The exact moment Stone Cold Steve Austin thought he ruined his WWE career

According to Jim Ross, Steve Austin genuinely thought his Royal Rumble 1996 botch was going to affect the rest of his WWE career.

Austin, then known as The Ringmaster, was supposed to be one of the final four participants in the 30-man match. Unfortunately, both of his feet accidentally touched the ringside floor after he received a clothesline from Fatu (a.k.a. Rikishi). As a result, he was eliminated several minutes earlier than planned.

Ross, WWE’s former Head of Talent Relations, spoke about Austin’s first year in WWE on the latest episode of his Grilling JR podcast. The current AEW announcer recalled how his friend feared the worst after his early elimination.

“He thought he’d blown the whole thing. He had to process that information. My deal to him was always, ‘Here’s the thing, those back here [in WWE management] know there was a screw-up. The audience doesn’t know that. Secondly, you’ve gotta be kidding me to think this is it. You’re getting over,’” Ross said.

WWE Chairman Vince McMahon provided commentary for the 1996 Royal Rumble match. Fellow commentator Jerry Lawler asked what happened to Steve Austin, prompting McMahon to admit, “I’m uncertain. He must have been eliminated. We missed it.”

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Steve Austin quickly earned Vince McMahon’s trust

Two months after his Royal Rumble mistake, Steve Austin stopped performing as The Ringmaster and became known as Stone Cold. The character change turned out to be one of the greatest in WWE history, as Austin rose to main-event superstardom in the years that followed.

Jim Ross knew Vince McMahon believed in Austin as a performer, so he was not overly concerned about the Rumble incident:

“He had to overcome. That was a huge turning point, and his maturity level you can tell had advanced and had matured in a good way because he came out of it and he kept fighting because he knew he was on to something, and he also knew that he had apparently gained Vince’s trust, and that’s big money.”

Austin went on to win the Royal Rumble in back-to-back years in 1997 and 1998. The WWE Hall of Famer also won the match in 2001, making him the only person to win the Rumble three times.

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Please credit Grilling JR and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.