WWE Hall Of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin recently spoke to Hulk Hogan on an episode of his podcast, “The Steve Austin Show,” to talk about several professional wrestling topics. “The Texas Rattlesnake” discussed why a feud with Hogan never happened in WWE, having bad feeling regarding Hogan in WCW, and regretting that the feud never happened.
Here are the highlights:
Hogan on his chemistry with The Rock, and how it might have been with Austin: “Brother, it was there the moment we walked in the ring. Such as it would have been there if you had ever wrestled me. That’s what would have happened. That’s what it would have been. We could have looked at each other, and the roof would have blown off the place. You were so over at the time, and they hated me so much from trying to put WWE out of business for ten years. It would have been great.”
Austin on why the feud never happened: “Dude, I was in such a different headspace back when that window of opportunity presented itself. And sometimes I kick myself in the ass over it now. I think, ‘Man…’ I don’t know, I just was so frazzled towards the end, I was just in a bad space. And I don’t know, it just, it never happened, and it should have happened.”
Austin on having bad feelings regarding Hogan in WCW: “But you know what would have [happened]? I think if we could have just got in a room, you and I, and just talked. Because you know what? And you probably never knew this. But I was down — and we’re gonna jump back to a little bit of stuff back in the early days of WWF. But you remember when you had those, headlined those seven out of eight WrestleManias down there in WWF.
“You left, what, ’93, ’92? But you ended up in WCW in ’94. I remember all of a sudden, the word on the street — and I’m Stunning Steve, man. I’m upcoming, I’m gonna be the next Ric Flair! Well, we always know that there’s never gonna be another Ric Flair, there’s never gonna be another Hulk Hogan, there’s only gonna be the next whoever you are. But all of a sudden, here comes the biggest attraction in the history of the business to WCW.
“And I’m thinking, ‘Great.’ I’m sitting there right across from you, we’re your house. And I say this with respect, because I respect your career. But I’m thinking, ‘Okay, here comes the top attraction in the world. He’s coming to WCW, I was fine when you were in WWF. But all of a sudden you come down here and now I’m another notch down the ladder.’
“I always had this grudge against you because you were the guy! How am I going to overtake this when I can’t even get past three-quarter, midcard status? So there was always that grudge, and it was competitive! I was like ‘Man, why is this guy here now?’”
Regretting the feud never happened: “But I think if we had ever got into a room [in WWE] and had a, just a chill conversation, we probably could have done business together. And that’d probably be — I guess it is — one of the biggest regrets of my career other than not jobbing for Brock [Lesnar]. I never would have done a job, but I wish I would have showed up. But I would have loved to work a program with you.”
Also Read: Jim Ross on Steve Austin Being Angry Backstage, Paul Heyman/Vince McMahon, and More
H/T 411Mania for the transcriptions
