10 Things You Didn't Know About WWE Hall Of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin
"Michael "PS" Hayes showed Austin the "Ace Crusher", the weapon of choice for Johnny Ace (aka John Laurinaitis), and suggested a sitdown version of the move - and thus the Stone Cold Stunner was born..."
6. Leaving 'Em Stunned
Austin's earlier finishing moves like the Stun Gun and the Million Dollar Dream were fine, but they lacked the oomph of the Stone Cold Stunner, one of the simplest yet coolest manoeuvres in the history of wrestling. Austin had struck gold from the time he began using the Stunner in May 1996, and anyone who was anyone in the business for the next six years would feel the wrath of Austin through that move.
The man who taught it to Austin was somebody that "Stone Cold" used to love to hate as a fan growing up in the Dallas area: Michael "PS" Hayes. Hayes, with his imaginative mind, was by now part of WWE's inner circle, showed Austin the "Ace Crusher" that was the weapon of choice for Johnny Ace (aka John Laurinaitis), and suggested a sitdown version of the move, as opposed to laying out like Ace, or even Diamond Dallas Page. Austin practised the move a few times on some local enhancement talents at a TV taping and debuted it later that night when he defeated Savio Vega in a King of the Ring tournament match.
Written by Justin Henry
In addition to writing lists and commentaries for Cultaholic, Justin is also a features writer and interviewer for Fighting Spirit Magazine, and is co-author of the WWE-related book Titan Screwed: Lost Smiles, Stunners, and Screwjobs.
