Even though I had not worked with WCW since the fall of 1991, I still saw some of the old crew. Steve and Brian Pillman had become really close since their days as a tag team, and Brian would often visit the house with his wife Melanie.
We occasionally had dinner with Dustin and Terri, and frequently arranged play dates with their daughter Dakota. Even Magnum T.A., who was responsible for my career break in Atlanta, came by the house to see the family when Stephanie was a baby.
Terri Runnels, former WCW wrestling manager Alexandra York: “[My daughter] Dakota and Stephanie enjoyed playing together whenever we went out to their home in Villa Rica. I always thought it was interesting that an English rose landed so deep in the country in Georgia, the juxtaposition of those two locations and all that it entails is very interesting! I have nothing but fond memories of times with Jeanie.”
For a young family, our community of friends in Atlanta provided such a nurturing environment where each of us could live our dreams. It would take an unstoppable force to change our joy.
By the summer of 1994, Hulkamania was running wild throughout World Championship Wrestling. The man who had been the biggest star in wrestling for over a decade, Hulk Hogan, had just signed the most lucrative contract in the history of the sport to join the promotion. He was the recognisable face leading the WWF during its national expansion, and his widespread appeal enabled the company to push its business into international markets. After leaving the WWF in 1993, Hogan had since crossed over into other forays; however Eric Bischoff was keen to position him as the new face of WCW in an attempt to increase its brand awareness within the mainstream media. But there was a huge shift in the culture of the company upon his arrival.
Hulk would make his in-ring debut for the company at the Bash at the Beach 1994 pay-per-view as he was immediately thrust into the main event to challenge Ric Flair for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. That night, Steve was also in the biggest match of his career, as he was set to face Ricky Steamboat in a defence of his United States title.
Steve and Ricky always had a great chemistry in the ring during their time together in the promotion. In fact, Steve would often cite Ricky as the greatest opponent he had ever faced. It was a rivalry that had transcended the singles and tag team ranks.
With the celebrity of Hogan promising to broaden the market of WCW, Ricky and Steve were looking to put on a classic match in front of the larger audience that had been attracted to try WCW for the first time.
They excelled, putting on a twenty-minute match that stole the show. But it didn’t matter. Regardless of what anyone did to elevate their game at the event, the night was all about Hulk. In his first match with the company, Hogan beat Flair for its top prize.
Backstage, there was a realisation that Hogan would not be moving from atop the promotion anytime soon, and word spread that he had secured a binding clause for creative control into his contract agreement. In other words, if Hulk did not approve of a match or storyline proposed for his character, he had the right to outright refuse it.
Hulk was an outsider joining the promotion. Concern that Hogan would trust very few of the existing WCW talent changed the dynamic of the locker room.
It was not long before an influx of former WWF talent joined the ranks of the Atlanta office. This would inadvertently result in the most humiliating night in Steve’s professional career.
After a long championship reign lasting nine months, Steve finally dropped the U.S. title to Steamboat at the Clash of Champions XXVIII special. They were scheduled to have a rematch at the ensuing Fall Brawl ’94 pay-per-view from Roanoke, Virginia.
One of the reasons that Steve loved working with Ricky was due to his unselfishness in the ring, and would make him look good by selling his offence. It was a rivalry which enhanced both men.
However, on the night of Fall Brawl, Steamboat could not defend the title due to a back injury he had sustained in a previous match. Nick Bockwinkel, a wrestling great from the glory days of the AWA, was now working for WCW as an on-screen Commissioner. He declared Steve the new champion, on the provision that he defended the title that night.
As Steve protested, ‘Hacksaw’ Jim Duggan stormed down to the ring waving the stars and stripes of the national flag. Duggan was a veteran star who had been one of the more outlandish characters employed by the WWF during the late eighties and early nineties. Defeating Steve with one move, he squashed him in rapid order to lift the strap in a match lasting a degrading nineteen seconds.
The efforts of Steve’s first reign were now forgotten. At a mere five minutes, his second marriage with the belt was the shortest in wrestling history and his only defence of it was a joke.
After his rematch loss at Halloween Havoc 1994, Steve was disappointed to learn that there were no plans for him to be featured in the company’s forthcoming pay-per-view schedule. At the Clash of the Champions XXIX live television special a few weeks later, he again lost to Duggan within moments of the opening bell, this time by disqualification when Vader ran in and attacked ‘Hacksaw’. With a new contender laying down a challenge for the belt, it fully removed Steve from the title picture.
The impact of three successive high-profile defeats devastated the credibility of ‘Stunning’ Steve Austin. For three years, Steve had been a mainstay talent for WCW. He appeared on each of its television specials and pay-per-view shows, and worked hard to maintain his position in the upper tier of the promotion. But now, the importance of his role had diminished.
It was clear that Steve’s singles career in WCW was in decline. Humiliated in a sudden spate of televised losses to more ex-WWF stars, he knew that there was no chance he would headline anytime soon. WCW was now solely interested in banking on established ex-WWF wrestlers, with no succession plan for the development of its hungry, younger talent.
The increased media interest on WCW was not being used to spotlight its existing stars or create new marquee attractions. Its cards were filling up with talent that the WWF had pushed in the eighties.
For the first time, Steve appeared despondent.
He was starting to usher away from any conversation relating to his career. In fact, his internalised frustrations grew to the point that he was no longer comfortable having his family around the business.
Any future family trips to let Stephanie see her dad work at the Disney/MGM Studios would come to an abrupt halt. Steve was starting to feel ashamed of his position, and his face looked truly defeated when he would come home from work. All he wanted to do was escape.
I knew he was unhappy, so I was generally filling my time trying to make our house as comfortable as it could be for his return.
A bit of light-hearted fun was brought into our lives by way of a new business which, amazingly, spawned from Stephanie’s first birthday. She had become a huge fan of Barney, the dancing purple dinosaur from the popular children’s television show Barney & Friends, and we were scouring the stores for merchandise of her favourite hero. No matter where we looked, we could not find anything on the shelf. It seemed like Barney was selling out everywhere.
I felt a reawakening of the entrepreneurial spirit that encouraged me to open up Genies during my time in Dallas. After realising Barney’s immense popularity, but dearth of associated merchandise, I figured that there was a gap in the market for a live-action version who could visit kids’ parties. I knew that the interactive experience could really make a child’s celebration feel special and personalised.
Purchasing a Barney fancy-dress costume, I placed an advert in the local press that the friendly dinosaur was now available for hire. We were inundated with requests from the onset, and it was not long before I was driving to homes all over the town, dancing and playing with the kids under my new alias.
It was not long before the demand for Barney was too high for one person to handle, so I even enlisted the help of my neighbour Ann. It was a really happy venture for the two of us, as we loved bringing smiles to children’s faces each ti
me we were called to a party.
Bruce, Gayle, J.L., Jade, Steve and I celebrate Stephanie’s third birthday party with Barney.
On top of the Barney gig, I was still focusing on raising the children, and I filled up the rest of my diary by working on the garden and helping out at the church. I had just started a volunteer job teaching a Sunday school for children and I took the time to further absorb the scripture of the Bible.
For the first time since running Genies in Dallas, I had built a full life to keep me occupied while Steve was wrestling.
When Steve would come home, he started to become pensive around me. He kept everything inside, and would not communicate any of his career concerns which were clearly bothering him.
In an effort to lighten conversation, I decided to start talking about other subjects when he was around. As he listened, I could see his face turn. Steve had an ability to block out the world, distancing himself from everyone else in the room.
He would sit for hours and say nothing, but I almost felt guilty for not being able to reach out to him. Sometimes, he would give me the most vacant of stares, without saying a word.
His taciturn nature could be very cruel. My mind would try and make sense of what was not being said. The prolonged silences would force me to question if I had done something to upset him. I sensed that the quality of his home life was not enough for him to be content. Moreover, the love of his family was insufficient to counterbalance the emptiness he was feeling from the downturn of his career.
Persevering, I would tell him all about my life in Atlanta, and try to include him in an effort to stimulate a dialogue. But as I discussed my interest on the teachings of Christ his mood would change.
“Damn it Jeanie, you have more books than a preacher!” snapped Steve.
Tension had been brewing within him for a while, but he was now taking his career frustrations home with him. This intensified as a knee injury forced Steve off the road in December 1994.
Jade, who had previously maintained a good relationship with her new stepdad, was now coming into frequent conflict with him. He had no time for her rebellious antics and would often get very personal during his arguments with her. Entering her teens, she was at a delicate age, and I would express concern that he was crushing her confidence.
With Steve becoming increasingly irritable, he started to exhibit more reclusive behaviour as he continued to recuperate at the cabin. More frequently, he wanted to be left alone and would ignore our presence if we were in the same room. He could zone out for hours, and would then use drink to try and flush away his problems.
Luckily, the tension within Steve would pass, and we would continue to have fun in regular family activities.
When the girls were away, Steve and I used to go out to the woods and created many happy memories. One Christmas, he bought me a .38 Smith & Wesson Special, and we used to love shooting beer cans, and searching for treasure with our metal detector.
Another time, Steve asked if I wanted to go to the lake to try fishing.
It was a stocked lake, which was a hotspot for catfish, and he took along some worms. He taught me how to cast the bait using the fishing line and, sure enough, it worked.
It seemed that I managed to hook in a fish each time I threw the rod at the water. Reeling them in, one after another, I asked Steve if he would help remove my catches, and assist with the bait.
As I tallied a total of thirteen fish, I looked at Steve. Despite his determination, he had only managed to catch one the whole day.
We had a great laugh, but it was the last time he ever took me to the lake.
It was a nice distraction from the nagging pains of Steve’s injury. He would miss over three months before returning to WCW in March 1995.
When Steve returned to work, there had been little change within the company and he remained disillusioned. Meanwhile, he started to develop a reputation for his defiance towards company management. He became vocal on his criticisms on the direction of the promotion and its handling of talent.
He wanted to know where his career was heading. It was suggested that there was going to be a reformation of The Hollywood Blonds, and plans were being put in place to recapture the magic that had been created by Brian and Steve two years prior. This time, the change to the tag team ranks was being welcomed by Steve.
He had been forced to accept that he was going nowhere as a singles competitor. Although a backward step, the guarantee of regular work in a featured tag team at least meant his job would be secure.
Two months passed, and The Blonds reunion had still not materialised. As his impatience festered, Steve was informed that he was being sent by WCW to work for New Japan Pro Wrestling under a talent trading agreement between the two companies.
Steve took the news of his Japanese booking as an insult and he was convinced that the overseas tour was a punishment for his internal criticisms of the product. WCW must have deemed him expendable. Usually, the company only sent over talent which was not critical to its shows. Most of all, he felt betrayed that none of the promises that had been made to him had been delivered.
The circuit of NJPW that June was an unmitigated disaster for Steve. During a match on the tour, the worst happened: he suffered a tear to his tricep. Due to another injury, he was unable to work yet again with an unknown period for recovery.
Requiring surgery, Steve needed to take the time to heal as it was his second major injury within a period of less than a year. As he was recovering, I flew my brother over from England and he stayed with us for a few weeks. Steve was not taking any chances with the rehabilitation of his body, and he seemed uninterested in joining my brother or me in any social activities when we would leave the house. When he was off with the wound to his knee, he was so impatient to be back on WCW’s shows. This time however, he seemed unwilling to return before he was fully ready.
Tony Schiavone, who was working as an Executive Producer of WCW’s television shows, called the house. He wanted to know if Steve would be available to attend the company’s next round of tapings.
Miserable with his life, Steve refused to talk to the company.
On 15th September, he received another phone call to the house, while I was out with my brother.
This time, the person on the other end of the line was Eric Bischoff. We returned to find out that ‘Stunning’ Steve Austin had been fired from WCW.
A ninety-day injury rule had recently been incorporated into the contracts of all talent employed by the promotion. As a result, anyone who sustained an injury which would result in a three month departure from in-ring action could be terminated. It was a controversial clause that had already led to the removal of Ricky Steamboat and Harley Race from the roster. During the call, Eric noted that the company was exercising this right and thus ending Steve’s agreement.
Our family were now victim to a change enforced by Bischoff.
Steve was incensed. His aggravation towards WCW had reached boiling point, and his fury finally needed an outlet.
He then got a call from an old friend who could give him one.
14 AN EXTREME DECISION
With no steady wage, and his future prospects within the wrestling industry uncertain, Steve was a man full of doubt when he received a call from his old friend and colleague, Paul Heyman.
Having acted as the on-screen manager for Steve under the name Paul E. Dangerously in WCW, Heyman sympathised with his plight. Paul had also been fired from the company in early 1993 following a dispute with its former head honcho, Bill Watts.
Aside from offering condolence, Paul also saw opportunity in Steve’s burning rage.
In the years since his own dismissal, Heyman had been instrumental in redefining the sport of professional wrestling, offering an alternative product to a new generation of rabid fans. He had purchased the Philadelphia-based independent promotion Extreme Championship Wrestling, which was pushing a new brand of wrestling within the United States. Aimed at a mature audience,
ECW was vastly different to the family-friendly WWF and WCW promotions which were vying for mainstream dominance.
It was a venture which celebrated its own sense of counter-culture, centred on intense (and sometimes controversial) storylines. Amidst some quality in-ring action, ECW placed an emphasis on hard-core violence and bloody brawling, sexual innuendo and innovative interview packages, which were often laden with expletives. Low production values and the use of recognisable music only served to enhance the gritty realism of its shows, providing an authentic and interactive experience for its growing fan-base.
Led by the creative genius of Heyman, the promotion was anchored by a hard-working crew of wrestlers and a small cluster of production staff, giving their all into each show and following their maverick leader with a cult-like obedience. As the reputation of the company grew, it created an underground movement which was starting to influence the major federations.
Most of all, it also celebrated the independence of its talent, allowing them to be experimental in their characters and promo interviews. Fostering home grown stars to find their niche, it was also a place for established acts to be reinvented or find a new calling.
Untapped potential was something that Paul had always seen in Steve. He lobbied for him to join the Dangerous Alliance in 1991, after seeing a raw value in him when he arrived in Atlanta.
Four years later, Steve was now being asked to join the revolution as the flagship star of ECW. It was a venue where he could vent out his career frustrations, and ridicule the establishment that he had endured for years. He was now a renegade talent in a rebellious promotion.
Paul sensed there was more beneath the surface of ‘Stunning’ Steve Austin. Together, they worked to accentuate the qualities of Steve’s real personality. The aim was to create a new character that would finally play to his strengths.
Steve had made no secret that he had become disenchanted with wrestling during his latter days with WCW. He was an embittered talent in an era where ex-WWF superstars were deemed to be of the most value to the Atlanta office, regardless of the efforts of its loyal mainstays.
Through The Shattered Glass Page 15
