On the latest episode of “The Steve Austin Show”, Austin discussed some of his favorite moments at Madison Square Garden and more. Here are the highlights:
On Some Of His Favorite Moments At MSG:
It has just been announced I will be making my comeback after a 20-year absence – a 20-year absence – September 9, 2019, Monday Night RAW, WWE, ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin will be back making his return to the most famous arena in the world, Madison Square Garden. I cannot believe it has been 20 years since I’ve been to Madison Square Garden. I’ve got so many memories of working in that building. I remember hiding behind that blue curtain, watching all the matches, sometimes with Vince, getting all that knowledge from him, listening to what he [has] got to say about some of the matches.
One of the proudest moments in my WWE career, WWF back in the day, walking out to Madison Square Garden with the one and only Howard Finkel announcing my name, ‘from Victoria, Texas, ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin.’ This was old school. He had been with that organization forever. To hear him call out my name in The Garden, I knew I had arrived. That’s how much that meant to me.
On Bret Hart:
Going back to November 17, 1996, Survivor Series. Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart was making a comeback from getting some cleanup done in one of his knees and he handpicked none other than myself, ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin, for his return match. And Bret got the best of me that night and I’ll never forget it. And we formed a chemistry and a bond that night in that ring and everybody knows how much I respect Bret Hart. Everybody knows how much Bret Hart meant to the career of ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin and it goes back to one special night, November 17, 1996.
On MSG Being The Venue For His First Ever Stunner On Vince McMahon:
September 22, 1997, there, in The Garden, hey man, I was running through some neck problems. They were trying to keep me out of the ring. Vince McMahon finally calls me to the ring and tries to settle me down [saying], ‘hey man, we just care about you.’ What I said, whatever I said, ‘you can basically kiss my ass,’ and I gave Vince McMahon, the owner of the company, who had really just started coming out as being the owner. He had always been a behind-the-scenes guy. We pulled him out and gave him the first ‘Stone Cold’ Stunner. And that Stunner was the one heard around the world and shifted the tide in the Monday Night Wars and I’ll never forget that. And that was kind of a rough Stunner because Vince ain’t the most coordinated guy in the world. He almost slipped out, but we nailed it and that crowd went absolute bats–t crazy.” Austin remembered, “it was that old school flop sell. I loved it! He had his eyes open. It was one of the best things I’ve ever seen in my life.
On How Difficult It Was To End His Career:
So, man, it was interesting for me walking back in [at the RAW reunion show] because it’s like – I don’t know – that’s my home. And I had to leave and I didn’t want to leave and I had to leave at 38 years of age! I mean, Goddang, there were so many matches and money left on the table. And the fact that I had to pull the plug on myself. But I was talking to Dale [Earnhardt] Jr., and he had a lot of concussions from being in car wrecks and stuff like that, and he wanted someone to say, ‘hey man, you need to stop,’ but the doctors wouldn’t tell him that. And it’s the same thing with me. It’s like I probably could’ve kept going on, but it was like me looking at what where I was at right then, pulling the plug on myself was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do and it took me three years of, man, I was doing a lot of crazy stuff to occupy those three years and not making the best decisions to finally be able to come to grips with it.
You can listen to the episode by clicking HERE.
Credit: The Steve Austin Show. H/T WrestlingInc.
