After a career that took turns landing in WCW, ECW and WWE, Stone Cold Steve Austin officially retired from professional wrestling just 13 years ago.
Here's what he said via WWE.com (H/T Cageside Seats)
"In this business, I've learned never say never....But I would say probably 99.9 percent out of 100 that you'll never see Rock and Stone Cold in the ring again.....I'm not wrestling anymore. That was my last match...
"I've got some serious problems in my neck. It's too long and too complicated to discuss. But a lot of the reasons I walked out of this company seven or eight months ago were things I didn't want to talk about at the time because we had WrestleMania coming up. The biggest reason I walked away was because my health is going downhill so badly, and I can't compete at an acceptable level to me, and at a risk factor that's high enough to me. Everything I do in that ring is very dangerous and makes me go even further downhill. It's potentially something where I could end up being a quadriplegic. That was the biggest reason I walked out. The creative and the political issues were just icing on the cake — the straw that broke the camel's back...
"I refuse to go out there anymore, perform at a substandard level and have people judge me on what I'm putting out right now. I had a hell of a run. I'm completely satisfied with it."
The Texas Rattlesnake, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin spent a glorious career in WWE after sputtering in WCW and really finding his character in ECW.
The now WWE legend debuted under the forgettable moniker "The Ringmaster," but soon developed his "Stone Cold" character.
From developing "Austin 3:16" after crushing Jake "The Snake" Roberts in the King of the Ring, to passing out against Bret Hart and Wrestlemania and starting his epic rivalry with Vince McMahon, Austin's career kickstarted the Attitude Era and helped WWE survive the WCW's furious run at the top of professional wrestling. Despite Austin's retirement, he's remained a part-time performer, making sporadic appearances at some of WWE's biggest events, including Wrestlemania 32 in Dallas this past April.
Over his career, Austin held the World Heavyweight, Intercontinental and Tag Team titles. He won the Royal Rumble on three occasions and also earned a King of the Ring victory.
Pour one out for ole' Stone Cold.
