Stone Cold Steve Austin's Body Transformation Over The Years, Told In Photos

If insubordination, rebellion, relentlessness, fearlessness, and unpredictability had a face, it would undoubtedly be that of the legendary Stone Cold Steve Austin. The iconic character ruled over the pro wrestling industry during his prime days as an in-ring performer for WWE, and he was one of the major factors behind WWE winning the Monday Night Wars against WCW.

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While it might've taken him some time to make it big in the business, he took the ball and ran when he got the chance and reached legendary status in the process. His journey to the top is well-known among fans, but let's take a different approach and look at Stone Cold Steve Austin's history through his body transformation over the years.

10 As A Kid

Stone Cold Steve Austin was born on December 18, 1964, to Beverly and James Anderson in Austin, Texas. His parents got divorced when he was only one year old, and Austin stated the reason for their separation in his autobiography that his father could not handle another child as his brother Kevin was born within a year.

However, Austin's mother married Ken Williams in 1968, who gave Austin and his sibling a normal childhood. As seen in the picture, Stone Cold Steve Austin looks like any normal kid who's well taken care of and given the best opportunities.

9 College Football

After finishing his education at Edna High School, Steve Austin enrolled himself Wharton County Junior College under a football scholarship, and then got a full scholarship at University of North Texas.

He used to play as a linebacker before he sustained a knee injury which forced him to change his position to defensive end. However, Austin stated that he fell in love with pro wrestling when he was around seven or eight years old, and he eventually chose to pursue a career in the business in 1989.

8 Wrestling Beginnings

Steve Austin started training under former 4-time NWA American Heavyweight Champion "Gentleman" Chris Adams in his wrestling school at the Dallas Sportatorium. However, Austin stated that Adams only trained him in the technical aspects of the sport and not the kayfabe elements. But he managed to get a hold of both and started performing in various WCWA and USWA events before reaching WCW in 1991.

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He made his debut as "Stunning" Steve Austin in WCW but couldn't commit himself to the character, as he had a different vision for his career. While he did go on to win the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship, World Television Championship, and two Tag Team Championships with Brian Pillman, Austin couldn't last long in WCW. President Eric Bischoff fired Austin after he sustained a triceps injury while wrestling on a Japanese tour, and reportedly believed Austin was not a marketable wrestler and that he was hard to work with.

7 ECW Days

Following his exit from WCW, Steve Austin went over to ECW after Paul Heyman, who managed him in WCW, contacted him and hired him to do promos and in-ring interviews until he recovered from his injury.

Austin used his stint in ECW to develop his future Stone Cold persona and also be part of various vignettes running down WCW and Eric Bischoff. Austin developed his mic skills during his time in ECW, and many wrestlers credited Paul Heyman as the one who taught Austin to cut a promo. Austin also competed in a couple of matches for ECW before he eventually jumped to WWE in late-1995.

6 The Ringmaster

Steve Austin signed with WWE in late-1995 after Kevin Nash and Jim Ross convinced Vince McMahon to hire him. However, Austin didn't break out into the main event spotlight straight away and had to work his way up the ladder, but that didn't take him too long.

He worked under the gimmick The Ringmaster during his early days in WWE, but he quickly proved himself to the WWE higher ups and the Ringmaster moniker got replaced with his iconic Stone Cold persona. WWE then chose him for a big push the following year, which turned out to be a career-defining moment for Austin.

5 Austin 3:16

Stone Cold Steve Austin entered the 1996 King of the Ring tournament and fought his way into the final, where he defeated Jake "The Snake" Roberts. The promo he delivered after winning the tournament turned out to be a career-defining moment for him as the Austin 3:16 promo opened the doors for him to become a mainstay in the main event picture in WWE.

He then climbed up the ranks by capturing the tag team and Intercontinental titles before finally getting his hands on the big prize in 1998.

4 WWE Champion & Various Feuds

Steve Austin didn't undergo a drastic change in appearance after embracing the Stone Cold persona and sported the same bald head with goatee look throughout his prime days in WWE.

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The same attire with his iconic character earned him lots of accolades throughout his WWE career, including six world title reigns. He was also part of various high-profile feuds throughout his career, including his iconic rivalry against Vince McMahon, which still remains some of WWE's best works of all time. He was one of the vital factors behind WWE overcoming WCW in the Monday Night Wars, and he also became part of the Invasion storyline following WWE's purchase of WCW.

3 Final Match & First Retirement

Stone Cold Steve Austin sustained a career-threatening injury at SummerSlam 1997 when a botched piledriver from Owen Hart resulted in Austin landing on his head and sustaining a bruised spinal cord and temporary paralysis. But the Texas Rattlesnake gathered all his strength to finish the match and continued to compete after recovery.

But the injury came back to haunt him later, and it eventually cost him his in-ring career as he had his final match at WrestleManiaa 19, where he put over The Rock and went into his first retirement.

2 Sporadic Appearances

Following his retirement, Stone Cold Steve Austin made several sporadic appearances for the company over the years. He was the guest referee for the match between Brock Lesnar and Goldberg at WrestleMania 20, and he also appeared at WrestleMania 21 in a PIper's Pit segment alongside the late Rowdy Roddy Piper.

One of his most significant post-retirement WWE appearances came at WrestleMania 23, where he acted as the special guest referee for the Battle of the Billionaires match between Vince McMahon's representative Umaga, and Donald Trump's representative Bobby Lashley. He continued to make sporadic appearances for the company before he gave the fans a huge surprise at WrestleMania 38.

1 In-Ring Return & New Physique

Around 2021, Stone Cold Steve Austin started posting workout videos and pictures on his social media accounts and showcased a new muscular physique similar to how he looked during his prime days in the business.

He continued to get into better shape and, to everyone's surprise, came out of retirement for one night when he took on Kevin Owens in an impromptu match at WrestleMania 38 and won. He continues to be in great shape and is one of the very few wrestlers who still looks better even after retirement.