Jim Ross Describes Steve Austin's Reaction To His WWE In-Ring Return

During the latest episode of the Grilling JR Podcast, Jim Ross spoke about WrestleMania 38 and his good friend Stone Cold Steve Austin's return to in-ring competition after 19 years of retirement.

The AEW commentator mentioned how he spoke to Austin after the match and praised Kevin Owens for his ability to help Austin shine at his age and stage of his career.

"I wasn't going to let the WrestleMania event pass by without checking out Stone Cold," Ross said. "He and I talked, we communicated Saturday after the show. He seemed to be really happy and almost relieved that he pulled it off, he and Kevin Owens deserve a hell of a lot of credit for what they did. To show you what kind of ballplayer Austin is, he hadn't been on the field in 19 years.

"It looked like he didn't miss a step and they kept the match in their lane. I thought that was really smart how they strategized and laid out that match. It was absolutely a masterpiece in my view and Kevin Owens deserves a lot of credit as well, you have to have a dancing partner to make these things work as well. Steve got a great dancing partner."

Austin appeared on both nights of WrestleMania 38, helping Pat McAfee fend off Austin Theory and Vince McMahon in the co-main event of night two. The biggest takeaway from that exchange was the botched stunner Vince McMahon took from Austin, which Jim Ross compared to the first Stunner he took from Austin back in 1997 at In Your House.

"I looked just like that, I was one of the first people Steve stunned," Ross said. "Unless you've done it or practiced it and I didn't do either, it's awkward. It doesn't look awkward for somebody who really knows what they're doing like The Rock. I thought Byron Saxton did a hell of a job, he came in and played relief and I thought he did a nice job. That was a good moment for him I thought."

Continuing to talk about the WWE Chairman, Jim Ross had nothing but good things to say about his former boss Vince McMahon. The WWE Hall of Famer highlighted the many times Vince has been there for him, including two times McMahon was in contact with him after he was let go by WWE.

"Vince has done so many things for Jan and I," Ross said. "I remember one time he really wanted me to work on another contract, I said 'well, I'm trying to save some money ahead to buy a house.' Real estate there in Connecticut was expensive. He said 'well, I'll buy it for you, and then you can just pay me back, we'll figure it out somehow.' Well, I didn't want to be that obligated, I appreciated his hospitality but he offered to buy us a home.

"I can tell you something closer to my heart than the real estate was that the day the ambulance took Jan to the hospital, she was already brain dead unfortunately and about midnight or 1 am, I had been at the hospital maybe an hour or two, my phone started lighting up and one of the very very first people to call me was Vince.

"He didn't have to do that, some people may think well that's not such a big deal. He's just a good dude and has been a real good dude to me on many occasions. I know in my cancer scare, he kept in touch with me during this cancer issue. We had a very unique relationship but he did so many more good things for me than bad things it's not even comparable."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Grilling JR with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.