The Attitude Era actually developed with 1996 King of the Ring . Stone Cold said the famous catchphase of `` Austin 3:16 '' and officially started the WWF 's transition to an edgier product . A notable date was during the 1996 King of the Ring tournament with Stone Cold Steve Austin 's first usage of `` Austin 3:16 '' which began the WWF 's transition to an edgier product .