Where did Stone Cold Steve Austin disappear after retirement?

Austin now hosts two reality TV shows, Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Challenge and Redneck Island

KARACHI: When we talk about the Mount Rushmore of professional wrestling, Stone Cold Steve Austin’s name is on the top. When you heard the sound of glass breaking, you knew it was time for Austin to arrive, raise hell, and leave. The six-time WWE Champion became the most popular name in the history of WWE when he helped usher the company in Attitude Era in the late 1990s. A big part of the reason why WWE defeated WCW in the Monday Night Wars (ratings war between the two promotions), Austin took the WWE to unprecedented heights.

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And as with all retirements, Austin’s came in 2003 with much shock and sadness. Years of knee injuries and a serious neck injury caused the bald-headed, beer-drinking, butt-kicking superstar to stop kicking rear ends. However, that didn’t mean he stopped drinking beer. In fact, along with various other projects he has kept himself busy in, Austin has his own beer line called Broken Skull IPA.

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Although Austin retired from competition more than a decade ago, he has made occasional appearances in WWE throughout the years. He even returned to host the reality series Tough Enough in 2009. Since 2005, he has delved into television projects, having guest appearances on shows such as Celebrity Deathmatch, V.I.P and Dilbert, among others.

The only three-time Royal Rumble winner made his cinematic debut in the 2005 remake of The Longest Yard, and had his first starring role in The Condemned in 2007. Since then, he has gone to star in many films, most notably The Expendables in 2010 and Grown Ups 2 in 2013.

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It is usually difficult for wrestlers to adjust to life after retirement, but Austin is one great example of how an athlete can do the things he loves and enjoy life after he can’t compete anymore. Not dwelling in his past, he now even hosts two reality TV shows, one titled Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Challenge and the other Redneck Island, both of which involve contestants to go through physical challenges.

PHOTO: PUBLICITY

However, amid all the outside projects, Austin still hasn’t lost touch with the wrestling business and remains one of the most popular names. When the glass breaks, the crowd reaction still blows the roof off every arena. Austin being on the cover WWE’s annual video game ‘WWE 2k16’ proves his popularity hasn’t diminished one bit. Along with special appearances at Wrestlemania every year, he hosts two wildly successful podcasts The Steve Austin Show and The Steve Austin Show – Unleashed, the latter of which is more adult oriented. His podcasts receive nearly a million downloads weekly and have about 200 million downloads overall combined.

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In an interview with ABC News, Austin said he started the podcast as a hobby. “I started this thing off as a hobby and way to voice my opinion, because after I retired, I didn't have a voice or an outlet. Sometimes the show is about nothing, sometimes it's about the simple facts of life, and sometimes it's me interviewing other wrestlers and people from outside the wrestling industry," he said.

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As far as the trash-talking redneck’s return to competition is concerned, he has often said he is happily retired. Outside all his projects, he spends time hunting, fishing and drinking beer at his home, Broken Skull Ranch in Tilden, Texas. And of course, you don’t push him for one more match, because he will happily give you a stunner. And that’s the bottom line ‘cause Stone Cold said so!

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