The Undertaker's Last Match, Goldberg vs Lesnar, and Randy Orton with Wade Keller - SAS CLASSIC

Summary

The Steve Austin Show – SAS Classic: The Undertaker’s Last Match, Goldberg vs. Lesnar, and Randy Orton with Wade Keller

Episode Date: May 21, 2026
Host: Steve Austin
Guest: Wade Keller (Pro Wrestling Torch)

---

Episode Overview

This classic episode of The Steve Austin Show dives deep into the pivotal moments of WWE’s WrestleMania 33, focusing on The Undertaker’s last match, the spectacle of Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar, and a candid look at Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt. Steve is joined by Wade Keller from Pro Wrestling Torch for expert analysis and honest, fan-driven conversation about the event’s matches, booking choices, and overall impact. Austin also shares listener emails, personal anecdotes, and his trademark unfiltered takes.

---

Listener Email Segment

Timestamps: 01:41 – 24:18

Key Topics

• Steve reads fan emails covering a range of WrestleMania 33 topics, as well as offbeat humor and appreciation for his on-air language.
• Fan concerns about the length of WrestleMania and excessive video packages.
• Praise for certain match nuances (the “kick out at 3” spot) and debates about optimal card placement.
• Personal favorite moments with Kurt Angle, including blowing up the Olympic gold medalist in a house show match.
  Quote:

  “One of my proudest moments was blowing up a straight up shoot gold medal Olympic wrestler in Kurt Angle.”
  (Steve Austin, 09:37)

Notable Listener Quotes

• On Mania Length:

  “By the end, us fans are like zombies in The Walking Dead.”
  (Victor, 05:07)

• On Match Card Placement:

  “If I’m a wrestler at Mania, I'd probably want my match to be in the beginning or middle so I can get the full energy from the fans.”
  (Victor, 05:17)

---

Breakdown: Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt (with Wade Keller)

Timestamps: 24:18 – 34:16

Key Insights

• Wade Keller criticizes the match’s story and production choices, especially the use of “projector images of worms and bugs,” calling them “corny” and “community theater.”
  Quote:

  “Whoever brought that up in the creative meeting, the answer should have been NO and you’re not allowed to contribute anything more to this meeting.”
  (Wade Keller, 24:47)

• Both agree Bray Wyatt’s character has lost edge, lacks authenticity, and needs more menace and less overacting.
  Quote:

  “He laughs too much. I just don’t see what there is to laugh about so much.”
  (Steve Austin, 27:39)

• Randy Orton is described as reliable but no longer an adrenaline rush or an essential “A” player.
• Suggest Bray learn from legends like Jake Roberts, Waylon Mercy, or Mad Dog Vachon to recapture intensity and scare factor.
• Both express disappointment in how neither performer reached their full narrative or athletic potential.

---

Brock Lesnar vs. Bill Goldberg

Timestamps: 36:21 – 47:23

Key Insights

• Both Steve and Wade agree the match was perfectly executed for what it was—high-impact, under five minutes, right for the characters and the crowd.
• It was a redemption for their infamous WrestleMania 20 match, with energy and spectacle that “satisfied the crowd and damn sure satisfied me.”
  Quotes:

  “You’ve got a Neanderthal caveman versus a Cro-Magnon caveman with high intensity. I mean that as a compliment.”
  (Steve Austin, 37:54)
  “This hit the sweet spot of what these two, at their age in 2017, in that spot on the card, could do.”
  (Wade Keller, 36:44)

• Praised the camera work for hiding Goldberg’s spear out of nowhere, maximizing crowd impact.
• Both highlight Brock Lesnar’s “masterful” body language and authentic persona.

  “The glee … the look on his face when Goldberg blindsided him, it was like, holy shit.”
  (Wade Keller, 47:06)

---

Naomi Wins the SmackDown Women's Championship

Timestamps: 47:23 – 50:58

Key Insights

• Austin comments on the challenging spot for the women’s six-pack challenge: squeezed between Goldberg/Lesnar and the main event.
• “Given what I saw, these damn ladies worked their asses off and gave maximum effort.”
• Both agree Naomi’s win was a feel-good moment, but lament the lack of time and wish for a one-on-one match to really spotlight the division.

  “There’s more value in having a one-on-one match than everybody splitting, you know, six ways the glory…Then nobody wins.”
  (Wade Keller, 50:08)

---

The Undertaker vs. Roman Reigns – The Last Ride

Timestamps: 52:57 – 66:11

Emotional Impact and Analysis

• Steve and Wade respond to Jim Ross’ poignant appearance on commentary after personal tragedy—“my heart sure went out to Jim.” (Steve Austin, 52:57)
• Both note Undertaker’s limitations and the bittersweet feeling watching a legend “who was past the time that he could put on the match that his pride would want him to put on.”
  (Wade Keller, 55:26)
• Steve provides insight into Undertaker’s physical toll due to his size and career longevity.
• On the match itself:

  “A lot of right hands….two guys dressed in black and two guys working baby, that's a hard formula to work with.”
  (Steve Austin, 57:06) “I watched the ending, and I forgot about the match. The story at the end, that retirement—it's respect spelled out in all capital letters.”
  (Steve Austin, 60:41)

• They speculate if Undertaker has retired both his career and the 'Deadman' gimmick for good.
• Praise for Roman Reigns’ handling of the finish—understated, not gloating, displaying the right tone for the occasion:

  “He played it just the way he felt it and the way I watched him do it was seemingly perfect….did an outstanding job.”
  (Steve Austin, 64:39)

• Both agree the focus was rightly on honoring Taker, not solely pushing Roman.

---

Reflections on WrestleMania 33 & WWE’s Future

Timestamps: 66:11 – 72:52

Overall Show Impressions

• Steve and Wade both enjoyed WrestleMania 33 but echoed listener fatigue about its length.
• Noted that spectacle sometimes outweighs match quality, and the outdoor stadium setting can deaden crowd reactions.
• Both advocate for a shorter, more focused card in the future to maximize the crowd and talent.

  “For the sake of the wrestlers, it’s more respectful to give them a fresh audience than exhaust everyone just to get everyone on the show.”
  (Wade Keller, 69:07)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “So when I say the three count kick out for power or to show that someone’s still strong…There’s special circumstances…There’s certain cases which warrant that kick out.”
  (Steve Austin, 11:40)
• “Sometimes you have that night…everything working gangbusters. Sometimes you go out there, you have the greatest match you ever had and then sometimes you just go out there and totally crap the bed.”
  (Steve Austin, 68:16)

---

Additional Recommendations & Sign-Off

Timestamps: 73:24 – End

• Steve recommends the NXT Takeover triple threat tag match (Revival vs. Gargano/Ciampa vs. Authors of Pain) as “gangbusters.”
• Finale: Thanks to Wade Keller, sponsors, and all listener email contributors.

---

Quick Segment Guide

• 01:41 – 24:18: Listener Emails, Fan Reactions, Angle Stories
• 24:18 – 34:16: Orton vs Wyatt Deep-Dive
• 36:21 – 47:23: Lesnar vs Goldberg Breakdown
• 47:23 – 50:58: Smackdown Women’s Match
• 52:57 – 66:11: Undertaker vs Reigns, Legacy Reflections
• 66:11 – 73:24: Show Reflections, WWE's Future
• 73:24 – End: NXT Recommendation, Wrap-Up

---

For fans and newcomers alike, this episode provides unfiltered, honest, and knowledgeable discussion about the climactic moments of a WrestleMania that marked the end of one era and set the stage for the future.

Transcript

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

Insurance isn't one size fits all. That's why customers have enjoyed Progressive's name your price tool for years now. With the name your price tool, you tell them what you want to pay and they'll show you options that fit your budget. So whether you're picking out your first policy or just looking for something that works better for you and your family, they make it easy to see your options. Visit progressive.com, find a rate that works for you with the name your price tool. Progressive Casualty Insurance company and affiliates Price and coverage match limited by state law.

[Lowe's Announcer]

Pros save more on the materials you need to get the job done inside and out at Lowe's. Right now, get 10% off in stock Trex Naturals decking now available in more styles. Plus get 15% off select custom entry, interior and storm doors. Then we'll deliver it all straight to your job site to help keep your jobs moving. Get the brand's pros trust priced right and ready when you need them. Our best lineup is here at Lowe's, valid through 52527 while supplies last. The selection varies by location.

[Podcast One Announcer / Steve Austin Show Intro Voice]

The following program is a podcast ONE.com production. He started in a small town in Texas, worked his ass off to become one of the most famous wrestlers of all time.

[Steve Austin]

We're gonna take care of business tonight. And that's the bottom line.

[Podcast One Announcer / Steve Austin Show Intro Voice]

And now he's dominating the world of on demand audio. And he's doing it for the working man.

[Steve Austin]

This is a damn good outlet for me to spew the off my brain.

[Podcast One Announcer / Steve Austin Show Intro Voice]

This is the Steve Aust Austin show Unleashed.

[Steve Austin]

All right everybody, welcome to Steve Austin show. I'm coming to you from the mean streets of Los Angeles, California. Today. I'm sitting here at Studio 316, right next to my crib. Hey man, progress being made over there. We might be back in the house in about three more weeks, maybe four. Hardwood floor is going in right now about halfway through so. Goddammit it, it's getting close. It's been a long ass time. I ain't never gonna remodel anything for the rest of my life. I'm just gonna buy it like it is, leave it like it is. Live in a goddamn trailer. I don't know. This remodeling is a bunch of bullshit. It's been a very interesting process to say the least. Along with being a little bit on the expensive side. It will be cool when they get it done because it's going to be a really cool crib. But anyway, enough about all that bullshit today. Is the second part of my conversation with Wade Keller from the Pro Wrestling Torch. We're going to finish our breakdown of WrestleMania 33 and that's going to include the Randy Orton vs Bray Wyatt match, Bill Goldberg's match against Brock Lesnar, and the Undertaker's ride off into the sunset. But I asked you guys to let me know what your thoughts were about WrestleMania and I got a couple of emails that I'm going to read to you that you guys sent me and one or two of them might or might not be WrestleMania related, but I asked you guys to send me some emails and you sent them in. Well, here's one that's not related to wrestling. Hey Steve, I just want you to know that not everyone is offended by Jesus H. Christ on a popsicle stick. I grew up a good Catholic boy and was even an altar boy for 10 years as an adult. I've been working as a multimedia director for my church for seven years and I'm in no way offended by anything you say on your podcast. Jesus H. Christ. These pussies need to lighten the fuck up Michael thanks for the email Michael. I appreciate that. I will not mention your last name because I don't want you to get any heat over there in your parish or church or whatever they call it over there. I appreciate the fact that I'm not offending everybody on the God's green earth. Here's one comes in from Victor and this is about Wrestlemania he says, and these are his thoughts. Hi Steve, I believe the video packages before every single Mania match is what's making Mania too long and two is all caps. The fans already bought the network or paid for a ticket. WWE already has our money so there is no need to keep reminding us we know who's wrestling. Maybe a couple of video packages so we can buy a hot dog or take a dump, but not every damn match. A few advertisements for upcoming events. I get that you are by far the most famous wrestler of all time, but I don't care if Stone Cold and the Rock were tag teaming with Jesus Christ himself. Us fans are so damn spent you'd probably get scattered cheers if you were main eventing today. No offense, I've been to quite a few Manias and I've seen what the fans say such as Hurry this shit up or hopefully this match is quick because I'm fucking tired. He goes on to write, if I'm a wrestler at Mania, I'd probably want my match to be in the beginning or middle so I can get the full Energy from the fans. By the end, us fans are like zombies in the walking dead respect. Victor. Well, I'll tell you what, the length of the show was one of the points that Wade kept bringing up about how long the damn show is. And so that is from an actual fan who's been to several WrestleManias and those are his opinions. I understand from a WWE standpoint that they are trying to give you everything but the kitchen sink. But sometimes in giving you everything but the kitchen sink, and they include the kitchen sink on WrestleMania's it can be quite a long ordeal. As I was talking with Wade, whether it was on last week's podcast or this one, I had heard from several fans that were in attendance. It was pretty warm, looked like there was a pretty good breeze going on. But when you have that many bodies, and I think the attendance was right around 75,000, that many bodies so close, generating all that heat and you ain't got no air conditioning or like I said, it could have been breezy, but that's a long ass time and people were hot, tired, thirsty. So hey man, those are long shows. But that was in an email. I appreciate that, Victor. Here's one. Hello, Steve, I'm a longtime listener from Lone Star State, Texas. My name is Kelvin Fitzpatrick and I'm 22. My questions are what was your favorite segment involving Kurt Angle? Were you ever approached for another GM role and can you tell a road or backstage story? Those are my favorite, as you may hear all the time. You are my favorite hall of Famer. I listen to you every day when I'm at work. Sincerely, Kelvin. Hey Kelvin, I'll tell you what. All the segments I did with hall of Fame inductee Kurt Angle, also Olympic gold medalist from the 1996 Olympics, were just a lot of fun. Kurt was one of those guys, if you told him something or he read something, he remembered it like he had a photographic memory. And he was very, very smart and just had great instincts and great timing. But my favorite Kurt Angle story or one of my favorite moments with Kurt Angle was at a house show in Fresno, California. And Kurt always gets mad when I tell a story. Well, he laughs about it, he doesn't get mad. Anyway, we all know what a world class athlete Kurt Angle is and the intense training, all the training logs, all the video logs that he did on his journey to the 96 Olympics. I mean, this guy is one of the best athletes ever. So anyway, we're in Fresno, California. I'm working with Kurt Angle in the main event. I can't remember what year it was. I was pretty damn hot. It was probably 97, 89. Whenever it was shit, I can't remember when he broke in. We were lighting Fresno on fire in a barn burner of a match at a house show. And goddamn, I looked down and Kurt was huffing and puffing and kept huffing and puffing and I looked down again and fuck, he was turning purple. Fuck, Kurt Angle was so blown up he was turning purple, had to pick his ass up. Said, goddamn, what the fuck's wrong with you? Send him in the ropes, knock him down so he could catch a breath of fresh air. And I always told Kurt Angle, God damn it, I guess if I blew your ass up in Fresno that bad by proxy, that means if I would have went to the Olympics in 1996 and competed in wrestling, I would have beat your ass for the gold medal and you would have won the silver. But it was one of the proudest moments of my career out of all the titles that I've won, all the cool things that have got to do with stone cold Steve Austin, One of my proudest moments was blowing up a straight up shoot gold medal Olympic wrestler in Kurt Angle. And I blew his ass up big time. And I think that was the only time in the history of Kurt Angle's wrestling career that he ever blew up. But I was there, right there in the middle of it with him in the squared circle. And stone cold Steve Austin blew up a gold medal winner, Kurt Angle. I never ever let him live that down. Here's another one for you. This is from Matt Davis. Steve, love your latest episode. Just wanted to give some feedback. Love the point of the kick out on three as a lost art. A great example of that, if you want to give your listeners, is Hogan vs Warrior at WrestleMania 6. Interesting. I've had several emails about to kick out on three. You got to make sure that three count gets in and then you kick out. I didn't go back and look at WrestleMania 6 and watch Hogan vs Warrior, but check it out if you want to see a three count and then a kick out to keep someone strong. Now when I talk about the kick out on three, I'm not saying that is warranted. For every single match that every is in, there's a time and a place for that type of kick out. There's a time and a place for just someone to flat back and lay there for the solid three count. So when I say the three count kick out for power or to show that someone's still strong or has those fighting instincts or that fighting spirit. You don't need to do that every single match. There's special circumstances. There's certain cases which warrant that kick out. Here's an email from Corey. He says these are emails that you guys sent me. He says, I feel like the WWE could have given the Undertaker a better last match. A legend like the Undertaker deserved a better opponent, one that could have given him a better match. I didn't care if he won or lost. I would have just liked to have seen a match that was memorable and would be up there. Not necessarily better than his matches with HBK or Triple H. The match was riddled with miscues and the lack of ability that Roman has shown through yet again. Roman Reigns is not the future and the push he is getting is unfathomable in my opinion is a mistake. There are much better talent who are getting buried because of this. And that's from Corey Morrison. You know, you got to look at it like this, Corey. It wasn't about this being billed as the Undertaker's last match, but because I didn't know that was going to be his last match, it caught me totally off guard when Undertaker took off his gloves, his trench coat and his hat and walked away. So it wasn't about putting him in there with some of the greatest talents of all time so he could have a good send off. It was him passing the torch to a guy that's going to stick around and be around and hopefully down the road draw a lot of money for the company. And when you add to your resume a victory over the one and only Undertaker man, what a resume builder that is. And so you can take it for what it is or you can look at it from the standpoint that you want to look at it, but it is what it is. It wasn't about the Undertaker having just this five star spectacular, all bells and whistles type match. It was about the totality of the direction that the company's going in. And I thought it was very fitting. Again, I thought it was a hard fought match. You'll hear that when we talk about it in the back of the podcast back and forth match. It was exactly what I expected to be a slugfest, a brawl. And in my opinion, you know, you can nitpick anything but when I watch these events I try to watch the glasses half full and I try to watch full from a fan perspective and don't try to nitpick and critique every single thing so you'll hear us talk about that match at the end of the podcast, but I appreciate you sending in your thoughts. Here's another one. It's a little bit lengthy, but this is from Rob Francois and Rob says, hey Steve, I listened to the first Half with your WrestleMania 33 review with Wade Keller this morning, and while I usually respect Wade's opinions, Wade was far off on his take on some of the matches. I I like you appreciate going along for the ride and suspending my disbelief. After 30 years of watching professional wrestling, this gets hard to do sometimes. That being said, I take exception with Wade complaining about Shane McMahon not being a believable threat to AJ Styles. Wade said that someone who is in a corporate or managerial position shouldn't be able to go head to head with one of the best wrestlers in the world. Should we remind Wade that Stone Cold Steve Austin fought Shane's father, the Chairman of the WWE, Vincent Kennedy McMahon, a man in his late 50s, against the world's toughest son of a bitch? I didn't have a problem with that back then and I sure as hell don't have a problem with it now. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Shane and AJ light it up and I thought Shane was very believable since he's been in the ring against the best in the world many, many times and grew up in the business. To me, that's plenty enough reason to believe that Shane could be a credible threat to Styles. Wade has either been around the IWC too much or has gotten jaded in all his years of covering the sport of professional wrestling. Sit back, enjoy the ride, and don't take this crap too personally. I love the match and I love the entire show. It's one of my favorite WrestleManias of all time. I appreciate all your years of entertaining me and I love your podcast. Keep up the great work. Maybe it will win an award one day. Well, Rob Francois, thank you for your thoughts. I don't give a flying fuck if this podcast ever wins an award, but I appreciate your email. Wade is certainly entitled to his opinions, as I am entitled mine and you are yours. I tend to side with you on this as far as again, I thought it was a badass match, I thought it was a great match to start the show and I thought these two guys just ripped it to shreds and it was a hard match to follow as we're going to get into an email about that. But these guys work their ass off. When I watch these things, I can watch, you know, as critical as I want. As a guy who's never really left the business. I don't wrestle anymore, but I'm still a student of the business and a guy who got to a very high level in it. So I have my understanding of my take on things. But I choose to watch as a fan and I want to go along for the ride. Now the stuff that doesn't work obviously really sticks out to me and and jumps off the page at me. But again, I want to see the guys and the girls go out there in that squared circle 20 by 20, tell their story, have fun, take you on a ride and enjoy it. I'm a fan so I choose to watch it like that and then I have my opinions later. Here's another email. Got two more before we get onto the show from Steve Vaughn. Steve writes in just my opinion, with all the animosity Rollins had built up towards Triple H turning on him and the way Triple H was focusing on the injured knee of Rollins, I think I would have liked to have seen Seth unleash all that pent up frustration and hatred and use the sledgehammer to focus on Triple H's old detached quadricep injuries. By evening the playing field and totally destroying his quads to help with the storyline, I think it would have made the Rollins win a lot stronger. Man, that's a great point there, Steve. He goes on to talk about the roster switch up. I don't want to get to the roster switch up, but yeah, the match could have been a little bit shorter and had it been a little bit more offense centric towards Rollins to help him in that rage in his quest to totally destroy Triple H. And I think Triple H was billed as the creator and the destroyer. I think that's a great point. I thought, you know, whether it's just shining Rollins up, you know, by running from him high spots that he ends up coming out on top, him just using fists and boots whooping ass. That's a great point to use that sledgehammer to extract the revenge by going to work on that quad and like you said, evening out the playing field. That's a great point. So anyway, Steve Vaughn with a pretty damn good email. Good point. Lastly, before I get into the body of the show, this is from Aaron Stocks. Hey Steve, I just started watching WrestleMania a little later than most will have watched it. So I don't know the general feeling out there watching AJ Styles versus Shane McMahon and these two just had an amazing match throwing everything but the kitchen sink at each other and it's only the first match. I can't help but feel the Rest of the show is going to struggle to follow it. My question is, do you think that in this day and age, when everyone is working so fast and over the top, those in charge should put more thought into what they allow guys to do in their matches earlier on the card so that the matches later on can come across as more exciting. Big love, Aaron from Sheffield, England. Thank you, Aaron, for the email. Big fan base over in the uk. I appreciate y' all's support over there. That's a great point. And, you know, that's just. That goes from just way back in the day when I started wrestling in 1990 and I went down to Tennessee and Dutch Mantel was booking and I was going out to work my match and we was jerking the curtain. I was working with a guy working in a hood and Dutch came out there and he said, hey, man, just listen to him. You guys go out there, give us eight or ten minutes, go home and get the fuck back here. And so he didn't want us to go out of the ring. He didn't want us to use any tables, no chairs, no bullshit, no gimmicks, no concealed weapons, nothing. Just have a match. And so that was the way it was way back in the day. And so you always want to build your show to a climax. And so, man, you know, when you got two guys out there, you know, on the first match, ripping it up like they did, you know, the east coast thing, whatever Shane does, the coast to coast thing that Shane does from one turnbuckle to the next with that trash can, all the great stuff AJ does, the stuff on the desk, you want something to start to show off with great energy. And, you know, at WrestleMania, you want to let guys just kind of go hog wild and go crazy, but it can make it difficult for the guys following you to have their match. So you make a great argument there. But I think WrestleMania is so much about the spectacle and the totality of all the matches and just everything but the kitchen sink being presented to you, sometimes that gets lost. And, man, when you have a performer like AJ and a special attraction, I would say, like Shane, to come out there and do this match, you got to give them leeway to play a little bit, have some bells and whistles. Sometimes you got to draw the line somewhere, but you don't want to hamper or hinder what they could do. Just left to the devices of just having a straight up wrestling match would have been pretty hard. Obviously they could have done it. Shane's a hell of a hand. AJ's one of the best in the world. The match wasn't unfollowable. You're talking about the entire company and all those bodies in there, all the names. Some of the ladies get crammed in the matches where they don't have enough chance to really shine. But we're talking about the building process as we get to that main event. And like Vince always says, you know, in WrestleMania you have that last match, but he likes to look at it as there's really two or three main events. And then you have the match that ends it all, which in my opinion is the real main event. Make no mistake about it, Brock Lesnar versus Goldberg was huge. There were other huge matches on the card. But the main event of this WrestleMania was the Undertaker versus Roman Reigns. And Undertaker ends up apparently, or so it seems to me, retiring. They had to follow everything that was done before them, trying to tell their story. Lots of right hands. You're going to hear us talk about this in the match, but to your point, you always want everything to build. Sometimes that can get lost in translation when trying to give the show. Sometimes that gets lost in translation trying to give the fans everything that they came for. From, I think 62 countries, from all 50 states in the United States, all the way down to Orlando to see

[Adam Carolla]

this is Adam Carolla from the Adam Carolla Show. If you care about predictions, you care about props. And right now, it's all about playoff pressure. From the hardwood to the ice. Every possession, every shift, every shot. Well, it all matters. Bet online has always been the home of real sports betting. Deep markets, sharp odds and player props built for fans who know these games aren't random. The NBA playoffs are heating up. Stars taking over, series swinging on a single score. And in the NHL, it's all speed, grit and sudden death. Moments where one goal changes everything. Lines tighten, pressure builds, and betonline delivers. Live betting and in game odds that move with every bucket, every breakaway, every goal. This is where the action happens, where experience shows and where the smallest edge makes the biggest difference. Bet online. The game starts here.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

You're listening to this podcast, so I know you've got a curious mind. Here's a helpful fact you might not know yet. Drivers who switch and save with Progressive save over $900 on average. Pop over to progressive.com, answer some questions, and you'll get a quick quote with discounts that are easy to come by. In fact, 99% of their auto customers earn at least one discount. Visit progressive.com and see if you can enjoy a little cash back. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and national average 12 month savings of $946 by new customers surveyed who saved with Progressive between June 2024 and May 2025. Potential savings will vary

[Stitch Fix Announcer]

okay, real talk shopping doesn't always boost your confidence. Sometimes you just want to put something on and think, yes, this is me. That's why Stitch Fix works. You take a quick style quiz, size, budget, what you're into, and a real human stylist sends pieces picked just for you. Try everything on at home. Keep what you love, send back the rest. Shipping's free. No subscription required. Get $20 [e-mail] podcast

[VRBO Announcer]

book a loved by guest property with vrbo and you get a top rated vacation rental that's loved for all the right reasons, like being in a great location or having great amenities.

[Steve Austin]

Ugh, I love my VRBO for the view.

[Wade Keller]

Good reason.

[Steve Austin]

Ooh, and the sauna.

[IQ Bar Announcer]

Sweet.

[Wade Keller]

Another good reason.

[Steve Austin]

And that it's one of those good

[IQ Bar Announcer]

saunas with the hot rock thing.

[Wade Keller]

Ugh. Love a good hot rock thing.

[Stitch Fix Announcer]

Fancy.

[Wade Keller]

That's also a reason.

[Steve Austin]

Don't worry about surprises.

[Wade Keller]

Book a verbo you'll love with the Love by Guest filter if you know you verbo

[Podcast One Announcer / Steve Austin Show Intro Voice]

Steve Austin Unleashed. Unleashed.

[Steve Austin]

All right, Wade, let's get back into this. Randy Orton versus Bray Wyatt. You had some interesting takes before we started recording.

[Wade Keller]

Yeah, I mean, I think this was what people kind of feared it was. And then they added the projector images of worms and bugs and stuff as some just weird hocus pocus thing. Whoever brought that up in the creative meeting, the answer should have been no. And you're not allowed to contribute anything more to this meeting. Not. Oh yeah, that'd be cool. I think it just says something about either the confidence that they had in Bray and Randy or the mentality of what people think wrestling fans will accept. The notion that Bray Wyatt was making that happen doesn't work. He wasn't. There was somebody in a truck hitting buttons. And so you have to have the idea that Randy's going to be scared because somehow this is some magic trick. It's not. It's the same thing as the fire, you know, from the torch lighting up the ramp. It's something that's done in production, so it made the whole thing just seem corny. And I mean, yes, there's probably some 8 year olds who are talking about it in third grade today, but beyond that, I think that it doesn't belong. It's not. It just didn't help the match and maybe it distracted from the fact that Bray and Randy are just kind of B minus players these days. I keep waiting for, and I understand Randy's got his beat up and he doesn't want to get hurt and he's over to a certain degree. And you kind of know what you're going to get with Randy and he's, you know, to coin, you know, the old derisive comment that the Authority made about Daniel Bryant being a B player. I mean, Randy's kind of a B minus guy. You're not going to get a bad match from him, but you're not going to have an adrenaline rush of a match with him. But I kind of understand with Randy why I don't get with Bray. I keep waiting for him to have that match where he just seems like he's in the top class and I think it's in him, but he just keeps coming up short in that regard. Every feud that he's had with a bigger name and a bigger guy or a contemporary of his who's in their physical prime, it just seems to be a notch or two below what you would hope athletically. And I just. So, I mean, this is kind of what I expected. Minus. And then, yeah, worms and bugs to it. And it didn't help that this was one of the worst storylines I can remember in years. I mean, even on the pre show, poor Booker and Lawler and Michaels and Rene are trying to talk about this feud and none of it made any sense. Randy infiltrated Bray for all these months to try to do something to get ahead. And then a week later Bray goes, you didn't do anything. I'm stronger than ever. Like what? So now the heel took everything away in terms of selling what Randy did. So the whole thing was a mess and it deserved to be in the third match on the show and Jericho and Owen should have been here. Unfortunately, because the title's on the line, I have mixed feelings because I don't think the world title should be that early in a show. But yeah, I mean, this was a downer and I'm just, you know, I'm as disappointed as I expected to be, I guess, in this match. And I wasn't crazy about it to begin with.

[Steve Austin]

Man, I'm so such a fan of Bray Wyatt's potential. He has great promo ability, he has a great character. But that character, in my opinion, and what do I know, this is just my opinion and you and I are talking, probably no one will listen to this show. I think he laughs too Much. I just don't see what there is to laugh about so much when I look, you know, maybe Jesus Christ, the gimmick that Dan Spivey played, what was that guy's name?

[Wade Keller]

Waylon Mercy.

[Steve Austin]

Waylon Mercy. God, he came off as kind of scary and he'd laugh a little bit, but it was that kind of different laugh. And then you look at Jake the Snake. Robert, probably very influential on Bray Wyatt. Jake, holy smokes. You talk about dark, you talk about twisted, you talk about serious, you talk about scary. That. I think Bray Wyatt has the potential to be much more effective than he is. I think he's very talented, I think he's very smart, but he needs to twist things around a little bit. And the last thing, it's just, to me, it's not getting any heat. You know, the upside down thing in the corner. Someone says something, he starts smiling and laughing. He's a God. He's an eater of worlds. And it doesn't add up to heat for me or the fact that I take the guy in a serious fashion. And he's got a lot of talent. I just think he needs to be coached a little bit in a different direction. Does that make sense to you?

[Wade Keller]

Oh, totally. 100% makes sense. It's trite. It's community theater. It's. I've had this. I have this character and I'm just gonna, you know, pull the string and then this laugh comes out. I pull the string and now I tip upside down on a crab walk and it doesn't feel authentic. And then I have all these social media pictures because he's not protective of this character at all. And I have these social media pictures of him being all flirty funny with Rene and Stephanie in an Instagram picture that got out there, him sitting at a Denny's with his family, out of character, smiling. It's like, protect your character. The fact that he doesn't, I think bleeds through into the just kind of community theater. Oh, I'm just here to put on a show and collect my paycheck thing. And I would think as a multi generation guy, there'd be something more there. You know, when you're talking about who he reminds you of. Yes, there's Jake and there's Waylon Mercy. What I think he needs an injection of is some mad dog vachon somebody where there's a little bit of a viciousness, a little bit more. I'm going to scratch your back and remove a body part. And I just don't. Maybe he thinks that's not appropriate for corporate wwe. But I want a little more viciousness from him. And I think fans should fear him a little bit more in terms of physically what he's willing to do in the ring. And not just. He's going to be kind of this kooky, psychological cult leader guy, even though WWE won't say cult leader or compound because that doesn't fit with what they're doing. So, yeah, I mean, a little more Mad Dog Bashawn.

[Steve Austin]

I love the Mad Dog Bashon reference. And when I talk about, you know, laughing too much, you know, when you think, okay, man, that reminds me. It doesn't remind me of, but it brings to thought Doink the Clown when Matt Bourne played him, that kind of laugh was scary. And that guy's Matt Bourne. Jesus Christ, you scared the crap out of kids. And he was a great worker as well. But that, God dang, whether he was ribbed or whatever, when he got that role, I can't remember, I was talking to Bull Dempsey and he gave me the 411 on that. But I mean, he turned it into a real badass gimmick. And so, yeah, you can laugh, you can do all kinds of things, but just in the tone, the authenticity of it. And I'm not going to get into the social media aspect. He wants to take pictures with his family. I'm accepting of that, but will just dial it down to the squared circle and work within the structure of the wwe. And along with not so much authenticity, it's that one speed working. It's the cross body with the head. And there's not commas or periods in his work. It's always run the ropes full speed and a crash. Run the ropes full speed and a crash. Pick a body part. Torture somebody as sadistic as you are with those worms crawling everywhere, the crickets or whatever the animals are, scrap that. But torture somebody. I mean, pick a body part, destroy them and make your focus inflicting pain rather than be worried about laughing. Anyway, to go back to the match, let me digress. I thought that the crowd just really wasn't there for these guys. Both guys worked hard, the effort was there, but just the result wasn't that great. And Randy wins the title. He's the WWE champion. But where do they go from here? I have no idea.

[Wade Keller]

No, I don't either. I mean, Randy, I mean, I just don't think anybody's excited. I think people see Randy as a star. I don't think they see Randy as a guy who's going to light up any show. And this is a business that's about promos, and it's a business about giving people that adrenaline rush payoff in the ring. And Randy's not doing that these days. And it's in. So he's valuable, but not to be your world champion. So I'm just. I'm kind of expecting and hoping they transition to something else because again, I mean, I like, I respect Randy and I know what he's good at, and I don't mean to discount that, but I don't think he's at a point where he should be the centerpiece of a brand. And I just don't think in this era with the TV time to fill and the big payoff, pay per view matches that people are paying to see Randy's matches anymore in that way, in that spot.

[Steve Austin]

And yeah, in discussing this match, not crapping on either guy. I'm dissecting it. We're discussing it. Randy Orton has all the talent in the world. Can he do it? Absolutely can. The mustard, the relish, the salt and pepper on his work has kind of dissipated into this smooth flow of exchanges. And that killer instinct has kind of gone. I mean, he can go. He can go like crazy. And one time I saw him and he had kind of really let himself go in a promo, and I said, God dang. I said, did you feel? And he said, yeah. I said, keep doing that. And so he had lift the people up. He just redlined them. And so he got away from that red line and he's not redlining them anymore. And it's something that was hit or miss in him from the beginning, but he can do it. He has all the talent in the world. It'd be nice to see him rekindle that.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

Insurance isn't one size fits all. That's why customers have enjoyed progressives name your price tool for years now. With the name your price tool, you tell them what you want to pay, and they'll show you options that fit your budget. So whether you're picking out your first policy or just looking for something that works better for you and your family, they make it easy. To see your options. Visit progressive.com, find a rate that works for you with the name your price tool. Progressive casualty insurance company and affiliates Price and coverage match limited by state law.

[Podcast One Announcer / Steve Austin Show Intro Voice]

There's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with liberty mutual, even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show.

[Steve Austin]

Hey, everyone, check out this guy and his bird. What Is this your first date?

[VRBO Announcer]

Oh, no.

[Podcast One Announcer / Steve Austin Show Intro Voice]

We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual together.

[VRBO Announcer]

We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.

[Steve Austin]

Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.

[Podcast One Announcer / Steve Austin Show Intro Voice]

Anyways, get a [e-mail] or with your local agent.

[Steve Austin]

Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty.

[VRBO Announcer]

This podcast is sponsored by IQ Bar.

[IQ Bar Announcer]

Not to be a stereotype or anything, but I am one of those go, go, go girls. So I have so much stuff that's always on my plate and I always try to GR on the go after the gym and it's always so hard to find something that's actually going to be good tasting and good for you. Right, because every time you grab a protein bar that looks like it's going to be okay, you flip it around and you start to read the ingredient list and it's all sugar and it's all stuff that you can't even pronounce. All I want is something good to eat. IQ Bar is the better for you. Plant based protein snack made with brain boosting nutrients to refuel, nourish and satisfy hunger. Without the sugar crash. IQ Bar has low sugar, low carbs, and it's actually really good. Optimize your mind and body with IQ Bar's clean, functional products like protein bars, hydration mixes, and mushroom coffees. Go to iqbar.com today and enter promo code BrainIQ to get an exclusive offer just for our listeners. 20% off all IQ Bar products, plus free shipping. That's iqbar.com, promo code BrainIQ, iqbar.com, code BrainIQ.

[Podcast One Announcer / Steve Austin Show Intro Voice]

Steve Austin. Steve Austin. Unleashed. Unleashed.

[Steve Austin]

Let's move on. Brock Lesnar versus Bill Goldberg. I'm not going to sway you because I want you to go first on this and then I'll jump in.

[Wade Keller]

It was the. You know, I said it. For AJ and Shane, this was the best case scenario for this match. Neither guy was asked to do anything that they wouldn't be able to do and do well and that the fans weren't hoping and waiting to see. The Suplex City. The crowd exploded for it. They ate it up. If you were a Goldberg fan, you got to see him do his spots. It was designed to please a Goldberg fan. It was designed to please the Lesnar fans. It was designed to please the fans who wanted a spectacle and they didn't get it at Survivor Series, but they got the shocking finish that in and of itself made up for the fact that there wasn't a match because, my God. Who saw that coming? My God. Brock lost the guy who ended the streak just lost in one move or two moves, whatever it was. So this was the match everybody's been waiting for. It didn't even hit the five minute mark and it shouldn't have, but I'm glad it hit the four minute mark and the guy who's going to be around and needed to go over strong won. And the fans did not reject this match because I thought it was meticulously and masterfully booked and executed to avoid any chance of the fans turning on it, either because it was too short or too long or too ambitious or not ambitious enough. The word that comes to mind with this is sweet spot. It hit the sweet spot of what these two, at their age in 2017 in that spot on the card could do. Your thoughts?

[Steve Austin]

I thought it was absolutely perfect. I just loved it. I just. Everything about it. I mean, these two guys, Brock Lesnar and Bill Goldberg, are not rocket scientists. They're not scientists. They're not wearing a lab coat. You've got a Neanderthal caveman versus a CRO Magnon caveman with high intensity. I mean that as a compliment because both guys are totally. Yeah, God damn.

[Wade Keller]

Where else is that a compliment? But yes.

[Steve Austin]

Yeah, exactly. I thought it was spectacular. I was thinking, God dang it, can Bill go six or eight? Because I was thinking, maybe they're going to try to go six or eight, because remember, this is mania. And they went about 30, they went about a minute and a half, give or take, in those first two extravaganzas. And they were setting up, they were making Bill, and Brock was along for the ride as he should have been and was, and it was perfect. And so to go out there the way they did this, bam. A couple of suplexes and that spear out of nowhere. Holy smokes. And they just had the camera on Brock when a spear came out of nowhere. And from then, I'll use my 14 letter word, the shit was on. I just thought the pacing was perfect, the delivery was perfect, the body language, every single thing. And you could see Brock's big ass towards the end. I thought he was just going to snatch Bill up and just really deliver that F5 with a little bit more mustard than he did. And God dang, when you look at the pace these guys set for as big as they are for what they did, taking those blows, because believe me, taking those Germans ain't easy. And those spears, when Bill's bringing those spears, those ain't no walk in the park either. I thought they destroyed each other. And I thought the match was absolutely perfect. To your point, the four minute mark, give or take, whatever it was, was the magic spot. And the crowd responded accordingly. People were jumping up in the air, they're doing the yes thing, and they bid hook, line and sinker on everything that these guys delivered. And that's all they needed to deliver was four minutes of pure bell to bell Whoopass.

[Wade Keller]

And this is where the star rating system doesn't even work. I mean, how do you give a match this limited that goes less than five minutes, like four stars? Like, you can certainly justify it on a lot of levels. And then on another level, you're like, it just wasn't long enough. There wasn't enough to it. This is a match. It's sort of like Shane Styles too. It doesn't really fit the star rating system. It has limitations. This was a match that absolutely was what it needed to be. It wasn't A.J. cena, you know, it wasn't a classic in that way, but you're right. The crowd jumping up and down with their hands in the air. It was the first time they did that since the Hardys. Since the Hardys came out and since Matt grabbed the belts and celebrated with Jeff. That was the first time in the show and it had been a long time between, but they had that energy for this match. And, you know, Goldberg did what he had to do. He looked the part. He talked about how grueling it was to look the part at his age. But Brock's facial expressions and the subtle things that he does are so masterful. And so, you know, talk about Bret Hart. Brock is authentically Brock and he knows who he is and what he is. And he is unabashedly that. We don't know that with Seth yet. Going back to Seth, you know, we don't know what authentic, unabashed Seth Rollins is. We do with Lesnar. He shined here. And I mean, the spear of Goldberg into that timekeeper area was. Was delivered what it needed to, but it was those signature spots in the ring that are so over and you know, like the kick out and Goldberg's reaction when. When it didn't work, you know, when the jackhammer didn't work, when it had before and the leapfrog, tremendous.

[Steve Austin]

Didn't see the coming. And he jumped. He's got about a 40 inch vertical. Jesus. But the way he left up there, didn't see it coming. Just a perfect takeout spot for Bill. It was awesome.

[Wade Keller]

It was. Yep. I mean, that's the thing. There was more in 4 minutes, 45 seconds to get excited about or as much as there was in seth hunter in 26 minutes. And I think that's a point we're making with Seth Hunter is Seth Hunter. We could be talking the same way, and the crowd would react to the same way if they just had cut down the match. And this. That's why I say this hit the sweet spot. And that's sometimes. I mean, Steve, you've been in so many of those situations where, you know, you got to make the. You know, how do you tell the story in how long? Where are we on the card? What's the crowd? Where are we in the feud? All of that. And sometimes you hit that sweet spot and everything comes together. And they did that here. And yeah, it was. It was.

[Steve Austin]

When you think length of time versus or along with stars or how do you rate that? This or how do you judge it? What do you compare it to? You don't. You're trying as two performers and the company in general and telling this story, which was told wonderfully. How are you going to affect that crowd? Did their performance affect that crowd? Yes, it did. Not a single son bitch was on their seat at the end. Everybody jumped up and they were happy that Brock won. Actually, it would have been funny had Goldberg won. I wonder if they would have booed because everybody knew it was Brock's time. It was mania. Brock's going to be there down the road. But did they affect the crowd? Yes. Did the crowd buy in hook, line and sinker? Yes. Did the people react? Yes. You can go out there, you can do all the scientific stuff, all the little technical moves, and if the crowd ain't buying, you know, you ain't doing what you needed to do to get them. They did what they needed to do, and I was worried. I was thinking, God dang, Bill. Like I said, both guys are friends of mine, but can Bill weather this storm that Brock's going to bring? And going back to WrestleMania 20 at Madison Square Garden, I was there front and center. These two badass individuals, and just quite frankly, they know it. I know it, the world knows it. This shit didn't go good that night, and it was terrible all these years later. Didn't even think about that. And I didn't even think about that. I was just wondering in the back of my mind, and I was just watching, as I said earlier in the podcast, as a fan and watching my two buddies go at it, and they crushed it. I loved it.

[Wade Keller]

Going back to 20, did you know? Did you have a sense that they had a sense that it could go that badly.

[Steve Austin]

I don't think there was a sense of how bad it could go. I think it was both guys were leaving, and neither one really, you know, had plans for the match or just. I don't want to say they didn't care, because that would be irresponsible of me because I don't. I didn't say, hey, man, what happened? Did you. Did you not care? So I don't know why that match went so bad. It just. Just didn't go good. It just. How did you describe that match?

[Wade Keller]

It was. It was a time when the crowd knew more than I think the promoters were knew a crowd would know. You know, like, it was the beginnings were leaving. Yeah. And I think it was the beginning of having to book legitimately for the Internet, like, for knowledge being out there that promoters were used to, not fans, not knowing, going in. And I think that played into it. I think you played a part because they liked you better than the other two guys. And, I mean, it was like that perfect, imperfect storm where just everything that could go wrong did. They saw two guys who they didn't think had their heart in the business. And when you're going to wrestlemania, your heart's in the business, and you want to sense that the people you're paying to see love it and eat, sleep, and breathe it, and they will sense that and appreciate it. And I think they sensed that was not the case for the two people who were wrestling. And so, yeah, it was a perfect storm in that way, of a crowd rejecting a match.

[Steve Austin]

And it is really, really nice that all these years later, these guys hit a grand slam in that four minutes. Satisfied the crowd, and they damn sure satisfied me. I hope they're both happy with the crowd, happy with the match, because I thought it was exactly what it needed to be. Let's move on. Hey, go ahead.

[Wade Keller]

One thing I want to give credit to, the directing at the beginning of the match when Lesnar hit the three Germans, and then that camera shows Lesnar celebrating like, ha, ha, ha.

[Steve Austin]

Now.

[Wade Keller]

Now I've got Goldberg figured out. It was like this chill. If you're a Lesnar fan, you have chills. And they didn't show Goldberg getting up and flying through the air to spear Lesnar. All you saw was Lesnar getting speared, like there was no warning, and it was perfectly shot. And I just want to give credit to that, because it wouldn't have been the same thing. The audience, in person, saw it coming. But on tv, all you saw is a cocky Lesnar boom getting hit out of nowhere. I thought that was, like, really smart. And I'm 99% sure it was intentional.

[Steve Austin]

I didn't elaborate on that probably accurately enough, but I did refer to that spot because, yeah, he just entered frame and there was Brock, and it was just out of the. It was just an arrow of this gigantic arrow flying through space. And bam, he goes down. Impact was like quadrupled or ten foot. Just because you didn't see it coming. Like you said, the crowd saw it. Had they been shooting this thing wide, old school style from the 70s or 80s, you would have seen it. But the way they shot it, you didn't see it coming. It just maximized the impact and the effect.

[Wade Keller]

And Lesnar's facial expressions and body language, I mean, I just can't say enough about him. I mean, the glee and I mean, it was just the equivalent of celebrating before you cross the end zone. And then the look on his face when Goldberg blindsided him, it was like, holy shit. Oh, my God. It was just like. It was great. Yeah, I loved it.

[Steve Austin]

Hey, so we got the next match. We have Naomi, Alexa Bliss, Becky Lynch, Mickey James, Carmella, and Natalia. Holy smokes. These ladies were put in a real tough position because you have 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 ladies out there, 6 women out there in a championship match going right back before the main, right after a blockbuster in the Brock vs Goldberg thing. And you're setting up for the main event, Naomi ends up defeating Alexa Bliss with that submission hold. I thought the hold was very unique. A little bit of discombobulation as this thing got started. And they settled into a real fast paced match because of the time or lack of time that they were given. I thought, given what I saw, these damn ladies worked their asses off and gave maximum effort. It's really hard to say much more than that about it because it was really a series of events happening and then the finish happened. So there's not a whole lot I can elaborate on, because short on time, six bodies, one belt. That's a tough thing to pull off. And I would say that they pulled it off about as well as they could.

[Wade Keller]

I agree. I mean, they were in a tough spot. Nobody wanted them to go longer than five, six minutes. And there's six of them, so you can't go three minutes because then some people aren't even going to get anything in. So, yeah, I mean, it was. It was a rushed match that they managed to not make feel like it Was rushed. It just, it was a come down off of Goldberg Lesnar. It with the work that they did on the smackdown brand. Any two of them should have had a one on one match that was given the spotlight and a chance to shine. There just wasn't space for that on the show. And so they did the best with what they had. Yeah, I mean, I kind of forgot it was there when we were moving on from Goldberg Lesnar, but in a way it served a purpose. It brought the fans down a little bit before the main event, but.

[Steve Austin]

Well, but then when you go when you start talking about, you know, the order of the card or this person in the pre show should have been on there and then all of a sudden you have these six bodies, these six people here. You know, it's like, man, all of a sudden you start building that card and the names start filling up and you're trying to get them all in a match. And so then you put six women in one match to make sure they make the show because the women's movement is happening so well these title matches and they're doing good business with them. But God dang, it'd been nice to see one on one there. One on one, four of the women going to have to sit out. But it would have nice to just see a good straight single.

[Wade Keller]

Oh, I agree. There's a reason people buy lottery tickets. They're willing to give up a dollar in order for the possibility of getting everybody's dollar. And I think with the women in the division, there's more value in having a one on one match than everybody splitting, you know, six ways. The glory that comes with being on WrestleMania because then nobody wins. Everybody just, you know, everybody gets a dollar. Nobody just wants to win a dollar. You want to win a big grand prize, have the, you know, if the timing doesn't work out and somebody's off the show, so be it. But I think they every there's any two of them deserve to have a one on one match and that would have been more important than whatever all six of them got out of all getting to be on the show.

[Steve Austin]

So anyway, just to. Hey, man, the six women, a little bit of time. One title on the line. Naomi, the hometown girl, wins the title. It's a feel good moment, A cool entrance. Ladies worked hard, but they were short on time. And that's all I'll say.

[VRBO Announcer]

This podcast is sponsored by IQ Bar. I've got good news and bad news. Here's the bad news. Most protein bars are packed with sugar and unpronounceable ingredients. The good news? There's a better option. I'm Will and I created IQ Bar plant protein bars to empower doers like you with clean, delicious, low sugar, brain and body fuel. IQ bars are packed with 12 grams of protein, brain nutrients like magnesium and Lion's Mane and Zero Weird Stuff. And right now you can get 20% off all IQ Bar products plus free shipping. Clean ingredients, amazing taste and you'll love how you feel. Refuel smarter, hydrate harder, caffeinate larger with IQ Bar. Try our delicious IQ Bar Sampler Pack with nine plant protein bars, eight hydration mixes and four mushroom coffee sticks. And now you can get 20% off all IQ Bar products plus free shipping. When you go to iqbar.com today and enter promo code BAR20 to get this exclusive offer for our listeners. That's iqbar.com promo code BAR20 to get 20% off plus free shipping. Iqbar.com, code BAR20.

[Podcast One Announcer / Steve Austin Show Intro Voice]

This is Steve Austin unleashed.

[Steve Austin]

Hey man. God dang. Before we talk about Roman Reigns and Undertaker, go ahead and get your stuff in, okay?

[Wade Keller]

PWTorch.com is my website. Check it out. You can read my report on Ron Smackdown every Monday and Tuesday live. I've got a lot of columnists and contributors. Break breaking news and all that good stuff. Same with pay per views. Our podcast. It's on every day and you can check our [e-mail] I host it four days a week. If you enjoy this conversation with Steve, you'll enjoy my show. We do a show right after Raw right after Smackdown midweek Wednesday show and then I do an interview every Thursday and I think you will very much enjoy it. So look for us on itunes. I think the top search return for pro wrestling on Stitcher. So we're everywhere. That's PWTORCH livecast and we'd love to have you as a regular listener. So check us out.

[Steve Austin]

Here we go. Let's talk about Roman Reigns and the Undertaker and God dang. Jim Ross came down to do the announcing on this match to join Michael Cole and jbl. And man, to see Jim walk down that ramp after what he just went through with his wife passing. It was just, it was good to hear my friend on the horn again calling a match. I can only imagine how he feel he went down there, he fulfilled his appearances and did some the commentary before this match we're about to speak about. But boy, my heart sure went out to Jim. Still does after everything he went through. Did you expect to see him there, Wade?

[Wade Keller]

Yeah, I mean, there were some reports out there that, that he'd be there for Undertaker's presumably last match. You know, this had been talked about for a while. He. It was not a last minute move.

[Steve Austin]

No, it wasn't a last minute move. It's just.

[Wade Keller]

But we wanted to keep it quiet. Yeah, I was expecting to come out and I was really happy for him. I mean, a week ago I was, you know, I mean, Jim was on my show just a few weeks ago and regular guest on my show and I was. It's just like his love for wrestling is there. He didn't hint that he was going back to wwe. And then a week ago, I mean, just communicating with him privately a little bit. I mean, I know how devastating losing Jan was to him. I mean, I just, my heart, I mean, it just so. I mean, we're, you know, words can't describe it and nobody should have to go through what he's going through. And so the fact that. And I don't, you know, I won't say this carefully, but I think the fact that WrestleMania was, you know, just a week or two. WrestleMania weekend was a week or two later gave him a chance to just get away from the sadness and to just re immerse himself in something that is a passion and a love. And to be able, with this timing, to be around so many people who feel a bond with him, know him, love him, support him. And for him to be able to be immersed in this again, surrounded by a support group, I think worked out well for him. I think he was probably ready, you know, maybe ready for it. Whereas if it was all this happened last weekend, he might not have been ready. And for this to come back to WrestleMania and call Taker's last match, I mean, I'm sure it was bittersweet, but I was really happy that they were able to make that happen.

[Steve Austin]

Okay, tell you what your thoughts on the match.

[Wade Keller]

I feel like Taker looked like somebody who was past the time that he could put on the match that his pride would want him to put on. I think that he gave it his all and in a way it's a fitting end because I don't think anybody's going to look at this match and say one more match to Taker because he left it all in there. But it came across. I don't think the crowd knew how to take it. You know, you have two baby faces against each other. Obviously, huge portion of the fan base doesn't like Roman. That doesn't make him heel. It makes him a rejected babyface. And because he's framed as a babyface, he's talked about as such, he's, you know, and all that. But they wanted to see Undertaker run, but Roman was the more physically dominant guy who clearly was carrying the match. I. I just was. I don't think we want to get to a point watching a guy wrestle who we love and appreciate what he's done for something that we love watching and be worried for him. And I sort of just felt like it had reached that point. So I think watching it back, there's some good moments and then there's some moments that. That were a little uncomfortable to watch ultimately. Would it. Would, you know, Undertaker Hunter from, what was it, five years ago have been a better final chapter for Taker? And he would have ended on this hot streak of great matches, probably. But that was, you know, 5 million. $5 million in payoffs, less or whatever if he did that. So, yeah, it was a little bittersweet to have that be the match that he goes out on. Yeah. So, I mean, I'm on the kind of on the edge of my seat. I'm kind of curious what you thought, Steve. They won 23 minutes. I want to stop talking and hear you.

[Steve Austin]

Well, I got what I thought I was going to see when I saw Taker come into the ring. I'm looking at a guy that I've known for a long time, got a whole lot of respect for, had one of my first matches within Dallas, Texas, is when I stunk out the joint because I couldn't hear the calls. So I've known Undertaker for a long time. We don't call each other, we don't text each other, we don't ride together, but he's a friend. And when we see each other, we shake hands, and it's just like old times. I saw him walk down the ring, and I didn't know he was going to retire after this, but I saw him walk down the ring, and I'm just thinking to myself, man, how is this guy doing this? He's 6, 10. He's almost 7ft. When you got to understand. I've talked about this over and over before on my podcast. I was six' 2, 250, 260. Amen. I was a hard bumper. But those guys, those longer guys, from a physiological, kinesiological, anatomical level, the longer you are, just the more beating your body takes. And he's one of the toughest guys in the history of the business. That had one of the greatest runs in the history of the business with one of the greatest gimmicks, characters in the history of the business and, and a stand up guy. And to see him walk down that ring, I didn't know it was going to be his last shot. So I was expecting this to be a slugfest. It was going to be a brawl, a lot of right hands and I knew there was going to be a desk or two. And sure enough, that's what happened. So I watched the match when it happened live, and then I watched it again this morning when I watched the show and when I watched it last night live, I saw the finish and I turned the television off. All I saw was Roman Reigns go over after, you know, they had that botch towards the end. That was unfortunate. You really hated to see that because I know they really wanted to pull that off and they couldn't. They covered and continued like two professionals. So anyway, the match was exactly what I thought it was going to be. A lot of right hands and, you know, just, you know, two guys dressed in black and two guys working, baby, that's a hard formula to work with, to start off with. So anyway, I watched it again this morning and then I saw the end of the program. Well, hell, after Roman Reigns gets to 1, 2, 3, he leaves, Undertaker is laying there in the middle of the ring forever and he finally sits up. And then it had reminded me of the sit up that he, you know, tried to get up during the match and fell over again on his side. And I was just thinking, gosh, this is that old gunfighter. And after, after slaying so many people, it's time to just ride off into the sunset. So I thought the match was exactly what it was. Whatever you think it was, or anybody that saw it thought it was a brawl, some neat table stuff and then, you know, the finish. But I thought by the way, the show went off the air when I saw the Undertaker take off those gloves, because I didn't, I haven't been on, you know, social media, hadn't been on the Internet, hadn't been on anything. So I didn't know any of this. I saw him take those gloves off and then his jacket off and I saw him lay that hat there and then so in its totality, his retirement coming at the end of this badass, legendary gunfighter fighting his last fight and losing and hanging it up and then walking up that ramp, holding up that right arm forever and then descending into the stage. I forgot about the match.

[Wade Keller]

Yeah.

[Steve Austin]

And the match was what it was. It was the end of WrestleMania. One thing that I took away from that match was that Vince always talks about making people smile. This time we weren't. Or he wasn't trying to make people smile. This was paying respects to the Undertaker who was riding off into the sunset. And he goes down in defeat to raise up Roman Reigns doing the ultimate favor and then riding off into the sunset. And so it became about the totality of his career, which we can't even begin to discuss on this podcast because we'd be talking for six days. And so all of that hit me. And that's what I took out of that match. That Roman Reigns just beat one of the biggest legends in the history of the business. The match had its moments. It wasn't a thrill fest. It was a solid story. And Undertaker gave it his all. And he's one of the toughest human beings ever but met. So one word came to my mind as he walked off or after he did the favors and then went down into the stage, and that was respect spelled out in all capital letters. And that's pretty much it. I mean, it'll be interesting to see what they did yesterday as we speak on Monday Night Raw to signal the end of his career. Will he come out? I mean, because to me, Wade, tell me your take on this. When he took off the gloves, the coat, the hat and laid it down, he walked away from that Undertaker gimmick. So if we see him ever appear again, will it maybe commentary at an autograph session or any kind of WWE function? Will he don the Undertaker stuff again and go back into character? Or has he completely, you know, that was it. That was the last ride, no pun intended. And so their lies or their died or their was given up or relinquished. The Undertaker gimmick from now on. And now he will be Mark Calloway. You know what I'm saying?

[Wade Keller]

Oh, totally. Yeah. I mean, I hadn't.

[Steve Austin]

Did he lay that gimmick to rest permanently? I don't want to see him wrestle again. I think he's done wrestling. But did he retire the gimmick?

[Wade Keller]

I hadn't thought about that. I don't know. I think that if he did, I respect the hell out of that decision and the symbolism and the way that he went about it. And I think that would be totally appropriate that that means it's, you know, the guy, Mark Calloway from now on, who, if he does an autograph session or he's at the hall of Fame, and the symbolism is that that was the end and he's never going to play that part again. And I like that a lot. I also can't rule out that he just wanted to send a real direct message to the fans. This is the end of the career of the Undertaker. So, yeah, I'm not sure I mean it. I like your. I like your scenario better, and I kind of hope that's the case. And I don't think he'll ever be a position where he'll feel he needs to be Undertaker again. So, yeah, that. That's. That's a fitting ending. What did you think of Roman Reigns body language in the story that they were trying to tell? Because it seemed like he was trying to say it was a little Michael's Flair esque in I don't want to keep doing this, but you keep getting up. And I think the story of the match was Reigns recognizing, I'm going to win. It's just a matter of when. And I'm not taking great joy in the accomplishment. And Undertaker left it all on. All on the field, all in the ring. Like every last thing he had, it went even further than Reigns wanted. But Reigns kind of had that look of, I have to keep going, I've got to win. That would be the. It wouldn't be respectful not to. I have to just do what I got to do. To finally put him down.

[Steve Austin]

I thought he played it as straight as you could. I thought he didn't overplay it. He didn't understood. He played it just the way he felt it and the way I watched him do it was seemingly perfect according to how everything went down. I don't think you could yuck it up, ham it up, gloat about it. Who knows what they're going to do with him. Will he remain a baby? Will they turn him heel? This was about getting a win. He got the win. The Undertaker retired. So now with see, you know, in the coming weeks, months, or whenever, what they decide to do ultimately is direction with Roman Reigns. But as far as playing the moment in this match, I thought it played it right down the middle and did an outstanding job. Hey, the one little botch. I mean, Undertaker's such a big, long, heavy guy. I mean, and at the time of the match when they did that, after several big bumps and fatigue factor and everything else, that was a hard spot to watch. But as far as Roman Reigns did, he did his part. He did outstanding, as did Undertaker, and he did the best damn job he could. I'll tell you what, he's tougher than I am and I give him all the credit in the world. So I just come away from it with. At the end of the day, Roman Reigns got a hell of a win over one of the biggest names in the history of the business. And I know he'll from a shoot level and from a personal level or from a professional and a personal level will respect that.

[Wade Keller]

And I'm glad that they made the match about Undertaker ultimately and not Roman Reigns. What Roman does on Raw for the next few weeks to establish how this win and what it meant to be the last opponent presumably, and I think safe to say for Undertaker is is a story. But I wouldn't have wanted the match to be Undertaker's last match is a way to try to get Roman over as a heel or anything like that. I like that the story for Roman is what happens afterwards. But the story of that match was yes, Roman was an observer and a participant both of Undertaker giving his last gasp. And it's something that I know Vince really wanted Roman to be part of because Roman's a big part of WWE's future. John Cena may not be so certainly at a full time level for 10 more years. He sees a lot of money in Roman Cena nod. So I get that. But I think it was really smart to make that the final three, four minutes and really the whole match more about Undertaker than Reigns. And that was even reflected in the

[Steve Austin]

commentary and in wrapping up the podcast. I think you said there were a lot of thumbs up, but you said there was almost as many thumbs downs. I. I'd heard on my Twitter account that some people mentioned that they didn't really care for WrestleMania. I did. And some of the guys missed on their matches. Some of the storylines didn't quite work. The crowd didn't buy into some of the moments. It's very, very hard to work in an outdoor stadium because the sound can get just lost in the sky and you can't really hear it. So sometimes they're a little bit deceiving. But just in watching the match, if I had the volume turn turned down, there's a couple of guys that missed. But in the totality of the show and in watching the Undertaker retire after a very hard fought battle, if it was basic but a hard fought battle, the emotion for me and just the visual and the spectacle of him retiring, I thought it was. I really enjoyed WrestleMania because there were a lot of great moments. There was a lot of great matches and the hall of Fame inductees, that was a great class of hall of Fame inductees. Congrats to all them. But I gave it a thumbs up. I really enjoyed it. I was looking back as they have these build ups of the greatest WrestleManias of all time. And I know 17 was one of the top ones. But you can't always. It's just like a match, you put a card together. Sometimes you have that night of just, you know, everything working gangbusters. Sometimes you go out there, you have the greatest match you ever had and then sometimes you just go out there and totally crap the bed. So I thought, and looking back at the whole entire thing, very, very long. It could have been a little bit shorter, but I really enjoyed the event. I really thought it was a really, really good WrestleMania for me, myself and what I got out of it.

[Wade Keller]

And I give it a thumbs up. I mean we've got like 3,000 some votes. In a quick poll I put up last night, 53% thumbs up, which isn't greatest of all time by any means, but it's, but it's encouraging the sense that, hey, I mean it's thumbs up more than half. 34% thumbs in the middle, only 13% thumbs down. So that to me that's kind of how I am. I'm like, I. There's some aspects of it that pulled me down from a strong thumbs up and the length of the show at, you know, was one of them. I mean it, that was a long time. Six and a half hours. You know, I mean for that many like to watch it in two chunks. I think I would have liked both halves better than the whole. It's. I think they need to do something about it. They have this flexibility now with the network without the 3, 4. I went over pay per view and they're just, they're pushing it. And I think for the sake of the wrestlers, it's more respectful of the wrestlers who are going to be on the show to give them a fresh audience that will give them a chance and not be exhausted and fatigued. Then it is disrespectful to keep some people off the show. I think it's more respectful, keep people off the show and let the people who are on the show have a fresh crowd for three and a half hours. Then throw everybody on the show. But go six plus hours and I hope they adjust that.

[Steve Austin]

Man, I'll tell you, I was watching, I cherry picked a few matches as I said before I went to sleep and so then to come back and watch the whole event the next day and I even skipped kind of the opening ceremony, so to speak, and got straight into the wrestling because we were jammed on time. And I have some other business that I had to take care of. So I was jammed up on time. And then to watch this entire pay per view, obviously you always want to give people their money's worth to travel all from around the world, because it's a global event, it's a big event, it's a huge event, and it changes the economy wherever they're at, that's how many hundred million dollars plus generated. But it was to watch in one dose, in one sitting, Just watching in the best seat in the house, which is my La Z Boy chair that I'm sitting in. There's a couple of bathroom breaks in there. There's cooking some chicken breasts. I mean, and it takes a while to watch one of these events because of the length that they are. I guess there's pros and cons to everything, but need to find a sweet spot, I guess. But the WrestleMania show is the biggest show of the year. So manager is trying to hit you with everything, including the kitchen sink. So on one hand, I can understand it and respect it. On the other hand, sometimes, you know, you get the bad side of that that comes with it, and that's the time. And sometimes that audience tires out on you. In those outdoor arenas, it just looked like the wind was really gusty unless they had fans blowing on them. Wade. But I heard from some of the people there, they got pretty tired because it was a little bit warm.

[Wade Keller]

Yeah. Oh, no. It was in the high 70s at the starter and then dropped down a bit from there. But the heat was an issue. Once the sun set, it was better.

[Steve Austin]

And you can have bodies packed in there next to each other.

[Wade Keller]

No, I know. No, absolutely. I mean, it's a long time to sit, even with going to the concession stands and bathroom and stuff. I mean, wait real quick. We ran a poll on it too. 36% said the length of the show was a big detriment, 34% said a small detriment, 24% said it's fine, and 6% said it's a positive. So, I mean, a pretty strong indication that the length at that level the last two years, no matter how good the matches are, it's still too much. So again, I just. For the sake of those who are on the show, give them a fresh crowd. It's just not fair to, for, to the wrestlers. I mean, yes, you can have a Goldberg Lesnar moment, but I just think if this keeps up, there's going to be some more negatives and positives to the length.

[Steve Austin]

On a parting note, I would like to say congratulations to the WWE on a hellacious round WrestleMania as a culmination of the year. Congrats to all the guys and girls who participated, the refs and everybody that went. Hope your journeys were safe. I'm talking with Wade Keller, the Pro Wrestling Torch been covering this business for a long ass time. Wade, it is always a pleasure talking with you. Let's do it again sometime.

[Wade Keller]

Absolutely Steve.

[Podcast One Announcer / Steve Austin Show Intro Voice]

Thanks a lot Steve Austin. Steve Austin, unleash Unleashed.

[Steve Austin]

All right everybody, give me the go home cue. So I'm gonna wrap up his podcast Ride off in the Sunset. Before I do, I want to thank Wade Keller from Pro Wrestling Torch for joining me. It's always good talking to Wade about the business of pro wrestling, the Tuesday and the Thursday show this week and I want to thank everybody for sending in your emails to questionsteveaustinshow.com I really appreciate the feedback and appreciate the questions. Please keep those emails coming. Whether you just got something to say, want me to answer a question, or want to complain about something or give me something to talk about. I appreciate the responses and I appreciate the comments. Emails gives me stuff to talk about and you take a load off my shoulders when you send those emails in. I read every email that gets sent here to questionsteveaustinshow.com hey man, let me give you guys something to watch before I ride off in the sunset. I was watching the NXT Takeover pay per view right before Wrestlemania. I didn't get a chance to watch the whole event, but what I did was cherry pick one match and that was a Triple Threat tag team match between Revival, Gargano and Ciampa and the authors of Pain. And I'll tell you what, that's a damn good match. Triple Threat tag team matches can really be clusterfucks. I don't like Triple Threat Singles matches. Three ways, whatever you want to call them, four ways. I can't stand none of that shit. Whether tag or single, especially working them. Watching them, that's a whole other thing. If they turn out good, this one in my opinion, turns out gangbusters. I thought all three tag teams worked their asses off. We've all seen Revival take on Gargano and Ciampa many, many times and they always have these classic matches. These guys can work their asses off. I had never heard of the alters of Pain. Turns out they're the NXT tag team champions that roll into this match and who else than Paul Ellering? They roll into this match as the champions and I'll be God damned if Paul Ellering is not their manager. Holy shit. Paul Ellering has been around the business for a long time. I used to train or try to train with Paul way back in the day, in my WCW days, because Paul was always extremely strong and trained his ass off. Very intense individual, very smart, and it was just real cool to see Paul pop back up on the scene. For those of you that knew Paul was with them, that's cool. But for me, it was a surprise and good to see him. Goddamn, man, Paul looks. Hell, he still looks like he's 45 years old. So anyway, they rolled into this arena and I thought they just tore the house down with a damn good match. You can see the magic of the revival kind of holding this thing together. Gargano and Champions also doing a great job of holding this thing together. And then the authors of Pain, you know, probably the greenest, well, they are the greenest tag team in this endeavor, but they held their own and I thought that they put them in a position to always make them look good. These guys are big, physical. The match made sense to me. A lot of good shit going on. So check that match out and if you dig it or if you don't dig it, send me an email and tell me why you did or you didn't. And that's my match for you guys to watch. I'll get in there and watch the entire pay per view asap. I've been meaning to watch that. Maybe I'll watch it this evening when I ain't got nothing to do and football ain't on tv. So I'll probably watch the whole pay per view. If I do, maybe I'll report on a couple more matches that go down there. Amen. ProWrestlingtease.com SteveAustin has all the shirts I wore filming the last season of Broken Skull Challenge. And I want to thank everybody over in the uk. All those different countries over there that have been digging Broken Skull Challenge on Dave tv. Man, I appreciate the support of the show. We'll see if we get another episode. We'll see if we get another season of Broken Skull Challenge. But all them T shirts, they're at prowrestlingtease.com steveaustin and my beer is broken skullipa and you can find it at insidetheseller.com and see if they ship it to your state. If you're in California, you can find it at Whole Foods and Total Wines. And you can find everything that is related to me, Steve [e-mail] including the cold steel Broken Skull knife and the brand new Working Man's knife. Cold Steel Broken Skull a little bit more expensive high end working Man a little bit more cost effective, just as high quality, very badass knives from Cold Steel Knives. And you can find this thing on Amazon or brokenskullranch.com or coldsteelknives.com Hey, I got to say one more thank you to all the sponsors of the Steve Austin Show. That's how I'm able to do this podcast for you free twice a week. And you can all find my [e-mail] and just a reminder that the Steve Austin show is also a participant in the Amazon Associates program and that's an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com you can link to [e-mail] by clicking on the Killer Deals button at the top of the page. Hey folks, Keep listening to 62nd AP news headlines coming up next. Until then, my name is Steve Austin and I will catch your ass down the road.

[Podcast One Announcer / Steve Austin Show Intro Voice]

Download new episodes of Steve Austin Unleashed every [e-mail] that's podcastone.com.

[Steve Austin]

At first I didn't think it was real. I woke up to this blinding light

[Podcast One Announcer / Steve Austin Show Intro Voice]

and I was transported to another place.

[Steve Austin]

Pluto tv.

[VRBO Announcer]

Then I heard a voice.

[Steve Austin]

Come with me if you want to live. There were thousands of movies and shows

[Adam Carolla]

and they were all free.

[Podcast One Announcer / Steve Austin Show Intro Voice]

Truth is that it's just so Beautiful on Pluto TV.

[Steve Austin]

Free streaming of Terminator 2, Fringe Arrow,

[Podcast One Announcer / Steve Austin Show Intro Voice]

the 100 and the X X Files may cause excitement, loss of sleep, and sudden belief in extraterrestrials.

[Steve Austin]

No credit cards or alien encounters necessary. Pluto TV Stream now pay Never.