Steve Austin Talks Being At WrestleMania, If Roman Reigns Should Be Champ, Goldberg In WWE HOF, NXT
As noted, on episode 100 of The Ross Report, 'Good Ol' J.R.' Jim Ross interviewed 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin. The two talked in great detail about WWE WrestleMania 32, including whether there should be any NXT representation at WrestleMania, whether Austin will be a part of the show, whether Goldberg should be brought in for the big event, and whether Roman Reigns needs to leave WrestleMania 32 as WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
As Marc noted yesterday, Austin told JR that he would be at the event. He said that he will attend WrestleMania 32 "by hook or by crook". Although 'The Texas Rattlesnake' is unsure as to what his involvement will be at the show, there is one idea being floated around right now that interests him.
"I'm almost, at this point, 99% sure I'll be in Texas for WrestleMania [32]. In what form or capacity or whatever, I have no idea. We haven't discussed anything creatively. One idea makes sense for me to be there, which I can't talk about now, but obviously, I'd like to do this one endeavor they're talking about, whether we do something in the ring or I'm part of the show remains to be seen."
When asked whether Austin would like to see an NXT match or two at WrestleMania 32, Austin said that he would like to see NXT represented in two singles matches at the event, one for the women and one for the men.
"I like a lot of those people down there in NXT and as evidenced by some of the houses they've drawn, some of the shows that they've done, a lot of people are hungry for some of those NXT performers, those wrestlers, so, yeah, man, throw a women's match on there and two of the guys. Don't do this: please don't give me a four team tag match just so you can throw a bunch of NXT [talents] on that big stage because everybody's going to be watered down and won't be able to do anything worth a damn because they're going to be on time restrictions. Everybody's going to want to be getting their stuff in and it's going to be a cluster, so yes, feature some NXT talent at WrestleMania. Two matches would be great, but give them some time [and] let them do their thing."
According to Austin, WrestleMania 32 would be a great opportunity for WWE to bring in Goldberg, who he thinks should also be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
"Oh, absolutely bring Bill Goldberg back. I've heard some chatter off [of] his Twitter account that he's looking for a match and maybe that's just rumor, but man, if there is a guy that deserves a send off, that is Bill Goldberg. He had a hell of a damn run in WCW. He's a Hall of Fame guy in my opinion, for his impact on the business. He wasn't around real long, but his impact was felt big time," Austin stated. "His run in WWE wasn't all that it could have been, but he came in at a weird time. But bring him back and put him in there with somebody that he can do his thing with, whoever that is, whether they go 2, 3, 10, 15 [minutes], I don't know, but it would be fun to see Bill back in the ring. It really would for me."
When asked for his opinion on Roman Reigns' creative direction, Austin suggested that he would have preferred if Reigns had a long heel run before becoming WWE's top babyface. While Austin would have liked Reigns' character development to be more similar to The Rock's, it has turned out more like his own, as Reigns' current feud with The Authority echoes Austin's own conflict with the villainous Mr. McMahon.
"Well, in my view, I always thought he's going to have to go heel first and then kind of walk through the fire just like The Rock did, the way things are going, but Vince [McMahon] seems resolute in going down the road he's going with and that's going with a similar storyline [as] I did with Vince 15 years ago. So, nonetheless, we'll see how it goes and the way they see it is as a babyface and their number one guy. And it's interesting because with so many guys out, the number one guy in the [professional wrestling] business, John Cena just going through shoulder surgery, and Seth Rollins being out, these are all people [Reigns] needs to be in the ring with, by the way, I'm just saying, you're putting a lot of weight on this guy's back, a lot of pressure on this guy, and the spotlight is clearly on him."
As for whether Reigns should be WWE World Heavyweight Champion or the challenger going into WrestleMania 32, Austin indicated that Reigns should keep the title till WrestleMania because Reigns only recently won it. Also, Austin claimed that Reigns does not have to win at WrestleMania 32, as it is possible for Reigns to look strong in defeat.
"Just for me, from a credibility standpoint, for him and his character development, I say leave the belt on him and put a hell of a challenger in there with him. And he doesn't need to regain [the WWE World Heavyweight Championship], he needs to hang onto it. That's my two cents." Austin added, "here's the thing. If you indeed took the belt off of him at WrestleMania losing to Brock Lesnar, I don't think that discounts the credibility [of Reigns]. Depending on that match, you can lose that match and gain people's respect just by your performance in the match and how the story's told. I don't believe if he was to fight Brock Lesnar, that's not a must win match for him, but it's a must five-star performance for him."
In addition to these topics, Austin talked about the rampant injuries in WWE, who he would like to face in one final match, and much more. Click here to listen to the podcast. If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit The Ross Report with an H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
Source: The Ross Report