Jim Ross discussed the Steve Austin vs. Vince McMahon rivalry in a recent edition of Grilling JR.
Here is what he had to say:
“We knew he had to deliver in the ring, which Vince did on the special occasion. I was much more leery of those matches when we first started talking about having them because Vince had no extensive training in that regard. What we have to remember is Vince was a great mouthpiece. Vince was a great promo. He had a unique perspective because he was the owner of the company, and that made that heel character different than anything else we had. All we were really doing was giving Austin that great rub and getting Austin ready, as a babyface, for other heels so that when Triple H finally got his shot at Austin, Austin was white-hot and any other heel after that. So, I don’t think it was a big issue.
“The quarter-hour ratings dictated a lot in that era. When we started getting quarter-hour ratings and minute-by-minutes, a lot of those things were huge in the booking. It was legitimate data you could hang your hat on. I think all we were doing is heating Austin up – remember, when Austin and McMahon had their issues and Austin would move onto the next deal, oftentimes, Vince was still involved. We kept that heat and relationship alive there. In this case, it was so unique in the owner of the company being the top heel. He didn’t anoint himself as the top heel – this is me saying that. I believe that. Every segment was better that had Vince in it when he was Mr. McMahon.”
H/T to 411 Mania
