The Monday Night Wars were arguably the best era as we got to see some of the best television and competition to ever grace our screens, and it was filled with tons of this day in wrestling history moments.
With an epic level of talent between two companies was something we’ll probably never see again and it gave birth to some of the most iconic moments ever on June 23, 1996.
One that’ll go down in history as the turning point in the Monday Night Wars and the rise of arguably the greatest wrestler in history is the 1996 King of the Ring when “Stone Cold” Steve Austin cut a promo that shot him into the stratosphere.
Birth of Austin 3:16
What’s important to note is that Austin wasn’t supposed to with the King of the Ring, Triple H was.
If it hadn’t been for the Curtain Call and Triple H being removed from this as punishment, history would be far different.
As always, it’s great to hear it from the people there, so here’s Austin’s perspective on it, with special thanks going to @awrestlinghistorian for the excerpt.
“When I did my infamous ‘3:16’ promo after winning the King of the Ring, that was a strong-ass promo and none of that stuff was scripted. At the time that Dok Hendrix stuck that mic in my face, he had no idea what I was going to say and neither did Vince, J.R. or the guys in the TV truck. It all just came out.
“I said, ‘The first thing I want to be done is to get that piece of crap out of my ring! Don’t just get him out of the ring, get him out of WWF because I’ve proved, son, without a shadow of a doubt, you ain’t got what it takes anymore. You sit there and you thump your Bible and you say your prayers and it didn’t get you anywhere. Talk about your psalms, talk about John 3:16…Austin 3:16 says I’ve just whipped your ass!
“’All he’s got to do is buy him a cheap bottle of Thunderbird and try to dig back some of that courage he had in his prime. As the King of the Ring, I’m serving notice to every one of the WWF Superstars. I don’t give a damn what they are, they are all on the list, and that is Stone Cold’s list, and I’m fixing to start running through all of them.
“’As far as this Championship match is concerned, I don’t give a damn if it’s Shawn Michaels or Davey Boy Smith, Steve Austin’s time has come and when I get the shot, you are looking at the next WWF Champion and that’s the bottom line…because Stone Cold said so!’” – Steve Austin, The Stone Cold Truth book.
All it took was one moment, one decision on what to say to change the course of professional wrestling and the rest is history.
What’s your favorite this day in wrestling history moment? Let us know in the comments below.
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