Austin made his Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) debut at the ECW Arena on October 1, 1993. On both nights, he wrestled The Bad Breed (Ian and Axl Rotten) with Todd Shaw and Don E. Allen respectively, as well as losing to Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka. These matches were later broadcast on the first episodes of ECW Hardcore TV during the next few weeks.
Austin was part of two other memorable Hardcore TV moments that year. On December 13, he was scheduled to face Mr. Hughes, but the lights unexpectedly went out, and when they came back on again, the entire ECW locker room was engaged in a brawl in the ring. A week later, he was brought out by Terry Funk as a mock a Sabu impersonator and attacked by Funk. When Sabu's then-manager Paul E. Dangerously confronted Funk, he was chased off. In front of a sold-out crowd at the ECW Arena, Austin scored an upset victory over Pitbull #1 in his ECW debut at Holiday Hell '93 on December 26, 1993. When his opponent continued attacking him after the match, The Sandman came to his rescue. This match aired on ECW Hardcore TV three days later.
Austin continued to be a regular at the ECW Arena during the next year. On February 5, 1994, he lost to 911 in the opening match of ECW's "The Night the Line was Crossed". In the first half of 1994, he also faced The Public Enemy (Rocco Rock and Johnny Grunge), Johnny Hotbody, The Sandman, Hack Meyers and Shane Douglas.
That summer, he appeared on three major ECW shows. On June 24, his match against Don E. Allen at Hostile City Showdown '94 ended in a no-contest when 911 interfered and incapacitated both men with a choke slam. A month later at Heat Wave 1994, he was disqualified in his match against ECW Television Champion Mikey Whipwreck as well as their rematch in Wildwood, New Jersey a week later. Five days later in Montgomeryville, Pennsylvania, he teamed with Rockin' Rebel and Jason Knight in a 6-man tag team match to defeat Don E. Allen, Dino Sendoff and Hack Meyers. On August 13, he defeated "Ironman" Tommy Cairo at Hardcore Heaven 1994. He also wrestled Mr. Hughes, Sabu, Damien Stone, Steve Richards, Rockin' Rebel and Chris Benoit on Hardcore TV over the summer.
On November 22, he and Hack Meyers lost to Stevie Richards and JT Smith in a tag team match and, the following week, wrestled Shane Douglas for the ECW Heavyweight Championship. On December 24, 1994, Austin participated in a battle royal at the ECW Arena. He was the event's first entrant and, upon entering the ring, announced he was quitting ECW. Upon hearing this, everyone in the battle royal immediately entered the ring to go after Austin and threw him out. Led by Shane Douglas, the wrestlers forced to say "ECW is number one!" in the house microphone.
On January 7, 1995, Austin lost to JT Smith at the ECW Arena and to The Tazmaniac at the Big Apple Dinner Theater in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania on February 24. The following night at ECW's Return of the Funker, he and Joel Hartgood lost to The Pitbulls (Pitbull #1 and Pitbull #2).
At Hardcore Heaven 1995, a tag team match between himself and The Broad Street Bully against Dino Sendoff and Don E. Allen ended in a no contest when 911, as he did the previous year, entered the ring and chokeslammed all four men. He and Don E. Allen also lost to Dances with Dudley and Dudley Dudley at Gangsta's Paradise '95 on August 16.
On April 1, 1996, Austin took part in a tag team "double tables" match with The Blue Meanie against The Gangstas at an April Fool's Day television taping for ECW Hardcore TV. Austin had replaced Meanie's original partner, Stevie Richards, who had suffered a cracked orbital bone during an altercation with Tommy Dreamer and Shane Douglas. At the end of the match, New Jack dove off the top rope with a steel chair and onto Austin, injuring his face. Afterwards, he took the chair and hit him five times breaking his leg as well.