title: Sergio Agüero

text: Agüero sustained a knee injury in the second minute of Manchester City's 1–0 win over Everton on 6 December and was unable to appear again for the remainder of 2014. He returned to City's matchday squad for the return fixture with Everton at Goodison Park on 10 January 2015 and appeared as a 67th-minute substitute in the 1–1 draw. On 11 February, he scored his first two goals of 2015 in a 4–1 win at Stoke City. On 21 February, 72 seconds into a match against Newcastle United, Agüero scored the fastest penalty kick in the Premier League since 1994. On 12 April, Agüero scored twice in a 4–2 derby loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford. His second goal of the match took him to 100 goals for City in all competitions. On 19 April, he scored his 20th league goal of the season in a 2–0 home win against West Ham United. He passed 30 goals for the season with a hat-trick in a 6–0 home win over Queens Park Rangers on 9 May, relegating the opponents. On 24 May, in City's final match of the season against Southampton, Agüero scored his 26th league goal of the season, ending 2014–15 with the Premier League Golden Boot.


title: Sergio Agüero

text: On 7 August 2015, Agüero announced he would be switching from his number 16 shirt to the number 10 shirt, previously worn by teammate Edin Džeko. Nine days later, he opened the scoring in a 3–0 home victory over reigning champions Chelsea. During City's 2–0 victory away at Everton on 23 August, Agüero halted the game after noticing that an Everton supporter was in need of emergency treatment. The striker alerted the referee and the other players and made sure that the man received attention from the medics. On 30 September, Agüero earned and converted a last-minute penalty to give City a 2–1 win at Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Champions League group stage. On 3 October, Agüero scored five goals against Newcastle in a 6–1 comeback win, joining Andy Cole, Alan Shearer, Jermain Defoe and Dimitar Berbatov in scoring as many in a Premier League game. His five goals within 23 minutes of game time made it the fastest five-goal haul since the Premier League started in 1992. Four minutes after scoring his fifth goal in the 62nd minute, Agüero was substituted by manager Manuel Pellegrini, as he had been receiving treatment due to a leg injury at half time.


title: Sergio Agüero

text: On 8 October, in a 2018 World Cup qualifying match against Ecuador, Agüero sustained a hamstring injury early on and was carried off the pitch in tears. Agüero himself said he expected to be out for around four weeks (in which the derby against Manchester United was to be played), although several media outlets later claimed the injury would last for eight weeks. He returned on 21 November, scoring in a 1–4 home loss to Liverpool; this was his 85th Premier League goal, making him the top-scoring South American of all time in the division, ahead of his compatriot and former strike partner Carlos Tevez. On 16 April 2016, Agüero scored a hat-trick in a 3–0 win at Chelsea, ending with a penalty kick. He became the third visiting player to score a Premier League hat-trick at Stamford Bridge, and the fifth player to have three 20-goal seasons in the division. Three days later, he scored his 100th Premier League goal in a 1–1 draw at Newcastle. He reached the century in 147 games, second only to Alan Shearer who did so in 124. The goal was also his sixth against Newcastle for the season, making him just the sixth player in the Premier League era to have scored six goals against the same club in a single campaign. Agüero ended the 2015–16 Premier League season with 24 goals, one behind Golden Boot winner Harry Kane and level with Jamie Vardy. However, with his goals coming from 30 appearances, Agüero recorded the league's best goals to minute ratio.


title: Sergio Agüero

text: On 13 August 2016, Agüero scored Manchester City's first competitive goal under the management of Pep Guardiola in a 2–1 victory against Sunderland on the opening day of the 2016–17 Premier League season. In a league match against West Ham on 28 August, Agüero struck opponent Winston Reid in the throat with his arm, an incident which went unpunished by the referee. Reid lost his voice with the strike, and had to be substituted. The FA gave Agüero a three-match ban for violent conduct, accusing him of behaving in an "aggressive manner that was excessive in force and brutal". On 5 November, Agüero scored his 150th goal for Manchester City in a 1–1 draw against Middlesbrough in the league. Agüero was sent off in a 1–3 loss to Chelsea on 3 December for a tackle on David Luiz and was given a four-match suspension.


title: Sergio Agüero

text: Having scored on Manchester City's opening fixture of the season against Brighton & Hove Albion on 12 August 2017, Agüero scored his second goal of the season against Liverpool in a 5–0 win on 9 September. This was his 124th Premier League goal, and saw him overtake Trinidadian Dwight Yorke as the top-scoring non-European in the competition's history. One week later, Agüero scored his sixth Premier League hat-trick in a 6–0 win at Watford to put Manchester City top of the league. On 28 September, he was involved in a road accident after attending a Maluma concert in Amsterdam, when his taxi crashed into a lamppost. He was left with a fractured rib and ruled out for two weeks.


title: Sergio Agüero

text: On 21 October, Agüero scored his 177th goal for Manchester City in a 3–0 win over Burnley, equalling the record set by Eric Brook. This was also the "Citizens" 11th straight win, equalling another club record. He scored his record 178th goal for the team on 1 November away at Napoli in a Champions League group game, a 4–2 win that sent his team through to the knockout stages of the competition. On 20 January 2018, Agüero scored a perfect hat-trick, his second of the season, against Newcastle in a 3–1 win with his second goal being the landmark 350th goal of his career. He was later awarded the Premier League Player of the Month for January, claiming the award for the fifth time in his career. On 10 February, Agüero scored four goals in a 5–1 Premier League home thrashing of Leicester City, claiming his third hat-trick of the season. He opened the scoring in the 2018 EFL Cup Final on 25 February, by chipping Arsenal's David Ospina in a 1vs1 situation, ultimately helping City secure a convincing 3–0 victory at Wembley Stadium.


title: Sergio Agüero

text: In City's first game of the 2018–19 season, Agüero scored both goals in the 2–0 2018 FA Community Shield victory over Chelsea, the first goal being his 200th for the club. On 19 August 2018, Agüero scored his 9th Premier League hat-trick in a 6–1 home victory against Huddersfield Town, putting him behind only Alan Shearer's 11. He also leapfrogged Robin van Persie to enter the league's top ten scorers of all time, and second place in foreign Premier League scorers only to Thierry Henry's 175. Agüero hit the post twice in a 1–1 away draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers. On 21 September, Manchester City confirmed via their official website that Agüero had signed a new contract with the club which would keep him at the club until 2021. On 22 September, in his 300th appearance for Manchester City, Agüero scored the opening goal in an eventual 5–0 away win over Cardiff City.


title: Sergio Agüero

text: On 4 November, Agüero scored his 150th Premier League goal in a 6–1 home win over Southampton in his 217th Premier League appearance; he became only the ninth player in history to achieve this landmark, and only the third player after Henry and Wayne Rooney to do so for one club. He was also the second-fastest player to reach this milestone, after Shearer, who took five fewer appearances. On 11 November, Agüero scored the second goal in a 3–1 win against Manchester United, making him the joint highest scorer in Manchester derbies in the Premier League era, level with Rooney. On 29 January 2019, Agüero scored after 24 seconds in an eventual 2–1 defeat at Newcastle United. On 3 February, he scored a hat-trick against Arsenal, including a goal after 48 seconds, bringing his Premier League tally of hat-tricks to ten, in a 3–1 win at the Etihad Stadium. On 10 February, Agüero scored his 11th Premier League hat-trick, as City defeated rivals Chelsea 6–0 at home; with this feat, he equalled Shearer's record of 11 in the competition. The hat trick also saw him overtake Tommy Johnson's and Eric Brook's record of 158 league goals for the club, and set a new record of 160 goals. The following month, he scored twice in a 7–0 (10–2 aggregate) Champions League win over Schalke 04 and in doing so helped the club equal the record for the largest winning margin in the knockout-phase of the competition.


title: Sergio Agüero

text: On 10 August 2019, Agüero came on as a substitute replacing Gabriel Jesus, in a match that was dominated by the newly introduced VAR, at the London Stadium against West Ham United. With City 3–0 up, they were awarded a penalty for a foul on Riyad Mahrez. Agüero took the penalty and it was saved by opposing keeper Łukasz Fabiański. However, VAR stepped in and re-awarded the penalty for an infringement by Declan Rice. Agüero scored the re-awarded penalty in an eventual 5–0 away opening day win for the "Citizens" to start their Premier League title defence. On 12 January 2020, Agüero scored 12th hattrick of his Premier League career against Aston Villa in 6–1 away victory at Villa Park, taking his individual tally past Henry's 175 goal mark. Agüero scored the 399th and 400th goals of his professional career in a 3–1 away win over AFC Bournemouth on 25 August.


title: Sergio Agüero

text: After several weeks on the sidelines due to a meniscus injury, Agüero returned to action on 17 October 2020 in a 1–0 victory against Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium. On 21 October, he scored his first goal of the season in a 3–1 win over Porto in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League. On 13 March 2021, Agüero scored his first league goal since January 2020 in a 3–0 away win against Fulham. On 29 March 2021, City announced that Agüero would leave the club at the end of the season following the expiry of his contract. On 23 May, on his final league appearance for the club, Agüero came off the bench to score twice in an eventual 5–0 home win over Everton, as City celebrated their Premier League title victory on the last matchday of the season; his brace saw him reach 184 league goals in 275 appearances, breaking Wayne Rooney's record for most Premier League goals for a single club. In total, Agüero managed 260 goals for City in 389 appearances. On 29 May, he played his last match for the club after he came on as substitute in the second half, in a 1–0 loss against Chelsea in the Champions League Final.


title: Sergio Agüero

text: On 31 May 2021, Agüero agreed to sign for La Liga club Barcelona on a two-year contract starting 1 July, with a buyout clause set at €100 million. On 17 October, he made his debut when he came off the bench in a 3–1 home win against Valencia. In his first El Clásico appearance on 24 October, Agüero came on as a substitute in the 77th minute, scoring his first goal for the club in the last minute of play of a 2–1 home defeat to Real Madrid. Seven days later, he was taken to hospital with chest discomfort diagnosed as cardiac arrhythmia during an eventual 1–1 home draw against Alavés. It was reported in November 2021 that he would be out of action for at least three months, but on 15 December 2021 Agüero announced his retirement from football on the advice of doctors, and thanked the teams he had played for.


title: Sergio Agüero

text: Agüero was selected for the Argentina U17 team to participate at the in Paraguay in September. He participated in all of Argentina's group stage matches, scoring in a 2–1 win against the United States and a 3–1 win against Ecuador to help Argentina finish top of their group. Agüero scored in the 47th minute of Argentina's 1–0 quarter-final victory against Peru, setting up a semi-final match against Colombia which Argentina lost 2–0.


title: Sergio Agüero

text: Agüero represented Argentina at two FIFA World Youth Championships, winning back-to-back world titles. He was part of the team that won the 2005 edition in the Netherlands, alongside his future 2008 Olympics squad teammates Fernando Gago and Lionel Messi. At the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, held in Canada, Agüero scored twice and helped set up three goals in a 6–0 win over Panama in the second game of the group stage of the tournament. He then scored the only goal in Argentina's third match against North Korea from a free kick. Having qualified to the round of 16, he scored two of the three goals against Poland that would eventually give them a 3–1 win to advance to the next round. Argentina defeated Mexico in the quarter-finals and Chile in the semi-finals, and faced the Czech Republic in the finals, a team they drew 0–0 in the group stage. Agüero captained and scored the equaliser in the 62nd minute, leading to a 2–1 victory. In addition, Agüero won the Golden Boot of the tournament, scoring six goals in seven, and the Golden Ball as the best player of the tournament.


title: Sergio Agüero

text: As a member of the Argentine squad for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Agüero scored two goals in the space of five minutes in the semi-final 3–0 win over Brazil on 19 August 2008. Argentina went on to win its second consecutive gold medal at the Olympic tournament.


title: Sergio Agüero

text: At age 18, Agüero made his senior debut for Argentina in a friendly with Brazil, played at Emirates Stadium, England on 3 September 2006. A year later, he scored his first international goal in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Bolivia, and went on to score three more times as the "Albiceleste" successfully qualified for the finals in South Africa.


title: Sergio Agüero

text: Agüero was chosen for the 2010 FIFA World Cup squad, and made his FIFA World Cup debut in Argentina's second group match against South Korea on 12 June 2010, replacing Carlos Tevez in the 75th minute. Agüero's impact was immediate as Argentina scored in the next minute. He assisted on Gonzalo Higuaín's hat-trick goal late in the game. Argentina won the game 4–1. Argentina, however, subsequently lost to Germany in the quarter-finals.


title: Sergio Agüero

text: Agüero was named in the 23-man squad for the 2011 Copa América where Argentina had been drawn into Group A with Bolivia, Colombia, and Costa Rica. On 1 July, in Argentina's opening group stage match against Bolivia, he came on for Ezequiel Lavezzi on 71 minutes and scored an equaliser on 76 minutes to secure a 1–1 draw. On 11 July, in Argentina's third group stage match against Costa Rica, Agüero scored a goal in each half as Argentina won 3–0 and finished in second position in their group.


title: Sergio Agüero

text: Agüero was named in Argentina's 23-man squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. On 15 June, he started alongside Lionel Messi as a forward in Argentina's 2–1 win against Bosnia and Herzegovina at the Estádio do Maracanã.


title: Sergio Agüero

text: Agüero was named in the Argentine squad for the 2015 Copa América, and in a warm-up game on 7 June against Bolivia in San Juan, he scored his first international hat-trick in a 5–0 victory. On 13 June, he scored Argentina's opening goal of the tournament in a 2–2 group stage draw with Paraguay. Three days later at the same ground, he headed a cross from Manchester City teammate Pablo Zabaleta for a 1–0 win against holders Uruguay. At the semi-final stage, Agüero headed in Ángel Di María's cross as Argentina defeated Paraguay 6–1 to reach the 2015 Copa América Final. Agüero started the final against Chile, but was replaced in the 74th minute for Gonzalo Higuaín in an eventual penalty shootout loss.


title: Sergio Agüero

text: Agüero was included in Gerardo Martino's 23-man squad for the Copa América Centenario and scored his first goal of the tournament in Argentina's second group match, a 5–0 win over Panama on 10 June 2016, which allowed them to advance to the quarter-finals of the competition. Agüero considered retiring from international football shortly after losing against Chile in a penalty shootout in the final of the tournament for a second consecutive time.


title: Sergio Agüero

text: On 14 November 2017, Agüero was taken to hospital after fainting in the dressing room at half-time in a 4–2 loss to Nigeria in a friendly match in Krasnodar, Russia.


title: Sergio Agüero

text: In May 2018, Agüero was named in Argentina's preliminary 35-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia; later that month, he was included in Jorge Sampaoli's final 23-man squad for the competition. In his team's first group match of the tournament against Iceland on 16 June, he scored the opening goal of an eventual 1–1 draw; this was his first ever World Cup goal. In the round of 16 match against France on 30 June, Agüero scored Argentina's final goal in a 4–3 defeat, which saw his side eliminated from the World Cup.


title: Sergio Agüero

text: On 21 May 2019, he was included in Lionel Scaloni's final 23-man Argentina squad for the 2019 Copa América. In Argentina's final group match against Qatar on 23 June, Agüero scored the second goal in a 2–0 win, which enabled his team to advance to the knock-out stages. On 28 June, in the quarter-finals of the tournament, Agüero assisted Lautaro Martínez's opening goal, and was also involved in the second goal, scored by Giovani Lo Celso, as Argentina defeated Venezuela 2–0 to advance to the semi-finals. In the third-place match against Chile on 6 July, Agüero scored the opening goal in an eventual 2–1 win, to help Argentina capture the bronze medal.


title: Sergio Agüero

text: On 28 June 2021, Agüero made his 100th senior international appearance for Argentina in a 4–1 win against Bolivia in his team's final group stage match of the 2021 Copa América, also setting up Messi's second goal. Argentina eventually won the tournament.


title: Sergio Agüero

text: Often considered to be one of the best strikers in the world, Agüero is regarded as an all-out centre forward, although he is a versatile player, who can also play as a second striker off another striker, which he often did at Atlético Madrid with Diego Forlán, due to his passing ability, link-up play, tactical intelligence, and vision, which made him a capable assist-man. When asked to name the players who influenced his playing style, Agüero named former Brazilian striker Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Ronaldinho and Diego Maradona as the best players to have played the game, but said that the player who influenced his style of play the most was “the Brazilian Ronaldo”. Aguero has a diminutive figure with a stocky build, which has led to comparisons with former Manchester City teammate Carlos Tevez and past forwards such as Romário, Alessandro Del Piero, and Diego Maradona. When both were on the same team, some pundits called Agüero Tevez's heir apparent at City and others said that he was superior to his compatriot. His ex-manager at Manchester City, Roberto Mancini, has compared Agüero to former Brazilian striker, Romário, due to his pace, goalscoring ability, positioning in the area, and technique. Although naturally right footed, Agüero is also capable of striking well with his left foot, and can finish well both inside and outside the area with his powerful and accurate shot.


title: Sergio Agüero

text: A prolific goalscorer, Agüero's playing style is characterised by agility, acceleration, excellent movement off the ball, and strength, being described as "sharp and clever" by former Argentine player Osvaldo Ardiles; a view which is shared by his international captain Lionel Messi, who believes Agüero possesses "immense power, strength and an incredible work ethic." Combined with his close control, quick feet, dribbling skills, and strength to keep the ball, he has been described as "a menace in the box". Despite his ability, Agüero's playing time has often been limited by injuries throughout his career.


title: Sergio Agüero

text: Agüero was married to Giannina Maradona, the youngest daughter of Diego Maradona. On 19 February 2009, Giannina gave birth to their son, Benjamín, in Madrid. Diego Maradona was there for the birth of his first grandson, while Agüero, then 20, missed Atlético's training session earlier in the day. Atlético offered their congratulations in a statement on their official website. Agüero and Giannina divorced in 2012 after four years of marriage.


title: Sergio Agüero

text: Agüero's nickname "Kun", which features on his shirt, dates back to his childhood. It was first given to him by his grandparents, due to a resemblance to the character "Kum-Kum" from the anime Wanpaku Omukashi Kumu Kumu which was Agüero's favourite television programme as a child. He said "I have grown to appreciate it because it's unique. It's not every day an athlete is nicknamed after a cartoon character!" Agüero has a tattoo on the inside of his right arm inscribed in Tengwar—a form of writing invented by J. R. R. Tolkien in "The Lord of the Rings"—that transliterates roughly to "Kun Agüero" in the Latin script. He also has a tattoo on his left arm of his son's name and date of birth. Agüero holds Spanish nationality, after being granted citizenship in 2010 whilst playing for Atlético Madrid.


title: Sergio Agüero

text: Gastón del Castillo and Mauricio del Castillo are brothers of Agüero. Agüero shares a close friendship with Lionel Messi, his regular roommate during outings for the national team since 2005. He described Messi as being "like a brother" in his 2014 autobiography, "Born to Rise", which contains a foreword written by Messi.


title: Sergio Agüero

text: During the three-month football break due to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, Agüero started live-streaming himself playing various video games on Twitch. He became the fastest-growing streamer in the month of May, reaching 1 million followers. He has been especially popular among the Hispanic community, collaborating with many big names such as El Rubius and even calling Messi once live on air.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: Steve Austin (born Steven James Anderson; December 18, 1964), better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American media personality, actor, and retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential professional wrestlers of all time, he was integral to the development and success of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now known as WWE) during the Attitude Era, an industry boom period in the late 1990s and early 2000s.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: Austin began his professional wrestling career in 1989, after playing college football at the University of North Texas. He signed with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1991 and adopted the persona of "Stunning" Steve Austin, a villainous in-ring technician, and he won the WCW World Television Championship and the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship twice each, alongside the WCW World Tag Team Championship and NWA World Tag Team Championship once each with Brian Pillman (as the Hollywood Blondes). After a brief stint in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), Austin signed with World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 1995.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: In the WWF, Austin was repackaged as a short-tempered, brash, anti-establishment antihero named "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, becoming the most popular wrestler of the Attitude Era off the back of his feud with company chairman Mr. McMahon. He won the WWF Championship six times, the WWF Intercontinental Championship twice, the Million Dollar Championship once, and the WWF Tag Team Championship four times, making him the fifth WWF Triple Crown Champion. He is also a record three-time Royal Rumble winner, won the 1996 King of the Ring, and headlined multiple WWF pay-per-view events, including WrestleMania (its flagship event) four times. He was forced to retire from in-ring competition in 2003 after multiple knee injuries and a serious neck injury at the 1997 SummerSlam event, making sporadic appearances ever since. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009, and returned for a one-off match against Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 38 in April 2022.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: Austin hosts the podcast "The Steve Austin Show" (2013–present) and the WWE video podcast "Broken Skull Sessions" (2019–present). He collaborates with El Segundo Brewing on Broken Skull IPA and Broken Skull American Lager. He also hosted the reality competition series "Steve Austin's Broken Skull Challenge" (2014–2017) and "Straight Up Steve Austin" (2019–present).


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: Austin was born Steven James Anderson in Austin, Texas, on December 18, 1964. His parents, Beverly (née Harrison) and James Anderson, divorced when he was around a year old. His mother moved to Edna, Texas, where Austin would spend most of his childhood, and she married Ken Williams in 1968. Austin adopted his stepfather's surname and legally changed his name to Steven James Williams, though he would legally change it again to Steve Austin later in life. He has a younger sister named Jennifer and three brothers named Scott, Kevin, and Jeff. Kevin is less than a year younger than Austin, leading Austin to theorize in his autobiography that their father may have left because he could not handle another child so soon. After finishing his education at Edna High School, he got a football scholarship to Wharton County Junior College followed by a full scholarship to the University of North Texas. He played originally as a linebacker before suffering a knee injury, prompting him to switch to play as a defensive end.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: The first wrestling events Austin watched were those produced by Houston Wrestling and run by Paul Boesch, and Austin would later say, "I fell in love with the business when I was seven or eight years old. All I ever wanted to be was a professional wrestler. Wrestling was the biggest thing in my life." When he moved to attend university, he was living approximately 30 miles from the Dallas Sportatorium, a building he later described fondly as a "magnificent shithole of a building". It was here that World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) ran shows on a Friday night.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: Deciding to become a wrestler, Austin joined "Gentleman" Chris Adams's school in the Dallas Sportatorium, where Adams also wrestled for WCCW. The first seminar cost Austin $45. Adams's training was purely technical, teaching Austin the moves, but nothing relating to kayfabe (still somewhat a guarded secret at the time) or business. Austin would later describe Adams as a "conman" who "didn't try to smarten [him] up or teach [him] the real deal when it came to wrestling". His first lesson in that came from Tony Falk, the referee in his 1989 televised WCCW debut against Frogman LeBlanc, who called the spots to lead him to a pinfall and a $40 payday. Early influences on his career were the Von Erich family, Dusty Rhodes, and Ric Flair.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: Initially working under his real name, he was renamed Steve Austin by Memphis booker Dutch Mantell during the merger of WCCW and the Continental Wrestling Association (CWA) into the United States Wrestling Association (USWA). The name change occurred to avoid confusion with "Dr. Death" Steve Williams, a well-known wrestler during that time. Austin later returned to Dallas, managed by Percy Pringle and accompanied by Jeannie Adams (Adams's ex-girlfriend and Austin's girlfriend at the time) and feuded with Adams and his wife Toni.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: Arriving in WCW, he was now nicknamed "Stunning" Steve Austin, a name and gimmick he later said he could not commit to. Austin was originally paired with a valet named Vivacious Veronica but was later joined by Jeannie Adams, known as "Lady Blossom." Just weeks after his debut, Austin defeated Bobby Eaton for his first WCW World Television Championship on June 3, 1991, and later that year joined Paul E. Dangerously's Dangerous Alliance. Austin lost the WCW World Television Championship to Barry Windham in a two-out-of-three-falls match on April 27, 1992, but later regained the championship from Windham and enjoyed a second lengthy reign as champion, before losing the championship to Ricky Steamboat, while The Dangerous Alliance disbanded shortly thereafter. At Halloween Havoc, Austin replaced Terry Gordy, teaming with "Dr. Death" Steve Williams to wrestle Dustin Rhodes and Windham for the unified WCW and NWA World Tag Team Championships. The teams wrestled to a thirty-minute time limit draw.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: In October 1992, Austin formed a tag team known as The Hollywood Blonds with Brian Pillman, at the behest of lead booker Dusty Rhodes. Austin would later say that he was not excited about being placed into a tag team, as he was earmarked for a run with the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship with Harley Race as his manager. Initially billed under their individual personas, Pillman decided the pair needed their own finishing move, ring gear and team name, with travelling partner Scott Levy proposing The Hollywood Blonds, used in the 1970s by Buddy Roberts and Jerry Brown. The pair adopted an "old-style movie camera hand gesture", and informed opponents they had experienced a "brush with greatness".


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: On March 27, 1993, the team won the unified NWA and WCW World Tag Team Championship by defeating Ricky Steamboat and Shane Douglas, and held the championship for five months. In the main event of "Clash of the Champions XXIII", the Blondes defended their championship against Ric Flair and Arn Anderson in a two-out-of-three-falls, where despite losing the first two falls, retained the championship as the second fall had been determined by a disqualification caused by Barry Windham. At "Clash of the Champions XXIV", Austin and Pillman were scheduled to defend their championship against Anderson and Paul Roma but a legitimately injured Pillman was replaced by Steven Regal, with whom Austin lost to Anderson and Roma.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: With Pillman still injured, Austin joined Colonel Robert Parker's Stud Stable. After Pillman returned, the team was broken up when Austin turned on him, a decision Austin describes as a "mystery". Austin defeated Pillman in a singles match at "Clash of the Champions XXV". At Starrcade, Austin defeated Dustin Rhodes 2–0 in a two-out-of-three-falls match to win the United States championship. Austin lost the championship to Ricky Steamboat and was scheduled to face him in a rematch at Fall Brawl; Steamboat was though unable to wrestle due to a legitimate back injury and Austin was awarded the championship by forfeit. His second reign with the championship ended just five minutes later when he lost to Steamboat's replacement, Jim Duggan, in a match that lasted 35 seconds. Austin unsuccessfully challenged Duggan for the championship at both Halloween Havoc and "Clash of the Champions XXIX". The influence of Hulk Hogan and the "Hulkamania" era was beginning to take hold in WCW, with vice president Eric Bischoff saying this was likely the reason Austin lost to Duggan, who had been a popular figure during that period of time. Around this time, Austin pitched a storyline idea to Bischoff in which it would be revealed that Austin was a family member of Hogan. The proposal was quickly turned down on account of Bischoff's belief that Hogan would not work with somebody such as Austin, who was not a proven name.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: After returning from a knee injury in early 1995, Austin took part in a tournament for the vacant United States championship, defeating Duggan via countout in the first round but losing to Randy Savage in the quarter-final. In June 1995, Austin was fired by Bischoff after suffering a triceps injury while wrestling on a Japanese tour—Bischoff and WCW did not see Austin as a marketable wrestler. Additionally, Bischoff thought Austin was hard to work with.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: Austin was contacted by Paul Heyman of Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), who had previously managed him in WCW. Heyman hired him to do promos and in-ring interviews as he had not adequately recovered from his injury, paying Austin $500 a night. Changing his nickname to "Superstar", Austin debuted in ECW at Gangstas Paradise on September 18, 1995.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: While in ECW, Austin used the platform to develop his future "Stone Cold" persona as well as a series of vignettes running down WCW in general and Bischoff in particular, most memorably in several promos that mocked his then-status as "Nitro" host by introducing "Monday NyQuil", where he was joined by "Bongo" (a set of drums, meant to represent Steve "Mongo" McMichael) in promoting the show "where the big boys play with each other." Several wrestlers have credited ECW as the place where Austin developed his microphone skills. Austin has credited Heyman as the man who taught him how to cut a promo.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: Whipwreck, who was the ECW World Heavyweight Champion at the time, defeated Austin to retain the championship at November to Remember. The Sandman defeated Austin and Whipwreck in a triple threat match at December to Dismember for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: Austin joined the WWF in late-1995 after Diesel and Jim Ross helped convince WWF's owner Vince McMahon to hire him. He wrestled his first match for the WWF on December 18, 1995, which was broadcast on the January 8, 1996 episode of "Raw". His debut saw him awarded the Million Dollar Championship by his manager, Ted DiBiase. Wrestling in his debut match on "Raw" he defeated Matt Hardy using the moniker "The Ringmaster". While making his first pay-per-view (PPV) appearance at the Royal Rumble, he was scripted to be among the final four wrestlers in the ring, which could have given him an early push; however, The Ringmaster failed to hang onto the ropes after Fatu clotheslined him over and slipped out of the ring early.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: Austin soon thought the Ringmaster gimmick was weak and asked for a change. Having battled thinning hair for a few years, he decided to shave his head in early 1996. He later said in a 2017 interview, "After watching the "Pulp Fiction" movie with Bruce Willis, that's the haircut that inspired me. I was traveling on the road to Pittsburgh with Dustin Rhodes and before I went to the show, I said fuck it. I went into the bathroom with a razor blade and shaved all my hair off. Then I grew the goatee and everything came full circle." By March 11, The Ringmaster moniker (now merely a prefix to his ring name) would be discarded in favor of his most famous ring name, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. The new name was prompted by his English wife at the time, Jeanie, who told him to drink a cup of tea she had made for him before it became "stone cold". His new persona was partially inspired by serial killer Richard Kuklinski.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: Austin wrestled Savio Vega on "Raw" to a double countout, before defeating him in his first WrestleMania appearance at WrestleMania XII. At , Austin lost to Vega in a rematch. At , Austin lost a Caribbean strap match to Vega, with the added stipulation that DiBiase was forced to leave the WWF as a result. DiBiase would later say that nobody foresaw the success Austin would have, and had advised him to ignore the advice given to him by producers and continue what he was doing as success required patience.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: Austin's rise to stardom began at the 1996 King of the Ring, where he won the tournament by defeating Jake "The Snake" Roberts. At the time, Roberts was portraying a born-again Christian, which inspired Austin to ad-lib a famous promo during his coronation, mocking Roberts' religious faith and proclaiming the now-iconic catchphrase "Austin 3:16" as derision of the Bible verse . Austin's win and rise to stardom proved to be an unexpected stroke of luck. Hunter Hearst Helmsley was originally scheduled to win the tournament, but plans changed as he was punished for taking part in the Curtain Call incident. "Austin 3:16" ultimately became one of the most popular catchphrases in wrestling history, and one of the best-selling T-shirts in WWE merchandise history.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: After defeating Yokozuna at SummerSlam, throughout August and September Austin spoke about Bret Hart, challenging him constantly and taunting him relentlessly, before Hart finally returned on "Raw" to challenge Austin to a match at Survivor Series, which he accepted. During an episode of "Superstars", old friend Brian Pillman conducted an interview with Austin regarding his upcoming match. After Pillman inadvertently complimented Hart, Austin grew angry and attacked him. He then proceeded to wedge Pillman's ankle in between a steel chair and stomp on it, breaking his ankle in storyline. It would lead to the infamous "Pillman's got a gun" segment on "Raw" wherein Austin broke into Pillman's home while he was nursing his injury. Pillman had been anticipating him and was armed with a pistol. Just as Austin broke in, Pillman aimed his gun at him before the episode cut to commercial break. The segment was highly controversial for its perceived violence and rare use of profanity in WWF programming. The segment is also credited for paving the way for WWF's shift to more mature programming. At Survivor Series, in a match to determine the number-one contender to the WWF Championship, Hart defeated Austin by using a turnbuckle to push himself backward while locked in the Million Dollar Dream.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: During the 1997 Royal Rumble match, Austin was originally eliminated by Hart but the officials did not see it; he snuck back into the ring and eliminated Hart by throwing him over the ropes, winning the match. This led to the first-ever PPV main event of Austin's WWF career at , where he competed in a four corners elimination match against Hart, The Undertaker, and Vader for the vacant WWF Championship. Austin was eliminated early from the match after injuring his knee; Hart would win the match and the championship. Hart lost the championship the next night on "Raw" to Sycho Sid due to Austin's interference, continuing their feud. At WrestleMania 13, Hart defeated Austin in a highly acclaimed submission match with Ken Shamrock as a special referee. During the match, Austin had been cut and was bleeding profusely from his face, but he refused to tap out when Hart locked in his Sharpshooter, and finally passed out from blood loss, losing the match. After the match, Hart continued to hold the Sharpshooter on Austin, who despite his wounds refused any assistance back to the locker room, thus turning Hart heel and Austin babyface in a rare double-turn. Austin portrayed an anti-hero instead of a traditional babyface, and he didn't embrace the fans at first either. Austin eventually got his revenge on Hart in the main event of , defeating him in a match to determine the next contender to The Undertaker's WWF Championship. Austin won when Hart was disqualified due to assistance from The British Bulldog. Austin faced Hart once again in a street fight on April 21 episode of "Raw", injuring his opponent's leg with a steel chair during the bout. The match was ruled a no contest, but Austin proceeded to beat Hart while he was on a stretcher in the back of an ambulance. At , Austin had The Undertaker down with the Stone Cold Stunner but was distracted by Pillman, allowing The Undertaker to recover and perform a Tombstone Piledriver for the victory.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: On "Raw", Austin partnered with the returning Shawn Michaels, as they both had a mutual enemy in the Harts. They defeated Owen Hart and The British Bulldog for the WWF Tag Team Championship, his first championship in the WWF. Despite being champions, the two constantly argued and ultimately faced each other in a match at King of the Ring, which ended in a double disqualification after both men attacked the referee. Michaels was later forced to vacate his championship due to an injury. Hart and Bulldog won a tournament to face Austin and a partner of his choice, but he refused to pick a partner and decided to face the duo by himself. Late in the match, a debuting Dude Love came out to offer assistance. Austin accepted and the duo won the match and the titles, making Austin a two-time tag team champion. Austin continued his feud with the Hart family, becoming embroiled in a heated rivalry particularly with Owen, who pinned a distracted Austin and secured victory for The Hart Foundation in the ten-man Tag Team match main event of , where Austin was partnered with Ken Shamrock, Goldust, and The Legion of Doom.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: At SummerSlam, Austin and Owen faced each other with the Intercontinental Championship on the line, with Owen adding a stipulation that Austin would have to kiss his buttocks if he lost. During the match, Owen botched a Tombstone Piledriver and dropped Austin on his head, resulting in a legitimate broken neck and temporary paralysis for Austin. As Owen stalled by baiting the audience, Austin managed to crawl over and pin Hart using a roll-up to win the championship. A visibly injured and dazed Austin was helped to his feet by several referees and led to the back. Due to the severity of his neck injury, Austin was forced to relinquish both championships. On September 22, on the first-ever "Raw" to be broadcast from Madison Square Garden, McMahon told Austin he wasn't physically cleared to compete, and after several weeks of build-up, Austin delivered his Stone Cold Stunner to McMahon, causing the fans in attendance to go "ballistic". Austin was then arrested as part of the storyline, and was sidelined until Survivor Series. However, in the interim he made several appearances, one being at where he was involved in the finish of a match between Owen and Faarooq. Austin hit Faarooq with the Intercontinental Championship belt while the referee's back was turned, causing Hart to win the match. Austin's motive was to keep Owen as champion, as demonstrated when he interfered in Hart's matches on "Raw". Austin regained the Intercontinental Championship from Hart at Survivor Series.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: With Hart out of the way, Austin set his sights on The Rock, who stole Austin's championship belt after Austin suffered a beating by his Nation of Domination stablemates. In the weeks to come, The Rock began declaring himself to be "the best damn Intercontinental Champion ever." The Rock kept possession of the championship belt until , when Austin defeated him to retain the championship and regain the belt. As Austin had used his pickup truck to aid his victory, McMahon ordered him to defend the championship against The Rock the next night on "Raw". In an act of defiance, Austin forfeited the championship to The Rock before tossing the belt into the Piscataqua River.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: After Bret Hart's controversial departure for WCW, Austin and Michaels were the top stars in the company. Austin won the 1998 Royal Rumble, lastly eliminating The Rock. The next night on "Raw", Austin interrupted Vince McMahon in his presentation of Mike Tyson, who was making a special appearance, over the objection of McMahon referring to Tyson as "the baddest man on the planet." Austin insulted Tyson by showing him his middle finger, which led to Tyson shoving Austin much to McMahon's embarrassment, who began publicly to disapprove of the prospect of Austin as his champion. Tyson was later announced as "the special enforcer" for the main event at WrestleMania XIV, and aligned himself with Michaels's stable D-Generation X. This led to Austin's WWF World Heavyweight Championship match against Michaels at WrestleMania XIV, which he won with help from Tyson, who turned on DX by making the deciding three-count against Michaels and later hit him with his knock-out punch. This was Michaels's last match until 2002 as he had suffered two legitimate herniated discs and another completely crushed at the hands of The Undertaker in a casket match at the Royal Rumble. With Michaels's absence and Austin winning the WWF World Heavyweight Championship, the "Austin Era" was ushered in.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: On "Raw" the following night, McMahon presented him with a new championship belt and warned Austin that he did not approve of his rebellious nature, desiring a "corporate champion"; Austin responded with a "Stone Cold Stunner". The following week, it appeared Austin had agreed with McMahon, appearing in a suit and tie, before revealing it was a ruse and again attacking McMahon. On April 13, it appeared Austin and McMahon were going to battle out their differences in an actual match, but the match was declared a no-contest when Dude Love made an appearance. This led to a match between Dude Love and Austin at , where Austin hit McMahon with a steel chair, then the following month they had a rematch at for the WWF Championship. Austin managed to retain the championship despite McMahon acting as the referee and his "Corporate Stooges" (Gerald Brisco and Pat Patterson) as timekeeper and ring announcer, respectively. McMahon continued to do everything he could to ruin Austin and he finally scored a big victory for his side at King of the Ring. Austin lost the WWF Championship to Kane in a First Blood match after The Undertaker accidentally hit him with a steel chair while the ref was incapacitated, despite Austin having knocked Kane unconscious and thwarted an earlier intervention by Mankind.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: Austin further angered McMahon by winning back the championship the next night on "Raw". Austin also emerged victorious against The Undertaker at SummerSlam. In response, McMahon set up a Triple Threat match at , where The Undertaker and Kane pinned Austin at the same time. McMahon decided to vacate the WWF Championship and award it based on a match between The Undertaker and Kane, in which Austin was the guest referee on . Austin refused to count for either man and attacked both towards the end of the match. McMahon later fired him, although Austin got revenge by kidnapping McMahon and dragging him to the middle of the ring at "gunpoint", which ended up being a toy gun with a scroll that read "Bang! 3:16." During that segment, McMahon also learned that Austin was later re-signed by his son, Shane McMahon. In the semifinals of the Survivor Series tournament to crown a new WWF Champion, Austin lost to Mankind after Shane double-crossed Austin. The next night on "Raw", Judge Mills Lane ruled that The Rock had to defend his newly won WWF Championship against Austin that night, as stipulated in the new contract Austin had signed two weeks earlier with Shane. The Undertaker interfered and hit Austin with a shovel, earning Austin a disqualification victory, though The Rock remained champion. At , Austin defeated The Undertaker in a Buried Alive match after Kane performed a Tombstone Piledriver on The Undertaker into the grave. With this victory, Austin qualified for the 1999 Royal Rumble. Austin's next appearance after this would be the January 4, 1999 edition of "Raw", where he would come out to help Mankind defeat The Rock to become the WWF Champion (by whacking The Rock in the face with a steel chair and draping Mankind's body over The Rock).


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: Austin's next chance to exact revenge on Mr. McMahon came during the Royal Rumble match. On "Raw", McMahon drew Austin's entry number with the intention of screwing him over. Austin drew entry number one, while McMahon drew number two thanks to Commissioner Shawn Michaels. During the Royal Rumble match, Austin followed McMahon out of the ring and into the backstage area, only to be ambushed by members of The Corporation, and an injured Austin was taken to the hospital. Austin however returned in an ambulance and re-entered the match, delivering a Stone Cold Stunner to Big Boss Man and eliminating him. With the match down to Austin and McMahon, The Rock came down to the ring to distract Austin, who was eliminated by McMahon, winning the Royal Rumble.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: McMahon turned down the number-one contender spot, and Michaels promptly awarded Austin the championship shot the next night on "Raw". At , Austin faced McMahon in a steel cage match, with the championship opportunity at WrestleMania XV at stake. During the match, Paul Wight made his debut, coming from under the ring and attacking Austin, but Wight's attack propelled Austin into the side of the cage forcing the cage to give way and dropping Austin to the floor first, making him the victor. The week before WrestleMania, Austin interrupted The Rock, Vince, and Shane McMahon's interview segment by driving a beer truck to the ring and using a hose to spray the trio with beer. Austin defeated The Rock at WrestleMania XV to win his third WWF Championship. Austin faced The Rock in a rematch at , in which Shane was the referee. During the match, Vince approached the ring, only to hand Austin back his Smoking Skull championship belt and take Shane out of the proceedings. Austin won the match when another referee made the count. Austin would lose the championship to The Undertaker at Over the Edge. Due to events revolving around Vince, Stephanie and Linda McMahon made Austin the chief executive officer (CEO) of the company as part of the storyline. Vince and Shane challenged Austin to a handicap ladder match at King of the Ring with the title of CEO on the line, which the duo of father and son won. The next night on "Raw", Austin challenged and defeated The Undertaker to win his fourth WWF Championship. The two would compete in a "First Blood" match at Fully Loaded, with the stipulation that if Austin lost he would never compete for the WWF Championship again, but if Austin won Vince would depart the company; Austin won after interference from X-Pac.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: Austin held on to the WWF Championship until SummerSlam when he lost it to Mankind in a triple threat match also featuring Triple H. Austin would get his rematch at No Mercy against Triple H, but he lost after The Rock accidentally struck him with a sledgehammer shot meant for Triple H. The three were advertised for a triple-threat match at Survivor Series, where Austin was run down by a car. The segment was to write him off television, with the neck injury suffered two years prior posing a real threat of retirement, and was advised to undergo surgery. Austin would later describe this as "the worst storyline I was ever involved in".


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: In April 2000, Austin appeared at Backlash, attacking Triple H and Vince McMahon to help The Rock reclaim the WWF Championship. After Austin's return at Unforgiven in September, Commissioner Mick Foley led an investigation to find out who ran Austin over, with the culprit revealed to be Rikishi. At No Mercy, Austin faced Rikishi in a No Holds Barred match, during which Austin attempted to run down in a truck Rikishi, but was prevented from doing so by officials, and the match was deemed a no contest; Austin was subsequently arrested. During a handicap match against Rikishi and Kurt Angle, Triple H came down with the apparent intention of teaming with Austin, only to hit Austin with a sledgehammer and reveal he had instructed Rikishi to run him over. At Survivor Series, Triple H aimed to run Austin down again during their match but his plot failed when Austin lifted Triple H's car with a forklift, then let it drop 20 feet. Austin won his third Royal Rumble in January 2001, last eliminating Kane. His rivalry against Triple H ended at No Way Out in a Three Stages of Hell match, with Triple H defeating Austin two falls to one.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: With The Rock defeating Angle for the WWF Championship at No Way Out, Austin was again set to face him at WrestleMania. In the weeks leading up to WrestleMania, animosity grew between Austin and The Rock, stemming from Austin's wife, Debra, being assigned to be The Rock's manager by Mr. McMahon. The match at WrestleMania X-Seven was made a no disqualification match. During the match, McMahon came to the ring, preventing The Rock from pinning Austin on two separate occasions and giving Austin a steel chair. Austin then hit The Rock several times with the chair before pinning him to win the WWF Championship for the fifth time. After the match, Austin shook hands with McMahon, turning heel for the first time since 1997. During a steel cage match with The Rock in a rematch for the WWF Championship the following night on "Raw", Triple H came down to the ring with a sledgehammer. After teasing siding with The Rock, Triple H instead aligned himself with Austin and McMahon, attacking The Rock and put him out of action. Austin further cemented his heel turn the following Thursday on "SmackDown!", when, during an interview with Jim Ross about his actions at WrestleMania, he thought Ross was denouncing their friendship and then assaulted Ross. Austin and Triple H became a team known as The Two-Man Power Trip. Austin altered his character considerably over the next few months by becoming a whiny, temperamental prima donna who complained incessantly when he felt he was not getting respect. He also developed an infatuation with McMahon, going to great lengths to impress him, even going so far as to hug him and bring him presents.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: Austin and Triple H ran roughshod over all their opponents, until coming up against The Undertaker and Kane. After defeating them for the WWF Tag Team Championship at Backlash, they held the tag team titles, the WWF Championship (Austin) and the Intercontinental Championship (Triple H) all at once. On the May 21 episode of "Raw", Austin and Triple H defended their tag team championship against Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit; during the match, Triple H tore his quadriceps, and the team lost the match and the tag team championship in a highly acclaimed bout, with Jim Ross saying the quartet created "magic", while wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer awarded the match four-and-a-three-quarter stars out of a possible five in his "Wrestling Observer Newsletter". Austin officially broke up The Power Trip on that week's "SmackDown!", criticizing Triple H for his injury and for hitting him with the sledgehammer. He continued to align himself with McMahon and began feuding with Jericho and Benoit by himself, leading to a triple-threat match at King of the Ring; despite interference from the debuting Booker T, Austin retained the championship.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: Meanwhile, the purchase of WCW by Vince McMahon began to bear fruit as The Invasion began. Invading WCW wrestlers formed an alliance with a group of ECW wrestlers, with the group led by Shane and Stephanie McMahon. Vince called Austin out and demanded that he bring "the old Stone Cold" back so he could effectively captain a team of WWF wrestlers in a ten-man tag team match at the upcoming InVasion PPV in July. Austin initially refused, but on the following episode of "Raw" he returned to his old ways and hit Stunners on every member of the Alliance, turning face once again. At InVasion, Austin captained the WWF team consisting of himself, Angle, Jericho, and The Undertaker and Kane against the team of WCW's Booker T and Diamond Dallas Page and ECW's Rhyno and The Dudley Boyz. Austin turned heel once again by hitting a Stunner on Angle and helping Team WCW/ECW win. Austin subsequently joined the Alliance as their leader.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: Austin lost the WWF Championship to Angle at Unforgiven by submitting to the ankle lock, ending Austin's reign at 175 days, the longest reign since 1996. He would regain the title on the October 8 episode of "Raw" when WWF Commissioner William Regal betrayed Angle and joined the Alliance. Austin then began feuding with Alliance member Rob Van Dam, who was the only member of the Alliance to be cheered by the fans despite the villainous tactics of the group. Austin faced Angle and Van Dam at No Mercy later that month and won by pinning Van Dam. For Survivor Series, a "winner takes all" 10-man tag team match was announced; Austin captained a team consisting Angle, Shane McMahon, Van Dam, and Booker T, against Team WWF; captained by The Rock, the team also included Jericho, Kane, The Undertaker and Big Show. At Survivor Series, Angle sided with the WWF, helping The Rock to hit the Rock Bottom and pin Austin to win the match, marking the end of the Invasion storyline.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: The following night, Vince McMahon decided he was going to strip Austin of the championship and reward it to Angle, before Ric Flair returned and announced he was now half-owner of the company. Austin returned moments after this announcement and attacked Angle and McMahon for their actions. He was then handed his championship belt by Flair and celebrated with him in the ring, turning him face once again. At the Vengeance PPV, a tournament was held to unify the WWF Championship and the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, held by The Rock; also involving Angle and Jericho. Austin would defeat Angle, before losing the unification match to Jericho following interference by McMahon and Booker T.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: In the 2002 Royal Rumble on January 20, Austin entered at number nineteen and lasted until the final four, but was eliminated by Kurt Angle. On the January 28 episode of "Raw," he defeated Angle to earn a shot at Chris Jericho's Undisputed WWF Championship at No Way Out. In the build-up to No Way Out, McMahon had signed the New World Order (nWo), who immediately began a feud with Austin. Austin refused a beer gift from the nWo, and they cost him his match against Jericho later that night. Problems were beginning to surface backstage, however, as Austin was unhappy regarding Hulk Hogan's return to the WWF. He was reported as refusing to lose to Hogan in a proposed match at WrestleMania X8, while Hogan reportedly told McMahon the same regarding losing to Austin. In recent years, Austin claimed he didn't want the match as he didn't want to wrestle at a slower pace, and that he "didn't think we could deliver." Consequently, Austin defeated Scott Hall at WrestleMania.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: Austin no-showed the "Raw" after WrestleMania and took a week-long break without the company's consent, citing exhaustion. McMahon claimed his actions caused fury among fans who had paid to see him that night. Austin returned on the April 1 episode of "Raw", the first of the new "brand extension" era. The show was centered on which show he would sign with, and he ultimately chose Raw. Austin entered a feud with The Undertaker that resulted in a number-one contender's match for the Undisputed WWF Championship at Backlash, which Austin lost despite having his foot on the rope when he was pinned. He would later be betrayed by Big Show after being put in tag team match with him by Ric Flair, and betrayed by Flair himself in the following weeks. Austin then defeated Big Show and Flair in a handicap match at Judgment Day. In a May 2002 interview on WWE's Internet program, "Byte This!", Austin stunned the company and fans by launching a verbal attack on the direction the company was heading in and slated the creative team for not using him the way he felt they previously did. The WWE rehired Eddie Guerrero for Austin to feud with, while also prepping Austin for a feud with Brock Lesnar. However, Austin balked at the proposition that he lose a King of the Ring qualifying match on "Raw" to Lesnar, and ultimately walked out of the company. Austin later explained that he thought hot-shotting a rookie made Austin look weak, and airing the match on free television with no build-up did not give Lesnar a proper stage for such a big win over a star of Austin's magnitude. Further fanning the flames amongst Austin's growing number of detractors was a well-publicized domestic dispute incident between Austin and his wife Debra (see below).


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: After Austin again no-showed the June 10 episode of "Raw", his storylines were dropped. Austin walked out again, publicly stating he felt bad storylines were presented to him by the creative team. This time his departure was for good. McMahon, along with longtime Austin supporter and real-life friend Jim Ross, buried Austin on WWE programming, referring to him as "taking his ball and going home" because he was not getting his way, whilst also explaining to the fans that neither he nor Ross was able to persuade Austin to change his mind. McMahon insisted that Austin owed an apology to all the fans across the world, especially those who paid solely to see him that night. McMahon toasted to Austin's career with a beer thanking him for all his hard work nonetheless. The same night, Austin's entrance theme was played during an in-ring segment by Flair, but it transitioned to Guerrero's theme and he entered the arena. The Rock also made an appearance on "Raw" that night, despite being drafted to "SmackDown!", and announced his frustrations towards Austin and threw a can of beer at McMahon.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: For the remainder of 2002, Austin kept a low profile and did not make any public appearances. It was reported, however, by the end of the year, Austin and McMahon met and resolved their differences. He then agreed to return to the company in early 2003. In an interview with "WWE Raw Magazine", he announced deep regret over the situation that led to his departure and how he had left, and deeper regret over inaccurate speculation regarding his alleged grudges held against other WWE wrestlers, claiming he had no problem with Hall rejoining the company. However, he admitted he still held strong reservations about his singles match with Hall at WrestleMania only lasting seven minutes and felt the build-up to the match did not live up to the expectations of his fans or Hall's and was angered by speculation suggesting he disagreed with Kevin Nash re-joining the company, insisting he and Nash have always been good friends. He, however, maintained his displeasure with the storylines and creative changes the WWE had imposed around the time of his departure. In an interview with Vince McMahon on his podcast in 2014, Austin revealed for the first time that McMahon had fined him $650,000 upon his return, but he was able to lower the amount to $250,000.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: Austin confessed he had a major rift with Triple H's role in the company upon his return in 2002 but insisted as of 2003 they resolved their issues. Also, he claimed a brief dispute with The Rock was resolved quickly upon his return, and that none of his disputes with the talent roster continued or played the major part in his departure. In February, Austin returned at No Way Out by defeating Eric Bischoff. Austin would wrestle only one match between then and WrestleMania, in another short match against Bischoff on "Raw". He entered a feud with The Rock, who returned about the same time as a smug, Hollywood sell-out heel. The Rock was offended that the WWE fans voted for Austin in a WWE Magazine poll to determine the 'Superstar of the Decade'. He expressed his frustration at having never defeated Austin at WrestleMania, and challenged Austin to a match at WrestleMania XIX. Austin was then defeated by The Rock at WrestleMania XIX, in Austin's final match.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: On April 3, 2005, Austin made his first appearance on WWE programming in a year at WrestleMania 21 when he appeared with Roddy Piper on "Piper's Pit". They were interrupted by Carlito, who received a "Stone Cold Stunner". The segment ended with Austin and Piper celebrating with beer until Austin gave Piper a "Stone Cold Stunner". Austin was involved in the concluding segment at ECW One Night Stand in which he had a beer bash with the ECW locker room and brawled with the anti-ECW invaders, led by Bischoff. He returned at "Raw Homecoming", delivering "Stone Cold Stunners" to Vince, Shane, Stephanie, and Linda McMahon. An angle including Jim Ross being fired led to a match in which Austin agreed to face Jonathan Coachman at Taboo Tuesday, with the stipulation of Ross regaining his announcing job had Austin won and Austin losing his job had he lost. Austin hurt his back before the match and could not wrestle unless he was heavily medicated, so the match was cancelled. To explain away his failure to appear at Taboo Tuesday, Vince McMahon said on "Raw" that Austin had been involved in an accident, thus preventing him from competing. Batista substituted for Austin, defeating Coachman along with Vader and Goldust.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: He returned to WWE to face John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) in a beer-drinking contest at March 18, 2006, episode of "Saturday Night's Main Event XXXII". Austin inducted Bret Hart into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 1, 2006.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: Austin returned to WWE programming in March 2007, partially to promote his starring role in the release of WWE Films' production "The Condemned". On March 31, he inducted Jim Ross into the Hall of Fame. At WrestleMania 23, Austin was the special guest referee for the match between Bobby Lashley and Umaga. If Lashley lost, his manager Donald Trump's head would be shaved, and if Umaga lost, his manager Vince McMahon's head would be shaved. During the match, Austin delivered "Stone Cold Stunners" to Umaga, Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon, and Trump. Lashley won the match; Trump, Austin, and Lashley then shaved McMahon's head. Austin ended the show by hitting the "Stone Cold Stunner" on both Vince and Trump. He then appeared in a video on the June 11 episode of "Raw" as part of "Mr. McMahon's Appreciation Night", where he shared his thoughts on his past feuds with McMahon. Austin appeared on the August 18 episode of "Saturday Night's Main Event", as a possible illegitimate child of McMahon. He hit McMahon and Coachman with "Stone Cold Stunners" before leaving. He appeared at SummerSlam to aid Matt Hardy in battling MVP in a beer-drinking contest. The match ended in a no-contest after Austin handed a beer to MVP and gave him the "Stone Cold Stunner". Austin made another appearance at Cyber Sunday, where he guest refereed a World Heavyweight Championship match between Batista and The Undertaker. On the November 5 episode of "Raw", Austin made an appearance to confront Santino Marella for criticizing "The Condemned". The argument ended as Marella received a "Stone Cold Stunner" from Austin, who then walked backstage only to return with a Budweiser beer truck to hose down Marella and his valet Maria with beer. Austin appeared on the "Raw 15th Anniversary" special, attacking Vince McMahon.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: On October 26, 2008, at Cyber Sunday, Austin was the special guest referee during a match between Batista and Chris Jericho for the World Heavyweight Championship. On January 12, 2009, on "Raw", Austin was announced to be the first member of the Hall of Fame class of 2009. He was inducted by his long-term on-screen rival Vince McMahon, who referred to Austin as "the greatest WWE Superstar of all time". During the induction, Austin said he was officially closing the door on his wrestling career and starting a new chapter in his life. He would appear at WrestleMania 25 the next night, driving an ATV to the ring. Austin appeared as the guest host of "Raw" on March 15, 2010, moderating a contract signing between McMahon and Bret Hart for their match at WrestleMania XXVI.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: In early 2011, Austin was announced as the head trainer and host for the revival of "Tough Enough". On the March 7 episode of "Raw", Austin interrupted the contract signing of the special guest referee for the Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler match at WrestleMania XXVII, originally scheduled to be JBL; Austin attacked JBL with a "Stone Cold Stunner" and signed the contract instead. Although Lawler won by submission, the Anonymous Raw General Manager reversed the decision and disqualified Lawler, claiming that Austin had "overstepped his authority." Austin appeared on "Raw" the following night with the cast from "Tough Enough", while also getting into an altercation with The Miz and Alex Riley. On the June 6 episode of "Raw", Austin appeared to declare Andy Leavine as the winner of "Tough Enough". He also served as the special guest referee in the evening's tag team main event of John Cena and Alex Riley against The Miz and R-Truth, hitting Miz with a "Stone Cold Stunner" and aiding Cena. However, the Anonymous Raw General Manager awarding the match to The Miz and R-Truth via disqualification. Austin did not take kindly to his decision being overturned and gave Cole a "Stone Cold Stunner", which was followed with an "Attitude Adjustment" by Cena. Austin and Cena closed the show with a beer bash. Austin later appeared as the special guest General Manager on the "WWE All-Stars" episode of "Raw", during which he destroyed the Anonymous Raw General Manager's laptop by running over it with his ATV.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: In July 2012, Austin was announced as the cover star of the special edition of the video game WWE '13. He then began a brief, verbal feud on "Raw" with fellow cover star CM Punk in the months leading to release.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: Austin appeared at WrestleMania XXX on April 6, 2014, with Hulk Hogan and The Rock in the opening segment. Austin made an appearance on the October 19, 2015 episode of "Raw", introducing The Undertaker and promoting the WrestleMania 32 event. Austin again appeared on "Raw" the following week, where he promoted the "WWE 2K16" video game in a backstage segment. At WrestleMania 32 on April 3, 2016, Austin (alongside Mick Foley and Shawn Michaels) confronted The League of Nations, with Austin delivering "Stone Cold Stunners" to Rusev and King Barrett. While Austin was celebrating with Michaels and Foley, The New Day tried to convince Austin to dance with them in celebration. While Austin reluctantly danced along at first, he soon hit Xavier Woods with a "Stone Cold Stunner".


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: During "Raw"s 25th anniversary episode on January 22, 2018, Austin appeared and performed a "Stone Cold Stunner" on Shane and Vince McMahon.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: On March 7, 2022, Kevin Owens invited Austin as a special guest on the KO Show at WrestleMania 38 following several promos where Owens disrespected Austin's native Texas, where WrestleMania 38 was scheduled to take place. The next day, Austin accepted the invite. At the end of WrestleMania 38 Night One, Owens revealed that the invite to talk on the KO Show was a ruse and that he actually wanted to fight Austin. He challenged Austin to a No Holds Barred match, which Austin accepted, marking his first wrestling match in WWE in over 19 years. He would go on to win after hitting Owens with a "Stone Cold Stunner". After the match, Austin gave another "Stone Cold Stunner" to Owens and one to Byron Saxton before celebrating with his brother. On Night Two of WrestleMania 38, after Mr. McMahon defeated Pat McAfee in an impromptu match, Austin made another appearance, giving Austin Theory a "Stone Cold Stunner". He then began drinking beer with McMahon before hitting him with a "Stone Cold Stunner", paying homage to how the majority of on-screen interactions between the two have ended. Austin then toasted with McAfee but hit him with a "Stone Cold Stunner" as well. The match received positive reviews from critics, with Kevin Pantoja of 411Mania and John Canton of TJR Wrestling giving the match a rating of 3.5/5 and 3/5 stars, respectively. Both noted the high entertainment value of Austin's return, aside from the rating of the match itself.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: Since his retirement in 2003, Austin has been widely regarded and cited as one of the greatest and most influential professional wrestlers of all time. "Sports Illustrated" ranked him third on their top 101 greatest wrestlers of all-time list. In 2020 SPORTbible ranked Austin as the greatest wrestler of all times. He has been described as the most influential wrestler in "Raw" history, and the poster boy for the Attitude Era. Several former world champions have named Austin as part of their ""Mount Rushmore"" of wrestling, including The Rock, The Undertaker, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, and John Cena, and a 2012 poll conducted by WWE saw Austin picked second on a fan voted version of the concept. When Vince McMahon inducted Austin into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009, he referred to Austin as "the greatest WWE superstar of all time."


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: During his early years as a wrestler, Austin was a technical wrestler. However, after Owen Hart accidentally injured Austin's neck in 1997, Austin changed his style from technical to brawler. His most famous finishing move is the "Stone Cold Stunner", and he credits Michael Hayes with introducing the move to him. Following his retirement, he gave permission to Kevin Owens to use the move as his own finisher, but both have downplayed comparisons between the two. During his time as The Ringmaster, he used the "Million Dollar Dream" as a finishing move since it was Ted DiBiase's finisher. During his time in WCW, Austin used the "Stun Gun" (a move innovated by Eddie Gilbert as the "Hot Shot") and the "Hollywood & Vine" (a standing modified figure-four leglock) as his finishers.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: Sporting a bald head and goatee, coupled with his ring attire which consisted of plain black trunks and boots, Austin relied solely on his personality to become popular. As "Stone Cold", Austin was portrayed on-screen as an anti-authority rebel who would consistently cuss and defy the company rules and guidelines of WWE Chairman Vince McMahon. One of Austin's taunts during the Attitude Era was to show the middle finger. To compliment his persona, Austin was the recipient of two additional nicknames, commentator and friend Jim Ross dubbed him "The Texas Rattlesnake" due to the character's "mannerisms, the motivation, the mindset, you can't trust this son of a bitch", while Austin later named himself "The Bionic Redneck" on account of the injuries he had suffered to his arms, neck and knees. Austin has said he is "eternally indebted" to Ross for helping his character become popular.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: In August 2001, he began using his catchphrase "What?" to interrupt wrestlers who were trying to speak and to allow fan participation chants. Audiences at WWE shows have since widely used this chant during performer promos, and Austin has stated his regret at inventing the chant.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: Austin's entrance theme was composed by Jim Johnston, who said that in composing the song, he looked upon Austin's persona as an "ass-kicker guy who did not enter a room with subtlety. He needed something that reflected that". Looking to capture the unpredictable nature of the character, Johnston thought of using the sounds of a car crash and smashing glass, and recalled that he instantly felt the theme fit the character and that "it felt like it had already been his theme for years". Austin says the song was inspired by Rage Against the Machine's song "Bulls on Parade". The theme song was revamped in 2000, with the rock band Disturbed recording the new version, used for the first time at the Unforgiven PPV event in September. Austin's entrance theme is regarded as one of the greatest of all time, and one which defined the Attitude Era, while Disturbed's version has been described as one of the 10 most metal entrance songs.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: Austin had guest roles on "Celebrity Deathmatch" and Seasons 4 and 5 of CBS's "Nash Bridges", where he played San Francisco Police Department Inspector Jake Cage. He has appeared on "V.I.P" and "Dilbert". His motion picture debut was in a supporting role as Guard Dunham in the 2005 remake of "The Longest Yard". Austin had his first starring film role, as Jack Conrad, a dangerous convict awaiting execution in a Salvadoran prison, who takes part in an illegal deathmatch game that is being broadcast to the public in the 2007 action film "The Condemned". In 2010, Austin appeared in "The Expendables" as Dan Paine, the right-hand man for the primary antagonist of the film James Munroe, played by Eric Roberts, and bodyguard with Gary Daniels who plays The Brit. Shortly after Austin re-teamed with Eric Roberts and Gary Daniels in "Hunt to Kill". It was his last American theatrical release film until 2013. Austin appeared as Hugo Panzer on television series "Chuck". He has also starred in "Damage", "The Stranger", "Tactical Force", "Knockout", "Recoil", "Maximum Conviction", and "The Package".


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: In April 2013, Austin started a weekly podcast named "The Steve Austin Show" which is family-friendly, while his second podcast "The Steve Austin Show – Unleashed!" is more adult-oriented. As of May 2015, the podcasts averaged 793,000 downloads a week and had nearly 200 million overall downloads. In February 2018, Austin announced that the "Unleashed" version of the podcast had been dropped and merged with the family-friendly version in order to appeal to more sponsors. The podcast has also transitioned to a live broadcast for the WWE Network (podcasted after a short exclusivity period) with monthly specials since 2014. In November 2019, Austin began an interview segment on the WWE Network called the "Broken Skull Sessions", taking its name from the ranch owned by Austin. The premiere episode featured The Undertaker.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: Austin hosted the reality competition show "Redneck Island" on CMT, which began in June 2012 and concluded with its fifth season in April 2016. In July 2014, his reality competition show "Steve Austin's Broken Skull Challenge" premiered on CMT. The show entered into its fifth season in September 2017.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: Austin played college football at the University of North Texas. Austin married his high school girlfriend Kathryn Burrhus on November 24, 1990. However, he later pursued a relationship with English wrestling manager Jeanie Clarke, with whom he was working. His marriage to Burrhus was annulled on August 7, 1992, and he married Clarke on December 18. They had two daughters, Stephanie (born 1992) and Cassidy (born 1996), before divorcing on May 10, 1999. Cassidy lives with Clarke in England, while Stephanie resides in Los Angeles. Austin also adopted Jade, Clarke's daughter with former boyfriend Chris Adams.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: On September 13, 2000, Austin married wrestling manager Debra Marshall. On June 15, 2002, Marshall called the police to the couple's home. She told officers that Austin had hit her and then stormed out of the house before police arrived. According to police reports, Marshall suffered a swollen cheek and eye and bruises to her back and shoulder. Austin called the house while officers were there, but declined a request to return to the house or report to the police station. On August 14, he was arrested and charged with domestic abuse. He pleaded no contest on November 25, and was given a year's probation, a $1,000 fine, and ordered to carry out 80 hours of community service. In 2007, Marshall told Fox News that WWE knew of the abuse, but worked to conceal the bruises on her face and kept her from revealing that Austin had hit her as it would cost the company millions of dollars. Austin responded to the incident in 2003 through "WWE Raw Magazine", citing his regret over their relationship breaking down and stating his love for Marshall. He also ridiculed allegations that the incident was alcohol-related. He filed for divorce from Marshall on July 22, 2002, which was finalized on February 5, 2003.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: In March 2003, During the hours leading up to Wrestlemania 19, Austin was rushed to the hospital for twitchiness and a high heart rate.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: In 2003, Austin denied allegations that he was an alcoholic, stating that wrestling fans had mistaken his character's excessive consumption of beer as a real-life trait of his and insisting that he drinks responsibly. In March 2004, he was accused of assaulting his then-girlfriend Tess Broussard during a dispute at his home in San Antonio, Texas, according to a police report. She provided a written statement to police, who photographed her injuries. No arrests were made and no charges were filed in the case.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: In 2007, the "Wrestling Observer" newsletter reported that Austin had legally changed his name to Steve Austin.


title: Stone Cold Steve Austin

text: In 2014, Austin voiced support for same-sex marriage on his podcast. Also in 2014, Austin released his first beer, Broken Skull IPA, with El Segundo Brewing Company in California. In March 2022, they released another collaboration, Broken Skull American Lager.


title: Six-Day War

text: The Six-Day War (, ; , , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab states (primarily Egypt, Syria, and Jordan) from 5 to 10 June 1967.


title: Six-Day War

text: Escalated hostilities broke out amid poor relations between Israel and its Arab neighbours following the 1949 Armistice Agreements, which were signed at the end of the First Arab–Israeli War. Earlier, in 1956, regional tensions over the Straits of Tiran escalated in what became known as the Suez Crisis, when Israel invaded Egypt over the Egyptian closure of maritime passageways to Israeli shipping, ultimately resulting in the re-opening of the Straits of Tiran to Israel as well as the deployment of the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) along the Egypt–Israel border. In the months prior to the outbreak of the Six-Day War in June 1967, tensions again became dangerously heightened: Israel reiterated its post-1956 position that another Egyptian closure of the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping would be a definite . In May 1967, Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser announced that the Straits of Tiran would again be closed to Israeli vessels. He subsequently mobilized the Egyptian military along the border with Israel, and also ordered the immediate withdrawal of all UNEF personnel.


title: Six-Day War

text: On 5 June 1967, as the UNEF was in the process of leaving the zone, Israel launched a series of pre-emptive airstrikes against Egyptian airfields and other facilities, launching its war effort. Egyptian forces were caught by surprise, and nearly the entirety of Egypt's military aerial assets were destroyed, giving Israel the advantage of air supremacy. Simultaneously, the Israeli military launched a ground offensive into Egypt's Sinai Peninsula as well as the Egyptian-occupied Gaza Strip. After some initial resistance, Nasser ordered an evacuation of the Sinai Peninsula; by the sixth day of the conflict, Israel had occupied the entire Sinai Peninsula. Jordan, which had entered into a defense pact with Egypt just a week before the war began, did not take on an all-out offensive role against Israel. However, the Jordanians did launch attacks against Israeli forces to slow Israel's advance. On the fifth day, Syria joined the war by shelling Israeli positions in the north.


title: Six-Day War

text: Egypt and Jordan agreed to a ceasefire on 8 June, and Syria on 9 June, and it was signed with Israel on 11 June. The Six-Day War resulted in more than 20,000 Arab casualties, with Israeli losses standing at fewer than 1,000 casualties. At the time of the cessation of hostilities, Israel had seized Syria's Golan Heights, the Jordanian-annexed West Bank (including East Jerusalem), and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula as well as the Egyptian-occupied Gaza Strip. The displacement of civilian populations as a result of the Six-Day War would have long-term consequences, as around 280,000 to 325,000 Palestinians and 100,000 Syrians fled or were expelled from the West Bank and the Golan Heights, respectively. Nasser resigned in shame following Israel's victory, but was later reinstated following a series of protests across Egypt. In the aftermath of the conflict, Egypt closed the Suez Canal until 1975, providing a trigger for the 1970s energy crisis and 1973 oil crisis due to the impact on oil deliveries coming from the Middle East to Europe through the Suez Canal.


title: Six-Day War

text: After the 1956 Suez Crisis, Egypt agreed to the stationing of a United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) in the Sinai to ensure all parties would comply with the 1949 Armistice Agreements. In the following years there were numerous minor border clashes between Israel and its Arab neighbours, particularly Syria. In early November 1966, Syria signed a mutual defence agreement with Egypt. Soon after this, in response to Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) guerilla activity, including a mine attack that left three dead, the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) attacked the village of as-Samu in the Jordanian-ruled West Bank. Jordanian units that engaged the Israelis were quickly beaten back. King Hussein of Jordan criticized Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser for failing to come to Jordan's aid, and "hiding behind UNEF skirts".


title: Six-Day War

text: In May 1967, Nasser received false reports from the Soviet Union that Israel was massing on the Syrian border. Nasser began massing his troops in two defensive lines in the Sinai Peninsula on Israel's border (16 May), expelled the UNEF force from Gaza and Sinai (19 May) and took over UNEF positions at Sharm el-Sheikh, overlooking the Straits of Tiran. Israel repeated declarations it had made in 1957 that any closure of the Straits would be considered an act of war, or justification for war, but Nasser closed the Straits to Israeli shipping on 22–23 May. After the war, U.S. President Lyndon Johnson commented:


title: Six-Day War

text: On 30 May, Jordan and Egypt signed a defence pact. The following day, at Jordan's invitation, the Iraqi army began deploying troops and armoured units in Jordan. They were later reinforced by an Egyptian contingent. On 1 June, Israel formed a National Unity Government by widening its cabinet, and on 4 June the decision was made to go to war. The next morning, Israel launched Operation Focus, a large-scale, surprise air strike that launched the Six-Day War.


title: Six-Day War

text: Before the war, Israeli pilots and ground crews had trained extensively in rapid refitting of aircraft returning from sorties, enabling a single aircraft to sortie up to four times a day (as opposed to the norm in Arab air forces of one or two sorties per day). This enabled the Israeli Air Force (IAF) to send several attack waves against Egyptian airfields on the first day of the war, overwhelming the Egyptian Air Force and allowed it to knock out other Arab air forces on the same day. This has contributed to the Arab belief that the IAF was helped by foreign air forces (see Controversies relating to the Six-Day War). Pilots were extensively schooled about their targets, were forced to memorise every single detail, and rehearsed the operation multiple times on dummy runways in total secrecy.


title: Six-Day War

text: The Egyptians had constructed fortified defences in the Sinai. These designs were based on the assumption that an attack would come along the few roads leading through the desert, rather than through the difficult desert terrain. The Israelis chose not to risk attacking the Egyptian defences head-on, and instead surprised them from an unexpected direction.


title: Six-Day War

text: James Reston, writing in "The New York Times" on 23 May 1967, noted, "In; discipline, training, morale, equipment and general competence his [Nasser's] army and the other Arab forces, without the direct assistance of the Soviet Union, are no match for the Israelis. ... Even with 50,000 troops and the best of his generals and air force in Yemen, he has not been able to work his way in that small and primitive country, and even his effort to help the Congo rebels was a flop."


title: Six-Day War

text: On the eve of the war, Israel believed it could win a war in 3–4 days. The United States estimated Israel would need 7–10 days to win, with British estimates supporting the U.S. view.


title: Six-Day War

text: The Israeli army had a total strength, including reservists, of 264,000, though this number could not be sustained during a long conflict, as the reservists were vital to civilian life.


title: Six-Day War

text: Against Jordan's forces on the West Bank, Israel deployed about 40,000 troops and 200 tanks (eight brigades). Israeli Central Command forces consisted of five brigades. The first two were permanently stationed near Jerusalem and were the Jerusalem Brigade and the mechanized Harel Brigade. Mordechai Gur's 55th Paratroopers Brigade was summoned from the Sinai front. The 10th Armored Brigade was stationed north of the West Bank. The Israeli Northern Command comprised a division of three brigades led by Major General Elad Peled which was stationed in the Jezreel Valley to the north of the West Bank.


title: Six-Day War

text: On the eve of the war, Egypt massed approximately 100,000 of its 160,000 troops in the Sinai, including all seven of its divisions (four infantry, two armoured and one mechanized), four independent infantry brigades and four independent armoured brigades. Over a third of these soldiers were veterans of Egypt's continuing intervention into the North Yemen Civil War and another third were reservists. These forces had 950 tanks, 1,100 APCs, and more than 1,000 artillery pieces.


title: Six-Day War

text: Syria's army had a total strength of 75,000 and was deployed along the border with Israel. Professor David W. Lesch wrote that "One would be hard-pressed to find a military less prepared for war with a clearly superior foe" since Syria's army had been decimated in the months and years prior through coups and attempted coups that had resulted in a series of purges, fracturings and uprisings within the armed forces.


title: Six-Day War

text: The Jordanian Armed Forces included 11 brigades, totalling 55,000 troops. Nine brigades (45,000 troops, 270 tanks, 200 artillery pieces) were deployed in the West Bank, including the elite armoured 40th, and two in the Jordan Valley. They possessed sizable numbers of M113 APCs and were equipped with some 300 modern Western tanks, 250 of which were U.S. M48 Pattons. They also had 12 battalions of artillery, six batteries of 81 mm and 120 mm mortars, a paratrooper battalion trained in the new U.S.-built school and a new battalion of mechanized infantry. The Jordanian Army was a long-term-service, professional army, relatively well-equipped and well-trained. Israeli post-war briefings said that the Jordanian staff acted professionally, but was always left "half a step" behind by the Israeli moves. The small Royal Jordanian Air Force consisted of only 24 British-made Hawker Hunter fighters, six transport aircraft and two helicopters. According to the Israelis, the Hawker Hunter was essentially on par with the French-built Dassault Mirage III – the IAF's best plane.


title: Six-Day War

text: One hundred Iraqi tanks and an infantry division were readied near the Jordanian border. Two squadrons of Iraqi fighter-aircraft, Hawker Hunters and MiG 21s, were rebased adjacent to the Jordanian border.


title: Six-Day War

text: In the weeks leading up to the Six-Day War, Saudi Arabia mobilized forces for deployment to the Jordanian front. A Saudi infantry battalion entered Jordan on 6 June 1967, followed by another on the 8th. Both were based in Jordan's southernmost city, Ma'an. By 17 June, the Saudi contingent in Jordan had grown to include a single infantry brigade, a tank company, two artillery batteries, a heavy mortar company, and a maintenance and support unit. By the end of July 1967, a second tank company and a third artillery battery had been added. These forces remained in Jordan until the end of 1977, when they were recalled for re-equipment and retraining in the Karak region near the Dead Sea.


title: Six-Day War

text: The Arab air forces were reinforced by aircraft from Libya, Algeria, Morocco, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia to make up for the massive losses suffered on the first day of the war. They were also aided by volunteer pilots from the Pakistan Air Force acting in an independent capacity. PAF pilots like Saiful Azam shot down several Israeli planes.


title: Six-Day War

text: With the exception of Jordan, the Arabs relied principally on Soviet weaponry. Jordan's army was equipped with American weaponry, and its air force was composed of British aircraft.


title: Six-Day War

text: Egypt had by far the largest and the most modern of all the Arab air forces, consisting of about 420 combat aircraft, all of them Soviet-built and with a large number of top-of-the-line MiG-21s. Of particular concern to the Israelis were the 30 Tu-16 "Badger" medium bombers, capable of inflicting heavy damage on Israeli military and civilian centres.


title: Six-Day War

text: Israeli weapons were mainly of Western origin. Its air force was composed principally of French aircraft, while its armoured units were mostly of British and American design and manufacture. Some light infantry weapons, including the ubiquitous Uzi, were of Israeli origin.


title: Six-Day War

text: The first and most critical move of the conflict was a surprise Israeli attack on the Egyptian Air Force. Initially, both Egypt and Israel announced that they had been attacked by the other country.


title: Six-Day War

text: On 5 June at 7:45 Israeli time, with civil defence sirens sounding all over Israel, the IAF launched Operation Focus ("Moked"). All but 12 of its nearly 200 operational jets launched a mass attack against Egypt's airfields. The Egyptian defensive infrastructure was extremely poor, and no airfields were yet equipped with hardened aircraft shelters capable of protecting Egypt's warplanes. Most of the Israeli warplanes headed out over the Mediterranean Sea, flying low to avoid radar detection, before turning toward Egypt. Others flew over the Red Sea.


title: Six-Day War

text: Meanwhile, the Egyptians hindered their own defence by effectively shutting down their entire air defence system: they were worried that rebel Egyptian forces would shoot down the plane carrying Field Marshal Abdel Hakim Amer and Lt-Gen. Sidqi Mahmoud, who were en route from al Maza to Bir Tamada in the Sinai to meet the commanders of the troops stationed there. In any event, it did not make a great deal of difference as the Israeli pilots came in below Egyptian radar cover and well below the lowest point at which its SA-2 surface-to-air missile batteries could bring down an aircraft.


title: Six-Day War

text: Although the powerful Jordanian radar facility at Ajloun detected waves of aircraft approaching Egypt and reported the code word for "war" up the Egyptian command chain, Egyptian command and communications problems prevented the warning from reaching the targeted airfields. The Israelis employed a mixed-attack strategy: bombing and strafing runs against planes parked on the ground, and bombing to disable runways with special tarmac-shredding penetration bombs developed jointly with France, leaving surviving aircraft unable to take off. The runway at the Arish airfield was spared, as the Israelis expected to turn it into a military airport for their transports after the war. Surviving aircraft were taken out by later attack waves. The operation was more successful than expected, catching the Egyptians by surprise and destroying virtually all of the Egyptian Air Force on the ground, with few Israeli losses. Only four unarmed Egyptian training flights were in the air when the strike began. A total of 338 Egyptian aircraft were destroyed and 100 pilots were killed, although the number of aircraft lost by the Egyptians is disputed.


title: Six-Day War

text: Among the Egyptian planes lost were all 30 Tu-16 bombers, 27 out of 40 Il-28 bombers, 12 Su-7 fighter-bombers, over 90 MiG-21s, 20 MiG-19s, 25 MiG-17 fighters, and around 32 assorted transport planes and helicopters. In addition, Egyptian radars and SAM missiles were also attacked and destroyed. The Israelis lost 19 planes, including two destroyed in air-to-air combat and 13 downed by anti-aircraft artillery. One Israeli plane, which was damaged and unable to break radio silence, was shot down by Israeli Hawk missiles after it strayed over the Negev Nuclear Research Center. Another was destroyed by an exploding Egyptian bomber.


title: Six-Day War

text: The attack guaranteed Israeli air supremacy for the rest of the war. Attacks on other Arab air forces by Israel took place later in the day as hostilities broke out on other fronts.


title: Six-Day War

text: The large numbers of Arab aircraft claimed destroyed by Israel on that day were at first regarded as "greatly exaggerated" by the Western press. However, the fact that the Egyptian Air Force, along with other Arab air forces attacked by Israel, made practically no appearance for the remaining days of the conflict proved that the numbers were most likely authentic. Throughout the war, Israeli aircraft continued strafing Arab airfield runways to prevent their return to usability. Meanwhile, Egyptian state-run radio had reported an Egyptian victory, falsely claiming that 70 Israeli planes had been downed on the first day of fighting.


title: Six-Day War

text: The Egyptian forces consisted of seven divisions: four armoured, two infantry, and one mechanized infantry. Overall, Egypt had around 100,000 troops and 900–950 tanks in the Sinai, backed by 1,100 APCs and 1,000 artillery pieces. This arrangement was thought to be based on the Soviet doctrine, where mobile armour units at strategic depth provide a dynamic defense while infantry units engage in defensive battles.