Big Show And Steve Austin Talk NXT Having Hipper Crowds, What Hurts RAW, No True Heels In Wrestling

On episode 312 of The Steve Austin Show, 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin welcomed Big Show back to the podcast to discuss a number of topics including NXT performers getting over, and whether getting true heat is possible anymore in professional wrestling.

On the subject of NXT, Big Show claimed that Triple H has done a good job in giving the talent time to develop and encouraging them to be unique.

"They're hungry and free and I think that's the biggest thing that's different with us [on the main roster] because I think [Triple H] does a real good job with NXT of understanding how to give these kids more time, give these kids a little more freedom on the mic, give these kids a little more freedom on their matches to go out there and get yourselves over." Big Show added, "and that's one of the things that I think hurts our program with the three-hour RAW. There's so much s–t crammed in there [that] guys aren't given a lot of time to get over. Up here, you get two weeks with something and boom, it's gone. They're on to something else. And that's not a fair assessment to give anybody new that [has] come in. Nobody can get anything done in two weeks. It takes time to get things done and that's why I'm really happy with NXT because you see these kids get a chance to get over and they build a following."

Austin admitted that he loves the energy of the NXT audience, which harkens back to the anti-establishment spirit of the original ECW. Austin observed that the NXT crowd is a younger and hipper crowd than WWE's larger audience.

"What I noticed about the crowd, seemingly to me, if you did a study of the demographics, I could be completely wrong, but it seems like, I know there's a lot of crossover, big crossover, because it's basically the same company, but NXT is a different division. There seems to be kind of a younger crowd. I was going to call them hipsters! And I don't like the word, 'millennial'." Austin continued, "but it seems that they're more of a hipster crowd. It's a wrestling crowd, but it's definitely to me, and there [are] a lot of kids at the big show, no pun intended. I meant the WWE."

Big Show concurred with Austin's assessment and further explained that WWE's events are attended by families for the most part.

"They're a more hip crowd." Big Show reflected, "we have a lot of families. We have dads come in with six or seven kids, the nephews and the cousins and the sons and daughters. So we have a lot of little kids there, which is fantastic because I love them being a part of the product and I love putting on shows for them. But the fire and the energy we used to get in the Attitude Era when we were working towards that 18 to 35 crowd, that was a different energy crowd. A lot of these crowds that we have now are the younger kids because they're so excited to be there. Now, the NXT crowd isn't pulling the younger kids."

See Also: Steve Austin And The Big Show On If John Cena Holds Back Talent, Problems With Three Hour RAW

Big Show professed that there are no more "true heels" left in the professional wrestling business.

"The business has changed, absolutely, because here's the thing. We structured our business so that the referee has integrity now, which I have a huge problem with. But I don't give a s–t about the referee. I really don't. I like when heels get heat." Big Show elaborated, "I mean, we have a lot of kids now and they don't understand heat. They don't understand it. I mean, there's the guy you're supposed to boo. They get it, but most of our guys are supposed to be babyfaces. Bray Wyatt [has] got the coolest entrance of anybody next to maybe Undertaker, but it's hard for him to be a heel because he cuts fantastic promos. He [has] got a cool gimmick! I mean, he's not the prettiest guy on the planet, I get it, but he's a hell of a worker. He [has] got snap. He [has] got fire. He cuts great promos. How do you hate a guy like that?"

Click here listen to the show. If you use any of the quotes that appear in this article, please credit The Steve Austin Show with an H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Source: The Steve Austin Show