The 5 most memorable WrestleMania world title victories

Steve Austin defeats Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania XIV)

Steve Austin and Mike Tyson at WrestleMania XIV

The meteoric rise of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin throughout 1996 and 1997 culminated with his first world championship victory at WrestleMania XIV in early 1998.

Austin initially started turning heads when he won the 1996 King of the Ring tournament and gave the famous "3:16" speech afterward. That momentum was parlayed into a feud with Bret Hart that served to cement Austin as a main eventer in the promotion.

Austin won the 1998 Royal Rumble with Mike Tyson looking on from a luxury box. That same night, Shawn Michaels suffered a back injury during a match with The Undertaker that would keep him out of action until WrestleMania. The following night on RAW, Austin and Tyson had a memorable shoving match that drew attention from the biggest sports networks across the country. The importance of Tyson's involvement at WrestleMania can't be understated; it was absolutely huge for the promotion and helped make Steve Austin a household name.

Tyson served as the special guest enforcer at WrestleMania after officially joining Michaels' DX in the weeks leading up to the event. However, Tyson would end up turning his back on Michaels and knocking him out post-match. This was the last time Shawn Michaels would wrestle until 2002 but just the start of Austin's time atop the promotion.