Steve Austin Speaks Out - Jim Ross, Orton-SCSA, TNA's Product
Steve Austin appeared on Live Audio Wrestling (The LAW) this past Sunday night to promote his new DVD 'The Stranger' that is available now through Anchor Bay Entertainment. Here are some highlights?
On Jim Ross: Jim is a very close, personal friend and was very instrumental and a big part of my career and I love the guy but it's just a case of the WWE wanting to go in a different direction and maybe get younger. The show has changed, it's a PG rated show so Jim fits into that but the Stone Cold character not so much. That's just the business and sooner or later your time is up and I guess they figured his time was up. I love Jim Ross and I think he's the greatest announcer in the history of the business and there's been a couple of outstanding ones and lots of good ones but I put him at the top of the list ? and that's just the wrestling business.
Comparisons of Randy Orton's current character to the Stone Cold character: I guess you can see a parallel and I like Randy ? 'Cowboy' Bob Orton was one of my favorite wrestlers of all time, I loved what he did in the ring. But when you make that comparison to Stone Cold, that's a pretty tough comparison if I'm that guy and I think Randy is a great talent in the ring and I love the viper gimmick but that's a tough comparison.
On the TNA product: Yes I do watch TNA as much as I can, just as I do WWE. I have a lot of friends in that promotion and I wish them all well just because it's another place for guys to work and I'm a pro wrestling fan so I don't care what brand it is. My blood is in the WWE but I love wrestling in general. You're running with your older talent there just because you're trying to go off name value that people can identify with so you can rope them in and try to expose them to some younger talent, they just need to expose them to some more younger talent. Samoa Joe is one of my favorite guys over there he's kind of got lost in the shuffle, they need to break him back out. They have some talent over there I think their writing is a little lost right now I don't know whose booking or whose calling the shots they need to bring a little more focus and come around and see what the direction is they are going in and follow up on that and not compete with the WWE or try to be the WWE just be the best TNA you can be.
Any chances of wrestling another match?: You may see me in a wrestling ring but I don't think I'll be wrestling. I think it's best to leave well enough alone and let people remember Steve Austin for what he was. Could I go back? I could get another couple of years out of this carcass if I wanted to or if I had to and I could have another match but what's the point? I have my sights focused on trying to be as good an actor as I can be and go down this road. I love my wrestling fans and wrestling is what put me on the map and I still follow the business to this day but I'm going to leave well enough alone.
Music he is currently listening to: The music business has changed so much. I've got some buddies out here is San Angelo, Texas called Los Lonely Boys, they are good friends of mine so I listen to a lot of Los Lonely Boys. I'm a big George Strait fan, still listening to George Strait. Right now for just a straight rock and roll type band I think Nickelback is as good as it gets and I like Nickelback but I just think the face and the sound and the ear of music has changed dramatically.