WWE HOFer Steve Austin Looked For 'The Bottom Of A Bottle' After Retirement
Traditionally, upon retirement, wrestlers haven't had the easiest time transitioning into retirement after life as a globally-renowned superstar. Nobody reached a higher level of stardom in the wrestling business than "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and he wasn't exempt from that difficult transition when he retired at 38 in 2003. Though he's since returned, defeating Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 38, Austin has, for the most part, stayed out of the wrestling limelight, finding other things to occupy his time in the nearly 23 years since he walked away after losing to The Rock at WrestleMania 19.
On "DJD Classics" with Dale Earnhardt Jr., Austin recapped life after being an active competitor, including some difficult times. "Hell, I retired when I was 38," he said. "[It's not] just about the money; it's about the good times, being with the boys, traveling down the road, being in front of a crowd, getting that adrenaline rush. That's what I lived and breathed and so, I didn't handle it well." Reversing course on those moments when one isn't coping with things in a healthy a manner often takes some time, and with that in mind, Austin was no different. "For about three years," he explained, "I drank, I hunted, and I fished, and just did a lot of stupid stuff, and one morning, I woke up, and I went in the bathroom, [and said], 'Dude, the things you're doing are not conducive to living a long life.'"
From there, Austin decided to parlay some of the equity he'd built into his name and find a place in the entertainment world. He'd move in with Diamond Dallas Page in Los Angeles, where he said he "wasted about a year out there still searching for the bottom of a lot of bottles," but eventually, made connections for smaller movies, got hooked up with WWE again for "Tough Enough," landed "The Broken Skull Challenge," and ultimately, realized he enjoyed conversing with people enough that a natural fit with in the podcast world came to pass with both "The Broken Skull Sessions" and "The Steve Austin Show."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "DJD Classics" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.