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What 30 Years of “Austin 3:16” Means To Stone Cold Steve Austin

By John Canton • Published Mar 16, 2026 11:52 EDT
Stone Cold Steve Austin toasting the camera
Stone Cold Steve Austin toasting the camera - Image via WWE.com

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s famous line is still going strong 30 years later.

At the WWE King of the Ring 1996 PLE event, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin won the King of the Ring tournament by beating WWE Hall of Famer Jake “The Snake” Roberts in the finals. At the time, Roberts was portraying a religious character and mentioning things like John 3:16 from the bible. That led to this incredible promo from Austin as he was interviewed by Dok Hendrix.

“The first thing I want to be done is to get that piece of crap out of my ring. Don’t just get him out of the ring, get him out of the WWF, because I proved, son, without a shadow of a doubt, that you ain’t got what it takes anymore! 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 A**! All he’s gotta do is go buy him a cheap bottle of Thunderbird and try to get back some of that courage he had in his prime. As the King of the Ring, I’m serving notice to every one of the ‘WWF superstars.’ I don’t give a damn what they are, they’re all on the list, and that’s Stone Cold’s list, and I’m fixin’ to start runnin’ through all of them.

As far as this championship match is considered, son, I don’t give a damn if it’s Davey Boy Smith or Shawn Michaels. Steve Austin’s time has come, and when I get the shot, you’re lookin’ at the next WWF Champion, and that’s the bottom line because Stone Cold said so!”

After that promo from nearly 30 years ago, fans started bringing “Austin 3:16” signs to WWE events, even though Austin was a heel wrestler known for being an angry guy.

By WrestleMania 13 in 1997, Austin became a babyface and a year later, won his first WWE Title and became one of the most popular superstars in WWE history.

Steve Austin’s 3:16 Promo Was Done On A Whim

While talking to Sports Illustrated’s The Takedown, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin referred to his Austin 3:16 promo as something he did on a whim.

“Almost three decades and it’s something for it to still be a thing. You can’t give yourself your own nickname and make it something real cool. You just get it bestowed upon you by your friends.

So, I didn’t declare 3:16 Day as my day, but it just seems to be the case. I’m super proud of that moment and proud to be talking to you 30 years later about something I did way back when on a whim.”

If you look at social media on March 16th or watch WWE Monday Night Raw, you’ll see Steve Austin references everywhere because of that infamous, unscripted 3:16 promo.

Even though Steve Austin is not scheduled to appear on the March 16th episode of Raw in person, WWE is promoting Austin 3:16 day on social media, featuring Danhausen.