On the latest episode of his Something to Wrestle podcast, WWE Executive Bruce Prichard spoke about “Stone Cold” Steve Austin leaving WWE back in 2002 and why Austin didn’t want to work with Jeff Jarrett. You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
Bruce Prichard on Steve Austin not wanting to work with Jeff Jarrett in WWE: “I don’t know that he does get a pass, and I don’t know that when you say [Steve] refused to work with people – I don’t know that he ever refused to work with people. Steve didn’t want to work with people for certain reasons and I think his reasons were valid in many respects. When it came to Jarrett, he didn’t feel Jeff was over. Russo wanted Jeff to come in because he was coming in from WCW, and all of a sudden, he should come in and work with Steve immediately. Steve didn’t feel, nor by the way did anyone else, feel that Jeff was ready for that. Just because you’re coming from WCW? You didn’t do anything there, but you’re coming in here and gonna go right on top with the top guy? No. Steve didn’t feel that was right.
On Austin walking out after being unhappy with his booking in a scheduled match against Brock Lesnar in 2002: “On the Brock stuff, he felt that it was simply no build and that it was too soon to do it. That’s all. The narrative from those who aren’t there and those that have never actually done it is one of, ‘Oh, he refused.’ No, you’ve gotta understand – did he take his ball and go home? Yes, he did. Was he right about that? No, he wasn’t. When you look at why he did what he did, his reaction could’ve been something else and probably should’ve been different. However, at the same time, if you’d gone back and had level heads and he’d shown up to actually discuss those things instead of just leaving, something else could’ve been done. I don’t agree with him on Lesnar. I do in theory, however, in that particular situation, it was one of those holy shit moments and ‘let’s shake things up and by gawd you better watch or you’re gonna miss something.’”
(h/t – 411 Wrestling)
