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00:10There is no one that has ever laced their boots any more intense, any more with a will
00:17to win that Stone Cold Steve Austin. I'd run myself to the ground, wasn't in a great place and it
00:34was time to ride off a sunset and I did. To be at your prime and at the top of
00:41your game and then have to walk away had to have been very difficult for him to cope with.
00:44I did not handle life after wrestling well at all. I always said I would never come back, but then
00:52I also said if the stars ever aligned perfectly, that I would.
00:58After 19 years, Stone Cold Steve Austin, he is back!
01:03When you haven't done this for any period of time and all of a sudden you find yourself back going
01:09in the ring, that doubt is crippling.
01:12I'm always concerned about his health. Anything can happen out there that your body needs to be grinded to be
01:18ready.
01:19I think some people are still on the fence as to what it was going to be. I didn't know
01:24mechanically what I could do.
01:25People didn't know what to expect. It's a hell of a gamble. You don't know what you have.
01:32Although going into this with a clear head, I don't have that momentum confidence.
01:36But when that glass breaks, I'm Stone Cold. I fear nothing and I'm ready for everything.
02:04Come here, buddy. There's old Rebel, about 28 years old. He's got some arthritis, he's got some back problems, so
02:11he's retired.
02:12So he's living a good life and just hanging out and eating in the pasture. Every now and then I'll
02:17come out here and drink a beer with him.
02:20Man, the grind of the road is behind me. It's been behind me for a long time since I walked
02:24away in 2003.
02:27And coming out here to the middle of nowhere in Nevada, just peaceful surroundings. It's an absolute paradise.
02:35Now all these years have moved. My normal routine is getting up at about 5 or 6 in the morning,
02:41having a few cups of coffee.
02:42It takes about an hour to wake up. All right, good morning.
02:48All right. See, the thing about chickens is, you start walking around in the coop, there's a lot of chicken
02:54in there.
02:55Come on, y'all come on out. There you go. There you go.
02:59Normally, when I'm coming out here, I'm just walking around drinking coffee.
03:03My wife will usually feed the chickens and horses and all that stuff, and I kind of watch her do
03:07that.
03:07So the hard work out here is really done by my wife.
03:11That's the truth.
03:14Got three eggs. What a super score.
03:17Farm fresh eggs.
03:19Start selling these at the grocery store.
03:21It's a complete difference from what I was used to on the road.
03:24That's a grind that you put yourself through, and it's an absolute blast.
03:34My career wasn't the longest, but God dang, man, it was a rocket ride from hell.
03:42It kind of started getting frazzled at a physical level, and somewhat of a mental level as well.
03:47I was rolling pretty hard in those days, and that started to take its toll.
03:51The lifestyle that I was living, and the environment that I was putting myself in wasn't helping my physical status.
03:58You kind of start putting two and two together, and you think, hey, man, I might have worn my welcome
04:03out of what my body's willing to put up with.
04:06You never think about, you know, hey, man, this is the end.
04:10All of a sudden, the end just kind of starts showing itself or presenting itself in these small things that
04:15start happening, and then you kind of start putting two and two together, and you think, at some point in
04:20time, you need to address the situation and decide, you know, if you're going to stay in and continue the
04:26risk or you're going to get the out.
04:27And for me, it was time to get out.
04:31When it comes to walking away, when it's not on your own terms, it's not what you want.
04:37It's not the ideal.
04:39We'd rather be able to write our own ending.
04:43Leading up to WrestleMania 19, I had made the decision that that was going to be my last match, just
04:48based on how I was feeling, how I was living.
04:50I feel like .
04:52This is going to be my last match, and that's it.
04:55So going into that match, I was just thinking, hey, everything's cool.
04:58It's my last match.
04:59I'm right off in the sunset.
05:01But before that, I was at the gym with Kevin Nash, and we were on the recumbent bikes doing cardio.
05:07And my nervous system was really jacked up, and I didn't know what was going on.
05:10My feet were really shaking and trembling badly.
05:14I walked back to my hotel room, and I was on, like, floor 24.
05:18It was way up there, and I'm the only person in the elevator.
05:22But 24, I go up.
05:24As I'm about to step off the elevator, my heart starts beating.
05:29I timed it.
05:30It was like 180 beats a minute.
05:32And, man, I think I'm going to die.
05:34I'm thinking, man, .
05:35Dude, you're getting called.
05:37This is when you're going to leave the earth.
05:40And all of a sudden, the doors opened.
05:43There was Liz DeFabio, WWE employee, coming down the hall.
05:47And I looked at her, and I knew Liz.
05:48I said, Liz, I'm in trouble.
05:50Liz calls 911.
05:52Two ambulances show up.
05:55They're running all kinds of tests on me.
05:57At the time, I was drinking, you know, one, two, three bottles of wine a night.
06:02I'd drink two pots of coffee when I woke up in the morning.
06:04I'd drink three ripped fuels or whatever they call it before you go to the gym.
06:08I was consuming so much caffeine and so much alcohol and so little water
06:13that I was basically dehydrated, and my nervous system was on the edge.
06:17So it just freaked out.
06:19And so it turns out as I'm laying there in the hospital bed, you know, the doctor comes by the
06:24next morning,
06:25and I think he put four liters of fluid in me.
06:26I was really dehydrated.
06:28And he never cleared me to go to the ring and work, but then cleared me to get me out
06:33of the hospital.
06:35And even though I just spent the night in the hospital, when that glass broke, that was go mode.
06:49And you know what? If I went out there and ripped it up with the Rock and we had a
06:54great match, great.
06:57If I end up and then I died in the ring, well, **** it, I died in the best place
07:00I ever could have been.
07:01Here we go!
07:03Either way, you know, the job is going to get done.
07:05You're seeing one hell of a match between two of the greatest that have ever been in the ring.
07:11Oh, the starter! The starter!
07:14And so, three rock bottoms.
07:21And when that third count went down, I just felt like...
07:31The peacefulness washed over me because at that moment, the pressure was gone.
07:39I wasn't putting myself into risk. I wasn't going to live on the road anymore.
07:44Life was going to change and it was probably going to be a lot easier.
07:49The stress was off. There was relaxation. I didn't kick the bucket.
07:55And I could go home.
08:02To be at your prime and at the top of your game and then have to walk away had to
08:07have been very difficult for him to cope with.
08:11Any time you put your heart and soul in something for a long period of time, it's hard to walk
08:15away from it.
08:17Coming out of that spotlight and going home, it's a tough transition.
08:21It's a lot harder than you think it is.
08:23A lot of guys will self-destruct.
08:31Retiring at 38 was very hard to process.
08:34I did not handle life after wrestling well at all.
08:37I didn't have a plan.
08:40I just drank a lot. I did a lot of hunting and fishing.
08:44When you used to be in front of people every night, you used to be in on the road.
08:47On one hand, I thought, oh man, this is a great relaxation because it's over. The pressure's over.
08:53But you miss the people. You miss the boys.
08:56You miss the adrenaline.
08:58I can't say that in any way, shape or form has anything I've done since taken a place or filled
09:03the void that leaving professional wrestling held for me.
09:08And I'd say it took me a couple of years to come to grips with it and to really honestly,
09:13you know, get my feet back under me and start moving forward as a human being.
09:21I was at the house in L.A. and Vince McMahon called me. I didn't know what he was calling
09:25for.
09:26And he said, hey man, we'd like to put you in the Hall of Fame. What do you think?
09:30I didn't like you to ask him any question if I wanted to go in the Hall of Fame.
09:34I said, yeah, hey, I'll be there.
09:43Going into the Hall of Fame at night, from an emotional standpoint, extreme gratitude,
09:47just because and through all the things that I've done in my career, man, first and foremost, I worked my
09:54ass off to try to, you know, learn how to entertain people.
09:58And through all the highs and lows and struggles and good times and bad times, my fan base has always
10:05stuck with me.
10:07Thank you so much.
10:10I want to thank you so much for always sticking with me.
10:14It has been my pleasure and a privilege to make my living in a squared circle 20 feet by 20
10:20feet.
10:22There's not too many things, you know, in this life that I'm good at.
10:27And it's just, uh...
10:38I always said I would never come back.
10:41And that's the bottom line, because Stone Cold said so.
10:48But then I also said, if the stars ever aligned perfectly, that I would.
11:01As far as WrestleMania 38 goes, the first reach out to me, it was a really weird thing, because the
11:07office wanted to send a couple head honchos down, say hi to me.
11:11And I told my wife, Chris, and I'm like, man, these mother...
11:15They don't come down and say hi to anybody.
11:17So anyway, they come over to this place right here, and my wife cooks steaks, and we had a couple
11:25drinks.
11:27They go, what do you think about, you know, having one more match?
11:31And I shot down, I don't know, four or five times.
11:36It's a funny thing, because I think Steve has been talked to many times before about doing things.
11:42I think his name comes up, you know, probably yearly, and there's a question asked about, hey, you want to
11:46do something at Mania?
11:48I never really wanted to wrestle again.
11:52I've walked away, I'm done.
11:56The company was resolute on me being a part of that show.
11:59And finally, after about the third, fourth, or even fifth try, they go, you started in Dallas, you end in
12:06Dallas, one last can of whoop-ass.
12:08The new find of Chris Adams and the USWA Wrestling School, Steve Williams.
12:15My career as a professional wrestler began in a Dallas Sportatorium.
12:21No one in my family could understand what I saw in it and why I liked it.
12:25My younger brother, Kevin, who's been my biggest supporter from my family, has followed my career ever since I started.
12:32And one of my first matches in Dallas, Texas, he was there.
12:35He told me he's going to try it out and I figured that'd be great, you know, you got the
12:39size, you got the build.
12:41You know, I supported him whatever he wanted to do.
12:44I always said, if the stars ever aligned perfectly in the sky, then I would have another match.
12:49And the caveat being, it was in Dallas, Texas, it was where I started, it'd be great to finish there.
12:55It was with Kevin Owens, who I knew was a great guy and a great worker and a great talker.
13:03You know, it sounds so corny to say, but I was really the biggest Stone Cold fan.
13:07There's pictures of me when I was a kid, head to toe in Stone Cold year all the time.
13:12Austin hat, Austin shirt, everything.
13:14Floor to ceiling, Stone Cold Steve Austin posters and just, uh, just the biggest fan.
13:21In 2005, Sammy and I were doing a lot of independent work.
13:25We are young, independent wrestlers.
13:27And now we're starting to break out into the U.S.
13:30And we're starting to fly.
13:33We're doing these flights on zero sleep and sometimes two.
13:36It's even happened with three connections.
13:38You know, whatever we got to do.
13:40We were in the middle of one of those travel days and we're about to board our third flight.
13:44We're really dead tired.
13:45And I just remember walking toward the water fountain.
13:49And I just looked to my left.
13:51And my first thought was, oh, that guy looks like Steve Austin.
13:55Oh, that is Steve Austin.
13:57I'm on the ground sleeping and I'm so, so out of it.
14:01And I get woken up in a panic by Kevin.
14:04He goes, dude, come on, we gotta go, we gotta go.
14:06Right now, we gotta go.
14:08And I'm so in a haze that for some reason,
14:12I'm under the understanding that he's gotten into some kind of altercation.
14:15And now he needs me for backup.
14:17We're about to go have a fist fight.
14:19I mean, as we're walking toward Austin, he goes, who are we fighting?
14:23I'm like, what?
14:24He thought I was asking him to come fight some guys.
14:26Which to his credit, he was coming.
14:27He was, okay, we're gonna fight guys in an airport.
14:30That's a good plan.
14:31But then I'm like, we're gonna see Stone Cold Steve Austin.
14:35Sammy looks up, sees him and goes, that's not stuff.
14:37Oh, it is.
14:39So we approached him.
14:40I remember Kevin Owens coming up to me and Sammy Zane was there as well.
14:45And Kevin started running off at the mouth and, you know, nice to meet me.
14:49He'd been a long time fan of mine.
14:51We told him we're independent wrestlers.
14:52And then he started talking to us about wrestling, just what we're doing,
14:55how things are going.
14:57We probably ended up talking to him for a good 10 minutes.
14:59And then it was time to board.
15:00They called first class, which obviously he was on and we weren't.
15:03Right before he bore, I like, hey, before you go, I just,
15:05if you have one piece of advice for us, what is it?
15:09And I said, kid, you just need to learn how to run your mouth.
15:12You need to learn how to talk.
15:13I took that advice to heart.
15:15It's an understatement when I say that advice probably helped get me where I am today for sure.
15:20I never would have imagined that I'd work with Steve because he retired 19 years ago.
15:28Honestly, I really thought something's gonna change.
15:31It's too good to be true.
15:33But then no, I went out on TV and got to call him out.
15:37I want to have the biggest, most stupendous KO show in history.
15:44The KO show is Kevin Owens' personal platform within WWE,
15:49which nine times out of 10 ends with both Kevin and his guests in some sort of physicality.
15:54And you know, I've been thinking about who my guests could be and I have the perfect guest in mind.
16:02Man, the goosebumps I had when I said Stone Cold Steve Austin, like I'll never forget that.
16:07Stone Cold Steve Austin!
16:13The reaction is just so unbelievable.
16:18Here we go.
16:19In three.
16:27When I cut that promo on the desert, I was just thinking been a long time since I cut a
16:31promo.
16:32What level of Stone Cold am I?
16:35Stone Cold Steve Austin just cut a promo.
16:39And I thought maybe we should watch it together.
16:43Kevin Owens, I want to thank you.
16:46I want to thank you for waking something up deep inside me that I've kept buried for 19 years.
16:52Hey, Stone Cold Steve Austin.
16:54You are one dumb son of a bitch.
16:58Whether you want to call this a KO show, a match, a fight, a brawl, whatever.
17:04Did you hear him say match?
17:05I will guarantee you this.
17:06Stone Cold Steve Austin is going to open up one last can of whoop-ass on you, Kevin Owens.
17:13And that's the bottom line, cause Stone Cold said so.
17:18Oh.
17:19My.
17:21God.
17:22It's funny cause I talked to Steve on the phone, I talked to Steve face to face.
17:26But that wasn't, that was Stone Cold.
17:28Like that promo was Stone Cold.
17:30And I saw it.
17:37The Nevada desert is kind of my refuge.
17:39I come out here to relax.
17:40There's a lot to think about.
17:41I never thought I'd get back in the ring again in my life.
17:44And so I come out here and just cruise around in the buggy.
17:49Sometimes I ride fast as hell.
17:50Sometimes I just cruise.
17:51It just gives me a chance to relax my brain and not think about it.
17:55Cause sometimes I just need to separate things and just chill for a minute.
17:59So it's very important for me to come out here and maintain my sanity.
18:04But then going into AT&T Stadium with 80,000 people and trying to focus on doing what I need
18:09to do with KO, put on a show, you know, that's the, I live for that moment just as well.
18:15I'll micromanage and microprocess everything leading into that.
18:19Cause I'll be wanting to meet expectations, not want to let anybody down.
18:24Cause I know when they said, hey, Stone Cold and KO are going to do something.
18:27I know a lot of people bought some tickets to see that.
18:29So I want to make sure that we don't disappoint them.
18:31But sometimes it's hard to remove your mind from dwelling on that.
18:39Not sure if you've heard, but WrestleMania is back in Texas.
18:45150,000 fans will be pouring into AT&T Stadium over the next few days to attend the WWE's marquee
18:51event.
18:52Saturday night sees the big return of Stone Cold Steve Austin to the ring 19 years after losing his last
18:57WrestleMania match.
19:02Man, there's a lot to think about.
19:04I started my wrestling career here in Dallas, Texas, back in 1989.
19:09Well, when I agreed to be part of WrestleMania 38, I was just agreeing to be a part of WrestleMania.
19:15I didn't care where on the card they put me.
19:17I was just happy to be there.
19:19Vince called me and says, how do you feel about closing the show?
19:31On Saturday night.
19:35Pretty good.
19:37Yeah.
19:38So for me to be 57 and be in the main event at WrestleMania with Kevin Owens, there's a lot
19:46going on.
19:48When you hear that you're going to be the main event rather than just somewhere part of the card, it
19:53changes everything as far as expectations.
19:56So even though it's not built as a match, now because it is a main event, at least in my
20:02head, you know, there are expectations that need to be met.
20:09A couple days before WrestleMania, we go down to Billy Bob's, which is a great honky-tonk in Texas, and
20:16we're going to release Broke's Gold American Lager, which we'd just come out with.
20:21The thing that I did take to heart was the enthusiastic response in which people showed up to that event
20:28and were ready to see it.
20:29Oh, hell yeah!
20:31Hell yeah!
20:32Right here!
20:33Here's the commissioner!
20:34Yes, sir!
20:35F*** the commissioner I got!
20:38What's tomorrow?
20:39What's tomorrow?
20:39What's tomorrow?
20:40Hey, all tomorrow?
20:42How do you choose whether you'd like to walk out, sir?
20:43I think now's a good time.
20:45Here he comes!
20:45Here he comes!
20:46Here he comes!
20:47Slide him out!
20:49Made me feel good and made me feel confident.
20:51It's like, God dang, man.
20:53How long can I be gone?
20:55You know, these people will never forget about me.
20:59If you don't know, I'll tell you, I'm involved in WrestleMania 38 this year.
21:09Thank you again to everybody who showed support and love.
21:13What you people did for me was give me a way to make a living.
21:16And if you had fun watching me, I had twice as much fun doing that s*** with you guys.
21:24If you're ready for WrestleMania 38, give me a hell yeah!
21:30I think everybody wanted to see Steve back in a ring, but they still didn't quite know what you were
21:36gonna get.
21:36And I remember talking to Kevin, who's a very good friend of mine, and Kevin didn't quite know what he
21:41was gonna get.
21:42My friends texted me like, what are you guys doing?
21:43I was like, I don't know.
21:45They were like, well, this has to be a match if you're the main event.
21:47I'm like, I don't know.
21:48I don't know.
21:49It was never being promoted as Steve Austin's last match.
21:53It was more about he's gonna appear.
21:54Whether it was a conversation, a appearance, just the glass break in general, I think, is what a lot of
22:00us were just hoping for.
22:01So we're pumped up about it, but we hope there's a match.
22:09Thank you, sir.
22:11Hey, Mark.
22:20I've been in a few police escorts in my day, but at WrestleMania in Seattle, Washington, all those years ago,
22:25it was a pretty somber experience, because I'd just come out of the hospital.
22:29So it was nothing like this.
22:30It's pretty badass.
22:31It's pretty chill, and it's pretty special.
22:37It's a strange weekend, because when I got here a few days early, just trying to acclimate, I was kind
22:42of all over the place, a little bit emotional just as far as being appreciative of being here.
22:48There's no emotion today as far as all that sentimental stuff.
22:52It's business at hand, and the business at hand is to go out there and do the best I can
22:58to entertain those people who came to see WrestleMania, the other WWE superstars, and specifically Stone Cold.
23:06So it's laser-focused time right now.
23:09Peter told me 19 years ago when I walked away, hey, you know what?
23:13When 38 comes around in Dallas, Texas, all the stars are gonna align, and you're gonna end up headlining one
23:18night of WrestleMania.
23:19You know, I would have said you fully .
23:21So it's a pressure situation, because you're going on last.
23:26But, man, if I don't go out there and have fun, I'm letting myself down, and I'm letting the people
23:32down.
23:36But when you go back into that kind of setting, it's an alpha state.
23:40And if you ain't alpha, you're better.
23:44And I don't believe in being better.
23:54What's happening, guys?
23:58Hey, we got some beers for you, too, man.
24:00If y'all don't drink a beer with me after this bullshit is over, I'm calling you.
24:04What you think this is for?
24:04Oh, I bet.
24:05This is why I got it right here.
24:07This is why I got it.
24:08Wait, what's tonight?
24:09It's a night, man.
24:10It's a night for some more after, man.
24:12How you feeling, man?
24:15What?
24:16Yeah.
24:17Oh, I'm so excited for you tonight.
24:21Hey, sir.
24:22It is an honor to meet you in person, man.
24:24By the time we finally met.
24:25I know.
24:26I can't wait to watch you do your thing tonight.
24:27This place is going to explode.
24:30Well, you know, we hope so.
24:31Man.
24:32We hope so.
24:32I've been gone a long time, so you kind of, you know, wonder if you still got that connection.
24:37Man.
24:41It just seems like everything passed by so fast.
24:44I, I, I, I, I said that earlier today.
24:47It's just flown by.
24:49There was a time where I never looked at the end.
24:52Yeah.
24:52I just thought, you know, I just thought this forever.
24:55Yeah.
24:55I really.
24:56I've crossed paths with all the people that I have and done business with all the people
25:00that I have and to kind of transcend the business only because of the, the business, especially, particularly WWE events.
25:08It really means a lot to me.
25:12And just the fact that I'm from Texas, I played football down the road.
25:16I started here in Dallas, the chance to perform in this building is really important
25:21to me because I played the garden.
25:22I played all the great buildings.
25:24And this is one of the Mac daddies.
25:28You can't pass up the house that Jerry built.
25:31You just can't.
25:32This is home of the Dallas Cowboys.
25:34That's a global brand.
25:36When you walk into a building like this and your head is on right.
25:40The way I look at it, Jerry Jones built it.
25:42But while I'm out here, when that glass breaks, I own it.
25:47After 19 years away from the rig, Stone Cold Steve Austin, he is back.
25:55When you calculate the time off, age, the biggest thing that we have
26:00and the thing that we rely on the most is our timing and our fluidity and all of that.
26:06And when you're not in the ring week after week after week, it becomes difficult to have that.
26:12Ready?
26:13Right as I can, baby. Short notice.
26:16No, you don't.
26:17That's what we do.
26:18It's just so hard for a guy like Stone Cold Steve Austin to come back and perform at that level
26:24with not having his body being grinded on for 19 years.
26:29Before the big night.
26:31Well, he's never going to hurt his legacy.
26:33I'm always concerned about his health.
26:35God, you look great, man.
26:37Thanks, man.
26:38It was short notice.
26:39I'm trying.
26:40You did it.
26:42When you haven't done this for any period of time, a significant period of time,
26:47and all of a sudden you find yourself back going in the ring, that doubt is crippling.
26:54How long do I have?
26:55The sooner I have them, it will be better just so I know what I'm actually wearing.
27:02You know, can I do this?
27:03Can I be what I was before?
27:04Will they remember?
27:05Will they care?
27:07Vince had even had conversations with Steve right up till day of.
27:10Like, look, if you get out there and you're just feeling a stunner and that's it.
27:13You know, that's it.
27:15If you feel like you want to do more, take it bit by bit.
27:18And when you're ready to say that's enough, that's enough.
27:22I know for all of us, when you come back,
27:26it's the most intimidating, scariest thing that goes on in our life,
27:30is can I still do it?
27:33It's the hardest thing in the world to get over because you don't know.
27:38Wrestling is very specific.
27:40I hadn't done any kind of work that was wrestling related,
27:43so I didn't know mechanically what I could do.
27:46You know, Triple H would tell me time and time again,
27:49even up to that moment, literally,
27:51Steve won't know what he wants to do until he gets out there.
27:54Even the fans in the arena were not of the impression
27:57this is going to be a match.
27:58It was just going to be a talking segment that would likely end
28:01in a few stunners and some Steve Weisers maybe.
28:04It's a hell of a gamble, right?
28:05You don't know what you have.
28:07You could have got out there and done one stunner and been like,
28:10forget that. I'm not doing anything else.
28:12And that would have been a very quick main event.
28:15Kevin, this is history. Enjoy it.
28:17I will.
28:18Thanks.
28:21I was kind of just winding down from my own high of my own match.
28:25And I heard Kevin Owens go out.
28:29And then I ran out to the side stage and I was still in my gear.
28:35And I got my camera out because I didn't want to miss a moment of it.
28:39Sometimes, you know, if there's a comeback or something,
28:42when you watch it, there can be that debate of,
28:45I wish maybe I didn't watch that.
28:47You know, I would rather have kept the memory the way it was.
28:50And you always run that risk, right?
28:52And I know for Steve, it would be the same.
28:55You don't want to embarrass yourself.
28:56You want to go out there and do right by the WWE Universe and our fans.
29:01Do right by yourself and your legacy.
29:03You don't want to let anybody down.
29:05You feel a lot of things back here.
29:11Although I'm going to this with a clear head and a good space,
29:14I don't have that momentum confidence.
29:18So hopefully when that glass breaks, you know,
29:21my process is whatever that crowd gives me,
29:26I'm going to know where I'm at.
29:30And this is going to make me, you know,
29:33want to run through a brick wall.
29:40Yeah, I'm a bad mother again.
29:43Here we go.
29:54Man, once the glass broke and the place went nuts.
30:16The coolest thing about that was Becky and these newer generation people wanted to be out in the crowd to
30:23actually feel what the Stone Cold Pop was like.
30:28I mean, I'm a bit envious.
30:29I wish I was kind of in that spot just to be a part of that energy.
30:32It was pretty rad.
30:33It was pretty great.
30:35Everyone was into it.
30:36You just, you live and die by that.
30:39You're just thinking, God .
30:42Thank you for remembering.
30:44It's been damn near 20 years and you still give a .
30:53And then it's like, you know,
30:56yeah, man.
30:57Let's go do this.
31:16Stone Cold taking part in the KO show in and of itself was a massive event.
31:21It definitely fit at WrestleMania, but there had been a lot of wishful thinking.
31:25It had seemed so impossible.
31:26Of course, Stone Cold's in-ring days were done.
31:29No way that was going to happen.
31:30I don't want to talk.
31:32I'm looking for a fight.
31:38Once I said I'm looking for a fight, the, like, just the buzz that grew.
31:41If you want Stone Cold Steve Austin to compete in a match tonight and get your sack of .
31:47Give it a hell yeah.
31:51I didn't even know it was going to be a match.
31:53He was going to be on the Kevin Owens show.
31:54I figured he was going to come out, talk smack back and forth.
31:58I figured he'd put a stunner on Kevin Owens.
32:00That'd be it.
32:01I thought it was just going to be a build up and then they were just going to, like, tease
32:03you.
32:04And so the fact that it turned into an actual match, too, it was just so much fun.
32:08Because the whole stadium is just, edge of their seats are standing up, leaning on the railing in front of
32:12them.
32:13I think it's actually going to happen.
32:1519 years in the making.
32:18There's the ball.
32:20Here we go.
32:21Austin and Owens peeing off.
32:23They have a full, badass match.
32:27Owens sent over the top to the outside.
32:30He was going to put in that work.
32:33And that is exactly what he did.
32:36Look at the fire in the eyes of Steve Austin.
32:41I couldn't believe some of the stuff that he was doing.
32:43God!
32:45When I landed on my back on that concrete, it was, it was a, it was a hell of a
32:51cut.
33:05I wouldn't do that, me, today, an active performer, you know, who's relatively healthy. There's no chance.
33:13That is it, Austin's not getting up.
33:16I don't care if you're the toughest SOB on the planet.
33:22God, it was just so much fun.
33:25Look at Stone Cold, still fighting, still swinging, still firing up.
33:29Oh!
33:30Oh, yes!
33:31Oh!
33:32Oh!
33:33Gavin Owens laid out of our commentary table!
33:37The pressure wasn't on him like it was back in the day.
33:41So he was just going out there, having a good time and, you know, taking his bowels and accepting his
33:48roses.
33:48And I thought it was really cool.
33:50Austin looking to return the favor!
33:55I think, with what Steve did in this business, I don't think he could ever do anything to tarnish his
34:00legacy.
34:00They have so much respect for him.
34:03I think he made such an imprint on who Stone Cold Steve Austin was, that they're just happy to see
34:11him again.
34:14I mean, again, they're beating the tar out of each other.
34:27He didn't just show up and hit a stunner and drink a beer.
34:31He put on a clinic.
34:33And if that was the last time we ever see him, it would be a hell of a way to
34:38go out.
34:39Stunner!
34:40Stunner!
34:46Three!
34:52It was awesome. I can poke no holes in that match. It was brilliant.
34:56Had the fans on their feet. It was just awesome.
35:02I'd imagine there was a part of him that was like, that was the one that I needed.
35:07I can now, you know, shut that suitcase, put it in the attic and be done with it.
35:13It was just so much fun as a fan to be able to witness that one more time.
35:17Kevin, my brother, he was sitting right next to George Kittle, tied in for those San Francisco 49ers.
35:23So I gave him the signal to come on in. And the security guard let him in.
35:28So cold, sharing a moment in the cold one with his brother, deep in the heart of Texas.
35:35I think that was just his payback to me for supporting him all those years and then wind up in
35:41Dallas Cowboy Stadium.
35:42I wanted to share a moment in the ring with my brother because he supported me so much.
35:47He was the number one guy in the family that supported me, so I appreciated it.
35:51He signed autographs in the parking lot trying to get to his car after the show.
35:55I made a star out of him that night.
36:01Good job, kid.
36:05Congratulations, man. I'm so happy for you.
36:08For me to be at the age I'm at, come out here and headline a WrestleMania in Dallas, Texas, where
36:14I started, where I stopped, just means the world to me.
36:17I had a blast.
36:23Night one of WrestleMania is in the books.
36:3570,000 plus once again here at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas.
36:41We are still recovering from a stupendous night one.
36:47So, I'm in my car.
36:50I'm going to WrestleMania on Sunday night.
36:52And the plan was, let's just sit there and low-key, drink whiskey and Coke, and watch the guys and
36:59gals work.
37:02You guys can do a picture real quick.
37:04Best of luck, dude. I appreciate that.
37:06Can we get a picture?
37:07Yeah.
37:07You're good. You're good. Yeah, that way.
37:11Hi. How you doing, man?
37:12How you doing, dude?
37:13Are you kidding me?
37:14I'm incredible now.
37:15You were incredible last night.
37:17That was the loudest of stadium I've been in a while.
37:20That was awesome.
37:21I mean, I'm used to being on the field for it, so, like, that was loud.
37:23You couldn't hear yourself talk.
37:25It was incredible.
37:26Did you see those two long-range catches?
37:28Oh, my gosh.
37:29I gave you a shot today on the show.
37:30I said, best hands in the NFL right here.
37:32Yeah.
37:32This guy right here.
37:33I mean, you two.
37:34A couple of those could have gotten away.
37:35Those two I was proud of because I knew you was out there.
37:38Oh, I was watching.
37:39I know.
37:39I said it to your brother the whole time.
37:40Someone says, hey, Vince wants to talk to you.
37:43Sure enough, I go to his dressing room.
37:45And he goes, God dang, that was great last night.
37:50He goes, what did you think about the four-wheeler?
37:52I said, oh, the four-wheeler was great.
37:54You want it?
37:55I said, yeah, it's yours.
37:56So Vince gives me a four-wheeler right after I walk into the room.
37:59And then he goes, hey, listen, what if you went out there?
38:02And I know you did what you did last night.
38:04And you can sit here and you can enjoy what happened last night.
38:06But I really think it'd be great if when I go out there with Austin Theory.
38:11Theory, the embodiment of the entitled era.
38:15If you go out there, it'd be great.
38:17A sniveling, cowardly hunk.
38:20Because I understand if you don't want to do this.
38:22And I told him, I said, hey, man, you're the coach.
38:24If you want me to work, I'll work.
38:26And so that's what I did.
38:29Pat McAfee is about to step into this ring at WrestleMania and face Austin Theory.
38:35Not long before the match, Bruce Prichard comes up to me.
38:38And he says, all right, after the match, glass breaks, Steve comes out.
38:43I'm like, I'm drinking.
38:45So tonight I'm hammering beers with Steve Austin.
38:48One, two, three.
38:51Oh, my God.
38:53The Texas Rattlesnake.
38:57I did not expect this.
39:02I feel like it's 1999 all over again.
39:11Oh, Theory went after Austin.
39:13Oh, big mistake.
39:14And Stone Cold unloaded on Theory.
39:19You're like, okay, when's it coming?
39:21Like, you just know it's coming.
39:27Austin stunts Austin.
39:34I thought we were going to have a good time.
39:35I thought we were going to shake hands maybe.
39:36You know, shake hands, keep it moving.
39:38Here we go.
39:39Now it's time to celebrate.
39:41McAfee's wanted to drink beer with Stone Cold forever.
39:50Instead, I get the old kick to the gut.
39:53Stunner.
39:54Oh, no!
39:56And then Pat McAfee takes a friggin' epic stunner.
40:04So we just kind of timbered back.
40:10And then I get beer dumped on me.
40:13And then, uh, as I'm laying on the ground,
40:17dumping a Steve Weiser into my mouth afterwards.
40:20My brain is also thinking, like,
40:22you live the dumbest life of all time.
40:24How the hell did you end up here?
40:26We will never find out that answer.
40:28Let's just try to enjoy this all.
40:30I thought we were friends over here.
40:32Great athletic ability.
40:33All you're supposed to do is kick a **** off.
40:35That's all I do, man.
40:36No, dude. Amazing.
40:37Thank you so much.
40:38Great composure out there.
40:39Thank you. I appreciate you.
40:41That was a perfect place
40:43in a perfect way
40:45to end his career.
40:47And yet, he will continue to be a force
40:50in WWE and in popular culture
40:52for as long as he wants to be a force.
40:56You know, at the end of the day,
40:57it was a very special weekend
40:59for Stone Cold Steve Austin.
41:02Is there a chance that you have
41:03one more match left?
41:05Yeah.
41:09If that's how Stone Cold Steve Austin,
41:11the cowboy rides away,
41:13that's an unbelievable ride off into the sunset.
41:16To do that, to have essentially a match
41:19at this point where we've been told
41:21that that will never ever happen again.
41:24That's an unbelievable send off.
41:28Nineteen years later,
41:29he's still incredibly relevant.
41:31You know, I can't think of anybody
41:32that's had that kind of impact.
41:35He's already a Hall of Famer.
41:36He's already the greatest to ever do it.
41:38So to be able to close the book on his terms
41:41with a final performance like that
41:43is really just a,
41:44kind of a chef's kiss,
41:46a little cherry on top.
41:48Steve to me is the biggest star in the history of business.
41:51I wish him nothing but the best,
41:52and he deserves it.
41:55Hats off to the biggest box office performer ever.
42:01It was a nice trip back in time,
42:03and it was also a moment for us all to say,
42:05yeah, we were right.
42:07Every time we said we wanted Steve back,
42:10we knew he still had it,
42:12and he'll have it forever.
42:16If I never get in a ring ever again in my life,
42:18I'm 100%.
42:21I've walked away.
42:22I'm happy with what I did.
42:24There's people who've done more.
42:26It'll last longer.
42:28I had a pretty good run.
42:29I'm pretty happy with it.
42:30So, I ain't got nothing to prove to nobody.
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