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In 1989, Steve Austin was living in Texas and earning a living by unloading
trucks on the loading dock. His football scholarship at North Texas State
University had run out, and working at the docks was his only way of making
some cash.
During that time, he would go to the Sportatorium in Dallas to watch the
Von Erichs wrestle. He was always a fan of the sport, watching Paul
Boesch’s Houston Wrestling on television while growing up. One day after
work, Steve saw an ad for a wrestling school run by Chris Adams. He
decided to take a shot and five months later, in 1990, he had his first
professional match for World Class Championship Wrestling. During his
tenure in WCCW, Austin and Adams engaged in a bitter feud—with the student
eventually toppling his teacher.
In 1991, "Stunning" Steve Austin was introduced to World Championship
Wrestling and spent the next five years in the promotion. As a singles
competitor, the Texan captured the organization’s TV Title in 1992 with
a win over Barry Windham. One year later, he captured their U.S. Title on
two occasions from Dustin Runnels and then Ricky Steamboat. But it was his
pairing with the late Brian Pillman that earned Austin his greatest
notoriety.
After a brief run in ECW, Steve Austin signed a deal with the World
Wrestling Federation in 1995. Instead of letting the superstar tear
ass through the ranks, he was given the moniker of the "Ring Master"
and issued a mouthpiece in the form of Ted DiBiase. However, that didn't
last long and the Texan proudly walked on his own.
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