This Stone Cold ‘Ice-Cold’ Surprise in Albany is Wrestling Royalty
Allow me to set the scene.
March, 22, 1999. From Give Me Sport...
The final stop on the Road to WrestleMania XV took RAW to Albany, New York and it was there that Austin caused some chaos. - Oliver Browning
With Albany's Pepsi Center being the final stop on the Road to Wrestlemania, it was time for the WWE to escalate some storylines for the viewing audience. It was time to take the throttle, and floor it.
Ironically enough, that's exactly what "Stone Cold" Steve Austin did with a beer truck, and in the process, he created what is now regarded as one of the best WrestleMania moments ever.
Austin Was Rebelling Against "The Corporation"
The Corporation was all the rage in wrestling in 1999. The McMahon family, which actually controls the WWF for those that don't know, acted as a fictionalized version of themselves to create a powerful anti-hero during that year's touring dates. As you'll notice in the video you're about to watch, "The Rock" was an integral part of the corporation at the time.
Stone Cold Steve Austin, meanwhile, was one of The Corporation's biggest enemies, and took it upon himself to crash their party, just in time for WrestleMania 1999.
Austin entered the Pepsi Center in a beer truck, and drove right up next to the ring in the process. He pulled out a microphone, and began to argue back-and-forth with the members of The Corporation who were present at the time.
Outnumbered in the ring by a three-to-one margin, it appeared as though Stone Cold wouldn't be able to accomplish much.
Enter: the beer truck hose.
Austin unleashes a tsunami of booze on the members of The Corporation, vanquishing each of them, and welcoming himself to the Capital Region by telling each and every one of them that they're "number one".
Stone Cold vs. Mr. McMahon is an All-Time Rivalry
Pro Wrestling Illustrated named the above rivalry as the best in the sport two years running, in 1998 and 1999, putting this March of '99 match square in the middle of the tension.
Austin's stunt in Albany was such a shock to the system of the wrestling powerhouse, that it disbanded soon after. It took various forms, combining with other alliances across the WWF, but never returned to its original form.
And it's all thanks to a beer truck, a mad wrestler, and the great city of Albany.