5 legendary promos that changed WWE forever

#1 Austin 3:16

Vince McMahon was on his toes 24/7 after WCW turned Hogan heel. It was clear that McMahon had to change his product in order to compete with WCW on a weekly basis. Steve Austin had just been recruited after his brief stint in ECW.

When Austin won the King of the Ring tournament by defeating Jake Roberts in the finals, he went on the podium for his interview. What followed is still considered as the promo that kicked off the Attitude Era, resulting in edgy programming that helped WWE fend off WCW and emerge victorious in the Monday Night War.

Stone Cold Steve Austin referenced the Bible, making up his own verse that stated, "Austin 3:16 just whooped your a**!" This quote was made into a T-shirt, which became the highest selling WWE merchandise of all time. Austin's rise to the top was a story that single-handedly saved WWE from going bankrupt, and losing to Ted Turner's corporation, WCW.

What moments did I miss? What should be #1 in your opinion?

Sound off in the comments!

About the author

Abhilash Mendhe is a pro wrestling journalist at Sportskeeda with nearly five years of experience. He completed his MBA from the Symbiosis Institute of Telecom Management in 2016 and worked with multiple banking institutions, including Tech Mahindra. While he started writing WWE articles for Sportskeeda in 2019 as a hobby, it eventually became a significant part of his professional journey.

Abhilash checks his articles thrice before sending them to the editing team, ensuring his work is highly accurate and reliable.

He has interviewed prominent pro wrestling personalities like Noam Dar, Angry Miz Girl, Brendan Cobbina, and Jesse Lambert. Abhilash is a big fan of AEW star Orange Cassidy, as he believes the former International Champion’s on-screen gimmick of an extremely lazy guy resonates with him.

Given the opportunity to script WWE’s next big storyline, Abhilash would treat fans to the second installment of The Bloodline Civil War. He would book Roman Reigns to re-form The Bloodline with The Usos and Sami Zayn upon his comeback. The angle would see The Tribal Chief-led group go head-to-head with The Rock, Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, and Jacob Fatu in a blockbuster family feud.

When not reporting on pro wrestling, Abhilash likes to work out, go on walks, read, and explore new eateries.

Know More

Edited by Shiven Sachdeva