"Stone Cold" Steve Austin became one of the WWF's most popular wrestlers during the late '90s. A former football player for North Texas State University, Austin decided in 1989 to attend wrestling school as an escape from his job as a dock worker; he turned professional just a year later, and became a member of the WCW organization in 1991 under the name "Stunning" Steve Austin. He split to join the WWF in 1995 and changed his nickname to "Stone Cold" shortly thereafter; in 1998, he became the Federation champion and one of the sport's most recognizable figures. In the musical arena, Austin has lent his name to various-artists compilations like 1998's Stone Cold Metal and 1999's Stone Cold Country, which purportedly contain Austin's favorite songs in those respective genres and are actually pretty effective and entertaining samplers. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide