Steve Austin Admits Huge Chip On His Shoulder Helped Fuel His Rise To WWE Stardom

Steve Austin didn’t become one of the biggest stars in professional wrestling history overnight. According to the WWE Hall of Famer, years of feeling overlooked early in his career created the mindset that ultimately drove him to the top during the Attitude Era.

Austin spoke about that mentality during a recent appearance on the Busted Open Podcast with Dave LaGreca and Bully Ray while reflecting on the long road that eventually led him to becoming the face of WWE.

LaGreca pointed out that Austin wasn’t originally presented as “the chosen one” during his early years in WCW or even when he first arrived in WWE. Despite that, Austin eventually became the most popular wrestler in the industry. Austin acknowledged that frustration from those early struggles helped create the attitude that fans later connected with.

“Yeah, yeah. Because I’ve said it before — when you’ve been in the business for seven years… you know, like Randy Savage before he came into WWF. He’d been around for a minute, wrestling down there in Tennessee with Lawler in great programs. Then all of a sudden he becomes this global superstar and one of the all-time greats.”

Austin explained that once he finally began gaining momentum with fans, the years of waiting for that opportunity fueled his determination to prove people wrong. Austin also revealed that hearing criticism about his marketability only intensified his drive to succeed.

“So when I finally got the shove and started feeling the momentum and getting over, yeah, there was a lot of that.”

“And when someone told me to my face — or on the phone, whatever it was — that I wasn’t marketable, to a point I guess it was right with that current gimmick. But when I was marketable, yeah, it was a big ‘f** you,’ and I did have a chip on my shoulder.”*

According to Austin, once he finally received the push that had eluded him for years, he became determined not to lose it. That mindset also shaped Austin’s work ethic behind the scenes during the peak of his career.

“When you’ve been fighting through bureaucratic red tape and bullshit to try to get a shove, once you start getting it you don’t want to let it go.”

“I showed up early, I stayed late, I worked through injuries. I always considered myself a workhorse and I wanted to do my job.”

Austin ultimately believes that the frustration he felt early in his career helped shape the attitude that turned him into the rebellious anti-hero fans rallied behind during the late 1990s.

“But yeah, man, I did have a grudge. Because when you’re trying to get somewhere and they’re making it hard for you to get there, when you get there, yeah — it’s ‘f** you’ to everybody.”*

The Texas Rattlesnake’s rise from overlooked mid-card talent to global superstar remains one of the most dramatic success stories in wrestling history. Austin’s comments offer a reminder that the same chip on his shoulder that once frustrated him ultimately became the fuel that launched him into wrestling legend status.

Do you think Steve Austin’s chip-on-the-shoulder attitude is what made him such a huge star during the Attitude Era? Let us know what you think and share your thoughts in the comments.

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