WCW. Head of WCW Eric Bischoff fired Steve over the phone. Injured and unemployed, Steve went home to rehabilitate his knee and drink plenty of beer.
While recuperating, he received an unexpected phone call from ECW owner Paul Heyman, his former WCW manager. Heyman offered Steve a forum to air his grievances about WCW. He gave Steve a microphone and told him run wild with it. What followed were a series of scathing commentary segments, including “Monday Nyquil” mocking WCW’s Monday Nitro television broadcast. When “Superstar” Steve Austin let his passion and personality out, he struck a chord and caught on with the fans like never before.
In January 1996, Steve received an opportunity to join WWE as Ted DiBiase’s “Million Dollar Champion.” Using the moniker of “The Ringmaster,” Steve battled Matt Hardy and Marty Jannetty before experiencing his first WrestleMania (XII) in a win over Savio Vega. But at the In Your House event titled “Beware of Dog,” Steve lost a special Strap Match to Vega. As a result, DiBiase was forced to leave WWE.
Without DiBiase holding the reins, Steve had the opportunity to strike out on his own. He promptly declared that he lost to Vega on purpose to get rid of the overbearing DiBiase. Now, he was his own man in WWE, and would be known as “Stone Cold Steve Austin.”
A defiant Stone Cold won the 1996 King of the Ring tournament in June, defeating Jake “The Snake” Roberts in the finals. It was then that Stone Cold gave his famous “3:16” speech putting every WWE Superstar on notice. And this loner backed up all the talk — pummeling anyone who crossed his path.
He began badmouthing Bret Hart, who was on hiatus from WWE, but before he could get his hands on Hart, a familiar face arrived on the scene: Brian Pillman. This go-around wasn’t so smooth. In fact, the conflict spilled outside the wrestling ring and into their personal lives. On Nov. 4, 1996, Stone Cold Steve Austin broke into Pillman’s Kentucky home. The raid compelled Pillman to defend himself with potentially lethal force.
Stone Cold survived. Two weeks later at Survivor Series, Bret Hart answered the longstanding challenge. Their rivalry continued through Royal Rumble. There, in a classic moment, entrant No. 5 Stone Cold was eliminated by Hart while the referees were diverted. Seizing the opportunity, The Rattlesnake slithered back into the ring undetected. He then proceeded to eliminate Undertaker and Vader — last tossing Hart. So, Stone Cold Steve Austin was declared the Rumble’s controversial winner.
When Hart later claimed the vacated WWE Championship, it infuriated Stone Cold. The next night on RAW, Stone Cold interfered during Bret’s match with Psycho Sid, costing Hart the championship. This led to a Submission Match at WrestleMania 13. Stone Cold refused to tap to the Sharpshooter, but he eventually passed out from excessive blood loss, ending the bout. The image of Stone Cold caught in the Sharpshooter will forever be remembered as one of the greatest moments in WrestleMania history.
From there, things only escalated until The Rattlesnake was warring with the entire Hart family. In May 1997 on RAW, Steve was forced by WWE to team with Shawn Michaels. Together, they did win the World Tag Team Championship from Owen Hart & British Bulldog, but they still despised each other. When they fought at King of the Ring, the whole Hart Foundation jumped both of them.
This led to an epic 10-man tag-team match at Canadian Stampede in 1997, which was the culmination of a host of rivalries. The match pitted The Hart Foundation (Bret, Owen, British Bulldog, Pillman & Jim Neidhart) against Stone Cold, Ken Shamrock, Goldust & Legion of Doom. When the Harts won on their home turf, Stone Cold was booed out of the building. It didn’t faze him, and at SummerSlam, he challenged Owen for the Intercontinental Championship.
During the match, Owen broke Stone Cold’s neck with a piledriver. Stone Cold not only miraculously finished the match, but he won the championship. There was no realistic way for him to defend the Intercontinental Championship in his condition, however, so he had no choice but to forfeit the championship and begin rehabilitation.
Incredibly, The Rattlesnake came back just one month later to cost Owen & British Bulldog their World Tag Team Championship. This renewed the hatred, but Mr. McMahon wasn’t convinced he could safely allow the rivalry to resume. To cover WWE, Mr. McMahon demanded that Stone Cold sign a liability waiver before he could compete. Stone Cold complied, and at Survivor Series in 1997, he defeated Owen to recapture the Intercontinental Championship. But there was a hungry competitor waiting for an opportunity to challenge for that championship — Rocky Maivia, who is better known today as The Rock.
Stone Cold Steve Austin fought back the challenger at the D-Generation X pay-per-view, but Mr. McMahon demanded that he defend the championship again against Maivia the following night on RAW. Stone Cold refused on principle. Instead of simply disobeying Mr. McMahon, Stone Cold sent him a message by tossing the Intercontinental Championship belt into a New Hampshire river. Furious, McMahon stripped Stone Cold of the championship and awarded it to Maivia as a “forfeit victory.” The animosity created between Stone Cold and Mr. McMahon based on these events officially marked the start of one of the best-known rivalries in the history of sports-entertainment. Stone Cold and Mr. McMahon would trade moments of triumph and outrage for the better part of the next two years — constantly trying to make life miserable for the other.
Despite all of McMahon’s efforts, The Rattlesnake won the 1998 Royal Rumble Match — last eliminating The Rock. In a high-profile follow-up for the WWE Championship, Stone Cold then beat HBK at WrestleMania XIV with “Iron” Mike Tyson as special guest referee. After the match, Mr. McMahon explained that he was fed up with Stone Cold’s rank behavior — that either he’d become a well-mannered “Company Champion” … or else. Stone Cold responded with a stunner on the boss.
On April 13, 1998, it appeared the WWE fans would finally get to see Stone Cold and Mr. McMahon battle out their differences in the ring on RAW. But the match was declared a No-Contest when Dude Love made a shocking appearance, coming between the boss and Stone Cold.
McMahon continued to do everything he could to ruin The Rattlesnake, and he finally scored a big victory for his side at the 1998 King of the Ring tournament. There, Stone Cold lost the WWE Championship to the “Big Red Monster” Kane in a First Blood Match.
McMahon couldn’t savor the victory for long. Stone Cold further infuriated his nemesis by winning back the championship the next night on RAW. Stone Cold delivered another blow to McMahon by taking away the World Tag Team Championship a month later alongside the Undertaker. It was a combustible combination, leading to a match between them at SummerSlam. Stone Cold emerged victorious — something Mr. McMahon couldn’t tolerate. So, the boss set up a Triple Threat Match at Breakdown in September. It proved to be more like a Handicap Match in the end, as half-brothers Undertaker and Kane pinned Stone Cold simultaneously.
With no single winner, Mr. McMahon decided to vacate the WWE Championship and award it based on a match between Undertaker and Kane at the next pay-per-view. Since former champion Stone Cold was also involved in the original match, he was made special referee. In typical Stone Cold fashion, he screwed both competitors, hitting Stunners on both and stealing the championship for himself. Feeling he had no other recourse, Mr. McMahon fired The Rattlesnake for his actions.
Mysteriously, Stone Cold re-emerged having inked a brand-new five-year contract. Mr. McMahon was beside himself, and it was all the more aggravating when it was revealed that his son, Shane, was the McMahon to re-sign The Rattlesnake. With Steve back in the fold, there was a Survivor Series tournament to award the vacant WWE Championship. Stone Cold was building momentum toward his second WWE Championship, and in the semifinals against Mankind, he appeared a mere three-count from moving on to the final match. But acting referee Shane refused to count a pin for Stone Cold. Without a way to win, Stone Cold eventually succumbed to Mankind. The Rock would benefit most greatly, winning the tournament to become WWE Champion.
The Rattlesnake’s next definitive chance to exact revenge from Mr. McMahon came during the 1999 Royal Rumble Match. Stone Cold drew entry No. 1, while McMahon drew No. 2. Despite a vicious attack from McMahon’s Corporation, both lasted until the end. The odds proved insurmountable, however. With the assistance of the Corporation, Stone Cold was eliminated — making Mr. McMahon the Royal Rumble Match winner.
On Feb. 14, 1999, at St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, Stone Cold finally got a one-on-one match against Mr. McMahon — and it came in a Steel Cage. With a world championship opportunity at WrestleMania at stake, Mr. McMahon devised a large surprise. During the match, Big Show made his shocking debut, ripping off the side of the Steel Cage. But Show’s attack propelled Stone Cold to the area floor first, technically making him the victor. Stone Cold made the most of his chance, defeating the Corporation’s The Rock at WrestleMania XV for his third WWE Championship.
WWE then took as ominous turn when Undertaker’s Ministry of Darkness and McMahon’s Corporation merged in an effort to overpower Stone Cold. It temporarily worked; Undertaker won the WWE Championship thanks to McMahon’s meddling. But Stone Cold had an equalizer for the Corporate Ministry: power granted by Linda McMahon, who named Stone Cold Steve Austin CEO of WWE. This was an intolerable development for Mr. McMahon, who placed himself and Shane in a Ladder Match against The Rattlesnake with control of the company at stake. Once again, Stone Cold would have won on the merits, but the McMahons had another game plan. When during the match Stone Cold scaled the ladder for the winning briefcase, it was mysteriously raised beyond his reach. This continued until the McMahons secured victory and full control of WWE.
But Stone Cold wouldn’t stay down for long. In fact, he bounced back in a big way the very next day — winning the WWE Championship by beating Undertaker. By Survivor Series in 1999, the Corporation’s Triple H was champion, and Stone Cold was supposed to get his chance to reclaim gold in a Triple Threat Match. Instead, he was run down by a car in the parking lot. What followed was neck surgery and a nine-month rehabilitation. But Stone Cold Steve Austin would eventually return for payback.
In October 2000, beer-swilling, trash-talking Stone Cold was back to annihilate Rikishi, who admitted to committing the vehicular assault. But in the process of beating him down, Stone Cold learned that it was actually The Cerebral Assassin behind the whole scheme — devised to shield the WWE Championship. So at Survivor Series in 2000, Stone Cold gave Triple H a taste of his own medicine: When The Game tried to flee the arena in his automobile, Stone Cold lifted it with a construction crane, then let it drop 30 feet. Triple H learned the hard way that there’s nothing Stone Cold won’t do.
Stone Cold then won the Royal Rumble Match for an astounding third time in 2001, last eliminating the Big Red Monster Kane. After coming up short against Triple H in a special best-of-three — featuring a traditional match, a Street Fight and a Steel Cage Match — Stone Cold decided to take drastic measures to ensure a stranglehold on WWE.
Appropriately on April Fool’s Day, Stone Cold pulled a fast one on WWE’s fans and The Rock at WrestleMania, aligning with bitter enemy Mr. McMahon. By doing so, he was able to win back the WWE Championship. The next night on RAW, Triple H involved himself in a Steel Cage Match — attacking not Stone Cold but The Rock! This officially marked Stone Cold’s “deal with the devil” and formation of the alliance known as “Power Trip.”
The corporate faction seemed unstoppable. Corporate Steve was WWE Champion; Triple H was Intercontinental Champion; and at Backlash, they together became World Tag Team Champions, as well. They didn’t show vulnerability until May, when Y2J and Chris Benoit won the World Tag Team Championship — in part because Triple H tore his quadriceps muscle completely off the bone during the match. Everything had come full circle for Stone Cold, who just like in 1993 was left without his tag partner because of a serious injury.
Back out on his own defending the WWE Championship, Stone Cold battled both his rivals in a Triple Threat Match against Jericho and Benoit at King of the Ring.
In July, The Rattlesnake had shed the corporate image and was back in full rebellious form, leading Team WWE against the Alliance. But at Invasion, Stone Cold switched allegiances, joining Team WCW/ECW. It marked the beginning of a bitter dispute with Kurt Angle, who stepped up to command Team WWE in Stone Cold’s place. Doing his best to infuriate the Olympic gold medalist, Stone Cold threw Angle’s medals into a river. In a memorable moment of retribution, Angle doused Stone Cold and the Alliance with a blasting milk bath in shades of Stone Cold’s famous beer bath incident. The Alliance was forced to disband as a result of Team WWE’s victory at Survivor Series, but Stone Cold was able to protect his job through his WWE Championship.
On Feb. 17, 2002, Stone Cold was forced into a war with another infamous faction when the nWo interfered during his match for the unified world championship, spray-painting his back. As a result, Stone Cold began his pursuit of the group, culminating with a victory over Scott Hall before more than 67,000 fans at Toronto’s SkyDome.
All throughout, Stone Cold continued to clash with authority. He was constantly at odds with Ric Flair, who held the position of RAW owner at the time. Eventually things got so bad that Stone Cold Steve Austin walked out. He was gone for close to a year.
He returned at No Way Out in 2003, taking exception to another authority figure — Eric Bischoff. RAW’s General Manager had little patience for The Rattlesnake and considered him a liability, so he fired him the day after WrestleMania on RAW. One month later, Linda McMahon again came to Stone Cold’s aid, making him co-GM alongside Bischoff. It was thought that the two might be forced to work together and co-exist. Instead, they butted heads constantly and Stone Cold continued to raise hell every chance he got. Steve did his best to get under Bischoff’s skin, ordering such events as a “Redneck Triathlon” between himself and his counterpart at Bad Blood.
Feeling he was left with no other recourse, Bischoff devised a Survivor Series Match pitting his team against Stone Cold’s, with the loser out as General Manager. Fortunately for Bischoff, his team came out on top. The Rattlesnake vanished, but Santa Claus did make the SmackDown! brand trip for a very special “Christmas in Iraq.” In the ring and before the troops, Santa unmasked and delivered a Stone Cold Stunner on Mr. McMahon. It was the best present The Rattlesnake could have ever given himself.
Stone Cold then returned as the “Sheriff” of RAW, causing trouble, drinking beer and maintaining his own brand of discipline. He refereed Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg at WrestleMania XX, stealing the spotlight by delivering a Stunner to each of them at the end of the match.
In April 2004, Stone Cold and WWE parted ways, which many thought would be permanent. But Stone Cold and WWE found common ground when the opportunity arose to utilize Stone Cold’s popularity and reputation in starring roles for WWE Films. Additionally, The Rattlesnake made his mark at WrestleMania 21 with two well-placed Stunners on turf of another famous WWE trash-talker — Rowdy Roddy Piper in Piper’s Pit.
WWE.DoubleClick.renderAd('160x600');
Pay-Per-View Schedules
Corporate
Contact Us
Help/FAQ
Advertise
Newsletter Sign-up
Terms and Conditions
Privacy
Copyright
All World Wrestling Entertainment programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, and logos are the exclusive property of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. ECW is a trademark of WWE Libraries, Inc. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. © 2008 World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
This website is based in the United States. By submitting personal information to this website you consent to your information being maintained in the United States, subject to applicable U.S. laws. U.S. law may be different than the law of your home count.

THE ROCK

Height: 6' 5" Weight: 255 pounds From: Miami, Florida
Favorite Quote: "If you smell what The Rock is cookin'!"Finishing Move: Rock Bottom; People's Elbow Career Highlights: WWE Champion; Intercontinental Champion; Tag Team Champion; 2000 Royal Rumble winner; WCW Champion.
He was the most electrifying man in sports-entertainment. He is also one of the most recognized faces on the planet and one of the hottest celebrities in all walks of life.
Call him whatever you want, but to the millions -- and millions -- of fans around the world, there is no substitute for The Rock.

A third-generation WWE Superstar, The Rock at first did not plan to follow in the family tradition of sports-entertainment stardom. He instead used his athletic skill on the gridiron, where he starred for the University of Miami. After a brief professional football career, The Rock decided to give WWE a shot -- a choice that would begin a new era in the entertainment world. In only a few years, The Rock was a multi-time WWE Champion and one of the most celebrated Superstars to ever set foot in the ring, having classic rivalries with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Triple H.
But it was more than his ability to "layeth the smacketh down" in the ring that made The Rock a Superstar. His quick wit, charisma and ability to talk smack earned such raves that “The People’s Champion” was asked to speak to the people over and over again. His many famous public appearances included hosting “Saturday Night Live” in 2000 and a speech at the 2002 Republican National Convention.
By 2001, The Rock became a multi-media superstar, having starred in the feature film,The Mummy Returns, and its highly successful prequel, The Scorpion King. Recently, he starred in the blockbuster film, Doom. His autobiography, The Rock Says... was a New York Times No. 1 bestseller.
The Rock continued his film career by starring in Walking Tall, an action drama based on a true story, which follows his performance in The Rundown. While The Rock certainly stays busy in Hollywood, he is always ready to return to the ring when duty calls.
He defeated "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan in a classic match at WrestleMania X8. When Mick Foley suffered injury and humiliation at the hands of Evolution in 2004, The Rock returned to Raw to reform the Rock 'n' Sock Connection, and the two competed as a team at WrestleMania XX in a losing effort.
That was the last time "The People's Champion" competed in a WWE ring. No matter how much time he spends away from the ring, The Rock remains one of the most beloved WWE Superstars.

THE UNDERTAKER

The Deadman has overcome every challenge he's faced in his WWE career en route to becoming one of the the greatest Superstars in WWE history.
From the moment his signature gong fills the air, WWE fans are captivated by Undertaker’s mere presence. The Deadman from Death Valley is usually a man of few words, but can often intimidate even the toughest WWE Superstars with one glance. His somber persona has been a terrifying trademark of WWE for over 15 years, and no list of WWE all-time greats can be considered complete without Undertaker.
At the 1990 Survivor Series, Ted DiBiase introduced Undertaker as the final member of his “Million Dollar Team” for a Classic Survivor Series Match. From the minute he walked through the curtain with manager Brother Love, fans were in awe of the Deadman’s presence.
Undertaker soon left Brother Love in favor of Paul Bearer, and made his WrestleMania debut by defeating Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka in 1991. The Deadman quickly made major waves in WWE, winning the WWE Championship from Hulk Hogan within a year of his debut at the 1991 Survivor Series. Hogan received an immediate rematch a week later, defeating the Deadman to regain the championship and end his undefeated streak.
WWE.DoubleClick.renderAd('300x250');
After defeating former ally Jake “The Snake” Roberts at WrestleMania VIII, Undertaker became a fan favorite and found himself embroiled in a rivalry with manager Harvey Wippleman. Over the next year, Undertaker fought off several of Wippleman’s associates, including a victory over Kamala in the first-ever Casket Match at Survivor Series1992. Wippleman next produced Giant Gonzales, whom Undertaker defeated at WrestleMania IX and SummerSlam 1993.
At the 1994 Royal Rumble, the Deadman met Yokozuna in a Casket Match for the WWE Championship. It took nearly a dozen men to help the 700-pound champion defeat the Deadman, and after the match, Undertaker said he would not rest in peace. Months later, Ted DiBiase claimed that he found Undertaker, but it turned out to be only a look-alike, and the real Deadman defeated his impostor at SummerSlam 1994. Undertaker then got his revenge on Yokozuna, defeating the big man in a Casket Match at the 1994 Survivor Series.
1995 saw Undertaker continue to battle Ted DiBiase’s Corporation, who had stolen Paul Bearer’s sacred urn at the Royal Rumble. Undertaker took on and defeated DiBiase’s entire team, including a victory over King Kong Bundy at WrestleMania XI and a Casket Match victory over Kama at SummerSlam.
After a brief rivalry that saw Mabel destroy Undertaker’s face, the Deadman vanquished Mabel in a Casket Match and turned his sights back to the WWE Championship. He took on Bret Hart at the 1996 Royal Rumble, but Diesel’s interference cost the Deadman his chance. After returning the favor to Diesel the next month, Undertaker defeated him at WrestleMania XII for his fifth consecutive WrestleMania victory.
Later in 1996, Paul Bearer turned on the Deadman, casting his lot with Mankind. Following Mankind’s Boiler Room Brawl victory over Undertaker at SummerSlam, Bearer handed the sacred urn to Mankind, who nailed the Deadman in the head with it. Undertaker finally got revenge by defeating Mankind at the 1996 Survivor Series; while their rivalry was not yet over, the Deadman turned away to focus on becoming champion once again.
After narrowly losing a Final Four Match for the WWE Championship in February 1997, Undertaker finally got another chance at WrestleMania 13. There, the Deadman defeated Sid to win the gold for a second time, also pushing his WrestleMania record to 6-0. Throughout the summer of 1997, the Deadman defeated the likes of Steve Austin, Vader and Mankind before an errant chairshot from guest referee Shawn Michaels allowed Bret hart to defeat the Deadman for the gold at SummerSlam.
Following SummerSlam, Undertaker began stalking Michaels, leading up to the first-ever Hell in a Cell Match at Badd Blood. As it seemed that the Deadman was set to win the match, Kane made his WWE Debut, attacking his brother and costing him the match. Undertaker originally refused to fight his brother, but changed his mind at the 1998 Royal Rumble.
That night, Kane helped Michaels defeat Undertaker in a Casket Match, then wheeled the casket into the entranceway and set it on fire. Undertaker returned a month later to challenge Kane to a match at WrestleMania XIV. It took three Tombstone Piledrivers, but Undertaker turned back his brother that night to keep his WrestleMania record intact.
That summer, Kane & Undertaker continued to battle, and the Big Red Machine found an ally in his brother’s arch-nemesis, Mankind. Mankind battled Undertaker in an infamous Hell in a Cell Match at King of the Ring 1998; the Deadman won the match, which provided one of the most breathtaking visuals in WWE history when he threw Mankind off the Cell through the Spanish announcers’ table nearly 20 feet below.
A month later, Undertaker teamed with Stone Cold to defeat Kane & Mankind for the World Tag Team Championship. They would lose the gold shortly thereafter, and Undertaker would lose to Austin at SummerSlam 1998 in a classic battle for the WWE Championship.
After SummerSlam, Undertaker reconciled with Kane, and the two simultaneously pinned Austin in September during a WWE Championship Match. The controversy surrounding the championship led to the Deadly Game Tournament at Survivor Series; Undertaker beat Kane in the first round but later lost to The Rock, who went on to win the tournament and his first WWE Championship.
Early in 1999, Undertaker recruited the Acolytes, The Brood, Mideon & Viscera to form the Ministry of Darkness. They targeted Mr. McMahon and the Corporation, with Stephanie McMahon being Undertaker’s ultimate target. The war between Undertaker and the McMahons led to the Deadman defeating Big Boss Man in a Hell in a Cell Match at WrestleMania XV; soon after, the two groups patched up their differences and merged into one super group, and Undertaker defeated Steve Austin for his third WWE Championship in May 1999.
Undertaker later lost the gold back to Austin, and after that loss, he shifted his focus. The Deadman formed a team with Big Show, and together they captured the World Tag Team Championship twice in the fall of 1999. Later that fall, Undertaker refused to participate in a Casket Match against Triple H, leading to Mr. McMahon suspending the Deadman indefinitely.
He would not return until May 2000, when he began a rivalry with then-WWE Champion Triple H and D-Generation X. Reconciling once again with Kane, Undertaker ran roughshod over WWE, nearly winning the WWE Championship on several occasions. That December, Undertaker teamed up with The Rock to win the World Tag Team Championship, a reign that would last only three days.
Despite that loss, Undertaker went on to have a big year in 2001 After defeating Triple H at WrestleMania X-Seven to improve his WrestleMania record to 9-0, the Deadman teamed with Kane to win the World Tag Team Championship that April. Undertaker also helped Mr. McMahon fight off the ECW/WCW Alliance’s invasion, and Undertaker & Kane won both the WCW and World Tag Team Championships that summer. Undertaker was also on the victorious WWE team at Survivor Series, putting the Alliance out of business.
Following that win, however, his attitude began to change. He won the Hardcore Championship from Rob Van Dam at Vengeance in December, then began a rivalry with Ric Flair after Flair cost him a match at No Way Out. The Deadman defeated Flair in a No-Disqualification Match at WrestleMania X8, marking the Deadman’s 10th consecutive WrestleMania win. Regardless, Flair chose Undertaker as RAW’s No. 1 pick in the brand extension draft that April, and the Deadman paid immediate dividends by defeating Hulk Hogan for his fourth WWE Championship at Judgment Day.
After losing the gold at Vengeance, Undertaker became a fan favorite once again, taking on the Un-Americans. After defeating Test at SummerSlam, the Deadman moved from RAW to SmackDown, where he became a top contender to WWE Champion Brock Lesnar. After a bitter rivalry, Lesnar finally defeated the Deadman at No Mercy in a bloody Hell in a Cell Match, and the two put their differences aside. That same week, Undertaker was injured by Big Show, putting him out of action for three months.
The Deadman returned at the 2003 Royal Rumble, where he entered No. 30 but was the last man eliminated by eventual winner Lesnar. Undertaker set his sights on Big Show, and at WrestleMania XIX, he defeated Show & A-Train in a Handicap Match to get retribution. The rivalry between Big Show & Undertaker continued throughout 2003, with Lesnar and Kurt Angle once again getting involved during the summer. Finally, Mr. McMahon got involved, helping Lesnar defeat the Deadman at No Mercy.
Undertaker then challenged McMahon to a Buried Alive Match at Survivor Series. McMahon was victorious with help from RAW Superstar Kane, who attacked his brother to help the WWE Chairman bury him alive. Undertaker would not be seen again for four months, but made his presence felt wherever Kane went. After two months of mind games, Paul Bearer and the Deadman returned at WrestleMania XX to defeat Kane for a second time at WrestleMania in an inter-promotional match.
Following his return to SmackDown, Undertaker took on all comers, but was forced to leave Paul Bearer behind. Eventually, he found himself as the top contender to WWE Champion JBL, and the two met at SummerSlam. JBL won the match by disqualification, but the rivalry was only beginning.
Undertaker stalked JBL for months, but was unable to win the gold. Heidenreich’s interference helped JBL win a Last Ride Match at No Mercy; because of this, the Deadman shifted his focus to go after Heidenreich instead. He would defeat Heidenreich at Survivor Series, then once again in a Casket Match at the 2005 Royal Rumble.
It was around that time that RAW’s Randy Orton was looking to do something big at WrestleMania. After much deliberation, the Legend Killer decided to try to slay the biggest Legend of them all, challenging the Deadman to a match at WrestleMania. Despite the best efforts of both Orton and father Cowboy Bob, the Deadman defeated the Legend Killer to make it a perfect 13-0 at WrestleMania, injuring Orton’s shoulder in the process.
Orton would strike back in June, costing Undertaker a match with JBL after being drafted to SmackDown earlier in the night. Orton then helped JBL defeat Undertaker again in July on SmackDown, and the Legend Killer and the Deadman were set for another showdown at SummerSlam. This time, Cowboy Bob’s interference helped Randy defeat Undertaker, but the war was far from over.
Undertaker haunted the Ortons throughout the fall, leading to a Handicap Casket Match at No Mercy. Randy & Cowboy Bob were victorious, but after the match, they lit the casket containing Undertaker on fire, seemingly burning him alive. It was not to be, however, and after Orton was the sole survivor to help Team SmackDown defeat Team RAW at Survivor Series, Undertaker made his triumphant return.
Two nights later at the SmackDown special, Orton tried to take out the Deadman again, driving him through the stage as he clung to the back of a lowrider. It didn’t work, and the two were put into a Hell in a Cell Match at Armageddon. Undertaker finally got revenge that night, defeating the Legend Killer with a Tombstone Piledriver.
At the 2006 Royal Rumble, the Deadman set his sights back on the World Heavyweight Championship, challenging Kurt Angle for the gold after Angle defeated Mark Henry. The match was set for No Way Out, and after a classic encounter, the champion was able to pin the Deadman to retain the championship. Undertaker said he wasn’t done with Angle yet, and a rematch was set two weeks later on Friday Night SmackDown.
During the match, it looked like the Deadman had the gold won once again when Mark Henry interfered. The World’s Strongest Man viciously attacked Undertaker, splashing him through the announcers’ table at ringside. The following week, after Henry & Randy Orton faced Angle & Rey Mysterio, the Deadman’s voice filled the air. He challenged the World’s Strongest Man to a Casket Match, which Henry readily accepted immediately. The next week, Henry called Undertaker out to meet face to face at Saturday Night's Main Event; the Deadman responded, attacking Henry and giving Daivari a Tombstone onto the lid of a casket.
Finally, Undertaker defeated Henry in the Casket Match at WrestleMania 22 to improve his perfect WrestleMania record to 14-0. Henry requested a rematch the following week on Friday night SmackDown, but the match served only as a backdrop for an attack on the Deadman by Henry's manager, Daivari and his new protege The Great Khali.
Khali came into the ring and nailed Undertaker with a vicious chop, leaving the Deadman down in the ring. For weeks, the Deadman was not seen or heard from, leading Daivari to claim that his spirit had been broken and he was afraid. Finally, Theodore Long announced that the Deadman had challenged Khali to a match at Judgment Day; Khali accepted, and the confrontation was finally set.
Coming into Judgment Day, Undertaker had successfully turned back every other challenger he had faced in his long and illustrious WWE career. However, the 7 foot 3, 420 pound Great Khali proved to be an exception to the rule. Never before was Undertaker manhandled in such a fashion as he was by the threatening Khali. Daivari's new monster disposed of the Phenom with ease, leaving all to wonder if Undertaker will ever be heard from again. He turned down an invitation to be on Piper's Pit on the June 2 edition of Friday Night SmackDown, furthering speculation that there may be truth to Daivari's earlier claim that the Deadman's spirit has been broken by Khali.
At The Great American Bash, the Phenom survived the most fiendish, barbaric match in WWE history: the Punjabi Prison Match. Undertaker was scheduled to collide in the Prison with his nemesis, Khali, until SmackDown GM Teddy Long replaced Khali with Big Show following a backstage ambush by both Show and Khali. After being dominated for weeks by The Greatat Khali, the Deadman rose to the occasion and prevailed in a match never before seen in the Western world