10 Stone Cold Stunners that Shocked The World

source// wwe.com

If you were a WWE Superstar during the Attitude era, the chances are you fell victim to the Stone Cold Stunner on at least one occasion. It’s earned The Rattlesnake nearly all of his big victories, it’s been the centre of some of the most iconic moments in WWE history and it is arguably the most popular finishing move of all-time.

If you’ve been removed from pop culture from the last twenty years, here is a breakdown of how the move works: the unfortunate recipient first has their gut kicked by Austin, then their – as Austin himself so eloquently phrases – “stack of dimes they call a neck” trapped in an overarm face lock, followed by their jaw being rammed into Austin’s shoulder with such hellacious impact that they won’t get up for a very, very long time.

Being the toughest SOB walking planet Earth, Steve Austin had little time for debate. Thus when the glass broke and that familiar music hit, Austin always meant business and, sooner rather than later, someone was going to fall victim to the definitive move. We saw it coming every time.

Or did we?

There have been some extraordinary moments during Stone Cold’s run where NOBODY saw the Stunner coming – sometimes not even Austin himself. We all know Austin played by his own rules and lived and died by his famous ‘DTA’ mantra – Don’t Trust Anyone.

The Stunners in this list truly reflect that. Some left us astonished, others left us distraught…

10. Andy ‘Silent Rage’ Leavine – Raw Tough Enough Final (June 2011)

Andy Leavine, whilst extremely green and a little on the slow side (many adapted his self coined nickname of ‘Silent Rage’ to ‘Simple Rage’), was the eventual winner of Tough Enough in 2011 and was crowned champion by host of the show Steve Austin on an episode of Raw.

Though this result surprised few, what DID shock the crowd was moments after, when Austin officially welcomed Andy to the WWE with a thunderous Stone Cold Stunner. This was directly after receiving a slap from the chairman himself, Vince McMahon. It was a true baptism of fire for Big Andy that night and the message was clear – the hard work had only just begun and if he wanted to truly make it to the top, he’d have to earn it.

Things never worked out for Andy – after a few months working in development at FCW, he was told he wasn’t progressing as quickly as desired and was released from his contract. Taking this Stunner remains his only legacy in the ring. Tough luck, Silent Rage.

9. Kurt Angle – InVasion 2001

By all accounts, Steve Austin was at his most erratic in 2001, resulting in some truly despicable acts that year (more on that later).

Fans refused to accept this altered-rattlesnake, however – all they wanted was the old Stone Cold Steve Austin back. It seemed Austin was finally going to relent when he courageously stormed the ring the night before the InVasion pay-per-view to the jubilation of the crowd, stunning any member of the Alliance he saw and saving his fellow WWE comrades in the process.

This return to classic form was short-lived however, as towards the conclusion of the match, Austin hit the Stone Cold Stunner on an unsuspecting Kurt Angle who he had been valiantly fighting alongside, costing them the match and inexplicably joining the Alliance.

Austin’s fans around the world and those in attendance had been betrayed yet again.

8. Josh Mathews – WrestleMania XXVII

In one of the most head scratching booking decisions in recent WrestleMania history, Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler was set to go one on one with fellow commentator and non-wrestler Michael Cole. Stone Cold was the special guest referee in this bout and after a 14 minute match which lasted about 13 minutes too long, Lawler made Cole tap to the ankle lock.

Lawler’s celebration was brief, however, as after he toasted beers with Austin, fellow broadcast partner Josh Mathews announced that the anonymous Raw GM had reversed the decision due to Austin’s meddling. This naturally didn’t sit well with either Austin or Lawler, who grabbed the defenceless Mathews and threw him to the wolves (aka Austin) to receive a Stunner.

This one seemed a little harsh to me – poor Josh was only the messenger!

7. Molly Holly – Raw (June 2001)

After calling Spike Dudley’s then-girlfriend Molly Holly a bimbo, Austin was challenged by Spike to a WWE Championship match live on Raw in 2001. Austin swiftly dismissed the challenge, but applauded Spike’s bravery and shook his hand. Before leaving, though, Austin turned around and dropped not Spike, but Molly with a violent Stone Cold Stunner.

Of course, Austin had previously stunned women in the past. The likes of Chyna or Stephanie McMahon, for example, who continuously provoked the Rattlesnake week upon week and thus thoroughly ‘deserved’ it. Poor Molly, on the other hand, was just an innocent bystander, attacked without warning or reason.

This lowered Austin to a truly despicable level, and added much fire to his heel run.

6. Stone Cold Steve Austin – Raw (March 2001)

No one is safe from the Stunner – not even Stone Cold himself, which he found out the hard way on an episode of Raw leading up to WrestleMania X-Seven. Austin was set to face The Rock for the WWE Championship at the historic event, and tensions were at their highest leading up to their almighty clash.

On one particular episode of Raw after toasting a tag team victory together, The Rock blindsided the unsuspecting Rattlesnake with his very own version of the Stunner, shocking the audience and sending a message loud and clear to Austin – before it was business but now it was personal.

As for Steve’s response, we all know what happened at that year’s WrestleMania; Austin brutally decimated the Rock with a steel chair in order to capture the title from him. Lesson learnt, People’s Champ…you don’t steal Stone Cold’s move and get away with it!

5. Linda McMahon – Raw Homecoming 2005

Ranking at number four of this list (and at number one if this list was ranking the most dreadful looking Stunners in history) is Linda McMahon.

During a particularly dragged-out segment of the Raw Homecoming show which featured Vince McMahon running through a slideshow of all the times he got the better of Austin, he was mercifully interrupted by the man himself, who wasted little time in dropping him with the Stunner.

Following this, Austin himself would be interrupted twice by both Shane and Stephanie McMahon. Each one would be met with an unceremonious Stone Cold Stunner and left lying in the middle of the ring, with the crowd cheering louder each time.

Ever the voice of reason, Linda then came down to the ring with the intention of subduing Austin to stop any further carnage. Surely Linda would never be subjected to the same fate as the rest of her family though? At first, that would seem the case as after some harmless flirting, Austin toasted a beer with the Boss’ wife as the segment appeared to come to a close.

This would all just be a ruse, however, as the hell-raising Stone Cold completed the set and dealt Linda one of the most atrocious, yet most shocking Stunners of all-time. This one has to be seen to be believed.

4. Goldberg – WrestleMania XX

Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar lives on in infamy as one of the most disappointing matches ever. With both on their way out of WWE, fans booed them out of the building, leading them to do the bare minimum in the ring in order to get out of there as soon as they could.

For what it matters, Goldberg ended up picking up the victory that night and began toasting beers with special guest referee Steve Austin, with Lesnar lying outside the ring having already received a Stunner as a goodbye present.

Then, without warning, Austin dropped Goldberg as well with another Stunner to the crowd’s overwhelming approval. This one wasn’t expected at all considering Austin and Goldberg had been on the same page throughout the whole storyline, but considering the reception Goldberg received that night from the New York crowd, it seemed the Rattlesnake had very little choice but to drop him on that stack of dimes he callas a neck…

3. Mae Young – Badd Blood 2003

During the “Redneck Triathlon” between Steve Austin and Eric Bischoff, one of the rounds involved having to kiss sweet old Mae Young. Once it was Austin’s turn with Mae, rather than go through what Bischoff just did, Austin opted to not only forfeit the round but also give the 80-year-old woman a Stone Cold Stunner.

Unlike other times where Austin delivered the Stunner to women, which was either met with approval from the fans or used to intentionally garner heat, this Stunner was met with near-dead silence from the Houston crowd.

Nobody found Austin’s actions entertaining, and the lasting image of a supposed babyface Steve Austin toasting a beer to the shocked crowd in attendance, whilst an assaulted old lady lie motionless in the ring, is one of the most awkward and armchair squirming moments in recent history.

2. Donald Trump – WrestleMania 23

Yep, really.

Donald Trump had of course been affiliated with WWE before WrestleMania 23, even hosting WrestleMania V at Trump Plaza in 1989, but for an individual of such power and wealth to actually be involved in a match at WrestleMania was unprecedented.

Whilst the record books would show that it was Vince who would lose the ‘Battle of the Billionaires’ and ultimately be subjected to the humiliating head shaving, Trump by no means got off lightly either.

Following his victory, Trump toasted a beer with Austin whilst a crestfallen Vince walked limply to the back – this being the closing image that every fan had expected. It was one thing for Donald Trump to take part in WrestleMania, but no one ever thought that a man of such elitism would ever have the inclination to physically compromise themselves in the ring.

Trump did just that though, seconds after cracking a can with Austin he found himself looking up at the lights from a brutal-looking Stunner. This made headlines all over, as well as making Stone Cold surely the most envied man on Earth to many in this day and age..

1.Vince McMahon – Raw, September 1997

The night Austin crossed the Boss.

On an episode of Raw in 1997, Austin defiantly told Vince McMahon to kiss his ass before dropping him with the Stone Cold Stunner for the very first time. With Vince stunned on the floor and Austin being carted off by the authorities shortly after, the crowd went absolutely ballistic at the drama taking place in the ring.

They had never seen anything that felt so real or authentic before on WWE programming. No one had ever laid a finger on Vince until that point, and although always having a presence on TV as an announcer, everyone knew he was the real man calling the shots.

It was surreal seeing Vince McMahon involved in such drama inside the ring, and yet this would light the fuse to ultimately the most iconic and pioneering rivalries of all-time – Austin vs. McMahon.

Vince would not only go on to be the number 1 victim of this extraordinary move, but this inauguration sits at the very top of the list of the most shocking Stone Cold Stunners to this day.

The question is…will this list be topped at WrestleMania 32?