WWE behind the scenes: How Stone Cold's Neck was broken and what happened behind the scenes

Stone Cold Steve Austin suffered partial paralysis in the same match he won the WWE Intercontinental Championship. But did he really break his neck?

Part 4: The injury and the recovery

Owen Hart hefts Austin for a german suplex.

The WWE had to scramble because suddenly their Intercontinental and tag team champion was on the shelf with an injury. The decision was made to get the belt back on Owen Hart and continue their feud, even if Austin wasn't cleared to wrestle and wouldn't be cleared for months.

WWE came up with the "Owen 3:16" angle, complete with its own t-shirt. Owen 3:16 stood for 'I just broke your neck.' While Owen Hart did subject Austin to a legit neck injury, it should be noted that Stone Cold did not suffer an actual broken neck. He did suffer a stinger and needed months of recovery and rehab. It was still as serious injury, and no doubt shortened Austin's career by years, but a broken neck it was not.

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Austin would still take part in WWE broadcasts, often interfering in Owen's matches to make sure he stayed the IC champion. When Stone Cold made his in-ring return at Survivor Series, it was little surprise that he defeated Owen once and for all.

However, the end of the wrestling angle didn't mean the end of the story backstage. There was some lingering heat between Austin and Hart, which we will divulge in the next slide.

Edited by Amar Anand