WWE 2006 onwards

[Guest Oscy]

Austin Talks WWE - Stone Cold Interview

(An extract from the full interview which can be found at www.thesun.co.uk)

04/20/06

Stone Cold Steve Austin was, still is, the biggest star of WWE. Despite retiring from wrestling, he makes a regular appearance as a storyline General Manager.

From the past to the future, from AJ Styles to Triple H, we ask Steve Austin what he thinks of the WWE, how his own life is going and what the future has in store.

Welcome Steve, what's it like being back on our TV screens in the WWE?

It's always been great being out there, this is no exception. Obviously it's not quite the same as actually wrestling a match, and backstage I'm not into the whole match-making thing, but I can't deny that I enjoy being a part of the WWE on-screen.

You retired due to injuries, but you have had the odd match here and there. Will we ever see you in the ring again?

Well I could spend all day telling you about the injuries I've got, and I can't do with bumping and getting chair shots every show. But for the odd match? Yeah I've still got it in me, so don't write me off ever having another match just yet.

What's it like spending so long fighting your boss, Vince McMahon, in the ring, and now fighting him out of it so to speak?

It's certainly different, my feud with Vince was the very best and I don't think it can ever be topped. I could kick his ass as usual, but being in a position of authority gives it a few different ways it could go. I've got more options given to me.

Last time you were interviewed here, you spoke of a few wrestlers who you though were the ones to watch out for. They weren't far off, you picked out Randy Orton. So, who do you think are soon to make an impact now?

There is a lot of talent in this roster, but then again, there are a lot of wrestlers! That's the problem right now, the talent can't be used to its highest potential yet because the roster is still being sifted through. We've seen big names go, and it's not likely to stop yet.

It's a shame because people like Christopher Daniels, we haven't seen him on-screen more than once after Wrestlemania I don't think. That's not because he's bad, there's just no space.

But to get to the point, Christopher Daniels I think has a lot of talent. He was in the WWE a short while before, but it just didn't work out. Hopefully its second time lucky.

Badass is young and has good skills in-ring. I think he's where Randy was at a couple of years ago. The character needs to be tweaked so it's just right, and the rest will fall into place.

And I'm going with Chavo Guerrero too. He lost his uncle, Eddie, and, some people may not like me saying this, but that gave him a push. I may not agree with how that worked out, but he has the talent and the charisma. I don't see him holding the Heavyweight title any time soon, but he's an unappreciated guy, and I'm glad he's getting the recognition now.

You've not got on with a few wrestlers in the past, rumours are that some are because you didn't think they were good enough for the big stage. Are these stories true?

I've got nothing against any man, or woman, wanting to make it to the top, that's the point of being a wrestler in this business. But there have been once or twice a time where the writers, or Vince, have asked me to lose to this guy or that guy and I've said "Nuh-uh, I'm not doing that". I'll admit it, but I don't do it because I can. If a guy isn't being pushed the right way, I'm not going to just put him over so he can suddenly get popular with the fans. You might call me an asshole because of that, but I think I do it with good reason.

But it's no problem, I have nothing against any of the guys backstage in the WWE and, from what I know, they have no problem with me. I've had my disputes with a lot of people, the other day I met a new signing who I've met before. To be fair, we really disliked each other. But we shook hands, I welcomed him and he was cool with it, he got over it, it was a long time ago. I wouldn't say we're best buddies now, but as long as we do our own things there shouldn't be any problems.

The business is like that, you're not going to like every guy you wrestle with. But if you're man enough to get on with it and do your job, things'll turn out right.

[JStarr]

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