WWE legend Stone Cold Steve Austin spoke with Sports Illustrated to hype the premiere of the Straight Up Steve Austin, as well as talk all things pro-wrestling. Highlights from the interview can be found below.
Thinks people are really going to enjoy this season of Straight Up Steve Austin:
We worked very hard to create something that entertains people. I really think people are going to enjoy watching, and that’s the bottom line if I may use my ‘Stone Cold’ catchphrase.
Praises Paul Heyman and Roman Reigns:
That’s such a great package. They complement each other so well. Roman can work his ass off. He’s always been very solid in the ring, but now there’s this bond and this chemistry between Roman and Paul. That’s what Paul Heyman does. He makes anybody he’s with that much better. It happened for me, too. If you want to suspend your disbelief, you can’t but help believe he’s Roman’s rock of knowledge. The presentation, the package and the chemistry between these two looks and sounds like money.
His goal for the show:
My goal is to highlight my guests and facilitate the process. The Straight Up show lasts 30 minutes but it takes all day to film. All the guests were tremendous. Every time we filmed, I was laughing my ass off. I’m really happy with the way it turned out.
How Ric Flair is his all-time favorite wrestler:
Anybody that knows anything about the wrestling business knows that my favorite of all-time is (the Nature Boy) Ric Flair,” Austin says. “And even though I’ve known Charlotte for years, this is the longest I have ever spent with her. We had so much fun during that episode. She’s polished, she’s a star, but I think this episode also captures how deep of a person she is outside of the ring.
Says he would have kept wrestling if he didn’t have neck issues:
If my issue wasn’t neck and neurological issues, I would have done the same as Brett and kept going,” Austin says. “When I walked away from the business of professional wrestling, I had to make the call. The doctor didn’t make the call. Vince McMahon didn’t make the call. It was the hardest decision I had to make, one that took me a long time to come to grips with. It was so hard for me to leave the business, so I can understand why Brett chose to hang on as long as he could. He’s one of the top quarterbacks to ever play the game. That’s another episode I really hope people enjoy watching.
How he loves doing the show:
I love doing this show,” Austin says. “Just like I did in my wrestling days, I worked extremely hard to entertain. We have a great team in place with this show, I had a damn good time with each one of our guests and I can’t wait for people to see the finished product.
