Steve Austin interview

In Issue 234 of Power Slam, Steve Austin answers questions about the WWE Hall Of Fame Class Of 2014, his King Of The Ring 1996 victory, C.M. Punk, Daniel Bryan and other wrestling people and things. However, there were half-a-dozen questions Austin answered which we couldn’t use in the magazine — because we ran out of space on page nine. No such problem at psmag.co.uk. Here are those extras from our exclusive interview with ‘Stone Cold’, held earlier this month . . .



Power Slam: The Undertaker is a major part of WrestleMania again. On April 6 in New Orleans, he defends his undefeated Streak against Brock Lesnar. Do you believe that Lesnar, at the age of 36, should be the wrestler to end ’Taker’s unbeaten ’Mania run, which began in 1991?


Steve Austin: First of all, the match has been booked so well. Paul Heyman has been dropping some grade-A promos on this thing the whole time. The angle with the pen getting stabbed through the hand was awesome [on the February 24 Raw], and the whole thing is money. But the answer to your question is: “No.” ’Taker has to win.


To me, the Streak is sacred. If there was a time for The Undertaker to be beat at ’Mania, that time came and went a ways back. If — and it’s a big “if” — they had this super-hot up-and-comer, the new Rock, the new ‘Stone Cold’, the new John Cena, who was just there, right where I was before I beat Shawn [Michaels for the WWF heavyweight title in the main event of WrestleMania XIV] and just needed that one big win then, okay, do what is right for business and beat The ’Taker. But there’s no one like that there — so you have to keep the Streak.



PS: You must be tired of answering this question, but it’s one Power Slam readers never tire of asking us. Physically, you look great, even at the age of 49. Do you ever think about returning to the ring for another match or a short run?


Austin: Remember that WWF Attitude promo they did with me saying, “When the glass music hits, I may as well be a junkie, because I’m addicted”? Well, I meant it, and I miss what I did every day. So, yeah, I think about coming back all the time. But the time for any kind of in-ring return came and went three or four years ago. There were talks, but I said right from the start that I needed the right opponent and the right angle to get ‘Stone Cold’ coming back to make sense. And I, Steve Williams, needed four-to-six months to get my ass in shape, so I looked like ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin again. Those things [were never met], so it never happened.



PS: Was there a particular opponent or angle you were seeking?


Austin: There had to be a reason for ‘Stone Cold’ to come back. It couldn’t have just been: “Oh, we need to fill a spot on the card, so here’s that guy from 1998 again.” There had to be a reason, a story line reason, for this old veteran to dust off his boots, get his ass in shape, and get back in there. I was looking for a slow-build that gave the audience time to get into the idea, to be dying to see ‘Stone Cold’ back [in the ring], and give me time to get into shape.



PS: Roman Reigns is clearly WWE’s next major project. You have praised him on Twitter.


Austin: Reigns can do very well. I like the look of him a lot, and I think I see in him what the company sees in him. I thought for a long time Dean Ambrose was the ‘glue’ of The Shield, and it was only recently that Roman Reigns sort of took over that leadership role. I see a lot in Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins too, as much as I do in Roman Reigns. All three of them have great singles careers in front of them, if they are booked right for this next period of time. Don’t bust them up — not yet. It is too soon right now. They are all getting over, they all are increasing their stock, so don’t break them up just yet while they are still getting over as The Shield.



PS: Who else impresses you in WWE right now?


Austin: I’m liking what I am seeing from Antonio Cesaro. He had a helluva match with John Cena recently, and he was the MVP of the Elimination Chamber. Listen, those Elimination Chamber matches can turn into a cluster—k at any given moment, no matter who’s in there, and Cesaro was the man who held that whole thing together. He speaks different languages, which helps the company make money overseas, so he’s got a lot going for him.



PS: To wrestlers, is the WWE Hall Of Fame considered a big deal?


Austin: I’ve got friends — I won’t mention their names — who called me up this year saying, “Damn! I really thought I’d get in this year!” And I damn near laughed my ass off. It’s a work, get it? At the end of the day, it’s a worked sport, and the Hall Of Fame is worked too. Koko B. Ware is in there . . . And all due respect to Koko, I don’t think of him when I think “all-time great” as a worker or as a box office draw.



To read the rest of the interview with Austin, pick up a copy of Issue 234 of Power Slam or purchase a digital version of the magazine from Newsstand, Amazon or Google Play — or right here at psmag.co.uk, if you’re using desktop.

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