“Stone Cold” Steve Austin admits he went into watching WWE Unreal on Netflix expecting the worst—but the WWE Hall of Famer ended up pleasantly surprised.
Speaking in a recent interview with Zack Heydorn on The Takedown on Sports Illustrated, Steve Austin said his old-school wrestling roots initially made him skeptical about a show that pulls back the curtain on the industry.
Austin explained that coming up during the territorial days—particularly under legendary promoter Bill Watts—meant protecting the business at all costs.
“I thought I was going to hate it,” he said. “When you come from the era that I came from, especially if you were in a Bill Watts territory, it was kayfabe. You didn’t smarten up anybody. If you smartened up anybody, you’re going to get fired. If you get in a fight with some guy at a bar and he kicks your a–, you’re going to get fired, because you got to protect the business. So, I thought I was going to hate it from that standpoint. They give away a lot of information, but that’s what it’s for, right?”
Despite his initial concerns about exposing the inner workings of pro wrestling, Austin admitted he quickly found himself enjoying the show—largely because of the performers featured on it.
The Texas Rattlesnake said the charisma of the roster ultimately won him over.
“The talent is so likable,” he said. “Whether they’re heels or babyfaces, the talent shines so much. You end up liking it just because the talent is so likable. The old school part of me says, ‘hey, man, you can’t give away too much,’ and I think it’s a good show because of the freaking talent on there.”
That said, Austin isn’t convinced a show like WWE Unreal would have helped his own run at the top of the industry during the height of the Attitude Era.
According to Austin, part of the appeal of the “Stone Cold” character was that fans genuinely believed he was the same rebellious, beer-drinking brawler outside the ring.
“When I was doing my thing, you really thought I was that guy,” Austin said. “I wasn’t back there just doing interviews, laughing, and joking because I got a sense of humor. Back then, you didn’t think I had a sense of humor. You believed that I was an a– whipping machine … Now, if you saw me back there just laughing and joking with everybody, you might have a different perspective of Stone Cold the character.”
