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The Stone Cold Truth

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He's wrestled under many names but to the fans he is and will always be Stone Cold Steve Austin™. His quick wit and colorful use of language combined with his everyman character captured the hearts of fans worldwide and rewrote the dynamics of professional wrestling forever. Steve's ability inside the ring and his quick-witted responses lead to his becoming one of the most popular WWE© Superstars of all times. With the creation of the Stone Cold™ character, Steve's popularity expanded exponentially. It seemed nothing could stop the Texas Rattlesnake™, except himself. The Stone Cold Truth is an unvarnished take on his life, and you know it's the truth " 'cause Stone Cold says so!™"

328 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

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Steve Austin

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5 stars
682 (26%)
4 stars
769 (30%)
3 stars
865 (33%)
2 stars
203 (7%)
1 star
44 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews
Profile Image for Andy Carrington.
Author 23 books141 followers
April 6, 2017
An entertaining read when sat on the shitter for long periods of the day.

And that's the bottom line.
Profile Image for Lauren.
456 reviews19 followers
October 31, 2007
A disappointment. Written as more of a conversation than a bio- or auto-biography, I did not care for the writing style. I also did not care for the way he referred vaguely to certain incidents as if I should know exactly what he is talking about. Perhaps I should, but lets be honest, not everyone is a psycho fan, and I'm a girl, dammitt! It was interesting, but I had a hard time getting over the poor writing.
Profile Image for Buggy.
562 reviews692 followers
May 15, 2014
Opening Line: "Damn, I think I’m dying, dying for sure."

Or what you'll read when you're bored and trapped at a fishing cabin without power

Okay first off this is not my usual reading fare (the cartoon skull at the beginning and end of each chapter should have clued me in) I’m not a Wrestling fan, I only knew who Stone Cold Steve Austin was because he was everywhere in the late 90’s and I have two younger brothers. In going over this book for my review I realized it was going to be very hard not to rip it to pieces what with all the skulls and awesome little quotes like this one:

“DTA, you stupid piece of trash. Don’t ever trust anybody. You ain’t gonna be my partner…never! ‘Cause you are a longhair freak, and you suck!
-Austin to Mankind, after giving him the ‘stone cold stunner’ -which I now know how to do should I ever feel the need.

Why did I read this you ask? Well you see I was trapped at a secluded fishing cabin for a week without power, in the rain and I ran out of stuff to read. This just happened to be lying around (I guess its good fishing material?) Anyways due to the short chapters, cold weather, absence of television and amount of cool pictures involved here, before I knew it I was done. So I’m going to try to review this impartially, from the point of a 12 year old boy and wrestling fan. Which is I’m sure who it was aimed at, not a forty year old romance reader. Oh in case you were wondering the fishing was great.

We begin with Stone Cold preparing for his final fight in WrestleMania against The Rock (yum!) Steve’s having a bit of an episode from the amount of energy drinks and coffee he’s been ingesting and may just be having a heart attack. (FYI Chapter one is 8 pages long and contains 2 skulls, 3 almost full page photographs and a POV from his mentor Jim Ross) Then for Chapter two (which is 4 pages long) we go way back to the beginning, briefly following Austin’s childhood, growing up in Texas. He talks about his family, his brothers and love of sports; football and tennis in particular. Repeating often how important it is to respect and listen to your parents and stay in school. About 30 pages in Steve drops out of college and goes to Wrestling school and the rest as they say is history.

Well sort of. We also get tidbits from his early career when he was on the road and didn’t have any money, surviving on potatoes. Theres lots of stories about promoters and other wrestlers he met along the way into the WWF. He talks a bit about drugs and friends lost, feuds in the business and what really went down. We meet his first wife, second wife and third. We learn the story behind the “What?” gimmick, “Hell yeah”, the middle finger salute and why its more fun to be heel then a baby face (even though you’ll sell less merchandise) He also discusses his numerous injuries and what he would change about the wrestling business.

In the end I think one of my biggest problems with this book was that it was just assumed that you knew all the background behind any of the stories he was telling, so he only ever told half the story. As a wrestling fan I’m sure the half you get is awesome but as someone reading it just for the biography aspect it was a little confusing. Can anyone tell me what he was on probation for? I also never felt like I got to know the real Steve Austin as there wasn’t any insight given into his personal life. As I said theres a ton of freaking photos, like every page, as well as wrestling quotes, letters and documents all interspersed with commentary from his mother, father and good friend Jim "J.R” Ross. oh and all the skulls.

And that’s the bottom line cause Stone Cold said so. Cheers
Profile Image for AndrewP.
1,656 reviews46 followers
July 7, 2021
I usually avoid abridged audiobooks but for this one its the only version read by the author. As well as the narration by Austin, there are several small sections where Jim Ross (JR) reads some observations from his point of view. There are also a couple of brief sound clips from WWE footage.

It's a pretty good overview of Austin's career and goes over some of his more colorful moments such as the notorious King of the Ring interview where Austin's ad-libbing came up with the catch phrases "Austin 3:16" and "That's the bottom line 'cos Stone Cold said so". These went on to sell more T-Shirts than anything the WWE's multi million dollar advertising and marketing department could come up with. He also goes onto the details about his injury suffered at the hands of Owen Hart and the feud with Vince McMahon, both on and off camera.

If you were a WWE fan during the 'attitude' era then you will really appreciate this candid look at the beer drinking redneck from Victoria Texas, oh hell yeah!
Profile Image for Dionysius the Areopagite.
383 reviews164 followers
May 20, 2014
I suppose, even if just for a day, or a week, it is possible to possess too many good books for one's own good. In saying this I mean that there are too many options and it becomes a neurological crisis. After finally getting around to Arno Schmidt, Zola, and Saint Augustine, I ended up unable to process rational thoughts, fed self through tube, and 'Hit the Bottle.'

As I hit the bottle, weeping over my shattered attention span and my friend trapped in Martial Law in Thailand, I found myself actually watching television. I have never watched television before. Or rather in some ten-odd years. I don't understand the meaning of television, and when I do not comprehend the meaning of something I prefer to walk away.

Attempting without success to operate the extremely complicated remote control, I was stuck on the USA Network. As manually operating the channels was beneath me, simply out of the question, I arched my elbow, stretched out, took a sip of my triple gin, watched the clock strike eight.

Much to my astonishment, professional wrestling came on. I thought it came on at nine. That's the way it used to be. I endured two or three minutes of the program, and listened to an promotional effort from a man on steroids in bright colors whom looked like a cross between a literal ape and Frankenstein. He spoke of military service in a rap song for children. As I despise war, rap, and children, I was inherently put off.

However, my memories of fonder wrestling days - Nassau Coliseum, autographs, Madison Square Garden (I even used to listen to the pay per views on scrambled TV! It was like a radio broadcast!) and took a stroll out to Skid Row, and visited a family friend whom drinks heroic quantities of beer, and will surely be dead by the time he is 40, and who is also a wrestling fanatic. He collects figurines, taped events, misc merchandise, and autobiographies.

"There are better," espoused he, handing me the japalpeno chips through a long, deep belch which seemed to welcome death in its own roaring, winding way, "Say for instance, Chris Jericho. Bret Hart. But start with Stone Cold. It's easy. He is a born poet."

He spoke the truth. This is a breezy autobiography and includes everything and more: Uneventful childhood, dropping out of college, barbed wire bats, steel cages, religious defamation, alcoholism, traveling the world, spousal abuse, boozing and brawling his way through life as Stone Cold.

It would be of serious interest of Penguin Classics to reissue this text. Perhaps even a more fair-weather publishing house like Melville, or Dalkey Archive, would benefit greatly in having the testicular fortitude to reissue this neglected gem.

Wrestling is not fake: It is scripted. I once dreamt of being a professional wrestler, but it did not last very long. I was in the phoenix of my nicotine addiction, and was woofing down a minimum of three packs per day. I jogged once the ropes, was flipped upside down, and was thereafter bedridden for the rest of the year.

Things have picked back up, and I am back to my regular studies. Still, this book made me laugh and cry. It is the sum of all life experience, written by an obvious, buried (ring)master. Reccomended to all in search of an astonishing life reflection, i.e. Marcel Proust.
Profile Image for Luke Koran.
291 reviews5 followers
April 7, 2017
Welcome to the world of one of the greatest sport entertainers known to man, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin! However, don't get your hopes up too high. Much like Brock Lesnar - in both his wrestling persona and his own autobiography published in 2012 - "Stone Cold" is a relatively private, softly-spoken man. Shocking, I know, especially when compared to the boisterous nature of his iconic "Texas Rattlesnake" character that graced WWE for a decade. Though he may be more outspoken and prone to sharing in the years since he retired, as he has hosted a podcast with the WWE Universe for the past three years, Austin seemed to hold back a little bit more during the pages of this book, which was published in 2003. However, that is where his good friend and former announcer / WWE Executive Vice President of Talent Relations, Jim Ross, comes in and fills the holes. At the end of every chapter, "Good Ol' JR" offers his perspective on the commentary that Austin had just penned. Working hand in hand, Austin and Ross produce a pretty solid autobiography that gives a good overview of all aspects of Austin's life and wrestling career. Even for the avid WWE fan, you will learn a few new things here, though only to the extent that "Stone Cold" wished to detail them 15 years ago. Who knows, maybe a second autobiography will be more revealing, especially if it is not published under the WWE moniker, which will allow Austin to hold nothing back in his true thoughts on Vince McMahon and the WWE. Since these are the very words of Steve Austin and is a good look into his life both in-and-out of the ring, I still have to give this book 5 stars, and herby declaring it a MUST-READ. "And that's the bottom line, cause Stone Cold said so!"
1 review2 followers
November 21, 2017
The Stone Cold Truth, by Steve Austin is a autobiography. The book mostly takes about is life as a wrestler and how he became one if the most famous wrestler of all times. Stone Cold tells all the bad and good things about being a wrestler and what you have to do if you want to become one. The things I like about the book are that it makes you want to turn the page.
1 review1 follower
April 29, 2011
Good for any fan of wrestling and Stone Cold.
Profile Image for Alistair Ritchie.
3 reviews1 follower
December 5, 2020
A good way to learn a hole lot more about the toughest SOB in wrestling history
Profile Image for Angel Torres.
Author 1 book9 followers
November 2, 2021
I had fun with this one, the stories are cool and funny as well as the details about the wrestling business 🖤 It was great fun and it makes me like Stone Cold Steve Austin even more.
Profile Image for ReadinRasslin.
71 reviews1 follower
November 21, 2022
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin's lone autobiographical effort plays off like a laid-back conversation - the use of a ghostwriter is pretty evident, it feels like a transcribed shoot interview - but still carries the genuine Austin cadence of no frills honesty, even if some parts feel a little rehearsed. Between about 40 short chapters with paragraph comments from Jim Ross and occasionally Austin's parents sprinkled in at the end, this covers nearly all of Austin's career, up to 2004. Austin is brash and blunt about some things, particularly his previous distaste for all things Eric Bischoff and Lex Luger, while playing the spokesman in praising WWE often, turning his 2002 walkout into an apology chapter. This felt both very genuine and incredibly santitized at the same time in some areas. There was still a lot of ground to cover in some areas and I feel Stone Cold could genuinely make a second book of just the career highlights he left out or very briefly touched upon. Good, but not great.
Profile Image for Luke Pennock.
77 reviews1 follower
March 17, 2025
Not much in the way of insight, but it was written for a 2003 audience who would likely be less familiar with the ins and outs of the wrestling business than today's crowds. Some of it seems unlikely, like not being told in five months of training that it was all a work. Still, it's interesting to hear how he felt in various key moments of his career.
37 reviews
July 31, 2014
A little boring even for a hardcore stone cold fan, steve (as anyone who saw his hall of fame acceptance speech knows) doesn't like to say too much, unlike a lot of other wrestlers steve doesn't have a god complex and sees himself as a simple cog in a big system, this is a likeable attitude to have but unfortunately it doesn't make for the best book as steve brushes over major events and tends to play things down rather than up, before you know it you've just read the autobiography of the biggest wrestler of the 90s but you're left feeling like you've just watched a 5 minute interview of his on you tube or something, he offers no glimpse into his soul, he has few opinions on any other wrestlers to offer, apart from chris Adams who he really does rip into and he doesn't even really seem to see himself as a big deal, do I like steve austin? Hell yeah but do I like him anymore now that I've read this book? Not really.
Profile Image for David Bowles.
229 reviews3 followers
June 24, 2018
I was never a huge fan of Austin. This book opened my eyes to the real man. He seems to have integrity and a sense of humour. He has a bit of an ego, but then, what wrestler doesn't!

One other reviewer complained that he had a normal upbringing and that it was a bit dull! Not sure why that was a problem, these days is that not something to be celebrated! All in all, well worth reading! Even if I don't always agree with everything Austin says. Where's the harm in that!
68 reviews
January 31, 2008
I thought that Stone Cold Steve Austin didn't do a great job with this memoir. Overall, I really thought we was going into the life and stuggle of Stone Cold... but we didn't. I believe that He could've done a much better job with taking his audience in the in's and out's of the life as a WWF/E wrestler. 2 out of 5 overall.
3 reviews4 followers
December 14, 2013
This book was a great read.
I really enjoyed the way that Steve talk about growing up in teas, and how he started out as a wrestler. I will never put this book down, and I wouldn't mind reading it again.
Profile Image for John Taylor.
8 reviews
October 8, 2017
It didn't take long to realise that this was going to be one of those Autobiographies that didn't spill the beans . While I found it mildly interesting I know Steve Williams has a lot more to spill. It's a WWE backed book so therefore he was limited to what he could say .
Profile Image for Myke Edwards.
Author 13 books1 follower
April 13, 2018
I always knew that Stone Cold was way more than the abrasive anti-hero I enjoyed watching when I got into wrestling back in '98, at the height of his BMF phase and the WWF "Attitude Era". This was a fun read, and I couldn't help but read it in Steve Austin's voice in my head.
Profile Image for Robert Hobbs.
32 reviews1 follower
July 31, 2025
“And that’s the bottom line…” — because this book really is worth the read for any fan of the Attitude Era and beyond.

Steve Austin’s biography walks through his early days, personal life, and wrestling career with a solid blend of insight and storytelling. There’s a strong behind-the-scenes feel to it—especially when revisiting key moments, matches, and angles. For fans who grew up watching these storylines unfold, it brings back plenty of nostalgia, now told from Austin’s firsthand view, with deeper context on how and why things played out the way they did.

He answers many of the questions fans have long wondered about: the drama with management, his broken neck, Owen Hart, Brian Pillman, and ultimately, why he left the business. These sections in particular are highlights—honest, raw, and long overdue.

That said, I couldn’t help but notice that, like other WWE-branded autobiographies (Hogan’s, for example), it feels like some parts were either skimmed over or edited down—possibly a bit too much “WWE polish” on certain topics. There’s a noticeable difference between these WWE-tied bios and others written without corporate oversight; the depth just isn’t always there.

Still, what Austin does share is entertaining, satisfying, and filled with his unmistakable voice. If you're a fan, it’s well worth your time—even if it leaves you wishing there was more. I’d absolutely read a deeper, unfiltered follow-up if it ever comes out.
Profile Image for Ryan H.
232 reviews3 followers
January 29, 2022
Wrestling fans will very much enjoy this one. I think the audiobook would be much better than the book just because stone cold reads it himself! Who better than him to do this? It was great to see a little bit behind the curtains of what goes on backstage during all the shows and how the wrestling life is not as glamorous as being in the ring and in the spotlight all the time. I loved the varying points of view between stone cold telling the story his way and then Jim Ross telling the story his way. I also loved how they added the live promos and actual footage from back in the 90s and early 2000s I just wish this one was longer. I devoured it very very quickly. Growing up watching this icon I didn’t know a lot of the hidden meetings behind his attire and some of the sayings. It was a trip down memory lane in one of the best ways. Wrestling fans rejoice! Because Stone cold said so.
Profile Image for David Quattrocchi.
40 reviews1 follower
February 3, 2022
I really like Steve when he's musing on things with curiosity, even when it's just how much he loves Wal-Mart ("that's everything you need, right there"). His reflections on his parents and upbringing are really sweet. The passages that detail his struggles with mounting health issues that forced him from active competition are heartbreaking and really highlight the toxic environment that Vince McMahon created, where workers find it easier to lie about their health status to keep their job status. It's really difficult to read the top money-maker in the company for a decade punch down on his fellow workers for drug addiction and having egos that are too big for themselves. Ultimately a good read for hearing Steve's ride through the wrestling biz.
Profile Image for whatbreeread.
198 reviews3 followers
April 4, 2022
ok first off… all the red neck talk???😵‍💫

honestly, i don’t think much about this book and that 3 was a random rating😭 (and idc to think long and hard abt it)

i’m glad i listened to the abridged version of this audiobook because i don’t think i could handle any more than 2 hours. i’m a wrestling fan(🤪) and i don’t usually look into the wrestlers’ personal lives because they’re weird… and this proved that i should listen to my gut more😭

steve focused mainly on the wrestling business but there were some inserts of his personal life and he’s just as controversial as i thought he was based on the contents of the book

i know most wrestling storylines are scripted but i enjoyed learning about the ins and outs of the business

anyway, i liked the narration. it was a fine memoir
Profile Image for Colleen Barry.
44 reviews
July 15, 2024
Honestly, better than expected. I listened to this on Tom's suggestion and it was surprisingly interesting. The author refers to Stone Cold Steve Austin as though he were another person, I really enjoyed this because it lets me know that he knows Stone Cold is a character. It was interesting to hear about his ups and downs, though this was extremely short and it read more like a Wikipedia entry than a true autobiography. Recommended to WWE Fans who don't know his story... not sure who that really entails though.
Profile Image for Monteiro.
480 reviews8 followers
September 22, 2021
Not certain what about this book that I enjoyed so much, the style is short repetitive (which shouldn't be in such short chapters), it's almost lazy and detached at time (as if Stone Cold was about to say more but then got bored or didn't care enough) and yet it works, just enough of a revealing promo/shoot to the point, with some fun. This book is a calmer, at peace but tired Stone Cold. Always a surprise to learn and see the family behind the man, the beginnings of who becomes.
Profile Image for Thom Brannan.
Author 41 books41 followers
January 6, 2024
I came late to the book and so had already digested a lot of this biographical material from TV shows and the like, but it was a fun, engaging read with the benefit of being in SCSA's own voice. And I didn't really know how old this was, so now I'm interested in what Steve Austin's been up to since leaving professional wrestling altogether. I have seen some of the most recent show and his episode of Hot Ones, but there's a lot to cover, still.
Profile Image for Liz Ball.
52 reviews
June 23, 2025
I just finished The Stone Cold Truth, and lemme tell ya—this book hits harder than a Stunner on Vince McMahon. No fluff, no filter, just the bottom line from the baddest SOB to ever step in the ring.

It’s raw, it’s real, and it’s 100% pure rattlesnake. I laughed, I winced, and I damn near cracked a beer just reading it.

If you don’t read this book?
You’re just a damn jabroni—and that’s the bottom line, 'cause Stone Cold said so!
Profile Image for Spencer Camilien.
30 reviews
November 1, 2019
Amazing book from the greatest wrestler of all time. Stone Cold keeps this book exciting as he goes into details about the biggest moments in his career from the beginning to the end of it. Super interesting read. Once you pick this book up, its Hard to put it down. I may be biased since he’s my favorite wrestler but he did not disappoint one bit!
Profile Image for Kevin Stumpf.
610 reviews
March 24, 2021
3.5 stars, I did not take stars away from my rating je to the writing style, Stone Cold isn’t a writer. He is a story teller. I would have enjoyed a few more behind the scenes stories about wrestlers or matches. His family life and background is interesting, but as a wrestling fan I wanted more wrestling information.
Profile Image for Kate McDougall Sackler.
1,727 reviews15 followers
January 31, 2022
Well, there’s some time I’ll never get back. This book could have used some better editing, instead of the verbatim record of Steve’s thoughts about everything in his career. Jumping back and forth in time between paragraphs was confusing. I feel like I have lost brain cells by reading this.
2022 reading challenge-3 books set on three different continents—book 1 (north America)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews

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