Austin 3:16: The Story Behind Stone Cold Steve Austin's Most Iconic Promo

Stone Cold Steve Austin wouldn’t be as big as he is today if it wasn’t for his iconic Austin 3:16 promo. The effects of Austin’s words in this promo were so profound that they catapulted him to worldwide fame and made him the biggest superstar that WWE has ever seen. Today, we’ll be looking at how this saying came to be and the story behind it.

Continue reading to learn more about the most iconic promo in professional wrestling.

The King of the Ring 1996: The Birth of Austin 3:16

Austin’s infamous 3:16 promo took place in June 1996. Austin was relatively well known at the time and had just fought and won the King of the Ring finals against Jake “The Snake” Roberts. At this time, Austin’s “Stone Cold” moniker was fairly new so fans hadn’t exactly warmed up to the idea. What followed was a promo that would forever change the trajectory of Stone Cold Steve Austin’s career.


After defeating Jake “The Snake” Roberts Austin gave an interview to Micahel Hayes as part of the post-match segment. Leading up to his fight with Austin, Roberts had made a lot of references to the bible. So, when Austin finally got a chance to speak he went right at Roberts’ beliefs. Austin said, “You sit there and you thump your Bible, and you say your prayers, and it didn’t get you anywhere! Talk about your Psalms, talk about John 3:16... Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass!”

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As soon as the words left Stone Cold’s mouth they catapulted him to superstardom. He became one of WWE’s (WWF in 1996) biggest stars almost overnight with fans celebrating him for his lack of finesse and Stone Cold attitude. This made Austin dear to the WWE Universe and marked his rise to the top of the company. In fact, “Austin 3:16” was so famous that it became a battle cry for Austin and his fans. Furthermore, his words extended beyond the ring and resonated with fans all over the world.

Years later, Stone Cold’s legendary promo is still treated as the measuring stick for every promo after it. Born out of a single moment of brilliance, Austin 3:16 is without a doubt the most iconic promo in wrestling history.