Editing Stone Cold Steve Austin (section)

===Extreme Championship Wrestling (1995)===
After his release from WCW, Austin joined [[Extreme Championship Wrestling]] (ECW), where he was brought in by promoter [[Paul Heyman]], who had previously managed him in WCW as Dangerously.<ref name="slam" /> Using the nickname "Superstar" Steve Austin, he debuted at [[ECW Gangstas Paradise|Gangstas Paradise]] on September 18, 1995.<ref name="Loverro2007">{{cite book |last=Loverro |first=Thom |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JrGwTebNiUIC&pg=PA106 |title=The Rise & Fall of ECW: Extreme Championship Wrestling |date=2007 |publisher=[[Simon and Schuster]] |isbn=978-1-4165-6156-9 |pages=105–107}}{{Dead link|date=March 2024|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> During his time in ECW, he delivered satirical promos criticizing WCW and its management, including segments parodying its programming. Austin used the ECW platform to develop a more aggressive, anti-authority persona that would later influence his "Stone Cold" character.<ref name="slam" /><ref name="cold120">Stone Cold Steve Austin. ''The Stone Cold Truth'' (p.120)</ref> He credited Heyman with helping him refine his promo skills during this period.<ref>{{cite web |last=Johnson |first=Mike |date=June 1, 2015 |title=Did WWE just start the build to Lesnar vs. Austin at Mania 32? Selling, Punk, the end of his WWE ECW creative run and more: Complete Stone Cold Podcast with Paul Heyman coverage |url=http://www.pwinsider.com/article/94108/did-wwe-just-start-the-build-to-lesnar-vs-austin-at-mania-32-selling-punk-the-end-of-his-wwe-ecw-creative-run-and-more-complete-stone-cold-podcast-with-paul-heyman-coverage.html?p=1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201082346/https://www.pwinsider.com/article/94108/did-wwe-just-start-the-build-to-lesnar-vs-austin-at-mania-32-selling-punk-the-end-of-his-wwe-ecw-creative-run-and-more-complete-stone-cold-podcast-with-paul-heyman-coverage.html?p=1 |archive-date=December 1, 2017 |access-date=May 16, 2018 |work=PWInsider}}</ref><ref name="cold123">Stone Cold Steve Austin. ''The Stone Cold Truth'' (p.123–125)</ref>

Before departing the promotion, Austin briefly competed in the [[ECW World Heavyweight Championship]] scene, losing to [[Mikey Whipwreck]] at [[November to Remember (1995)|November to Remember]], and later participating in a three-way match at [[December to Dismember (1995)|December to Dismember]], which was won by [[The Sandman (wrestler)|The Sandman]].<ref>{{cite web |title=ECW November to Remember 1995 results |url=http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/ecw/results/1995d.html#111895 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120209034901/http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/ecw/results/1995d.html#111895 |archive-date=February 9, 2012 |access-date=July 15, 2008 |publisher=Pro Wrestling History}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=ECW December to Dismember 1995 results |url=http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/ecw/results/1995d.html#120995 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120209034901/http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/ecw/results/1995d.html#120995 |archive-date=February 9, 2012 |access-date=July 15, 2008 |publisher=Pro Wrestling History}}</ref>