Jim Ross Recalls Steve Austin’s ‘Austin 3:16’ Promo At King Of The Ring 1996, Talks Where Moment Ranks In WWE History

In a recent edition of Grilling JR, Jim Ross discussed Steve Austin’s “Austin 3:16” promo at King of the Ring 1996, where the moment ranks in WWE history, and much more. You can read his comments below.


Jim Ross on Steve Austin’s “Austin 3:16” promo at King of the Ring 1996: “A lot of things were born out of that that made WWE a lot of money. As much money as Steve made on that T-shirt, the office made more. So, a financial hit, and Michael Hayes’ facial expression was priceless because he had no idea that line was coming. It wasn’t scripted. Austin didn’t do scripts. It was good. It was really good. It was so monumental on so many fronts, but Austin was anointed at that point in time. You heard the crowd respond when he said he was gonna be the next champion, and that’s great market research. It was a very successful tournament in that respect.”

On where Austin’s promo ranks and whether it’s a top-five all-time moment in WWE history: “Probably, based on where Austin took it. The merch he sold…..he eventually, not too many years after that I remember, and he may have had bigger years, but he had one year after that where he made 13 million dollars. He was making over a million dollars per month. So, I would suggest strongly that it was the right thing to do, and it was pivotal in the growth of the brand leading into the Attitude Era, and I would dare say, the company going public as well.”

If using any of the above quotes, please credit Grilling JR with an h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.