Austin given the keys to the city
By PAUL BENEDETTI -- Hamilton Spectator
It was all black T-shirts,
baseball caps and bad attitude.
Throw in blasting music, a
bunch of of bouncers and some
good old-fashioned ballyhoo and
you've got a picture of what it
was like yesterday at Hamilton
City Hall when World Wrestling
Federation sensation Stone Cold
Steve Austin arrived.
More than 2,000 people lined up
for hours for a chance to see
wrestling's baddest act and
some of his cohorts.
They weren't disappointed. With
the kind of fanfare usually
reserved for Roman emperors and rock stars, the city welcomed the
reigning WWF champion into the city.
As a white stretch limousine pulled up the steps in front of City
Hall, the crowd began to chant, "Austin, Austin."
Announcer Dok Hendrix brought the already screaming crowd up a
couple of decibels.
"He is the toughest S.O.B. He is 250 pounds of bad attitude. He is
the rattlesnake of the world. Hamilton, give it up for the one,
the only Stone Cold Steve Austin!"
The crowd, mostly kids with the parents tagging along, went wild.
Their hero, dressed in a tight T-shirt, jean shorts and work
boots, his head freshly shaved and gleaming, pulled off his
wrap-around shades and said hello to Mayor Bob Morrow.
Morrow wisely offered the hulking wrestler the keys to the city
and unveiled a brand new street sign -- Stone Cold Way.
"For today," said Morrow, "Main Street and Bay Street are going to
be called Stone Cold Way."
Two other wrestlers, Mosh and Thrasher, known to their adoring
fans as The Headbangers, were upset at being passed over by the
mayor. "Hey, we don't get nothin?" one yelled into the microphone.
After pleasantries were exchanged and handshakes completed, Austin
got down to business.
"I've got a helluva job ahead of me tonight," he said, referring
to Breakdown, the sold out Pay Per View WWF championship match at
Copps Coliseum. "When the bell goes, I'm just going to have to
beat somebody's ass."
The crowd cheered loudly and none louder than 15-year-old David
Montoya.
He and buddies Geoff Eichinger, 16, and P. J. Kozuh, 15, all Notre
Dame High School students, arrived at City Hall at 4:30 a.m. to
make sure they were first in line for the autograph session.
They'd had almost no sleep and were drenched by an early morning
thunderstorm, but the three boys were thrilled to be up front.
"Everything is worth it," said Montoya.
Although the testosterone level in the audience was high, there
was a smattering of young women wearing black T-shirts sporting
the Steve Austin skull and emblazoned with the name Stone Cold.
One of them was Jessica Szucsko, a 15-year-old wrestling fan from
Bishop Ryan High School.
Introduced to WWF wrestling by her brother, she became a fan about
two years ago.
"I thought it was very entertaining," said Jessica, who was
wearing Stone Cold blue sunglasses. Not many of her female
classmates are wrestling fans, but she said she enjoys the
spectacle which she described as half-sport and
half-entertainment.
Mostly though, she just likes Stone Cold Steve. "He's the best
star ever."
Yesterday, it would have been hard to find anyone who'd disagree.
