WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin discussed his appearance on the October 19th episode of WWE Raw in a recent interview with FoxSports.com. He also gave an update on his television projects with CMT. Here are some highlights:
On the October 19th edition of RAW:
“It was what it was,” explained Austin. “It was short, brief. I had four announcements to make. I got handed a piece of paper: ‘Yeah, I’ll be ready for Raw, yeah, I’ll be ready for (WrestleMania) 32 in Dallas. I’ve got Brock Lesnar coming up in a couple of hours and I’m going to introduce The Undertaker right now.’ So, you know, when you ain’t been on TV for four years and you’d really like to go out there and uncork a promo and just raise hell for my 6-10 minutes, it left a lot to be desired for my part, but it was doing a favor for WWE.”
“It’s always nice when you can go out, because it’s been so long, and get a great ovation and a pop and people still remember who you are,” said Austin. “On one hand, it was great to be seen by the WWE fans, it was great to get that reception and I’m always grateful for the fact that people remember what I did while I was involved in the business of pro wrestling.”
On his TV shows:
“I’ve been focusing on reality television shows, which I really love doing. I’ve got two shows on Country Music Television — CMT Network — and one of them is the No. 1 show on the network. Between filming those gigs, it’s hard to line up the dates,” explained Austin, who hosts Redneck Island and Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Challenge on the channel.
On this week’s edition of the “Ross Report” podcast, WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross responded to Buff Bagwell’s recent claims on Steve Austin’s podcast that Jim Ross ruined his career back in 2001 when Bagwell started with WWE after the purchase of WCW.
Ross mentioned that he has not heard Bagwell’s comments on Austin’s show, and that he wouldn’t be listening to the episode because he’s not interested in hearing himself get buried. JR did, however, address the situation during his show.
“My former job as head of WWE talent relations was oftentimes a thankless job,” said Ross. He added that he had the distinction of having to let people go and noted that it was the worst part of his job.
He said that the good part of his job was helping many wrestlers to live their dreams, become wealthy and help them secure a great quality of life for their families. On the flip-side of the coin, Ross noted that when word came from the top to terminate talent, he had to be the messenger of bad news.
“I never relished in firing people and it only makes sense that if a talent could help a company that I wanted them to make it.”
He added, “I’m sorry Marc feels like he does. I’m sure he believes what’s there is true but I never went out of my way to cause him any misery. I just was the guy that had to deliver the bad news.”
JR’s “Ross Report” drops every Tuesday night at PodcastOne.com.
WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin recently spoke with Brian Fritz of FoxSports.com and addressed the possibility of having a match at WrestleMania 32. Here’s what he had to say:
“I think 99.9 percent I’ve had my last match,” said Austin. “If I felt froggy and wanted to jump for any particular reason, just because I said right now I have the fever for it, I’d like to do it. But for all practical, intrinsic, whatever kind of purposes, I’m done. Again, if I felt like it, could I? Yeah. Would I? In a dream world. possibly. I’m not trying to promote a match and pretty much I am done. I would always reserve the option.”
“I considered it for just a brief moment but again, just like I tell everybody, what’s on the backside of a match like that, you know?” wondered Austin. “I got out of the business when I got out. The hunger was out of my system. It’s almost like getting off an addiction. I’m not addicted to wrestling anymore. For a long time I was. So what’s on the backside of that match for me? A whole lot of nothing. So it would be a lot of buildup and, to me, it would be almost anti-climactic.”
Austin says if he did take the jump, Brock Lesnar would likely be his choice for an opponent:
“With respect to all of the WWE superstars currently in the system and any legends they could bring back, that would be a big-ass match just because of the fact that if it was going to be my last match going up against Brock Lesnar who’s absolutely on fire right now and the fact that I’m from the great state of Texas. I started in Dallas and could end it in Dallas — that would be all the stars aligning.”
On coming back to TNA after an extended hiatus and the changes: “Just because whenever you leave somewhere and go away for a while and you come back things are always different so it’s not unlike any other job or profession. For me more then anything it was an opportunity not only to get back on TV for a little bit and for me that creates a ripple effect because I can get some Independent work out of it and some good things happen so I always look forward to that. But more then anything I look forward to seeing old friends, people I haven’t seen in awhile and maybe some new people that I’ve seen there work and have never been able to shake their hand before and just getting to see everybody that I used to run down the roads with and I hardly ever see them or talk to them anymore is something that I always look forward to with that element with returning to TNA.”
On if he surprised to see so many new faces in TNA: “Was I surprised? No. I try to keep up with the product even when I’m not a part of it. I try to know what is going on because I can’t watch every episode although I try. There is so much wrestling on TV now, there’s actually an entire network dedicated to it and there is so much you can look at on the Internet. I’ve got a new baby boy and he is only seven months old so that eats into my time a lot. So I try to keep up with the product and when I got down there and saw a bunch of new faces, I knew they were trying to do new things and try new guys out. But that’s the nature of the business. You’ve got to keep it fresh and you’ve got to have new faces with your product or otherwise it gets stale.”
On if he did he experience any pay issues like other talents have complained of in the past: “I think that there may have possibly been a situation where things would be late a little while but I’ve got a list of promoters that owe me money and TNA is not on it. They’ve made good on everything they have ever promised me or said they were going to pay me and they have made good on it. I don’t fall into that category. If there are guys that claim that, then I couldn’t speak to that either. I just can tell you that was not my personal experience with the company and whenever there was a delay I think in my case they were honest about what was going on. Usually some office red tape because you have to realize that there is a bigger company in Texas and the TNA Wrestling company is in Nashville so sometimes things had to go up the ladder and back down. So that can create delays sometimes. In my case, whenever I ran into any delays or something like that I never thought they were trying to stiff me.”
On doing the “Shell Yeah” gimmick: “Shark Boy was a character that had never spoken up to that point. It all stemmed from a silly impression that I would do to cut up the boys. It started on a tour of India where Simon Diamond and Sonjay Dutt and I were just being silly. Simon was telling everybody backstage at TNA what does Stone Cold think of this topic and I’d launch into the impression and people would laugh and think it was funny. Jeff Jarrett heard it and said he wanted me to do it on TV. What started out as a silly impression of one of my favorite all time wrestlers and is truly meant to be a satire, but in my mind it’s meant to be a tribute because I think he is one of the best ever. I look at it like it’s not really Stone Cold; its Stone Cold meets Sponge Bob Square Pants. It’s my take on it. He says “Hell Yeah” and I say “Shell Yeah”, I don’t say “damn” I say, “clam”, he drinks beer and I drink clam juice. It’s a parody and it’s a lot of fun and there isn’t a lot of fun in wrestling anymore.”
– The above WWE SmackDown Fallout video for this week’s show features Tyler Breeze and Summer Rae talking about their Halloween costumes.
– Below is another Halloween-themed clip from SmackDown. This video features Bo Dallas dressing up like a ghost and trying to trick WWE Superstars.
– Former WCW star Buff Bagwell is the guest on the latest edition of the “Steve Austin Show” podcast. You can download the show right now at PodcastOne.com.
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin is teaming up with the El Segundo Brewing Company for the launch of Broken Skull IPA beer. Austin will be hosting a launch event for the beverage on Friday, November 13th in El Segundo, California.
The beer is described as having “a big mid palate flavor from ample use of Cascade, Chinook, and Citra hops. The finish is wonderful with hops fading quickly and a polite bitterness that trails off easily.”
According to El Segundo, the first round will be available only in California, but they’re working on getting into additional markets.
Swig of beer for the working man!
Steve Austin & El Segundo Brewing Present Broken Skull IPA
(El Segundo CA) – WWE Hall of Famer, Steve Austin, and El Segundo Brewing Company, one of LA’s premier craft breweries, have teamed up to create what Austin describes as “one bad ass beer”. Known around the world for his intense in-ring style, trash talking, and beer swilling antics, Austin has embraced the craft beer world with a hands on approach.
After meeting with ESBC founder, Rob Croxall, it was clear they had a lot in common. Austin, who knows good beer when he tastes it, was already a fan of ESBC’S Citra Pale and Mayberry IPA. Over a table of beer, conversation shifted to a collaborative effort utilizing ESBC’s expertise in brewing and Steve’s vision of the ultimate India Pale Ale. Austin described in detail the characteristics he loved in a great IPA.
The resulting recipe, churned out by Rob, created a beer that boasts a big mid palate flavor from ample use of Cascade, Chinook, and Citra hops. The finish is wonderful with hops fading quickly and a polite bitterness that trails off easily. This is the ultimate IPA designed for the working man and woman who love great beer. The work is done. Time to enjoy a cold one.
El Segundo Brewing, located at 140 Main St, El Segundo, will launch BROKEN SKULL IPA on lucky Friday, November 13th. Steve Austin will be behind the bar serving up this tasty brew from 1pm-8pm. Tickets are REQUIRED: tinyurl.com/brokenskull.
Come on down, enjoy a Broken Skull IPA, and shake Steve’s hand for a job well done.
– The Usos have been working out in the ring at the WWE Performance Center for the last week and are expected to return to WWE television in the near future. Jey Uso in particular has been out of action with a shoulder injury since the spring.
– Ryback is the guest on the first of two “Steve Austin Show” podcasts this week. On this week’s “Family Friendly” edition of the show, “The Rattlesnake” talks to “The Big Guy” just before his match against Kevin Owens at Sunday’s WWE Hell In A Cell pay-per-view. The official description for the show, which you can download at PodcastOne.com reads as follows:
“Ryback had a great conversation with Steve Austin just before his “Hell In A Cell” match on Sunday. They talked about growing up in Vegas, playing high school football and baseball, why Ryback is the guy to replace John Cena (when the time comes) at WWE, Ryback’s workout philosophy & strategy, why he doesn’t believe in “cheat days” when it comes to diet, what “The Secret” did for his pro-wrestling career, how Arnold Schwarzenegger motivated him back to the ring, and his “Tough Enough” experience. You’ll also hear about Ryback’s relationship with Vince McMahon, why he prefers to travel solo, and how he continues to improve his own in-ring performance.”
– WWE announced a match between NXT Champion Finn Balor and “Mr. Money In The Bank” Sheamus for the November 4th stop in Dublin, Ireland during their European tour. WWE tweeted the following about the match today:
– WWE Hall Of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin is backstage at tonight’s WWE Hell In A Cell pay-per-view in Los Angeles, California. Austin, who has a home in the L.A. area, confirmed that he would be at the show. Below is a photo of Austin arriving earlier today.
– NXT Diva Nia Jax will be back in action on this coming Wednesday’s edition of NXT TV. The official NXT Twitter account tweeted the following promo for her:
– Busted Open Radio hosts Doug Mortman and Dave LaGreca are the guests on the latest edition of Chris Jericho’s “Talk Is Jericho” podcast, which is now available. You can download the show right now at PodcastOne.com.
– Newly engaged couple Rusev and Lana attended a Los Angeles Clippers pre-season NBA game in Los Angeles on Thursday evening. Below are some photos of Rusev and Lana with NBA stars Chris Paul and Blake Griffin.
As noted, the match between The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar at this Sunday’s WWE Hell In A Cell pay-per-view in Los Angeles, California is scheduled to be their final battle.
The current belief is that Lesnar will defeat Undertaker to end their feud due to a run-in by whoever he will feud with next, possibly even the guy he will be feuding with heading into WrestleMania 32. There is no word yet if Lesnar will feud with anyone else between now and next year’s WrestleMania season.
Although no angle was shot between Steve Austin and Lesnar during Monday’s “Stone Cold Podcast,” there are still some clinging to the idea that there has to be a big match at WrestleMania because Vince McMahon wouldn’t blow off a major match like Lesnar vs. Undertaker at a smaller event like Hell In A Cell unless he had something bigger in his back pocket for WrestleMania.
Despite the fact that The Rock also rumored to be facing Lesnar next year, there is no word regarding The Rock appearing at Hell In A Cell on Sunday to shoot an angle.
– After missing the most recent set of NXT television tapings due to Total Divas filming in Paris, Eva Marie will return to action at the NXT tapings at Full Sail University on Thursday night.
– WWE is considering Eric Bischoff for a future episode of WWE Hall Of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s “Stone Cold Podcast” on the WWE Network.
– CM Punk and AJ Lee were in attendance at the Chicago Cubs game in Chicago on Tuesday evening. Below is a photo of AJ Lee in the crowd at the game.
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently updated his official blog with his latest thoughts and opinions on a number of topics. Below are some of the highlights.
On John Cena possibly losing U.S. title: “Big question is will John Cena anoint someone in the US Title Open Challenge? Great spot to do so with Cena leaving for several weeks after Sunday’s show. Cena will be on ESPN tonight with Jonathan Coachman at 9/8CT.”
On expectations for Hell In A Cell dropping: “This event Sunday has lost a fair amount of luster over the past several weeks build to it but that means that expectations are likely lower than expected which means it could be a sleeper show at the Staples Center.”
On Randy Orton’s injury: “Sorry to hear of Randy Orton’s shoulder issues but he’s had those lingering problems with his shoulder for years. Hopefully Randy can get it repaired in a more permanent manner even if it puts him on the sideline for a while which isn’t a bad thing.”
On Brock Lesnar’s appearance on Stone Cold Podcast: “Thought the Austin-Lesnar piece of business after RAW was good stuff. Both men very natural and at ease with each other which indicates significant mutual respect between to mega stars. If you heard it you heard both Austin and Lesnar being themselves which was refreshing. Organic, pro wrestling presentations are fleeting these days or so seems to me. Good conversation between two of our greatest signees. Great insight as to who Brock Lesnar the man truly is.”
– Austin wrote this one in response to a fan on Twitter who thanked him for not being focused on the hard camera side during his RAW segment on Monday night.
@faketonybasilio I never play to the hard camera. That's what the other guys are for.
– The Dudley Boyz talk to Eden on the following edition of RAW Fallout about The New Day.
– WWE Hall Of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin kicked off Monday’s WWE Hell In A Cell “go-home” edition of RAW in Dallas, Texas last night. WWE posted the following clip of Austin on the show.
– WWE posted the following on Twitter, promoting a new WWE.com photo gallery of pictures from their tour of Mexico over the weekend, which featured WWE legend The Undertaker.
The “Stone Cold Podcast” returned on the WWE Network on Monday night following WWE RAW, as “Stone Cold” Steve Austin interviewed “The Beast Incarnate” Brock Lesnar. Below, courtesy of F4WOnline.com is a recap of the show.
The Steve Austin Podcast with Brock Lesnar was interesting. It was an interview that made Lesnar come across as a blue collar guy who, at the same time, is also a smart businessperson while also being somewhat introverted. He said in the interview that he clocks in, clocks out and doesn’t go out of his way to make friends or politic. When going out to cook his favorite food, steak (the first fifteen minutes of the interview was off topic), he likes to see his land, and not any of his neighbors. It’s easy to see why Lesnar doesn’t do these kinds of interviews, so when he does it’s very interesting to see him in this light.
He talked about his early days, watching Little House on the Prairie on TV (no, really) and working on his parent’s farm in South Dakota. They talked about his wrestling days at University of Minnesota and assorted junior colleges. Lesnar talked about how Brad Rheingans broke him into the business once WWE were interested and how Curt Hennig and Big Boss Man taught him the business while on the road. They talk about his first run in the WWE, working with The Rock. In an interesting line, Lesnar said that it was The Rock that taught him to be selfish, and that it was a give and take business. He also mentioned that he was pressured into taking that shooting star press at WrestleMania XIX. Just because he could do something athletic, doesn’t mean he actually wanted to do it.
They talk briefly about the terrible WrestleMania XX match between him and Goldberg. Lesnar said they both wanted out and “didn’t give a shit”. Lesnar flat out said he used the NFL as a scapegoat to leave WWE. After skirting a question concerning the 2005 lawsuit between him and WWE (it’s all water under the bridge) they go into his UFC run for a bit. Lesnar said he met with Dana after entering the Octagon as a spectator after a Gonzaga/Couture match and said he wanted in. That seems like a bit of a stretch. He said he might be still fighting today in the Octagon if it wasn’t for the diverticulitis. He talked about getting sick in Canada and travelling back to the states to see a doctor.
They capped it off by talking about current WWE topics. Austin mentions breaking the streak and Lesnar said that some people didn’t like that, but did anyone else have the credentials to beat Undertaker? He’s not good at promos, but that’s what Heyman is there for – he’s gotta feed the Jew (his words, not mine). Austin asks about Hell in a Cell and Lesnar goes into kind of worked shoot mode, saying he has gripes with the Undertaker and didn’t like how their last match turned out, so he promises carnage at Hell in the Cell.
There were a few other topics discussing, including comparing Dana and Vince (which Lesnar really doesn’t do because Austin went to the next question rather quickly), a rant on millennials, getting sick in Canada and nearly requiring surgery, Austin’s walkout in 2002 and how that was maybe a two way street deal, and his fights with Heath Herring and Randy Couture. Again, a pretty interesting interview that’s worth your time. If you don’t like off topic banter, though, I recommend skipping the first 15 minutes or so.
– Chris Jericho and his band Fozzy are scheduled to begin a 22-date tour, most of which will take place in Europe and the U.K. Jericho took to Twitter to post the following regarding his WWE status after working the WWE tour of Mexico this past weekend.
Gracias #WWEMonterrey & thanks #WWEUniverse for being so damn amazing! Just had my last @wwe match for awhile,so goodbye…but only for now!??
– WWE posted the following video promo for tonight’s “Stone Cold Podcast,” which features Steve Austin and Brock Lesnar and airs on the WWE Network immediately following tonight’s WWE RAW.
WWE.com has released its Five-Point Preview for next Monday’s Raw and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin is not among the legends advertised for the show. He will, however, sit down with Brock Lesnar for a special Stone Cold Podcast immediately following Raw (on the WWE Network).
The updated Raw preview reads:
Brock Lesnar’s Go to Hell Tour rolls through Dallas en route to Hell in a Cell this Monday night, and The Beast Incarnate isn’t coming alone. Also set to appear live on Raw in WrestleMania 32’s host city are WWE Hall of Famers Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels, as well as The Beast Incarnate’s Hell in a Cell opponent and bitter nemesis, The Undertaker.
After Raw, Lesnar will sit down with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin for a special Stone Cold Podcast, only on WWE Network. The Texas Rattlesnake undoubtedly has some hard-hitting questions planned for The Anomaly in what’s sure to be Austin’s most intense interview yet.
Join WWE.com as we preview the star-studded final Raw before Hell in a Cell.
As recently as Wednesday, WWE.com was advertising Austin as appearing live this Monday in Dallas, Texas.
As Brock Lesnar’s Go to Hell Tour winds its way toward Los Angeles, The Beast Incarnate’s infernal caravan will make a stopover on WWE’s flagship show, where a few Legends and Hall of Famers will join the ride.
Next week’s Raw, scheduled to emanate live from Dallas — the home city of WrestleMania 32 — will feature a live appearance by Lesnar, WWE Hall of Famers Shawn Michaels, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Ric Flair, as well as Lesnar’s Hell in a Cell opponent, The Undertaker.
– The latest WWE 2K16 “Book Of Austin” vignette, “Austin 3:11 – Creation Suite,” featuring Steve Austin, can be seen below.
– Former NXT Champion Sami Zayn tweeted the following about Triple H and his EVOLVE appearances in New York City. As noted, Zayn won’t be wrestling on the shows, but will be meeting with fans and cutting a promo in the ring. He will not be appearing on the actual iPPV broadcast.
This past Monday night, there was some confusion about whether or not Steve Austin was appearing live in front of the crowd at next week’s show in Dallas, Texas. He was not shown on the slate with photos of the other legends who are appearing even though he will be in attendance to do his podcast with Brock Lesnar.
Within a few hours, Austin chimed in with this:
@CnoEvil I'm doing the podcast. I was never scheduled to do Raw. Once again, bad information. #StoneColdPodcast w Brock Lesnar.
In spite of this, the WWE.com blurb for this Monday’s Raw now includes a photo of Austin and makes it explicit that they’re saying he’s appearing live (emphasis ours):
As Brock Lesnar’s Go to Hell Tour winds its way toward Los Angeles, The Beast Incarnate’s infernal caravan will make a stopover on WWE’s flagship show, where a few Legends and Hall of Famers will join the ride.
WWE.com can confirm that the Oct. 19 Raw, scheduled to emanate live from Dallas — the home city of WrestleMania 32 — will not only feature a live appearance by Lesnar, but also WWE Hall of Famers Shawn Michaels, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Ric Flair, as well as Lesnar’s Hell in a Cell opponent, The Undertaker.
When I asked Austin if he’s aware of a change, he replied quickly:
@davidbix I have no idea at this point. All I know is I will be in Dallas.
Although he will be in the house to interview Brock Lesnar after the show, Stone Cold Steve Austin claims that he is not appearing on-camera at next week’s Raw. Next week’s Raw broadcast (Oct. 19) is the go-home show before Hell In A Cell and takes place in Dallas, TX.
Here’s what the Texas Rattlesnake had to say about the confusion:
@CnoEvil I'm doing the podcast. I was never scheduled to do Raw. Once again, bad information. #StoneColdPodcast w Brock Lesnar.
– There will be a special screening of “The Resurrection of Jake Roberts” tomorrow night at the Arclight Theater in Culver City, California. Roberts, Steve Austin and movie director Steve Yu will all be in attendance for the screening, and you can get tickets at jakethesnakemovie.com.
– PWInsider.com reports that a horror film called “The Temple” will be WWE Studios’ next project. Filmnig will begin in February 2016. No casting details have been announced yet.
– Former WWE champ The Rock begins filming season 2 of his HBO show Balers in three weeks time.
https://instagram.com/p/8wSXXUIh5_/
– Heath Slater fans took part in a “Hit Slater’s Music” campaign on social networks this week to try and get Slater a United States Title shot on Raw. Slater did’t get the match, but he is featured in the above Raw Fallout video to discuss Cena’s U.S. title.
– Seth Rollins will be appearing live on the 9pm EST edition of SportsCenter Tuesday night alongside Jonathan Coachman. Coachman had previously teased that an announcement from WWE & ESPN would be coming within 48 hours. Rollins’ appearance will likely be to help make the announcement with Coachman. WrestleMania 32 travel packages go on sale tomorrow, and the announcement reportedly has to do with that.
– Next week’s Raw is the last show before Hell In A Cell, and WWE is promoting some big names for it on Twitter. Stone Cold Steve Austin will be in the house to interview Brock Lesnar after the show, but WWE is not promoting him for the Raw broadcast as of yet. WWE is advertising both Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels for Raw, as they are likely to take part in a panel discussing the Hell In A Cell main event.
– Above is the official preview for next week’s Stone Cold Podcast, with Brock Lesnar joining him backstage Monday night. This will air on the WWE Network following Raw.
– Before Raw in Rosemont, Illinois on Monday, Jack Swagger beat Adam Rose, and Stardust beat Fandango in matches for Superstars.
Former WWE Women’s champion Victoria was sitting ringside for most of the show.
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin recently commented on widely-spread reports of him possibly boycotting Wrestlemania 32 if Michael Hayes wasn’t inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Hayes was recently on Ric Flair’s WOOOOO! Nation podcast, and Flair said that Austin had told him would not attend Wrestlemania 32 in Dallas if Hayes didn’t go in this year.
Austin addressed the issue with this tweet, saying it was a misquote, in not so many words:
The reports of me boycotting #WM32 are once again, pure bullshit. The End.
On a recent edition of Ric Flair’s podcast with Michael “PS” Hayes, Flair had this to say about Steve Austin potentially boycotting WrestleMania 32 if Hayes is not inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame that weekend:
“If he’s [Hayes] not inducted this year into the Hall of Fame, as a single, which he should have been in 2011 [at WrestleMania 27 from the Georgia Dome in Atlanta], but in Dallas [Texas], with so much that be brought to the Von Erich family with the Freebirds, Steve Austin quoted, I’m quoting Steve Austin, will not attend WrestleMania.”
Hayes is rumored to be inducted in to the Hall of Fame as a member of The Freebirds during WrestleMania 32 weekend. WM 32 takes place April 3rd, 2016 at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, TX.