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WrestlingObsessed365
  • 4 months ago
Here is part 2: https://dai.ly/x9q0s5w Check out more wrestling biographies and documentaries here: https://dailymotion.com/playlist/x7584x
Transcript
00:00:00A simple noise that simultaneously drove millions of screaming fans to their feet.
00:00:14A man with a shaved head, black trunks, and black boots walks down the aisle.
00:00:21This is Stone Cold Steve Austin.
00:00:27The Texas Ronald Snake.
00:00:29The toughest SOB in WWE history.
00:00:32The four yardage redneck.
00:00:35Austin 316 says I just whipped your ass.
00:00:39Set the sports entertainment world on fire.
00:00:42Austin's raising him.
00:00:44It didn't come easy.
00:00:46And he proceeded to fire me over the phone.
00:00:50A once bright future nearly extinguished almost instantly.
00:00:54Austin is hurt.
00:00:57And hurt badly.
00:00:59But the spirit never wavered.
00:01:01And through hard work and relentless effort came reward.
00:01:06The Austin era has begun!
00:01:09Austin demanded perfection and never settled to be less than number one.
00:01:14Stone Cold is the man!
00:01:17A man that rose to become the biggest superstar of all time.
00:01:22And that's the bottom line!
00:01:25Because I said so.
00:01:27I was born in Austin, Texas December 18, 1964.
00:01:42My dad wanted to go independent and start his own insurance agency so we moved to a little town called Edna.
00:01:50And that's where we all graduated from high school.
00:01:53That's where my parents still live.
00:01:56A man going up to a town of 5,000 people.
00:01:59I played baseball.
00:02:01I ran track.
00:02:02I played football.
00:02:07Texas has always had an affinity for football.
00:02:10But it was also a hotbed for another form of entertainment which ruled the airwaves in the 1970s.
00:02:15I was sitting there.
00:02:17I was seven or eight years old.
00:02:19And I was changing channels on TV with my hand.
00:02:22We never broke the trolls back in.
00:02:23And god dang, I came across two guys in a ring.
00:02:27It was Houston wrestling.
00:02:29A Paul Bosch promotion.
00:02:30100 miles down the road.
00:02:32And it was a smoky environment.
00:02:34I remember it vividly.
00:02:36There are so many things I forgot about my career.
00:02:39Things I forgot I've done.
00:02:40But I'll never ever forget the moment when I changed a channel.
00:02:44And found professional wrestling.
00:02:47And at that point, I fell in love with this business.
00:02:53And I never missed Houston wrestling.
00:02:56I watched it from that day on every week when it came on.
00:02:59And then through my days in college.
00:03:01And the thing about going to North Texas State University, I had a color TV in my dorm room.
00:03:06And, man, Dallas was 30 minutes away from where I was.
00:03:11Dallas, Texas is the home of the Von Eriks and the Freebirds.
00:03:15Tremendous battle.
00:03:17This war of the feuds to the Von Eriks and the Freebirds.
00:03:21Fighting every Friday night and Saturday morning at the world famous Sportatorium.
00:03:26Some of my college buddies would go down to Sportatorium.
00:03:30Friday night, drink beer, throw at the wrestlers, raise hell.
00:03:34And I knew right then that that's what I wanted to do with my life.
00:03:38I knew it when I was seven or eight years old.
00:03:40I didn't know how I was going to do it.
00:03:42Steve wanted to make sports entertainment his career and his life.
00:03:47Fortunately for the young Texan, he found his answer.
00:03:51I was changing channels on my TV one time again.
00:03:53Came back on World Class Championship Wrestling.
00:03:55And there's a commercial.
00:03:57Gentleman Chris Adams talking about his wrestling school.
00:04:00Now you people know that we cover basic wrestling and psychology techniques.
00:04:04I went to the school and when I first started that damn school,
00:04:08a lot of repetition, a lot of catch in the ring.
00:04:11From a technical standpoint, as far as learning how to bump and learning the basics,
00:04:14it was damn good.
00:04:16I progressed at a real slow rate.
00:04:19I mean, I sucked.
00:04:20I can't tell you the first time I actually met Steve,
00:04:23but I can tell you the first time I saw Steve.
00:04:26Gentleman Chris Adams was having the first day of his wrestling school,
00:04:31at least that class.
00:04:33Most of the prospects looked absolutely terrible,
00:04:36as most wrestling prospects do.
00:04:38And I couldn't tell you if anyone actually made it,
00:04:41with the exception of this one big, blonde, muscular kid.
00:04:46Even though he didn't know any wrestling, he had that it factor.
00:04:49And clearly with the right training, he was going to be somebody.
00:04:54Turns out he was.
00:04:56Five months goes by and I was starting to pick things up a little bit better.
00:05:01I was real aggressive.
00:05:02I was going for it, but I just, I wasn't that great.
00:05:05And Chris says, okay, Steve, time for your first match.
00:05:09We went out there and fumbled around for about eight or ten minutes
00:05:12and snunk the joint out.
00:05:14About two months of that goes by and I was greener than gooshy.
00:05:18I sucked.
00:05:19But Jerry Jarrett from Nashville, Tennessee had just bought the territory
00:05:23from Fritz Von Erich.
00:05:24It was going to change from world-class championship wrestling
00:05:27to United States Wrestling Association.
00:05:29Well, it's based out of Tennessee.
00:05:31So the full-time territory was in Tennessee.
00:05:33I was living in Denton and working Dallas on the freight dock.
00:05:36You know, and still getting the shit beat out of me on the weekends.
00:05:40And I went up to Jerry and I said, hey, Jerry, I said, you know,
00:05:42when do you think I might be able to start working full-time?
00:05:45And he says, hell, Steve, I think you're ready now.
00:05:48We'll send you to Nashville in a couple of weeks.
00:05:51Hell, two weeks later, there I am.
00:05:54We got a show that night at the Mid-South Coliseum.
00:05:58Well, hell, Dutch Mantell is the booker of the territory.
00:06:01He's the one calling the shots.
00:06:03He's the one running the show.
00:06:04And I roll in there and he don't even know I'm showing up.
00:06:08Jerry forgot to tell him, hey, we got a new guy coming in
00:06:11on Monday night.
00:06:12And I introduced myself.
00:06:14I'm a dirty Dutch.
00:06:15And he said, I'm Steve Williams.
00:06:17I said, well, you can't be Steve Williams here.
00:06:20I said, why not?
00:06:21Because they already got a Steve Williams.
00:06:23You ever heard of Dr. Death Steve Williams?
00:06:24If I was going to be Steve Williams, it would cause confusion on a card.
00:06:27It had already been done, so I couldn't be Steve Williams.
00:06:30I said, think of a name and I'll come back and you wrap your brain around it
00:06:34and I'll come back in 15, 20 minutes.
00:06:36So I'm sitting there thinking, man, I got 15 minutes.
00:06:39I don't even know what I'm doing here.
00:06:41And now I got to come up with a name that's going to change the rest of my life
00:06:44and alter my future.
00:06:46I mean, the pressure's on.
00:06:47So I'm sitting there like a damn idiot.
00:06:49I don't know what the hell to do.
00:06:50How do you think of a cool name like that?
00:06:52You don't.
00:06:53So I came back later and, hey, you got a name.
00:06:56And this is about five or ten minutes before he was in the first match.
00:07:00The bell.
00:07:01I said, I ain't come up with nothing.
00:07:02No way.
00:07:03All right.
00:07:05And just off the top of my head, I said, listen, tonight you're Steve effing Austin.
00:07:12And I don't even know why I said Austin.
00:07:14Because I thought Austin, Texas.
00:07:15And there used to be a heel a long time ago in California and Texas called Killer Buddy Austin.
00:07:21And I don't even know why I even thought of him.
00:07:23But I said, you're Steve Austin.
00:07:24I said, I don't want to be Steve Austin.
00:07:25I said, I don't want to be Steve Austin.
00:07:26And I didn't even think about the million dollar man.
00:07:28That didn't cross my mind.
00:07:29I'm like, I don't want to be Steve Austin because of the six million dollar man.
00:07:32You know, I pay respect to Lee Majors, man.
00:07:35Everybody loves Steve Austin, the six million dollar man.
00:07:37I wouldn't want to rip him off.
00:07:39I said, no, in your case, more like the six dollar man.
00:07:42Now get your ass out there.
00:07:43And that's how he got the name.
00:07:45And then he went to the ring.
00:07:46And I remember watching this match.
00:07:48It wasn't bad, but he wasn't good because he didn't have any experience.
00:07:51And he came back and he was just beaming.
00:07:53He was just so happy with this match.
00:07:55And he said, what did you not like about my match?
00:07:58I said, it would be quicker if I told you what I did like, which would be nothing.
00:08:02And I kind of hurt his feelings.
00:08:04He wasn't that bad.
00:08:05And I told him, I said, listen, this is what you need to do.
00:08:08You can see that chair against the wall.
00:08:11It just happened to be a metal folding chair there.
00:08:13It was a metal folding leaning up against the wall.
00:08:16I said, take that chair and go sit it beside the door.
00:08:19And every night I want you to watch every match every night for as long as you're here.
00:08:24And he did.
00:08:25Dutch is a real smart guy.
00:08:26He always has been.
00:08:28And he's been very instrumental in my whole career.
00:08:31And he was just thinking and talking like he always does.
00:08:34I said, if you ever want to change your name, why don't you become Stunning Steve Austin?
00:08:40And I said, just think about it.
00:08:41If you ever turn heel, you can be a cocky, arrogant bastard and call yourself Stunning Steve Austin.
00:08:46Well, a couple months later, Jerry says, Steve, we're sending you back to Dallas.
00:08:51I thought, man, I'm getting fired.
00:08:53He goes, no, Steve, we're not firing you.
00:08:55We're going to turn you heel.
00:08:56You're going to feud against Chris.
00:08:57Steve became a main eventer almost instantly.
00:09:01Stunning Steve Austin, formerly known as Steve Williams, but now that name all but forgotten by Chris Adams.
00:09:11And every week at the Sportatorium, he was wrestling in some different type of matchup focused around gentleman Chris Adams and the wives of Chris Adams.
00:09:22The pupil against the teacher, and right now the pupil is in charge.
00:09:27The student versus teacher was a perfect scenario there.
00:09:32Chris Adams, you and Tony are going down.
00:09:35Their matches were just like clockwork.
00:09:39Chris Adams, we're in a cage.
00:09:41I'm going to grind your face up and down that fence until your hamburger baby.
00:09:46This is it.
00:09:47Your time is up.
00:09:49It's our time to shine.
00:09:51Steve Austin and Jeannie rule.
00:09:54Through his rivalry with his mentor Chris Adams, Steve got the national exposure he needed and was awarded the prestigious 1990 Rookie of the Year.
00:10:04I managed him for a period of time, and I don't know what it was about him, but you can see the it factor.
00:10:11And he wasn't the same exact Steve that you see today, but you could see it coming.
00:10:17He was a natural.
00:10:19There's no other word to describe.
00:10:21It was just...
00:10:22He was just a natural.
00:10:23He just clicked.
00:10:24I've been very impressed by Steve Austin's abilities, how far he's come in such a short time.
00:10:32He's showing that he has the potential to go a long, long way in professional wrestling if he keeps it up.
00:10:38I think Stunning Steve Austin definitely has a fantastic future ahead of him in this sport.
00:10:47Austin is a force to be reckoned with in the USWA.
00:10:53I think USWA offered a great place for Steve to learn.
00:10:58I starved there.
00:11:00I traveled there with some of the smartest people that I'd ever worked with.
00:11:05I got to ask so many guys great questions of advice and psychology.
00:11:10Such a learning experience, and I was like a sponge, man.
00:11:13I took in every single thing I could.
00:11:15I asked a million questions.
00:11:16I kept my eyes and ears open.
00:11:19It was a great ride.
00:11:20It was a great time.
00:11:21And the thing about working in Tennessee was it was a weekly territory.
00:11:24You worked those towns every single week, so...
00:11:26You couldn't get into a pattern or a routine.
00:11:29You had to have something new for the fans who would essentially be the same people every week.
00:11:34Your chops get good fast.
00:11:37And I think the people who learned that way going to the weekly towns learned to improvise
00:11:43and learned the little tricks that some of the best superstars in WWE still don't know.
00:11:51So I think Steve benefited greatly from that experience.
00:11:56It was absolutely phenomenal.
00:11:58If I hadn't had that background, when WCW called, I wouldn't have been ready for it.
00:12:03But when they called, I was ready because of all the people that helped me out in that organization.
00:12:12I needed a break.
00:12:13I needed to get out of Tennessee.
00:12:14And then there started being some word on the street that WCW might be interested in me.
00:12:21There was more money in Atlanta than there was in Dallas at that time.
00:12:27And so it was quite the promotion to go from syndicated television to national cable exposure that TBS provided.
00:12:37So I called Dusty. I was, hey, Dusty, it's Steve Austin.
00:12:40I was just calling to talk to you.
00:12:42And he goes, yeah, baby, we want to bring you down here and take a look at you.
00:12:46My first television debut for WCW.
00:12:50And I hear the guy in the background going, from Hollywood, California.
00:12:54And I'm thinking, who the sumbitch talking about ain't from Hollywood.
00:12:56From Hollywood, California, 253 pounds.
00:13:00Stunning, Steve Austin.
00:13:04Stunning, Steve Austin.
00:13:08I was thinking, who in the hell said I was from Hollywood, California.
00:13:12So anyway, you know, got them.
00:13:14Got a Texas accent, but I am going to ring and I'm from Hollywood, California.
00:13:18Stunning Steve.
00:13:23In the case of Stunning Steve Austin, it was like that no-brainer.
00:13:26You knew that the guy had big star potential written all over him.
00:13:30I'd come a long way in the short time I'd been in the business.
00:13:33He could outperform everybody else.
00:13:36He had more wind than anybody else, was in better ring shape, was just a better performer.
00:13:41Austin quickly worked his way up the WCW ranks.
00:13:45And it wasn't long before Stunning Steve found himself in the hunt for a championship.
00:13:51I remember I got to work a bunch of matches with one of my favorite guys of all time,
00:13:56Beautiful Bobby Eaton.
00:13:57And at the time, Beautiful Bobby was the world television champion.
00:14:00And, man, all of a sudden it was time for me to be the world television champion.
00:14:05And now Lady Blossom in front of Beautiful Bobby.
00:14:08She got the claws straight in his eyes.
00:14:12Throws him up.
00:14:14Oh, my goodness, he pinned it.
00:14:16Ladies and gentlemen, the winner and new WCW World Television Champion,
00:14:26Stunning Steve Austin.
00:14:31Can you believe that?
00:14:33That was a title that I absolutely treasured.
00:14:37It's one of my most favorite titles that I've ever won in my career.
00:14:40And to be able to take it off a guy like Beautiful Bobby, who I have so much respect for,
00:14:45and is one of my favorite tag teams, is badass.
00:14:48Dusty had just promised me a big singles push.
00:14:52United States Champion with Harley Race as my manager.
00:14:56Here I was going to have a chance to have this guy manage me.
00:15:00And this is going to be pretty special.
00:15:02And this is really going to put me on the map.
00:15:05Well, all of a sudden, at that TV taping, Brian Pillman.
00:15:09He goes, hey, kid, we've got to come up with a finish.
00:15:12I said, what are you talking about?
00:15:14He goes, yeah, we're a tag team now.
00:15:16We've got to come up with a finish.
00:15:17I said, that's bull .
00:15:18Dusty just told me I'm going to get a singles run with Harley Race as U.S. Champion.
00:15:22He goes, no, go talk to him.
00:15:24I go in and talk to Dusty, and sure enough, me and Brian are going to be a tag team.
00:15:28Well, I said, that's bull .
00:15:31You know, I've kind of got the carpet yanked out from under me, right?
00:15:35The problem was, in those days, the company was looking for marketable guys,
00:15:40guys that could sell merchandise.
00:15:43And the powers that be at the time saw Austin for what he was,
00:15:46a blue-collar guy with blue-collar potential.
00:15:49When you bring two world-class athletes together and they mesh as one,
00:15:55you create an unbeatable machine.
00:15:58And we will be unstoppable as a team, Tony.
00:16:02Count on it.
00:16:04Flyer, Brian and Sonny, Steve Austin.
00:16:11We're just two guys.
00:16:12I got these ugly-ass trunks and he's got these Bengals trunks.
00:16:16Despite WCW management's low expectations for the newly formed tandem,
00:16:20Austin and Pillman worked their way to the top of the tag team division.
00:16:24And became a mainstay on WCW programming.
00:16:29Men go down about it.
00:16:31Austin, Pillman, sharp again.
00:16:34Breaking the rules.
00:16:36Got one, two, this one's over.
00:16:39You know, we're starting to gel as a tag team.
00:16:41We're getting pretty damn good, Brian and myself.
00:16:43He goes, you know what?
00:16:45He goes, we've got to come up with a name.
00:16:47Every good tag team's got a name.
00:16:49Because at the time, we were just going as Brian Pillman and Steve Austin.
00:16:52The world 13 champions, the Hollywood ones.
00:16:59Dominating, overpowering, arrogant.
00:17:05Steve and Brian were two totally different personalities.
00:17:08But they were the yin and the yang.
00:17:10They mixed so well.
00:17:12They played off each other.
00:17:14Brian had more of a flying style.
00:17:18You know, could do some aerial things.
00:17:20Steve was a little bit bigger.
00:17:22You know, was more ground oriented.
00:17:25So they had a nice blend.
00:17:27They complemented each other very well.
00:17:29I think they were both at that point where they were trying to find their way as to who they would ultimately be in the business.
00:17:36And when you have somebody else standing next to you, it's a little easier to be free with that because it's not solely on you.
00:17:44And I think when they got together, it allowed them to both push boundaries and cross lines that they wouldn't have necessarily crossed by themselves.
00:17:53Brian and I had completed our look.
00:17:55We had our name.
00:17:56And boy, I'll tell you what, we started rolling the cameras, taking pictures of our opponents.
00:18:00I thought the Hollywood Blondes were tremendous.
00:18:10That's where, you know, you saw Steve really coming into his own as a humorist.
00:18:17You can maybe tell the great fans out there some of the great things that the Blondes are doing with this tag team.
00:18:26Well, I feel like with a partner like Fly and Brian, the Hollywood Blondes can go, the Hollywood Blondes can go as, hey, wake up.
00:18:36And you don't have to wait on a midnight clear to look up and see all the stars, Tony.
00:18:41You can see them right here.
00:18:44The last time I saw a body like that, it had an apple stuffed in its mouth and it was roasting over an open flame.
00:18:53I feel like I'm in a museum.
00:18:54You got some great antiques here, Rick.
00:18:56How much you pay for that old statue over there?
00:18:58Steve, that's double A.
00:18:59Anyway, Rick, cut it.
00:19:01We were starting to really get over and get some steam as a real good heel tag team.
00:19:06And then out of the blue, they decided to bust us up.
00:19:13Now I don't want to break up.
00:19:14I want to be in a tag team with Brian.
00:19:16We're about to make it big time here.
00:19:19We were both going to succeed.
00:19:21We weren't losers.
00:19:22We were winners.
00:19:23Working with Brian Pillman was one of the highlights of my career.
00:19:26And he's probably one of the best friends I've ever had in the business.
00:19:29And I miss him to this day.
00:19:35Ricky the Dragon Steamboat is one of the best hands I've ever seen in the ring.
00:19:41Ever.
00:19:42It was finally my turn to start working with Steamer.
00:19:45Steamboat and Austin, two of the finest in world championship wrestling, Brian.
00:19:49Well, you're gonna see a classic match here.
00:19:51When Steve got to wrestle guys like Ricky Steamboat, well, the stock of the company went up.
00:19:57Because you finally got to see Austin do what he does best.
00:20:00And that's over a period of time.
00:20:02You can't appreciate Steve Austin in three minutes.
00:20:05But at 20, 25, you saw this guy never took a breath.
00:20:09And he made everyone in the ring with him better.
00:20:14They were having 30-minute classics every night, just tearing it up.
00:20:19And I would hurry up after my match was over to shower and change so I could go find a spot somewhere in the rafters.
00:20:25See it and hear the crowd and all that.
00:20:28Unbelievable amount of energy.
00:20:31I mean, you get tired watching Steamboat and Austin go.
00:20:34Steamboat on top!
00:20:36Off the top rope!
00:20:38And he got it!
00:20:39He got it!
00:20:41We probably worked a couple of months in a row.
00:20:44And I respected Ricky so much and still do.
00:20:46And I told him, because he'd been to the big show, I said, Ricky, I said, man, you know, what do you think I'm missing?
00:20:53You know, he just kind of looked and he goes, he goes, Steve, you're not missing anything.
00:20:57You got it.
00:20:58So, you know, Ricky saw that I had something back then, but clearly I didn't.
00:21:03I didn't put the look together.
00:21:04I didn't have the attitude yet.
00:21:06And, you know, that was another great thing that happened to me on my road becoming Stone Cold Steve Austin.
00:21:18Steve Austin was definitely held back a lot.
00:21:21And it used to eat away at him, and rightly so.
00:21:26You've got to take him.
00:21:27You've got to wrestle him.
00:21:28That's all there is to him.
00:21:29I'm not gonna do it.
00:21:30What the hell is it?
00:21:31Forget him, Steve.
00:21:32I know him.
00:21:33I know Barclino.
00:21:34Once again Barclino.
00:21:35He dives on him.
00:21:39One, two, three!
00:21:41He knew he had the talent.
00:21:46He knew, you know, everything was there.
00:21:49His talking ability was, you know, very good.
00:21:52His in-ring ability was, you know, excellent.
00:21:56It would be the industry's loss if they didn't capitalize on just how different and how talented he was.
00:22:06Steve wanted to be the top, top guy.
00:22:09And I knew he had it in him.
00:22:11I think he knew he had it in him.
00:22:13All he needed was a break.
00:22:15But for whatever reason, WCW didn't think that.
00:22:20Janie from the office here in WCW calls me, and she said, hey, Steve, Eric needs you to call him.
00:22:27And so, boy, I can see it writing on the wall right there.
00:22:30I drive back to my house.
00:22:31I call Eric and say, hey, Eric and Steve, just calling you back.
00:22:34He goes, yeah, Steve, I just want to let you know based on the amount of money we're paying you and on the amount of days you've been incapacitated,
00:22:40we're gonna go ahead and exercise the right to terminate the agreement.
00:22:43I said, well, basically, you tell him I'm fired, right?
00:22:45He goes, yeah, you're fired.
00:22:47I said, well, are you gonna give me anything paper?
00:22:49He goes, yeah, we'll send you a FedEx tomorrow.
00:22:51So, next day, I got a FedEx in the mail.
00:22:53He said, I was fired.
00:22:54I was like, that kind of sucked.
00:22:59I can totally see why he fired me.
00:23:01I mean, the guy did what he thought he had to do.
00:23:02It wasn't like I was a drawing card for the company.
00:23:04There was a million guys like me, you know, that they didn't have to pay that much money to.
00:23:09They could do what I was doing.
00:23:10So, man, I totally saw why he did what he had to do.
00:23:15At the time, I didn't.
00:23:17But now when I look back and look at the shoes that he was in, I don't blame him at all for firing me.
00:23:22I really don't.
00:23:23Steve was out of a high-paying job and his career and his next paycheck were in serious jeopardy until he received a phone call from an old friend.
00:23:35I was post-producing an ECW television show and I got a phone call from a friend of mine in WCW informing me that Steve had been fired by Eric Bischoff.
00:23:44So, I called Steve on the phone.
00:23:46My phone rings and there's Paul Heyman calling me.
00:23:49And me and Paul had known each other for years down in WCW.
00:23:52I was part of the Dangerous Alliance.
00:23:54He managed me.
00:23:55We traveled together and just had a blast.
00:23:58And, man, we just had an instant chemistry.
00:24:00We instantly liked each other and mutual respect.
00:24:03But, anyway, so Paulie goes on to Philly and he starts extreme championship wrestling.
00:24:08My phone rings.
00:24:10What are you doing?
00:24:11Nothing, Paul.
00:24:12Just healing my arm up.
00:24:13I offered Steve a chance to come to ECW.
00:24:16I said, I can't work, Paul.
00:24:17My arm's busted.
00:24:19Can you talk?
00:24:21You're gonna pay me once a week to come up here and cut promos.
00:24:24I said, all right.
00:24:25I'm in.
00:24:26You know, today someone gets frustrated and they start tweeting and they put posts on Facebook.
00:24:32And they give interviews about how upset they are and how they're being held back and how the system doesn't appreciate how great they are.
00:24:43And back in the mid-1990s, there was no platform.
00:24:49I offered Steve a platform.
00:24:51I had to overcome a lot of things from just being a pretty quiet, shy kid and a loner to being able to put it all out there.
00:24:57I mean, God dang, you know, I'm the kind of person that I'm gonna work my ass off for you no matter what it is.
00:25:03If it's a physical job or whatever, I'm the guy for the job.
00:25:06If you hire me for something, I'm gonna bust my ass for you.
00:25:09Okay?
00:25:10I've done that my whole life, whether it's working for the highway department, working on a freight dock, whatever.
00:25:16But when I feel like someone's starting to poke me with the stick, that's when you start to piss me off.
00:25:21And I felt like after everything that happened to me in WCW, being fired by that injury and being prodded and someone saying basically,
00:25:29no, you're not marketable, you're not gonna be successful.
00:25:32I really got a damn attitude because I was a guy that was always on time for work.
00:25:36I never played like I was hurt.
00:25:38If I was hurt, I was hurt.
00:25:39If I was sick, I was sick.
00:25:41But when you start with me, then I'm gonna bite your ass.
00:25:45That's been my attitude kind of my whole life.
00:25:47But I just had to get that chip on my shoulder in this business for me to really succeed and get kicked down enough times and get over enough times that I said,
00:25:59you know what?
00:26:00I'm gonna do this.
00:26:01I'm gonna do it my way.
00:26:02I can do it my way.
00:26:03And if you get in my way, I'm gonna run your ass over.
00:26:06I'm not gonna do this anywhere, not even in ECW, because there's no way this lame-ass
00:26:16is gonna get the job done anywhere.
00:26:21I think one of the untold secrets to getting over in wrestling is you have to be a little bit of an ass.
00:26:29The fact of the matter is I appreciate the fact you had to whip somebody's ass.
00:26:35You had to kick somebody's ass, not lick it, to get a goddamn championship belt.
00:26:42And that's not necessarily a bad thing.
00:26:43That doesn't mean being mean to people for no reason.
00:26:46That means standing up for yourself, believing in who you are, and not taking any crap.
00:26:51I mean, sometimes you have to to play the game, but deep down inside you have to have that feeling of like,
00:26:56this is not gonna, I'm not gonna do this anymore.
00:26:58We need you to do this.
00:26:59We're gonna put the US title on you, and then we're gonna take you here, and then you're the number one contender,
00:27:04so then you've got this world title shot, well, all that's never happened.
00:27:13Steve had some anger, some bitterness.
00:27:16I didn't get to climb a ladder to the top in WCW like this.
00:27:19Anger and bitterness are part of life, and if you can use them for energy, and use them to create great things, they can be very valuable.
00:27:27So there I am, floundering along.
00:27:30There's nothing going my way because the politics in WCW kept the biggest potential superstar in wrestling on the goddamn ground.
00:27:44And I think he used that anger, that bitterness, combined it with some humor.
00:27:53Hello, everybody, and welcome to Monday Night Wall, where the big boys play with each other.
00:27:59I apologize for the balloons, but I had to fire the pyro technician guy because he couldn't show up.
00:28:05I did it over the phone, no less, but I had to fire him.
00:28:08Those ECW promos he did just took everybody by surprise.
00:28:12I mean, he took his game up several notches in just a few weeks.
00:28:17Steve's promos in 1995 were groundbreaking.
00:28:21After coming back from such a layoff,
00:28:26it makes you want to think, man, as hungry as I am,
00:28:29it makes me want to sit back and take a couple of more weeks off after I've been off for months
00:28:35because it seemed like, man, maybe I can't cut it anymore.
00:28:39You couldn't be in that room without realizing I'm witnessing magic.
00:28:46You people get up every morning, you throw a ham and cheese sandwich at a metal lunch box,
00:28:52you punch a time plot, you let some jack off, yell at you for nine hours,
00:28:56then you punch out and go back home to some hag.
00:28:59I'll never do that, man.
00:29:00That was the launching point for me to finally be able to harness frustration, the feelings, the hunger,
00:29:11and start really learning to manifest and verbalize that.
00:29:15I felt it, but I didn't know how to get it out.
00:29:17Paul Lee helped me with my promo and gave me a chance to get all this shit out of my system.
00:29:22In a few short months, Steve Austin was making a major impact in ECW.
00:29:26And through this regional promotion, he got national recognition as WWE soon came calling.
00:29:36Steve Austin in ECW was the first look at the Stone Cold Steve Austin character you saw in WWE.
00:29:44Unfortunately, when WWE hired him, I believe they had never watched ECW.
00:29:49So Steve Austin was brought in as a utility performer, if you will, called the Ringmaster.
00:29:57And he didn't speak.
00:29:59And apparently nobody at WWE knew he could speak because they gave him the Million Dollar Man as a mouthpiece.
00:30:06And one of the greatest microphone men in the history of our industry.
00:30:09But Steve Austin had it.
00:30:12And Steve Austin telling people what he really thought with that controlled anger and his personality.
00:30:22Steve could have done that immediately once coming to WWE.
00:30:26I can remember watching Steve when he was working with WCW.
00:30:29And I was impressed with his mechanical skills.
00:30:33I wasn't impressed with his charisma necessarily.
00:30:35He had it, but he wasn't what I would consider a top hand.
00:30:40And we gave him an opportunity because he was so skilled in the ring.
00:30:46You know, the name of the Ringmaster because he was a master at that time of the art in essence of our business.
00:30:52The Ringmaster seems to really have it all. The size, the strength, the agility, the wrestling acumen.
00:30:58To go there as the Ringmaster, totally blue.
00:31:02If I remember well, I think I went to Steve Austin and I said, you know, we'd like to call you the Ringmaster.
00:31:08And he goes, what?
00:31:10He got so upset.
00:31:12He says, I'm not a gimmick. I'm the real thing. You have no idea.
00:31:16To discount my last five years of work and just to start off with something new is the Ringmaster.
00:31:23Man, it totally sucked.
00:31:25The Ringmaster, an extraordinary athlete.
00:31:28This is my ring. This is my ring.
00:31:32And that is his ring. He is a master of the ring, no question about it.
00:31:36Called Vince. Vince, he hates it. He don't want anything to do with it.
00:31:42He thinks it's an insult to him. He thinks we're playing with him.
00:31:45He hates it. I don't know what else to tell you, but he hates it.
00:31:49Call him back and tell him what else he got to come up with.
00:31:52Have him to come up with something.
00:31:55I went home and I was drinking a few beers at the house and I was watching a special on HBO about Richard Kuklinski.
00:32:00It was called The Ice Man.
00:32:02The Ice Man was a hitman for hire in the Chicago mob.
00:32:05Totally remorseless. Just a ruthless individual.
00:32:08Guy didn't give a shit about anything. He's very cold. No emotion about him.
00:32:12And I said, man, this guy, there's something about this guy that's really got my gears going.
00:32:18So I pitched my idea to the office and I said, okay, Steve, we'll think about it.
00:32:23And they faxed me three pages of the worst names I'd ever seen in the history of my life.
00:32:27And the three names that I'll never forget based on this cold-blooded ruthless individual were Otto Von Ruthless, Ice Dagger, and Fang McFrost.
00:32:39And man, they don't get no more suck ass than that.
00:32:41And so I'm thinking, are you kidding me? These creative geniuses are, you know, these are the guys that make superstars.
00:32:50And because, you know, back in the day, you just think, if you go to WWE, as soon as you walk in the door, they'll put a gimmick on you and make you a star.
00:32:58No, that's not the case.
00:33:00Sometimes it can be the case, but it ain't always the case.
00:33:04I mean, it's a crap shoot at best.
00:33:06So anyway, I'm sitting there frustrated and, you know, my wife at the time, Jeannie, who was from England, makes me a cup of hot tea.
00:33:14And she sits that hot tea on the table and she goes, don't worry about it, you'll think of something.
00:33:20Just go ahead and drink your tea before you get Stone Cold.
00:33:22And she goes, that's your name, Stone Cold Steve Austin.
00:33:25The man known as the Ringmaster.
00:33:28Oh, yeah.
00:33:29His peers here in the World Wrestling Federation dubbed him the Ringmaster.
00:33:32I would suggest you, from the look on his face and his attitude, knowing him a bit better now, he's Stone Cold, if anything.
00:33:39Stone Cold Steve Austin. I love him, McMahon.
00:33:42At first, he was kind of like the silent but deadly predator, which I thought was fine.
00:33:48I thought it would have worked really well.
00:33:50The million-dollar dream.
00:33:52That's a nice way of putting it.
00:33:55I look at it as cutting the flow of blood to a man's brain.
00:34:00I'm sure you think that's cold.
00:34:03It is...
00:34:05Stone Cold.
00:34:10Then he started finding that character, and on a weekly basis, you could see it growing.
00:34:16Well, as far as I'm concerned, Ted DiBiase being gone takes out all the distractions anyway.
00:34:20You see, I never trusted anyone, and I never needed anyone my whole career.
00:34:26It's on to bigger and better things after King of the Ring, after I win it all.
00:34:32Because there is no way, no way anyone in the World Wrestling Federation can stop Stone Cold Steve Austin.
00:34:39The King of the Ring proved to be paramount in the success and advancement of the Stone Cold persona.
00:34:47Hunter Hearst Helmsley was favored to win the King of the Ring in 1996, but was pushed aside amidst controversy over a moment in Madison Square Garden a few weeks prior.
00:34:57The infamous curtain call.
00:35:01As destiny would have it, Steve Austin was now next in line.
00:35:06He won his first encounter that night, but was injured in the match and sent to the hospital.
00:35:11As soon as I stepped out of that ambulance, Jake had already cut the promo.
00:35:16I got out of the ambulance, and there's Michael P.S. Hayes, one of the Freebirds, one of my favorite wrestlers of all time that I used to go watch in Dallas, Texas.
00:35:24And he's going to be the guy interviewing me after I win King of the Ring.
00:35:28Steve asked me real quick as he's going to the car to go to do the interview, what did Jake say?
00:35:33And I quoted some of the things that Jake had said out of the Bible.
00:35:36Bam, it hit me just like that.
00:35:39I thought about, okay, religious, Austin 316.
00:35:43And the reason that popped into my head was this.
00:35:46Back in the day, if you always went to a football game or watched it on TV, you know, when they went to kick the extra point of the field goal, there'd always be a John 316 sign in the end zone.
00:35:55And so I said, okay, Austin 316.
00:35:57And I thought about it as soon as he told me that instant.
00:36:01And I said, all right, I got something for his ass.
00:36:02You sit there and you thump your Bible and you say your prayers and it didn't get you anywhere.
00:36:11Talk about your Psalms, talk about John 316.
00:36:16Austin 316 says I just whipped your ass.
00:36:20There was a lot of buzz backstage after that initial interview and the first time here at Austin 316.
00:36:26Steve Austin's time has come.
00:36:29And when I get the shot, you're looking at the next WWE champion.
00:36:33And that's the bottom line because Stone Cold said so.
00:36:37It was all ad lib.
00:36:38This wasn't nothing that somebody handed me on a piece of paper.
00:36:41It was what I was feeling and it was from my heart and from my guts and what was going on inside my brain.
00:36:47And nothing but attitude and all this stuff again about being held back and here's this opportunity.
00:36:54And I'm fixing to get to shove it up someone else's ass finally.
00:36:58Austin was just trying to make a presence and make a statement.
00:37:02And he did make that statement because he didn't beg people to go along with his catchphrase.
00:37:08When he said that, it just caught fire.
00:37:13That's when Stone Cold Steve Austin was born, you know, Austin 316.
00:37:17And has there ever been a more iconic catchphrase in the history of this business than that?
00:37:22I don't think so.
00:37:23I still see people wearing Austin 316 shirts to this day.
00:37:27That was 15 years ago.
00:37:29You know, heading into Survivor Series 96, you know, Stone Cold was really gaining momentum.
00:37:34I was in my zone. I knew who and what I was and I knew how to articulate that.
00:37:39I've been around for seven long years.
00:37:41All of a sudden someone puts a microphone in front of my face and everyone wants to jump on the bandwagon.
00:37:46My style in the ring was just hardcore straight ahead.
00:37:49All I set out to do when the bell rings is whip somebody's.
00:37:56And you ain't gonna like how I do it.
00:37:59But I think you're gonna get the job done.
00:38:04I'm gonna be the best.
00:38:05I'm gonna be the best.
00:38:06Brett had taken some time off.
00:38:08He was gonna make his comeback to Survivor Series there at Madison Square Garden.
00:38:12And he hand picked me to be his adversary.
00:38:15I'd like to use this chance to issue a challenge against one breath, the hit man heart.
00:38:23Stone Cold Steve Austin is the best there is.
00:38:26And that's the bottom line.
00:38:29And can't nobody in the world tell me any different.
00:38:31It's like Brett has stated, I saw Steve coming before he saw Steve coming.
00:38:35It was great.
00:38:36We had this sort of, I wasn't afraid of him and he wasn't afraid of me.
00:38:40And it's like, just let these two dogs fight.
00:38:42It was a great match for me.
00:38:43It was a great rub for me.
00:38:45I was honored that Brett chose me to be that guy in a match.
00:38:48And that would be the catalyst for everything that was to become.
00:38:50And it has come down to this in Madison Square Garden.
00:38:54The hitman Bret Hart has met his match.
00:38:56I think when we had the Survivor Series match, it was really good.
00:39:00But we knew we could do more and could get better.
00:39:02Austin didn't let go of the million dollar dream and accosting the victory.
00:39:06Steve Austin, we have not seen the last of this extraordinary competitor.
00:39:10And I don't think Bret Hart has either.
00:39:14There was total trust and mutual respect.
00:39:17And when you have that kind of relationship with the guy in that ring, special things happened.
00:39:22Steve was really gaining momentum at that time.
00:39:25And it was one of those things that you just knew that the momentum that Steve was getting was gonna be something that was, you know, gonna be tough to stop.
00:39:32Austin has been eliminated!
00:39:36Now the referees can see it!
00:39:37Austin has been eliminated!
00:39:39And now, it's over!
00:39:41Oh, no!
00:39:43No!
00:39:45What a winner here!
00:39:47Here is the winner of the 1997 Royal Rumble, still-called Steve Austin!
00:39:57We had an excellent rivalry going.
00:39:59I think that Steve and I, I think, understood our roles and our characters.
00:40:04It was a perfect sort of match-up.
00:40:06They had a real heated rivalry at the time.
00:40:09And it was obvious that they both didn't care for each other at all.
00:40:12And it was a great build to the match.
00:40:21One of the greatest stories of all time, for me, was Steve Austin versus Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13.
00:40:26It's pretty simple, like, you can feel it, and I think we could feel it in the weeks coming into it.
00:40:31That Steve was becoming such a great heel, that it was more cool to like him than it was to boo him.
00:40:37You gotta understand, this is a real unique time in the business.
00:40:39I mean, I'm still a full-blown heel.
00:40:41I'm doing everything I can to be the most hated person coming out of that dressing room.
00:40:45But things just kept building so that I was talking so much trash, and it became entertaining.
00:40:49I was breaking out of the pack.
00:40:52All of a sudden, Stone Cold was getting a lot of cheers.
00:40:55Well, Bret had been here for so long.
00:40:57He's just kind of an understated guy, and he's always fighting for a cause.
00:41:00And I started insulting Bret.
00:41:02This match starts building.
00:41:04At WrestleMania 13, Bret Hart, don't expect any less from me, because that's exactly what I expect from you.
00:41:12Stone Cold Steve Austin is in for the worst thrashing of his entire life.
00:41:19He won't be able to scream loud enough the words, I quit.
00:41:25You had the two best superstars in the ring in the best WWE Universe City in the world.
00:41:33You talk about in your face. That is who Stone Cold is.
00:41:38And getting quite a positive response from this capacity crowd.
00:41:42This guy's on fire.
00:41:44It's like trying to stand there and stop this, you know, 40-foot tidal wave.
00:41:48There's just no way it's gonna happen.
00:41:50It was impossible to not get behind the guy.
00:41:52And here he comes.
00:41:54A mixed reaction to a man who unquestionably has a legacy here in the World Wrestling Federation.
00:41:59This one was honest and it was real.
00:42:02And the crowd from start to finish in the match was just into everything they did,
00:42:05which added to the whole ambiance of it.
00:42:08Look out, here we go.
00:42:09Here we go.
00:42:13You can't be carried out. You cannot be disqualified.
00:42:16I don't think they hated Bret Hart.
00:42:18I just think they loved Stone Cold so much more.
00:42:21And they wanted to let everybody know, hey, this is our guy.
00:42:25That match happened like it happened.
00:42:30That wasn't a bunch of prefab horses.
00:42:32That was a pro wrestling match.
00:42:34We go to continue the match and I'm bleeding like a stuck pig and it's a hell of a visual.
00:42:41And it goes with the battle.
00:42:43I mean, it fit perfectly.
00:42:44I knew this would be a match that would ultimately change our destinies.
00:42:52Puts that sharpshooter on me and man, there I am in that hole, in the middle of that ring.
00:42:58And blood is pouring out of my forehead.
00:43:00I can say one thing, Steve had a lot of trust in me.
00:43:03It's like, trust me to get you where you need to go.
00:43:05And I'll get you there.
00:43:07And Steve did. And we got there.
00:43:08With everything it takes in me, I put my hands down, push him into that mat and I start pushing up to try to break that sharpshooter.
00:43:16And that's when it really comes.
00:43:17The blood comes through my eyes and starts pouring through my teeth.
00:43:21And it's one of the greatest visuals that you'll ever see in sports entertainment.
00:43:25The blood in the match gave him that sympathy, that sort of a big pitbull needs.
00:43:32Steve's covered in blood in the sharpshooter at the end.
00:43:34He doesn't tap out.
00:43:36He passes out.
00:43:37And people are like, that's one tough son of a bitch.
00:43:40He was able to hang in there in such a way that I don't think anyone thought he could.
00:43:47He went from being the most hated guy in the company to the most loved just by the heart that he showed that night and that he left it all in the ring.
00:43:52People let the guy in charge know, this is our guy. He's one of us and we're going to cheer for him.
00:44:01And they flipped it and it was, is a moment you can't repeat even if you try.
00:44:06I'm laying there in that pool of blood.
00:44:17And I was just thinking, man, listening to the crowd and what was going on is one of the greatest, you know, moments of my life.
00:44:25And it was damn near like the best orgasm I ever had.
00:44:28If I'd had a cigarette, I'd probably smoked it.
00:44:35Artistically, I think it's maybe the greatest match I ever had.
00:44:39I don't know if I've ever been more proud of that match for just the simple fact that you look at it in frame by frame, it's a beautiful story.
00:44:46What happened was pure magic. You can't fabricate moments like this.
00:44:50The best double switch in WWE history was that night with Steve and Brett.
00:44:54And that was really the coronation of Stone Cold Steve Austin.
00:44:57That sounds pretty easy on paper.
00:45:00It is one of the hardest things to do in this business.
00:45:03The satisfaction and the feelings that were going on inside of my body from all the hard work that I'd put in, all the injuries, all the horse.
00:45:16To go out there and work a magical match with Bret the Hitman Hart, one of the greatest of all time.
00:45:21And for this match to cement me in the company and be such a crucial part of my makeup and fiber and what Stone Cold stood for in the world of WWE.
00:45:35That match was so important to my career.
00:45:38Man, that was a special night for me.
00:45:40And I can't explain that kind of feeling any more degree other than it was damn near an orgasm to feel that good after a match.
00:45:49Everyone was ready for him. And we were all ready. He was ready. We were ready.
00:45:53It took him a long time to build up to that moment.
00:45:56But that moment broke him out and WWE was never the same again.
00:46:01Steve had the foresight to be looking down the road and how he could capitalize on all that and he did it.
00:46:07You can write the greatest promos and the greatest storylines of all time.
00:46:11But if you don't have the right people to play the characters, it's gonna fall flat.
00:46:16Johnny Depp is Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean.
00:46:19Nobody could have played it as good as he can.
00:46:21Nobody could have brought that character to life like Johnny Depp did.
00:46:24And that's what Steve Austin did with Stone Cold.
00:46:26He brought that character to life.
00:46:28The choices he made, the things he did, the little nuances he added put that character over the top.
00:46:34But everything from then on was full speed ahead, man.
00:46:37And it was hot and heavy.
00:46:39And it was just like being in a drag car and going 300 miles an hour down a quarter mile track.
00:46:44And the quarter mile track never ended.
00:46:46Steve had started to build this attitude.
00:46:49Really seemed to be catching on.
00:46:51And it really was Steve.
00:46:52And that was a nice part about it.
00:46:53Any time you tap into who a guy really is, I think you're gonna do well with it.
00:46:57And that's certainly what the WWE did with Steve.
00:47:00I've always said that the best babyfaces are the ones where the guys wanna have a beer with you.
00:47:06And the girls wanna have sex with you.
00:47:08And that's what Steve Austin was.
00:47:09Everybody, I wanna have a beer with that guy.
00:47:14He was on such a role, an extraordinary role like no one had ever been on before.
00:47:19He knew at that time, he was getting close.
00:47:24Really, really close to becoming the number one guy in WWE.
00:47:36And God dang it, just when you thought it couldn't get any hotter,
00:47:41we rolled into SummerSlam at East Rutherford, New Jersey, Meadowlands Arena.
00:47:45And God dang, it was a great building for me.
00:47:49That crowd was hot.
00:47:50They were ready for the match.
00:47:51I was going against Owen Hart for the Intercontinental Championship.
00:47:54And I was gonna win this match with the Stone Cold Stunner.
00:47:57God dang it, I go in there, I send him in the ropes.
00:48:00And we do this crazy move, and he ends up, and he's got me upside down.
00:48:04And he's gonna hit me with a Tombstone Piledriver.
00:48:07Man, there's a big problem.
00:48:09You know, my head was about that far below his ass.
00:48:12Well, that's not good for me, if you're on the receiving end,
00:48:15because that's gonna spike my head in the mat.
00:48:18Well, it sounded like someone hit just one of those big gongs.
00:48:23It was like, bam, it sounded just, and it was my head hitting the mat.
00:48:27As soon as my head hit that mat, I was singing Christopher Reeve,
00:48:31because I knew I was never gonna walk again, ever.
00:48:34I couldn't feel anything from my neck down.
00:48:36It was very scary.
00:48:37It was essential, basic human error.
00:48:40Man, I'm laying there, and now pain's starting to set in,
00:48:44and my anterior delts are burning like fire.
00:48:47There was no way I was gonna lay there and let some ambulance
00:48:50or a bunch of paramedics carry me out of that ring.
00:48:53Hit him with the roll-up.
00:48:56It looks like .
00:48:58One, two, three.
00:49:00I'm the champion.
00:49:01I grabbed the belt.
00:49:02I held it up in the air, and when I look back at that footage,
00:49:05and I look in my eyes, if you look in my eyes,
00:49:07the lights are on there, but ain't nobody home.
00:49:10I'm pretty up, and I'm really hurt, but I did it.
00:49:14I remember going to the back.
00:49:16I sat down on a bench, and I was in a world of hurt,
00:49:19and I was confused, and I didn't know what was gonna happen to me.
00:49:24When you come that close to almost being paralyzed for the rest of your life,
00:49:28it really your head up.
00:49:29That incident really, really bugged him on so many different levels.
00:49:33When we went home from the pay-per-view, I told Owen.
00:49:35I said, you gotta call.
00:49:36And Owen, I don't think he did it because he didn't care,
00:49:39but he went home.
00:49:40He never called.
00:49:41He forgot.
00:49:42I don't think he handled that well,
00:49:44and I think that did change the relationship that Steve had with Owen,
00:49:47and I think Steve was always a little bit pissed off
00:49:50that Owen didn't seem to care that he hurt him.
00:49:55You pretend like everything's alright,
00:50:01and you fall asleep tonight,
00:50:04with sharp lines.
00:50:07You pretend like everything's alright,
00:50:13and you fall asleep tonight, with sharp lines.
00:50:19I think there was an immense amount of frustration.
00:50:22He was very emotional because, again,
00:50:25he just didn't know that his career could be over.
00:50:28I've always considered myself to be a tough son of a bitch,
00:50:31but on that night, I think I was 1% tough, and I was 99% lucky.
00:50:37You know, to have your career taken from you, it changed him.
00:50:41And then I rode off in the sunset and started flying around
00:50:44the United States talking to different doctors about this, that,
00:50:48whatever the dangers, what I need to do, what I can't do.
00:50:51He was willing to take the risk that he wouldn't hurt himself any worse,
00:50:56and would postpone any surgery so that it wouldn't derail his momentum
00:51:02that he had busted his butt to build.
00:51:06So he was willing to risk his health to live the dream
00:51:10of being the number one guy in WWE.
00:51:12I hope that your convalescence goes quickly.
00:51:15We want to see you back in the ring sooner than later,
00:51:17and all I got to say is I hope that you get to be 100%
00:51:21or more than 100% very, very soon.
00:51:23That's from everybody here.
00:51:25Let me tell you about a...
00:51:28There was doubt, real doubt in my mind.
00:51:41Hey, man, I need to be careful with this thing,
00:51:43but, man, I'm too close from even going further than I am now.
00:51:46I ain't stopping now.
00:51:48Steve, I think, when he got injured,
00:51:50was able to then show his range as a performer.
00:51:53They would start bringing me back, and I'd do promos and stuff,
00:51:56and then the office would say I was a liability,
00:51:58and they were trying to run me off.
00:51:59You sit here and you say,
00:52:00that's an order!
00:52:02This is an order!
00:52:03That's an order!
00:52:04Hell, I can look at you, son,
00:52:06and the only thing you've been ordering
00:52:07is a whole bunch of damn cheeseburgers.
00:52:10Enough is never enough.
00:52:12Man, you got to go higher, harder, better, faster, further.
00:52:17You talk about me delivering the Intercontinental title.
00:52:21The only thing that I'll deliver
00:52:24is a big can of whoop-ass right to your front door.
00:52:28There was no way I was going to get off that damn horse
00:52:31and say, hey, I'm going to cash in my chips now
00:52:33and ride off into the sunset.
00:52:35No! Oh, God!
00:52:37No! No!
00:52:38Oh, my God!
00:52:39Austin has just...
00:52:40He just attacked the commissioner!
00:52:43Good God Almighty!
00:52:45People pay money to see me in a 20 by 20 ring.
00:52:48That's what I do.
00:52:49I ain't stopping.
00:52:50My neck, your neck, his neck, I ain't stopping.
00:52:53Stone Cold Steve Austin became this no-nonsense,
00:52:57pissed off, ass-kicking, beer-drinking, flip you off,
00:53:01stun your guy.
00:53:02His eyes just screamed intensity.
00:53:05And once he looked you in the face,
00:53:08you didn't want to look back.
00:53:10It's intimidating.
00:53:11At the time, we were pushing the envelope a little bit more,
00:53:13so, you know, obviously, Steve Austin, you know,
00:53:15kind of pushed the boundaries with language
00:53:17and the hand symbols and things that he did
00:53:19that nobody had seen before.
00:53:20Give me a hell yeah!
00:53:22At that time, I was in high school.
00:53:26I think everyone used all of Austin's catchphrases on their teachers.
00:53:31Do you all want me to go up to the board right now
00:53:33and write that answer down?
00:53:34Give me a hell yeah!
00:53:35Hell yeah!
00:53:36Mike, down to the principal's office right now.
00:53:39You're not allowed to say hell in the school.
00:53:41Sorry, my bad.
00:53:42Austin says it.
00:53:43I thought I could too.
00:53:44Steve Austin does what he wants when he wants,
00:53:47and that's the bottom line!
00:53:49Carl Stone Cold said so!
00:53:52When you love it, and you fall in love with it,
00:53:55and it's your passion, and it's everything that you live,
00:53:58breathe, and eat, and everything that you are,
00:54:00it's what you do.
00:54:02You can't quit.
00:54:03You don't want to quit.
00:54:05Stone Cold Steve Austin was stunning everybody left and right.
00:54:10The crowd loved it.
00:54:11The crowd ate it up.
00:54:12And there was one guy left for him to stun,
00:54:15which was, of course, Mr. McMahon, the boss, the owner,
00:54:18the CEO.
00:54:20We go into Madison Square Garden,
00:54:23one of the coolest places you could ever work,
00:54:26and to be in front of that Madison Square Garden crowd,
00:54:28if you can get over in front of the Garden crowd,
00:54:30you can get over anywhere.
00:54:32I remember watching this at home
00:54:34with the anticipation of seeing the stunner
00:54:38get delivered to Vince McMahon.
00:54:40I appreciate the fact that you
00:54:42and the World Wrestling Federation care,
00:54:45and I also appreciate the fact that, hell,
00:54:52you can kiss my ass.
00:54:58Out of blue, hit that son of a bitch with a stone cold stunner,
00:55:02and the roof came off of that Madison Square Garden.
00:55:06This was everybody's wet dream.
00:55:08This was beating up your boss.
00:55:10You could live vicariously through Steve Austin.
00:55:12He took it, and he's laying there,
00:55:13he's doing that quivering thing with his eyes,
00:55:15hoping like a crappie on a bass boat.
00:55:18It was the greatest thing in the world.
00:55:20No one had ever touched Vince.
00:55:21It was the perfect time.
00:55:23And Vince's bump was so atrocious.
00:55:25I love watching it.
00:55:26It's just like the most uncoordinated,
00:55:28stone cold stunner bump of all time.
00:55:31It was kind of like if he gave a stunner to a water bottle,
00:55:34just nothing happened.
00:55:35He just kind of went like,
00:55:36uh, like nothing moved and just went.
00:55:38If that was me taking that bump,
00:55:41when I came back to the curtain,
00:55:43Vince would have tanned my hide.
00:55:45But I'm sure because it was Vince,
00:55:47when he came to the curtain,
00:55:48people were like, oh, Vince, great bump.
00:55:49Good job, good job.
00:55:50But yeah, he stunk out the joint with that one.
00:55:52The crown jewel in the summer of stunners
00:55:54was Vince McMahon, and it was awesome.
00:55:57For someone who would stun his boss,
00:55:59he was like, okay, here we go.
00:56:03I didn't know what I was going to do next.
00:56:06We were just all going and playing it as it came to us.
00:56:09There was no long range plan as far as where we wanted to go.
00:56:12Where we wanted to go was higher and higher,
00:56:14but to just to keep the momentum,
00:56:16because man, we were sold out every single night.
00:56:19Steve would have made it to heights without Mr. McMahon.
00:56:22But with Mr. McMahon,
00:56:23it seemed to embellish his character considerably.
00:56:27And we were off to the races after that one stunner
00:56:30in Madison Square Garden.
00:56:32I'm the proud owner of the World Wrestling Federation.
00:56:35And furthermore, Mr. Austin,
00:56:38I'm your, I'm your boss.
00:56:41Steve's persona was so anti-establishment.
00:56:46Vince had just come off the Montreal screw job.
00:56:49He had now put himself on camera
00:56:52and had turned himself into this just unbelievable villain.
00:56:56Right as Steve Austin was growing,
00:56:59and boom, it was the perfect marriage.
00:57:01You ought to understand right now,
00:57:03Stone Cold Steve Austin does what he wants when he wants.
00:57:06I don't give a rash ass who you are.
00:57:12For WWE fans, it was a goal strike.
00:57:17Take your little ass to the back.
00:57:19Take your little piece of foot.
00:57:21I'll sit out here all back hard.
00:57:24Mr. McMahon and Austin created was nothing but magic.
00:57:28If anybody wants to see Vince McMahon get his ass whipped,
00:57:31give me a hell yeah.
00:57:34And it was something magical,
00:57:36and I'll say this about Vince.
00:57:38I love working with Vince McMahon.
00:57:41His passion or his guts or his feelings about the business or mine
00:57:45are just almost an equal parallel.
00:57:50I just can't explain it in any better words.
00:57:53You can put your little hand down in your pocket
00:57:56or wipe your ass with it.
00:57:58And something else I've been meaning to talk to you about,
00:58:00your language.
00:58:01Damn it, Vince, you're right.
00:58:03I said your language.
00:58:05He'll start up trying to apologize.
00:58:07Jesus Christ, give me a chance.
00:58:11Stone Cold Steve Austin was entrenched in a contentious rivalry
00:58:15with his boss, captivating audiences across the globe.
00:58:19Meanwhile, another brash young superstar was trailblazing his own
00:58:23path through the WWE and was on a collision course
00:58:27with the Texas Rattlesnake.
00:58:30I always had a blast working with The Rock.
00:58:33And I remember when he first came into WWE,
00:58:35and he always had a great look, good looking guy.
00:58:38Finally, the time has come for The Rock to defend his Intercontinental title.
00:58:44And all of a sudden, you start to see this guy start talking,
00:58:47and you knew this guy was gonna be big money real quick, real fast.
00:58:53Shake my hand, champ.
00:58:55I remember, you know, doing all the shenanigans with The Rock,
00:59:05throwing the championship belts off the bridge,
00:59:07or paging him with the 316 and the way he'd sell it with his eyes.
00:59:11The Rock and I always got along as soon as we met each other.
00:59:15We never ran in the same circles.
00:59:17We never traveled together.
00:59:18We didn't hang out together.
00:59:19But there was just a bond and respect and a trust there.
00:59:22And there was something about The Rock.
00:59:25I don't know what it is, but that guy always brought out the best in me.
00:59:31The Rock and Stone Cold's battle for WWE supremacy continued into the Royal Rumble.
00:59:37Proving he still stood atop the WWE, Stone Cold won the Rumble match for the second consecutive year,
00:59:52and was headed to the showcase of the Immortals, WrestleMania.
00:59:5718,000 charged fans witnessed history, including the WWE's special guest, Iron Mike Tyson.
01:00:05But the baddest man on the planet, who supported Austin feverishly at the Rumble,
01:00:10was caught in the crosshairs of the venomous Rattlesnake.
01:00:18Things were hauling ass.
01:00:19And then Vince gets a big idea to bring in Mike Tyson.
01:00:21And I said, God dang.
01:00:23I said, that's badass.
01:00:24This is going to be some good...
01:00:26I'm a big Mike Tyson fan.
01:00:27Loved his boxing career.
01:00:29And it turns out that Mike is a hellacious wrestling fan.
01:00:33There's never been a better example of stunt casting than when the WWE brought in Tyson.
01:00:38It just worked once again at so many levels.
01:00:41And people forget that that was at the point in time where WCW was beating the WWE every week.
01:00:46I respect what you've done in the boxing world, but Jesus Christ, son, when you step in this ring,
01:00:52you're messing with Stone Cold Steve Austin, and that's something you don't do.
01:00:56The confrontation with Mike Tyson and Stone Cold was huge.
01:01:02I mean, these guys, they look like equals.
01:01:04And I think it helped that Mike was such a... he was such a fan.
01:01:08Let me make it short and sweet.
01:01:10What I'm telling you is I want a piece of Mike Tyson's ass.
01:01:13Probably the most recognizable sports figure in the world at the time, considered the baddest man on the planet.
01:01:24I respect what you've done, Mike, but you're out here calling yourself the baddest man on the planet.
01:01:31Right now, you got your little beady eyes locked on the eyes of the world's toughest son of a bitch.
01:01:46I could beat you any day of the week, twice on Sunday.
01:01:50There's that put up or shut up moment as a performer.
01:01:54And that was the biggest moment in Steve's career up to that point.
01:01:59And he seized on it.
01:02:01Do I think you could beat my ass? Hell no.
01:02:04Do I think I could beat your ass? Why, hell yeah!
01:02:10All of a sudden, there's a clash in the ring and it's holy cow.
01:02:13I don't know how good your hearing is, but if you don't understand what I'm saying,
01:02:19I always got a little bit of sign language, so here's to you.
01:02:31When he pushed me, pushed me so hard for some reason, just a ton of $100 bills started flying out of his pockets.
01:02:37And his guys are looking around the ring, $100 bills are flying everywhere.
01:02:41His guys are trying to scoop up the money.
01:02:43I'm over there kicking and scratching, trying to get that son of a bitch.
01:02:47And I'll tell you what, if they'd have put Mike Tyson versus Stone Cold on a pay-per-view,
01:02:54I don't think that anybody would have beat it to this day.
01:02:57It was Mike Tyson. It was Stone Cold Steve Austin.
01:03:00And they are trying to get to each other's ass right here on Monday Night Raw.
01:03:06Boy, it was hot.
01:03:07It brought so many outside eyeballs to our product, to us, and it crossed over.
01:03:12I mean, everybody was talking about that, and Vince hit a grand slam with that idea.
01:03:18We were on SportsCenter. We were on every new show across the world.
01:03:22What's Mike Tyson doing these days? Take a look.
01:03:24Iron Mike Tyson is back in the fight, this time on a wrestling mat.
01:03:27Now it looks like he's headed into battle.
01:03:29Mike Tyson has gotten the go-ahead to get back into the ring, only this time it's the wrestling ring.
01:03:34You believed it, and it was the perfect storyline to help the WWE start beating WCW.
01:03:39I mean, you couldn't have had a better storyline.
01:03:41Big money players, you know, they come up big in big money situations.
01:03:45And that was the biggest, and he was the best.
01:03:49It catapulted Steve to another level.
01:03:51Now this guy who, outside of our universe, is this megastar, and now Austin is a rebel against him.
01:03:58We knew it was huge, and we knew it was great television.
01:04:01But at that point, great television happened so regularly for us that it may have seemed like just another great moment in Raw history
01:04:10had it not been for the follow-up in the mainstream media.
01:04:15Mike Tyson and his new WrestleMania pals will hit the mats on March 29th on pay-per-view.
01:04:19And that created the water cooler talk that just got everybody so pumped up.
01:04:25And then, you know, then we go into WrestleMania with all that momentum.
01:04:30It just continued to increase that rocket ship ride that Steve was on and that we were all on.
01:04:37DX was hammering down Austin's throat, and now they enlist the services of Mike Tyson.
01:04:44Boy, the deck just got stacked against this stone-cold Steve Austin.
01:04:50It's one of those things that, you know, every now and then we get to tap into something that sort of right off.
01:04:54with what absolutely everybody wants to do, and that's, you know, fight the system.
01:04:59It's almost like Shawn Michaels was almost the third wheel in that program.
01:05:02Shawn Michaels, the greatest of all time, is the third wheel in this angle.
01:05:06That's how interesting and intriguing Austin and Tyson was.
01:05:12Shawn was about to wrestle Steve and Tyson coming in and the buzz around that.
01:05:17We did a thing in Government Center in Boston a couple days before WrestleMania.
01:05:21And I think 30,000 people showed up.
01:05:24It just spoke volumes to everything that was happening.
01:05:26If you don't know, you should know.
01:05:32My name is Stone Cold Steve Austin, and I've been busting my ass for eight years
01:05:37to get this opportunity to wrestle for the title at a WrestleMania.
01:05:42You've never, ever had one of these, and I got news for you.
01:05:47Stone Cold, this is as close as you ever get.
01:05:52Can you feel it, ladies and gentlemen, wherever you are?
01:06:11Can you feel the emotion that we're all experiencing here,
01:06:14as the championship is about to be put on the line?
01:06:27Stone Cold Steve Austin must overcome the greatest champion of all time,
01:06:33and perhaps even Mike Tyson's officiating to get it done here.
01:06:38So he just knew it was going to be off the page, and he had that Mike Tyson element.
01:06:47Boy, that was his story.
01:06:49Once you do business with Mike Tyson, you know, the world is watching.
01:06:55There wasn't anybody that didn't recognize that Steve was the guy
01:06:58that should be taking the company into the future.
01:07:01Everybody was on board for that.
01:07:03He's the kind of guy that thinks there was a lot of people fighting him
01:07:07and a lot of people that didn't want that.
01:07:09And I don't know that there was anybody that did not recognize that.
01:07:12But the fact of the matter is, it needed to go to Steve.
01:07:16We had the match.
01:07:18It is what it is.
01:07:19It wasn't the greatest match in the world.
01:07:21I know we could have done a lot better.
01:07:23Shawn was in a lot of pain that night, but we got through the match.
01:07:26And then finally at the end of the match, he hit that stunner.
01:07:29Austin, he got it!
01:07:30The stunner!
01:07:31For Mike Tyson to count one, two, three.
01:07:33Mike Tyson in!
01:07:35Austin is the champion!
01:07:36Stone Cold!
01:07:38Stone Cold!
01:07:39Stone Cold!
01:07:40Stone Cold!
01:07:41A year journey has been culminated with gold!
01:07:45I can't explain the damn feeling that night, man.
01:07:48To be there in Boston and to win your first world championship
01:07:53from the heartbreak kid Shawn Michaels.
01:07:56For me to go out there and win that title from him was very special to me.
01:08:01For that company to say, here's our guy now.
01:08:05We're putting the load on his back.
01:08:07Some people don't understand what that belt means.
01:08:10It says, hey, you're our guy.
01:08:12We're going with you.
01:08:13Will you ever forget WrestleMania 14!
01:08:16From a company standpoint, finally the WWE was getting that mainstream notoriety.
01:08:22On screen, Mr. McMahon was appalled to have the insubordinate anti-hero representing his company as champion.
01:08:31But behind the scenes, Stone Cold was the obvious choice to captain the ship.
01:08:36Austin was the centerpiece of the WWE.
01:08:39And the Stone Cold persona resonated with the people and culture of the late 1990s.
01:08:45Well, from a business standpoint, Steve came along with the right character at the right time.
01:08:49The Austin 316 was sort of an anti-hero.
01:08:54Based on that and Steve's work ethic and his passion for the business,
01:08:59Steve sold out more arenas, set more pay-per-view records, more merchandising records,
01:09:05and you name it, whatever the record was to be broken, he shattered it.
01:09:11Stone Cold Steve Austin became a cultural icon.
01:09:14He transcended the WWE.
01:09:16People that didn't even watch wrestling knew what a Steve Weiser was.
01:09:19And that's where you know you really got something special.
01:09:21We'd like to welcome back a very special friend of ours.
01:09:24Stone Cold Steve Austin.
01:09:27Now wrestling has a new heavyweight star.
01:09:29Stone Cold Steve Austin is the man.
01:09:32Arguably the most popular wrestler of all time.
01:09:40One of the biggest stars in all America.
01:09:42So you're like the Oprah of wrestling.
01:09:44Yeah.
01:09:46Even though talk shows had their fingers on the sensor button,
01:09:49they didn't shy away from the Texas rattlesnake.
01:09:52They smell kind of funny.
01:09:53Use the words whoop-ass and Vince McMahon in a sentence.
01:09:57It's always fun to open up a hell of a can of whoop-ass on Vince McMahon.
01:10:00Vince didn't really demand me to make too many media appearances.
01:10:06Check this out right here.
01:10:08No, no, don't do it.
01:10:09On the big level stuff, on the big market stuff, I would do what I needed to do.
01:10:24I was that guy and I was happy to represent.
01:10:26It was my responsibility and you just did what you had to do to spread the word
01:10:29and get more eyeballs on the product.
01:10:31I tell you what, that wrestler makes you very horny.
01:10:34Does it?
01:10:35Suck my foot!
01:10:37That Stone Cold Stunner move.
01:10:39I've got a little move for you, boy.
01:10:41It's called the lukewarm wedgie.
01:10:43So bring it on, bitch!
01:10:45It was a great time, but it was what it was and I enjoyed it, but I just didn't dwell on it.
01:10:58WWE and WCW were embroiled in obviously a huge ratings war.
01:11:04Everybody hates their boss and I think a lot of people during the rise of Stone Cold Steve Austin would tune in to watch him give the old middle finger Stone Cold salute to the system.
01:11:15Stone Cold Steve Austin was born pissed off.
01:11:18I wasn't much of a fan of the show at the time, but I always found it really cool watching Steve.
01:11:25Things that they did after I left with him and Vince.
01:11:28And as much as I was not a fan of Vince's in that period, I really loved what Steve was doing and I was really proud of him and I was always a fan.
01:11:36Oh wait!
01:11:37What?
01:11:38What?
01:11:39Austin pouring that beer all over the ball!
01:11:45Austin McMahon provided countless hours of theater and comedy was a sizable portion of their antics, especially when it came to Mr. McMahon's henchmen.
01:11:54The Stooges.
01:11:55Man, when I look back and look at the Stooges that were working for Vince, Pat Patterson and Jerry Briscoe and two guys that I have so much respect for.
01:12:04We were both accomplished wrestlers in the ring, workers in the ring and people respected us for what we did.
01:12:12And now for the rest of our lives, that's forgotten.
01:12:15All we're known as now is two crazy old bubbling Stooges that yes sir and no sir, Mr. McMahon.
01:12:22Never has the word Stooges carried more honor with it than when these guys were Stooges for Vince McMahon.
01:12:29We're two old guys, I figure Steve Austin's gotta just play with us and have fun.
01:12:34Working with those guys was a ton of fun.
01:12:36And man, I tell you what, anytime I did something to those guys, I mean, when it came time for Stone Cold to punch, Patterson and Briscoe, I'm not gonna live and dog kicked out of them.
01:12:45I mean, he was Stone Cold, Steve Austin, and I must say he kicked the shit out of us.
01:12:50Wait a minute, Patterson, that's a starter!
01:12:53Pat and Gerald, to me, were both underappreciated by the WWE Universe.
01:12:58Did not understand how good these guys were at being complete losers.
01:13:04Steve is one of these guys that's very intense in the ring.
01:13:07He doesn't pull punches on you.
01:13:09When you go out with Steve Austin, you better be ready for a can of whoop ass.
01:13:15Stone Cold was Stone Cold.
01:13:18When he talked about ass whipping, that's what he did.
01:13:21And it was the most fun I ever had in my life.
01:13:23I've heard them complain a lot about all the potatoes I threw and all the black eyes and the bumps that I give them.
01:13:29But man, I know that those guys are so tough, they wouldn't have wanted it any other way.
01:13:33And we laugh about how stiff I am now.
01:13:36They'll complain, but they'd do it again tomorrow if they got a chance.
01:13:39And I would too.
01:13:42Comedy aside, Stone Cold fully understood that his power as the hottest attraction in television was based on one main factor.
01:13:50That he was an ass kicking son of a you know what.
01:13:55As we're doing this and we're positioning Austin versus McMahon, you got to understand,
01:13:59this is the first time Vince has ever been to this dance before.
01:14:02Now, Vince is one of the smartest guys I know.
01:14:05He'd hate to hear you say that on TV, but he's a second, third generation promoter.
01:14:10But he's never been where we're at at this point in time.
01:14:14What you had with Steve and Mr. McMahon was a chemistry that was not manufactured.
01:14:23The chemistry between the two performers was absolute money.
01:14:28He's smart enough just to keep throwing the right kind of fuel on the fire.
01:14:32Vince McMahon didn't screw Stone Cold Steve Austin.
01:14:38Oh no, not at all.
01:14:41Stone Cold screwed Stone Cold.
01:14:46The timing, the facial expressions that they displayed just was amazing.
01:14:55It was genius the fact that Steve was in this rivalry with his boss.
01:14:59I know people used to watch Monday Night Raw and they just want to see what Austin and McMahon were going to do this week.
01:15:04I said black tie.
01:15:07It's just a black tie, isn't it?
01:15:09Are you colorblind?
01:15:10Isn't that a black tie?
01:15:11When you have a strong character like Stone Cold, putting him in the right set of circumstances,
01:15:15everyone, you know, from a working class standpoint, middle class standpoint,
01:15:20and anyone who has an attitude, they can relate to Steve.
01:15:23I don't know how good your hair is, but you've got about 15,000 people calling you an asshole.
01:15:29It's kind of one of those things where, you know, you're stuck because you can't fire the guy
01:15:32because he's, you know, he's basically, you know, making you so much money and that sort of thing.
01:15:36So, but they hated each other and it was like, but they had to learn to coexist,
01:15:40but which they never could do, which made great television.
01:15:44What is Austin doing?
01:15:45Hey, he's my money.
01:15:46He's a pickpocket.
01:15:47And I don't know about humanitarian of the year, Vince,
01:15:49but if you think you should be jackass of the year, give me a hell yeah.
01:15:53Hell yeah!
01:15:55You think about all these different elements that sort of came together,
01:15:59and it's very hard to manufacture that.
01:16:03I think that's part of the charm of the Austin persona,
01:16:05is that he identified with Americana or the blue-collar working guy,
01:16:10no matter where he lived.
01:16:11What you see is what you get with Stone Cold Steve Austin.
01:16:14Am I a redneck from South Texas?
01:16:16You're damn right.
01:16:17And I ain't gonna change for nobody.
01:16:20It's not a stunt double.
01:16:22It's actually Stone Cold, because that's who he is.
01:16:24Now what I want you to do is bow down for Stone Cold.
01:16:29Oh!
01:16:30Recognizing that Steve perfectly fit the defiance of the working class,
01:16:35and the fact that the working class, they were dominated by their boss sometimes,
01:16:39or at least felt so.
01:16:40Okay?
01:16:41Enjoy this.
01:16:42Okay.
01:16:43I loved how the Austin character morphed into like this guy who would just drive
01:16:50any type of vehicle onto the show and trash things.
01:16:54I remember we were up there in Detroit.
01:16:56We were going to drive the Zamboni in.
01:16:58They told me how to drive the Zamboni.
01:16:59They gave me a lesson right there on the spot.
01:17:01Don't let him in here!
01:17:07The place just blew up.
01:17:09That was a blast.
01:17:10I ain't through with you, bitch!
01:17:14I ain't through with you, not yet by a long shot!
01:17:17Stone Cold made Mr. McMahon's life a living, uh, well, you know what?
01:17:22Making your boss pee himself in front of millions is incredible.
01:17:39McMahon 316 says I just pissed my pants!
01:17:45In so many of these things, you know, Steve had a blast beating the holy hell out of me,
01:17:50and he did.
01:17:56There's so many I can't even count, but my all-time favorite had to be the bedpan incident
01:18:02with, uh, Mr. McMahon.
01:18:04The hospital scene, though, was interesting.
01:18:06I mean, I had no idea what was coming.
01:18:08I was sitting there just like everyone else.
01:18:10Mr. McMahon had when he was hooked up to a heart monitor and a respirator for a bruised ankle bone.
01:18:16Sounds good! Bring it in!
01:18:18You gotta understand something.
01:18:19That was a stainless steel bedpan, and I'm gonna whack him in the head pretty damn solid with that thing.
01:18:24Steve was like, I don't know, Vince, you know, I don't know about this bedpan, you know?
01:18:30You know, it's solid steel, you know, and I don't know if I'm gonna clobber you with this.
01:18:36I had to be fine, Steve.
01:18:37So, we're doing the Mick portion of the shoot, and I hear this banging, you know, and it's like,
01:18:44what is this ringing going on?
01:18:46So, while Vince is, uh, doing his thing over there, I'm over there, you know,
01:18:49kind of bouncing that thing off my head, trying to find the sweet spot of that bedpan.
01:18:53You know, and yes, there is a sweet spot in a bedpan, and I need to find that right on Vince's skull.
01:18:57Looks just fine to me. How about you, doctor?
01:19:00Oh, I'll take it from here, nurse.
01:19:02No, no, no! No, no! No, no, no!
01:19:06So, boy, we started going at it, and I reached back to that bedpan, and I clocked him with everything I had.
01:19:11So, he was convinced it was gonna hurt enough, for sure, but maybe not too much.
01:19:16It had to look good, but I didn't want to kill the guy.
01:19:19And he clobbered me with that bedpan.
01:19:22It was a delicate thing to do to knock the shit out of him and not kill him.
01:19:28The sound of the bedpan clanging off the boss's head was just a classic.
01:19:32I had to actually take my headsets off so that everybody couldn't hear how loud I was laughing.
01:19:38Steve eventually attacked Mr. McMahon and did some type of invasive movement to him with a catheter.
01:19:47I'm gonna hurt you a lot, buddy. You gonna hurt me?
01:19:50You piece of trash!
01:19:56People all over the world, especially young students, college kids and things, they were talking about,
01:20:00what can Steve Austin do next to top what he did last week to Mr. McMahon?
01:20:04It was a time that was unlike any other.
01:20:07I think my favorite is the concrete truck.
01:20:10Learned how to drive that cement truck right before it went live on TV.
01:20:14He's driving a cement truck!
01:20:18Yes, sir, Mr. McMahon.
01:20:20And the way those trays folded down to pour that cement into that convertible Corvette, which was Vince's car,
01:20:25man, you had to do that with precision.
01:20:27I had to hit a certain mark and I had to fold those trays down to the right spot.
01:20:31So it would have been real easy to screw up that gig.
01:20:33Oh, my God, I don't believe this.
01:20:36You can't do that!
01:20:38I do not believe this, ladies and gentlemen.
01:20:40Mr. McMahon! Mr. McMahon!
01:20:42That's one of the Corvettes from Mr. McMahon's collection.
01:20:45That's a $50,000 car!
01:20:48No!
01:20:54See her!
01:20:56No!
01:20:57Oh, my God!
01:20:59Oh, my!
01:21:00Austin is loading McMahon's car!
01:21:02With cement!
01:21:04Got the bonus plan when the window shattered and the cement came pouring out the other side.
01:21:09Oh, my God!
01:21:17That rattlesnake has struck!
01:21:23Another big highlight for me was the beer truck.
01:21:27Man, I remember going through that thing that day,
01:21:29and I didn't think it was going to make it underneath the big Ross sign.
01:21:32We had 30 gallons of real beer that was going to come out of that truck,
01:21:35and then it turned to water.
01:21:36So that was real beer.
01:21:37He comes out and literally blasts Mr. McMahon with as much beer as you possibly can imagine.
01:21:53The sell job by Vince and The Rock and Shane was priceless.
01:21:57I mean, and Vince trying to swim in the middle of the ring in a beer was just absolutely bullshit.
01:22:04So by that moment, I mean the general
01:22:14AUGUS you were in danger.
01:22:15And that's a little cool episode of The Rock andSeePì‚´ij.
01:22:18It was five days ago that really sent up every day.
01:22:21It was a hot 때�oting this morning.
01:22:23Oh, my God.
01:22:24It was a hot producer for the assassins.
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