WWE Reportedly Prepping Anniversary Merchandise For Steve Austin & More

WWE is looking to release some nostalgia-based merchandise to celebrate anniversaries for Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan, according to a new report. According to Wrestlevotes Radio on Fightful Select, the company is planning to release merchandise to celebrate the 30 year anniversary of Steve Austin’s King of the Ring win.

Steve Austin won the King of the Ring tournament on June 23rd, 1996. The moment led to Austin cutting his famed “Austin 3:16” speech which became a catchphrase and launched one of the most popular WWE T-shirts of all time, and propelled him toward the top of the card. He rode that momentum to his first WWE Championship win, defeating Shawn Michaels for the title at WrestleMania 14 in 1998.

The report notes that WWE also plans to celebrate the anniversary of Hulk Hogan’s being revealed as the “third man” when he joined the nWo. That event took place on July 7th, 1996 and officially kicked the nWo storyline into high gear, putting WCW on a path to dominate WWE in the ratings for well over a year amidst the famed Monday Night Wars.

There is no word on when the merchandise will be released. Wrestlevotes reports that according to sources, WWE expects to release merchandise and art prints while also utilize social media initiatives.