The 1996 King of the Ring was an unforgettable event for all the hardcore WWE fans worldwide. The attitude era literally began on that particular night when Stone Cold Steve Austin won the tournament by defeating Jake “The Snake” Roberts in the finals.
That was the tournament where he started using his trademark finishing maneuver ‘the Stone Cold Stunner’ and prior to facing Roberts, he defeated Marc Mero in the semi-finals. After the finals, the epic moment arrived.
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Roberts was potraying a born-again Christian, and this is what Austin had to say, “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 just whooped your a**!”
Instantly Austin 3:16 became one of the most popular catchphrases in the history of wrestling. The WWE also profited a lot by selling T-shirts with that slogan. This persona of his was the biggest attraction amongst the masses during the attitude era and he went on to win six world titles before retiring in 2003.
He recently made his return to the small screen with his new show ‘Broken Skull Challenge’ which is a ten episode series conceived by Austin himself. He was inducted in the WWE Hall Of Fame in 2009 by his in ring nemesis and Chairman Vince McMahon.
Austin in a recent interview spoke on varied topics including his wrestlemania 30 appearance alongside The Rock and Hulk Hogan, CM Punk’s possible return and guys against whom he would have loved to be in the ring with.