The Stone Cold Truth Reviews

• And That�s the Bottom Line�

  
  By A2ASEBCEN9ZWTZ on 2003-11-16
  "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's autobiography, "The Stone Cold Truth" details the life and career of one of the biggest icons in professional wrestling history. Overall, it's a great look at the life and times of one of America's most popular entertainers.

  THE BOOK

  Like any autobiography, the book discusses Austin's childhood growing up in Texas where he discusses growing up with his brothers. He talks about his family, his love of sports (football, baseball, weight training, tennis) and just growing up in general including his first relationship with his first wife.

  From there he talks about how he got started in professional wrestling after dropping out of college after his college football career ended. He discusses the genesis of his wrestling career in Chris Adam's wrestling school and with the Von Erich's World Class Championship Wrestling in Texas. From there he chronologically follows his career with the Jarrett's USWA, Ted Turner's WCW, Paul Heyman's ECW and finally his getting into Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Federation. He shares lots of stories about the promoters and wrestlers he met and learned from along the way and highlights some of his more prominent career highlights.

  Overall, if you're a wrestling fan you'll love reading Austin's overall thoughts on the wrestling business as he gives you his honest opinion on it. The vast majority of the book is basically Austin's experience in the business, his opinion on what the business is, how it should be run, etc. He talks candidly about his feelings on what is wrong with the business and how it should get back to its "roots" like when he started in it. He talks candidly about his relationship with Vince McMahon as well as goes behind the scenes with how his biggest feuds in the business were put together or got floundered. We also get some of the dirty details behind his frustrating career in WCW as he saw it.

  Overall, it's a real fascinating read to see the wrestling business from the eyes of the man who literally changed it.

  In addition to the wrestling business he also "opens the door" a little to his private life where he candidly owns up to a lot of the mistakes he's made as a husband (three wives and counting) and he also takes a look back at some of the problems wrestlers have with their drug addictions, talking in depth over the sadness he felt when he friend and former tag partner Brian Pillman passed away.

  THE CRITIQUE

  As many reviewers have attested already, the biggest drawback to the book is that it leaves you wanting more. Many of the chapters in the book are only a few pages long. Obviously there's a lot more that Austin and his co-biographers could have shared but I'm of the opinion that what was shared was adequate. The pace of the book reads very quickly and is very accessible. The book itself does not say too little (like the Rock or Chyna's autobiographies which definitely SHOULD have been heavier on content and less on fluff) but you do have the "more COULD have been said" feeling.

  THE COOL THING

  The book is interspersed with "inserted commentary" by Austin's mother and father as well as his good friend and confidant "J.R." Jim Ross. The commentary adds some good extra insight to some of the points and stories Austin shares. Various pictures and documents (letters, etc.) also highlight Austin's story where appropriate. Overall, the presentation, save for a few typos, is well done.

  THE BOTTOM LINE

  Overall, while the book was a little sparse in parts, readers should be happy with Steve Austin's "The Stone Cold Truth." For wrestling fans you'll benefit from the insight into the wrestling business from its pre-eminent star. For casual readers you'll love the story of how a "good old country boy" from Edna, Texas came out of nowhere and succeeded against the odds. "And That's The Bottom Line, `Cause Stone Cold Said So!!!"

  Total Pages: 312
  Total Read Time: 6 hours

  Highest Recommendation
  
  

• Maybe Not Perfect But Still Satisfies

  
  By A1NZNSH0B3TT7Q on 2003-11-14
  All Austin fans will love the Stone Cold Truth. For all his fans, they will get to know everything about Austin they did not know. Any wrestling fan in general should like the book as well, since it has more than enough information to satisfy the reader. I do have to say they really could have been more, but the bottom line is information wise it gets the job done. I thought maybe Austin should have commented more on the people who had had such a great impact on his life. Also some chapters in general are bit short such has the WCW section which, could have been longer since Austin made his debut as a well known profesionally wrester in WCW. Th book in general follows all previous wrestler bios with 300 plus pages broken down to plenty of chapters. Even though Austin did not write evry single bit of the book, the majority is Austin's words. I would have to give it 4 and a half stars, maybe not perfect but still satisfies.
  
  

• Well worth the read

  
  By AHCVWPLA1O4X8 on 2003-12-04
  This is the story of the great wrestling superstar, Steve Austin, as told in his own words. Or, at least, its supposedly in his own words, though I'm sure some ghostwriting to one extent or another takes place in the book. Still, you can often hear Austin's voice as he describes his adolescence, his introduction into wrestling, and his gradually pounding the crap out of anyone in his way as he worked his way to the top of wrestling's top organization, the WWE. Personal comments on Austin's early days, his stints in the WCW and ECW, and first impressions as the Ringmaster in WWE are interesting, though much of the later WWE stuff is obviously a little reserved, as Austin, still with the WWE, cannot say too much.
  
  The book is not well-written, though that is in no way Austin's fault. In fact, the poor sentence structure and choppy transitions seem to be almost appropriate at times, though being better written would certainly not hurt the readability of the book by any means. Still, it was an interesting and enjoyable read, even after shelling out twenty-six bucks to buy it when I "ran into" Austin signing these things at the mall. Austin is a great guy, and his story is certainly worth hearing. It takes only a few hours to read this book, and the experience is, overall, well worth it.
  
  

• Where is the Story?

  
  By A1INVEEJEZIK5G on 2005-01-30
  I can say with confidence that this book is the worst wrestling book written to date(including Chyna's). Austin has no story whatsoever and the stories he does have, have been told on numerous occasions through wwe publications, dvds, tv, etc. The average chapter is four pages long and half of that is Jim Ross saying the exact same thing that Austin just said. The only thing we do learn here is that Austin loves Vince McMahon and shocker! this just happens to be a WWE book. This book honestly falls into the negative star category.
  
  

• Stone Cold Stunner

  
  By A35URLS0K0KW36 on 2003-10-29
  A must read for any wrestling fan. Although I understand why Stone Cold didn't write the book himself it really would have went from a good book to a book that shined if he had. I tore through this book in an afternoon. I felt that it showed a number of sides to Steve Austin that wrestling fans haven't saw yet. It does discuss his feelings on certain people and events but it's not a book full of gossip. It had a fairly good balance to it. His family had also contributed little segments which truely were the gems of the book in my opinion.
  
  
• Worth the Wait!!!
  By A2GDA8YR33OVFJ on 2003-11-01
  I, too, read the book in an afternoon - I couldn't put it down! Being a long-time Steve Austin fan, it was wonderful to get those stories from his beginnings to the present.
  I truly enjoyed the book from cover to cover, the many pictures, the family insights and tales, J.R.'s outlook, even the medical info was interesting (I'm a nurse ;))!
  You have to admire a man, who seems so private, to just put it out there like this. Although he has repeatedly stated that he doesn't want people to feel sorry for him, you can't help empathizing with him on the health and personal levels. This book shows that although he is adored by millions, he's also a man trying to live a life just like the rest of us - only the whole world is watching him.
  
  
• Enjoyable but lacking...
  By A23OEODWN9V7CC on 2003-11-10
  Well, I was really waiting for this one to be more fulfilling after reading Chyna and The Rock's semi-disappointing autobiographies. However, despite being a fairly easy and enjoyable read the book leaves too many 'Stones' (forgive the pun) unturned. I realize that the WWE Wrestlers must have some pretty limiting contracts about what they can and cannot say, but since the whole purpose of the book was to be an autobiography of a WWE Superstar it could have been twice as thick and provide a lot more substance. From reading it and the other two mentioned, I reckon that the wrestlers are forced to limit certain opinions that may describe how they really feel about others in the business. Too much praise on the McMahon family and skimming over what we the readers most probably really want out of a book. And for me, it would be a helluva damn good read if he covered the peaks and troughs of those involved with him in more detail, and how they made an impact on SCSA's character changes and the decisions he made. Within the book he says for legal reasons that he cannot tell his side of the story or what happened between him and Debra but we all know what it was, right? Well, wrong I am afraid since news in the papers overseas does not cover things like this and so I am still in the dark as to what happened. (Will search news groups later though.) Anyway, the bottom line here is that the book is an OK read for a lazy afternoon, but don't expect to come away with too much more than what you can find from reading articles on the internet.
  
  
• Good...but could have been more
  By A10VNO6G9NQEPS on 2004-01-15
  First of all, I did enjoy the book. It's an easy read and can very easily be read in one or 2 sittings. So it's really nothing heavy, so to speak.

  Most of the stories are enjoyable, but brief. He barely touches on his childhood and collage years. Now for a wrestling fan that could be a good thing because about 30 pages into it he starts on his wrestling career. So it does not take long to get to the meat and potatoes of it.

  I do give Steve credit for being honest about several issues. Cheating on his wife. and perscription drug use are the 2 that come to mind right now.

  Steve also opens himself up about the love he feels for his 2 daughters. For those who have only seen his tv charactor might be shocked when they find out what a loving father this man really is because it shines through perfectly.

  One dissapointment was that he left some of his thought process out of it. I would love to have known how he felt when he found out that he was to win the WWE title and be their #1 guy. Did he get scared, or nervous? We don't know. What was going through his mind when he had to headline his first PPV? I would have liked to see these topics covered.

  One more point that was bothering me was the book kind of has the feel that Steve just told the stories in the book to Dennis Brent, and Dennis wrote the book while trying to be in charactor as Steve Austin. I think it would have come across more honest if Steve actually wrote it himself and Dennis just cleaned it up a bit. Just my 2 cents.

  I really did like the ending though. Steve talks about what he would change about the wrestling biz, and what he feels would make it beter. This came across to me as the most honest part of the book. I just wish the whole book had that feel.

  My recomendation : Worth a read, but wait for paperback.
  
  

• Stone cold truth, so awsome
  By on 2004-08-31
  the stone cold truth was really one of my favorite books. i m a HUGE wrestling fan and i've been watcng it for years and years to come. stone cold has always been one of my favorite superstars. he touches on his college and child years and alwas has commets from jr or his mom. it was intresting to see wahs mom though because when steve was in the wwf's (wwe) most brutal matches, his mom would be there. the pictures with his kids are really fun to look at. the sitiuations he was in and how he tells them just captures you into readng the book.
  
  on of the coolest things in there was how he explained the rules to being a "heel". and how to cut promos he went beyond the wwe and into his personel life wich makes it one of the best books i read...EVER
  
  
• Stone Cold Waste Of Time
  By AAZ59RTAODTKY on 2004-12-31
  Let me first say that I'm a big wrestling fan, and that I think Steve Austin is one of the best things to happen to wrestling in a long time.
  
  Having said that - DON'T read this book. Of all the wrestling books I've read, this was by far the worst. If you've spent even a little time on the internet or read articles in the WWE magazines, then you already know everything covered in this book.
  
  I understand that alot of wrestling books are ghosted, but this was the worst case. Seriously I'm not going into alot of detail - don't pick this book up.
  
  And that's the bottom line...
  
  
• The Truth About Austin
  By on 2003-11-06
  I thought that this book was the best auto\biography that I have read. I would recommend this book to anyone that wants to know about the "Texas Rattlesnake". This is a must read for any Austin fan. There is also a bonus: J.R.'s point of view on certain things that Austin discusses in the book.
  
  
• Stone Cold truth or the luke warm truth
  By AFYIZ41WZKXQ4 on 2003-11-26
  I would like to firstly say im a big stone cold fan and was looking forward to
  this book egarly. I have read alot of wrestling books from Mick Foleys to
  Pipers. So to hear the stone cold saga and find out how the man really feels
  about alot of things and people had me excited. I picked up the book and well
  its written fairly well but you never seem to really get into the book and the
  stories revealed arent really told in the form you want to see them, there is
  little real detail about anything, its basically a log of incidents of his life
  without austin revealing how he really feels, which would have been the whole
  purpose of the book. I enjoyed the book but finished quite disappointed as it
  never really told you the full story. I guess they kept it quite politically
  correct, so no wrestlers or the wwe would be upset by this book but if defies
  the purpose of the book really. If you like stone cold read this book but just
  dont expect a real insight into the man himself
  
  
• Light On Details, What?, Want More, What?
  By A18WXDHT4BML4V on 2004-01-18
  This was a pretty good read, but some more indepth tales from the road would have been nice. It falls short of Mick Foley's first book and Hogan's book, but tops the Rock's. It seemed as if Austin was really reaching to remember things to say about many of the matches he has had and the people he has run across during his long career. I guess it is probably hard to remember many of the details. That should be where the writer comes to the rescue, but the book is what it is...Because Stone Cold Said So.
  
  
• Let The Truth Be Known
  By A2HWD9PTM7RBXN on 2004-01-24
  Steve Austin's bio is an intriguing tale of how Steve Williams emerged as a wrestling icon. Some good information is provided about Steve's growing up in a fair but firm family environment. Steve's pre WWE days are discussed with some detail specifically is relationship with Brian Pillman. Steve certainly learned how to cut a promo from his former tag team partner.

  Of course the information on Steve's WWE escapades are extremely interesting. Steve does show how is in ring persona is an extension of his personality but not the true man inside. He discusses his relationship with Vince McMahon, Kevin Nash, Owen Hart, and others in a fair way. Steve is also fair in discussing his personal life and his failed marriages. He understands his shortcommings and that is the sign of a true man.

  The overall impression is that the reader gets a true inside story of Steve Austin, WWE icon.
  
  

• Jim Ross ruins this book
  By AFRA3QPM7O60W on 2004-05-01
  I was under the impression this was supposed to be Steve Austin's autobiography, but I was wrong. What it turns out to be be is part Austin's book and part some fat man with one eye crying about people he doesn't like. Ross makes many tasteless comments that should not have been printed. Most have nothing to do with Austin or his career. It just has to do with many personal vendettas of this mutant. This was unnecessary and Ross should have just wrote the preface like normal people do. He totally butchered and destroyed the book and this will turn off the reader. Its a shame because Austin was very honest bu ti ti is overshadowed by Ross's crying.
  
  
• a typical WWE biography, but we get a sense of the man
  By A2FEGRJQNU51P9 on 2004-05-27
  "Stone Cold" Steve Austin is, arguably, one of the most popular professional wrestlers of all time. Without question, he is one of the most successful in the World Wrestling Federation (currently World Wrestling Entertainment). He has sold more merchandise and sold out more arenas than any other WWF/E superstar with the possible exception of Hulk Hogan. He was that big. "The Stone Cold Truth" is his story, told in his own words (or at least in his own voice).

  Steve Williams takes the reader on the journey of his life, through his days playing high school football in Texas, through college and into his first days as a professional wrestler. Steve tells the reader, in general terms, what he was thinking and feeling and why he made the decisions he did in his life. We follow Steve through the indy wrestling feds, through WCW, ECW and finally the WWF. What is valuable and interesting in this book, other than the easy tone the book takes, is that we get Steve's side of the story in why/how he left WCW, and the story of why he walked out of the WWF following Wrestlemania 18. We also get his side of the story and his thoughts about having his neck broken in a match against Owen Hart.

  Every wrestling biography inevitably gets compared to Mick Foley's book, and in comparison, this one does not have the level of detail that Foley provided. It is a typical WWE autobiography in that there are short, fast moving chapters that give us a sense of who Steve Williams is a person, but not quite giving us the full details (without the glitz) that you might find elsewhere. Nonetheless, I did get the feeling that Steve was being honest in the details that he provided, and that this is the way that he sees things about his life and career. This may not be the best wrestling book out on the market, but it's a pretty good one and entertaining.
  
  

• Very enjoyable for the most part
  By on 2004-05-28
  What a great read. This book was very interesting, altough some parts were a liitle too brief there is certainly more than enough information on the life of on of the greatest Wrestling stars and maybe even the best superstar in the wrestling bussiness. Peronally, I really enjoyed reading the whole story invoving Owen Hart. The whole story of him breifly leaving the company was also ver interesting. Overall, thereis plenty of information for any fan to enjoy this autobiography of Stone Cold Steve Austin.
  
  
• Disappointed
  By A35VC0SFN0XREO on 2006-04-18
  I was disappointed in Stone Cold's book mainly because after reading both of Mick Foley's books you really appreciate him writing it in his own language and style. You can totally tell a "ghost-writer" did Steve Austin's book and so the actual story doesnt feel like its coming straight form the hip....
  
  
• MORE NEEDED.
  By A1IHT31N8RLPN8 on 2006-05-01
  First, I truly believe that Steve Austins character helped win the Monday night war against WCW. I doubt that without him the WWF as it was named at that time would have prevailed. This book could have been at least twice as long. Mr. Williams could have gone much deeper into his personal life and the wrestling industry. Granted, much of what he said about the business part could be found in a multitude of various wrestling magazines. Perhaps, he was rushed into finishing this book to take advantage of his height in popularity? Many of the chapters were oddly short, and left you wanting him to go deeper. The book did get better as you read on. Yet, you got the feeling that the author was holding back. This was far better than the Rocks, and Shawn Michaels books. But, not nearly as good as Mick Foleys or Ric Flairs. Perhaps, in its next printing he will add more to it? All in all I liked it.
  
  
• Decent, but could have been so much more
  By A2MHRCMFF9C7UV on 2003-11-05
  While I found Austin's book hard to put down, it did have some flaws. I enjoyed hearing childhood stories of his, as well as his college experiences. However, this soon became another WWE-formula book. It was ridiculous broken up in chapters. The parts where he was in WCW was ridiculously short. It was obvious that Austin did not put all his heart in his book, not like Foley did.

  If you are an Austin fan, you definitely want it. However, it is not mana from heaven, that is all I'm saying.
  
  

• MAKE IT 3 1/2 STARS BECAUSE I SAID SO
  By A12UTXKZN1Q2WE on 2003-12-08
  There is no denying that Stone Cold is one the most colorful characters in the history of wrestling entertainment. This book was slightly above average. Its easy to read but I'll be honest, it just didn't provide me with the insight that I was looking for. The Stone Cold Truth is an autobiography that goes into detail of the many decent people in the wrestling business that Steve Williams has encountered. His failed marriages are a result of the profession that he has chosen and the man that he is -- neither are wrong. I read the book, I liked it. But I didn't love it and I wouldn't read it again because there is just nothing special about it. If you love Stone Cold Steve Austin -- this is the book for you. If you want real insight into wrestling entertainment seek elsewhere.
  
  
• Open up a can of this book
  By A2RDX1MVJPARK on 2004-01-15
  Weather you are from texas or like wrestling or just a cold bud or a combination of both of them you will love this book. Besides all the great wrestling stories this book also has alot of information about steve himself. Besides being a great wrestler he is also a great person. If you ignore his legal problems and his abuse of his wife. Don't count this book out (no pun intended).
  
  
• The Cold Truth
  By A1VPICWXUZCQJV on 2004-01-30
  Have you ever wondered what Steve Austin's life was like when he was a kid? How he became a pro wrestler? Or how he became one of the best pro wrestlers in the business till this day? Like what was his dream before he became a wrestler? The book that I am reading is The Stone Cold Truth.
  The protagonist is Stone Cold Steve Austin. Steve Austin's dream before he became a wrestler was he wanted to be a rock star. His dream would have come true but his brother told him that he couldn't sing so that's when his dream went downhill. One day he was watching wrestling and they he saw a wrestling camp. He ask his mom and dad; they said that he could try to wrestle. So the next day he went to the school. Then he signed in to wrestle and he was one of the wrestlers that got picked out of 300 guys 8 of them got picked one of them got picked.
  I really liked the book. Some of the things in the book were scary and some were funny but the book was a really good. Like in the beginning of the book Austin sad he had a heart attack the night before wrestlemaina. That was one of the scary parts about the book. One of the funny parts about the book is when he and his brother thought there was a robber in the house and they each got a 12 gauge shotgun for Christmas and they grabbed them and went downstairs. Then Austin pulled the trigger and shot their ceiling.
  One thing I would have changed about the book is the incident in the beginning of it when he had a heart attack at the third Wrestlemaina I would have put that in the end I would have liked to learn more about what he did in his first Wrestlemaina.
  
  
• A Great Book
  By ARWCFPH1MRB9N on 2004-08-19
  Seeing as this is only the 2nd WWE Biograph I have really looked forward to (Hogans being the first) it had hugh expectations to live up to... and it did.
  
  This book will take you from his early days as a child to his ECW Apperances to his matches with the Bret & Owen Hart to his last match against the Rock at WM 19 at the sold out Safeco Field in Seattle, this was a solid no holds barred book will all the details that the media never knew about.
  
  This is a sure read for any person who even remotly like WWE!
  
  
• Not worth reading
  By on 2004-11-21
  Steve Austin has to be the most selfish, cold hearted, disrespectful, hypocritical, arrogant egomaniac since Hulk Hogan and/or Vince Mcmahon. Austin expresses no remorse over Owen Hart's death whatsoever, whines about what happened at Summerslam 97, sucks up to Vince Mcmahon. You know I understand that when your with the W.W.E your book can very easily be promoted, but where is the logic in promoting a book based upon a company that is responsible for the publication of the novel, how honost can this story really be. Plus its Steve Austin, he is not exactly the sharpest tool in the box.
  
  
• THE REAL TRUTH
  By A3LNG8Q3Z330D9 on 2004-12-15
  This is a great dvd where you can find and understand the live of one of the most popular wrestlers in the world and you can see the begining of his professional life and you can follow his success whit his family and comentaries from persons like mick foley and in the extras you can watch him in great maches and great moments hi had in the spotr-entretaiment
  
  
• A Fantastic Book!
  By on 2003-10-31
  I was always a fan of Stone Cold, but this book shows so many other sides to him and makes him a real person. I also learned a lot about the wrestling business I didn't know. It was a great read and I have already started reading it sgain, picking up new things. It is really a great book that tells a lot on how it really works behind the scenes.
  
  
• You think you know Stone Cold, but you don't.
  By on 2003-12-26
  You must know who Stone Cold Steve Austin is if you have ever watched WWE or WWF. This audio CD is great. I mean if you want to read his book, but like me don't want to read. This way you can just listen to Stone Cold and JR read the story for you. Which is very cool. So if you don't have this in your collection then you need to get it.
  
  
• Here's cheers to the man that drinks beers
  By A2ERCG3H3Q4AU4 on 2004-03-13
  A top read for any Stone Cold fan! He goes through moments in his life, nothing in great detail but definatly picks out little pieces that were obviously important to him. it's pretty quick to get to him getting a start in wrestling. Probably not getting enough perspective from his parents and what they thought (they had editorial pieces during the book along with Jim "J.R." Ross). He probably doesn't say enough about his WCW days, and that might be because he truely doesn't want to remember them to much. It's enough to let us know what's happening but really, most of that and the ECW stuff is covered in the DVD (which I saw before reading the book).

  What I was mostly interested in was why he left WWE which, although might be true, kinda left me thinking "is that it?" It's a fair enough excuse but I get the feeling it might have been a little sugar coated. Not much but a little.

  It is a good read! And all wrestling fans will enjoy it. Others might not quite get into it but that's the audience. It's a wrestling biography. It's dominated by wrestling stuff.
  
  

• A look at the real Stone Cold.
  By A160F3IE8OGAYF on 2005-05-31
  Those who bought this book hoping to be entertained with crazy tales from back stage at World Wrestling Entertainment events will be sorely disappointed. The casual reader, however, is treated to the story of a regular guy from the heart of Texas that works himself to death because it's all he knows. Stone Cold Steve Austin makes some appearances, but the story of Steve Williams is a joy to read.
  
  This look at the man behind the Rattlesnake persona is a breath of fresh air. It's not the run of the mill 'I love wrestling. I've always wanted to do it.' battlecry. It's real. It's about the man, not the character.
  
  The book is just over 300 pages, and I finished it in a matter of only 5 or 6 hours. It's a fast, entertaining read and the only problem is that it leaves you wanting to know more. Perhaps that will happen down the road.
  
  To those who were 'disappointed' to learn about the friendship between Steve and Vince McMahon...you must have forgotten that the storylines are just that...STORYLINES. Fiction. Created for entertainment. Life isn't like that. Wow.
  
  Great read. Pick it up before you fly somewhere and you'll be done before the plane lands.
  
  

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