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Stone Cold Steve Austin was the first person announced to go in WWE’s Hall of Fame Class of 2009. The Hall of Fame has become an integral part of the WrestleMania week. This year’s WrestleMania and Hall of Fame ceremony will be held the weekend of April 4 – 5 in Houston, Texas.

Stone Cold Steve Austin is the biggest moneymaker in World Wrestling Entertainment. He spent his time working his way through the independent circuit across the United States in the early ‘90s, and then became a big star in World Championship Wrestling.

He arrived in the WWF in late 1995 and by early ’96 Austin was allowed to mold his own character and became the foul-mouthed, anti-authority hell-raiser named “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. The crowds took to Austin and he became the fans’ choice. Austin was responsible for leading WWE into their most profitable time period ever, the “Atittude” era, which ran roughly from the beginning of 1997 until WrestleMania XVII in March 2001.

Austin presence during that time changed the company’s mentality of the “good guy versus bad guy” and brought in the concept of “shades of grey.” His feud with WWE owner “Mr. McMahon” brought the company to its highest points in history. By the time Austin had retired from active competition after WrestleMania XIX, he had won six World Championships, two Intercontinental Championships, two United States Titles, and a total of five World Tag Team Championships.

Austin is “the” wrestling superstar of the 1990s and in regards to money made in the industry he can only legitimately be compared to Hulk Hogan.

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