Bob "Hardcore" Holly PART 2 - SAS CLASSIC

Summary

---

The Steve Austin Show: Bob "Hardcore" Holly Part 2 – SAS Classic

Date: October 21, 2025
Host: Steve Austin
Guest: Bob "Hardcore" Holly

---

Overview

In this lively and candid second part of his conversation with Bob "Hardcore" Holly, Steve Austin dives into the realities of professional wrestling, competition, camaraderie, memorable backstage stories, and life beyond the squared circle. Recorded with the usual mix of humor, honesty, and mutual respect, this episode is rich with wrestling history, firsthand accounts, and the no-nonsense wisdom both men are known for. Hardcore Holly reflects on his career, friendships, infamous in-ring moments, the “Brawl for All,” and his present-day focus on survivalism and personal happiness.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Brotherhood and Competitiveness in the Wrestling Locker Room

[01:30 – 06:33]

• Camaraderie Among Wrestlers:
  Holly and Austin agree that the locker room was filled with big personalities, but most were down-to-earth, helpful, and fun to be around.

  “Everybody was just always fun to be around. They were always there to help you out in any way they could. … There was a camaraderie there where we were a tight knit group of guys that we loved what we did and we looked after each other.” — Bob Holly [03:11]

• Competition for Spots:
  Despite the family feel, wrestling was fiercely competitive, and no one’s spot was ever safe.

  “As much as we liked each other, dude, you had to fight tooth and nail to keep your spot.” — Steve Austin [05:22]
  “Every time I went out … I felt like I was on audition.” — Bob Holly [06:33]

The Toughness of Steve Blackman

[07:40 – 12:41]

• Holly recounts stories of Steve Blackman’s legendary toughness, martial arts skill, and seriousness in the ring and life.

  “He’s one of those people that. He knows every pressure point, every. Every spot to. To hit someone to where it could fatally kill him. He practices that all the time.” — Bob Holly [10:54]

• Blackman’s life post-wrestling includes running a bail bonds business and an MMA school — and he’s content outside the business now.

The “Brawl for All” Tournament: Behind the Scenes

[13:36 – 22:51]

• Set Up and Fallout:
  Originally set to make Dr. Death Steve Williams a major TV star, the shoot fight tournament goes off-script when Bart Gunn knocks out Williams.

  “Bart actually took Steve down more than Steve took him down and Bart outpunched him. … Bart just went out there and did what Bart does and Bart knocked him out and ended up screwing up their whole thing.” — Bob Holly [16:47]

• Real Danger & Surprises:
  Holly expresses the unpredictability and risk of shoot fighting, both physically and for professional reputation.

  “You cannot plan for something like that to work out in your favor … when you dangle a hundred thousand dollar carrot in front of somebody, especially a bunch of hungry boys.” — Bob Holly [19:36]
  “It almost wipes out [Steve Williams’] whole credibility, even though anybody can get knocked out at any given second.” — Bob Holly [20:26]

• Bart Gunn’s Dominance:
  Holly describes being shocked at Gunn’s knockout power—and experiencing it firsthand.

  “I know he hit me, Steve. I was on one side of the ring and when he hit me, I was on the other side.” — Bob Holly [21:56]

• Entering a Real Fight:
  Holly shares the mindset shift when going into real combat versus performing.

  “The whole thing I was thinking is obviously I wanted to win … but I had no idea. … The shit’s real. It’s like, okay, we’re fixing the fight for real.” — Bob Holly [23:32]
  “When Bart, when he hits you, you know you’ve been hit. It’s like, I might as well have got ran over by a fucking truck.” — Bob Holly [24:18]

Classic Road Stories & In-Ring Stiffness

[25:18 – 35:34]

• Double Shots and the Slap Spot:
  Austin and Holly reminisce about working double shots (two shows in a day) and nearly knocking each other out with real slaps—protecting the business by making things look real.

  “Holy shit. Bob reared back … He slapped the dog shit out of me. My jaw went over like one of them old school typewriters and dinged and I pushed it back in place.” — Steve Austin [27:04]

• Working Stiff:
  Both discuss their preference for a snug, believable style, and sharing receipts (payback for stiff shots).

  “I wanted it to be believable. I am one of the biggest believers. I take what I give, and I am the first person. If I crack somebody, I expect it back.” — Bob Holly [31:55]

• Notable Opponents:
  Holly shouts out Benoit, Jericho, Eddie Guerrero, Brock Lesnar, Test, and Gene Snitsky as memorable, physical opponents.

Life Beyond Wrestling

[38:03 – 43:52]

• Camping, Survivalism, and Future Goals:
  Holly describes his love for road trips, camping, and survivalism; his and his wife’s dream to hike trails like the Appalachian Trail or Pacific Crest Trail, and potentially be on ‘Alone’ (the survival show).

  “That’s another goal of mine … to go do that. And I’m gonna … video all of it.” — Bob Holly [39:21]

• Modern Wrestling & TV Preferences:
  Holly admits he doesn’t follow current wrestling, preferring UFC, survival shows, and series like Dexter and Ozark.

  “I just. I have no desire to watch wrestling.” — Bob Holly [44:25]

Early Wrestling Fandom

[49:10 – 53:09]
Both Holly and Austin share their childhood fascination with wrestling and roller derby—“I wanted to be a roller derby person. … Then saw wrestling … and I was like, oh, wait a minute, this is even better.” — Bob Holly [49:15]

Where Is Hardcore Holly Now?

[52:55 – 65:05]

• Now semi-retired, Holly only accepts wrestling gigs or appearances sparingly, devoting most of his time to his wife and dog and enjoying a quieter, outdoor lifestyle.

• He relishes being a "loner," noting he has little need for social crowds or material things, just the company of those closest to him and his outdoor hobbies.

Social Media and Staying In Touch

[64:08 – 69:05]

• Holly is only on Twitter (@TheBobHolly) and insists he answers (eventually) every fan message personally.
• Steve suggests he join Instagram to easily share his travel and adventure photos; both men rail against the negativity on social media but agree that muting/blocking is the way to go with online trolls.

  “I’m at the stage in my life where, like I said, glass half full. If someone wants to be an asshole … I’m not going to get dragged down by it.” — Steve Austin [67:56]

---

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the wrestling business:

  “[Wrestling] was like a family ... but it was extremely competitive. ... You had to fight tooth and nail to keep your spot.” — Steve Austin [05:22]

• On Steve Blackman:

  “He’s dangerous. He’s just flat dangerous.” — Bob Holly [09:24]

• On receiving a stiff shot from Bart Gunn:

  “All I know is I got hit and next thing I was on the other side of the ring.” — Bob Holly [21:56]

• On living simply:

  “As long as I wake up in the morning and see my wife laying next to me, that’s all that matters to me. And my dog, of course.” — Bob Holly [63:30]

• On handling negativity online:

  “When you get somebody hiding behind this picture of an egg, calling you every name in the book, it’s like, all right, you brave son of a bitch ... Mute and block. We’ll catch you down the road.” — Steve Austin [68:22]

---

Timestamps of Key Segments

• Locker Room & Competition: 01:30 – 06:33
• Steve Blackman Stories: 07:40 – 12:41
• Brawl For All Deep Dive: 13:36 – 22:51
• Stiff Working & In-Ring Stories: 25:18 – 35:34
• Life Post-Wrestling & Survivalism: 38:03 – 43:52
• Wrestling Fandom Origins: 49:10 – 53:09
• Social Media Practices & Promos: 64:08 – 69:05

---

Recap & Final Thoughts

This episode is a must-listen for wrestling fans longing for real stories, inside insight, and entertaining banter. Whether it’s the infamous “Brawl for All,” wrestling’s unsaid rules of toughness and respect, or tips for living happily outside the limelight, Holly and Austin serve up a conversation as raw and genuine as the style they wrestled. If you miss the glory days or simply want a window into the world of tough men who still know how to laugh, don’t miss this one.

---

Connect with Bob Holly:

• Twitter: @TheBobHolly

---

Transcript

[Bob Holly]

The following Program is a podcast ONE.com production from Hollywood, California, by way of the Broken Skull Ranch. This is the Steve Austin Show.

[Steve Austin]

Give me a Hell yeah.

[Bob Holly]

Hell yeah. Now here's Steve Austin.

[Steve Austin]

All right, everybody. Welcome to Steve Austin Show. I am coming to you from the mean streets of Los Angeles, California today. I'm sitting here at 317 Gimmick street coming up with the open of this podcast today is part two of my conversation with Bob Holly. And you can check out Bob Holley's book he wrote some time ago, the Hardcore Truth, the Bob Holley Story. I got two issues of the damn book. Bob sent me one back in the day and I bought one off Amazon. Jesus Christ. Amazon. You get anything on Amazon? Thoroughly enjoyed the book. Awesome book. Bob did a great job. Bob tells it like it is, whether you like it or not. And that's the bottom line. That's why I've always enjoyed talking with Bob, working with Bob and if you times that we travel together. But anyway, Bob's into all kinds of things these days and turns out we got a lot in common with the camping, all that stuff, four wheel driving. And I hope he gets to be a part of that thing he's trying to get a hold of alone or whatever it's called. I wish Bob all the luck in that, but if he gets on it, I guarantee you it will take a lot to make Bob Holly tap out. Nonetheless, part two of my conversation with hardcore Holly, dude, like I said, will tell you like it is good. Dude.

[Bob Holly]

This is the Steve Austin Show.

[Steve Austin]

What was your opinion or mindset now that you've been out of the business for quite some time, as you look back and reflect, or I'm asking you to reflect, like, what do you think? How would you describe the boys right now? Just in general, because I mean like people ask me, they'll say, hey man, it had been fun traveling all around the world and doing that wrestling stuff. And I said, yeah man, I mean you're dealing with some of the greatest, greatest guys in the world, some of the biggest derelicts, some of the craziest people, some scum of the earth and some just totally awesome. The guys, when I said the boys, I mean now it's the women too. The women that are around and back in the day, like Sherry and Medusa, they were the boys. But yeah, just the mentality, I mean, because dude, to me to be, I'm a huge MMA fan. I really like to watch the UFC pay per views. I think you have to be wired specifically to do Anything. But when you're talking about whether it's MMA or pro wrestling, then you're kind of really taking extreme personality. So as you look back, I mean, what are your thoughts on the boys or the crowd you ran with? Or do you think they're different than the people you say you see and deal with in your regular everyday life?

[Bob Holly]

Now, honestly, I mean, they're no different than the people I run around with every day. Because the thing is, everybody, everybody in the wrestling is a huge personality. You have some of the smartest people in the world, and also you have some of the dumbest people in the world. But for the most part, those guys were, a lot of them were fun to be around and we had a fun locker room. I always thought we did.

[Steve Austin]

Yes, I did too.

[Bob Holly]

And everybody was just always fun to be around. They were always there to help you out in any way they could. And that's the thing with the boys. There was a camaraderie there where we were a tight knit group of guys that we loved what we did and we looked after each other. And so, you know, some of us did, you know, for the most part, most everybody looked after you. Some, there are some guys that just, they cared about themselves and that was it. Yeah, and I'm not gonna go into all that, but I think we know who we're talking about without mentioning any names, but for the most part, you know, everybody helped everybody out. As far, you know, if you, if you had, hey, I need help with the promo or something, like, you were always one of the guys that offered your, you know, advice to somebody else. Hey, this is what it, you're gonna have to do to get here and from point A to point B. And if you want to make it to this level, you have to go here. You know, you had guys always helping everybody trying to get to that level. And so we, I thought we always ran with a great group of people. To me, just most of the guys were awesome people to hang out with and ride with because you can learn so much from each, you learned a lot from each different person. And, and that was the most important thing was learning from each one, especially when you working with, with everybody, because everybody we worked with worked different, obviously, and some work the same, but I mean, you, you pick up different things from each person and everybody was there to make everybody better. And that's what I liked about our group of guys. They made you step up. And that was the thing. So it's like we had a great group of guys. We really did to me, as far as personality wise. Yeah, we had a great. You know, we had big personalities because that's what it takes to be in the wrestling business. You had to have that personality that stood out from everybody else that's walking around on the street and that's what it takes. And. But as far as most of the guys are down to earth, that's the thing. It's like most. Most everybody is just like anybody else except you when you're on tv. That volumes turned way up.

[Steve Austin]

I thought there was. I always kind of considered it like an inner circle because, you know, we were the boys. We were in a. We were in a. I don't know, the business of pro wrestling. Not everybody. Hey, you've had all your exposes, this, that or whatever, people breaking kayfabe. But I mean, you know, the business is a work. But I always thought we were kind of something special. And it was like a family. And there was a lot of camaraderie. Like you said, you spent a lot of time in different guys with different cars and stuff like that, or most of the time, a lot of people travel with the same guys week in, week out. But as much camaraderie as it was, and you're all in it together because y' all trying to draw a house. But I always thought it was highly competitive. I mean, nobody ever wished you to have an injury when you went out, but, dude, if you got hurt, your spot was gone and you was going to be on the sideline. And, you know, when television came around or even on the house shows, man, as much of a work as it is together, as far as cooperation, you know, trying to have matches with everybody and have the best match you can, it was extremely competitive. Very competitive. I mean, it was like, as much as we liked each other, dude, you had to fight tooth and nail to keep your spot.

[Bob Holly]

Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. And that's why every time I went out, Steve, honestly, I felt like I was on audition. So I went out. No matter how bad I was feeling or how tired I was feeling, I went out and gave everything I could and left nothing on the table because I knew the guys coming after me were going to try to outperform me or going to try to steal the show. Even the guys opening the show, they're going to try to steal the show. Even though the opening match is supposed to be a good match to start the show with, those guys are going to try to steal the show. So you were always having to step up and perform at the highest level. Every single night. Because there was always somebody that was trying to outdo you, even though. Yeah, we were all good, tight knit family and good friends that do anything for each other, but it was just a competitive nature in everybody that wanted to step up and wanted to do okay. I just saw him have a good match. They went all out. I've got to try to upstage them and that, that's what you do. And that's the wrestling business.

[Steve Austin]

You know, in reading your book, you know, you speak very highly of Steve Blackman about how tough that guy is. And I always heard how tough he was. And I think you recanted the story about the incident between JBL and Steve Blackman at the Kansas City Airport. It was a morning flight, everybody was trying to get their bags and you know, JBL had been just ribbing Steve for a long time and Steve had finally had enough. And there was a couple of swings. I mean, it sounded like just, just a bunch of air. And then I guess Steve was about to throw a kick. He stepped in the strap of a damn duffel bag. I saw it, I was right there. You told the story exactly like it happened. But anyway, so the fight never really took place. Like it could have. Maybe like Blackman was pissed.

[Bob Holly]

Yeah, it wouldn't have lasted.

[Steve Austin]

Well, you said you rolled a lot or a few times with Steve, so I'd always, I knew he was a martial artist. He always had that great physique. He wasn't a drinker or partier, to my knowledge. Always looked like a million bucks. Always on time. Just a steady, steady dude and a good dude and you know, you knew him better than I did. But come on, dude, was he that bad?

[Bob Holly]

Yeah, yeah, he was. Let me tell you something. That whole thing with that brawl for all, he was dead serious as far as hurting people. I mean, he, this guy, I kid you not. See, he's not anybody messed with. I mean, I pushed his buttons on purpose.

[Steve Austin]

Yeah.

[Bob Holly]

But I knew my boundaries, I knew my limitation. I knew how far I could go with him because I knew Steve and I wasn't about to push him over that edge where, you know, I was going to come up missing.

[Steve Austin]

Right.

[Bob Holly]

Because that would have like, Steve is no joke. He is. I'd put him in the same class as Ming, basically. Like, I'd put those two really. Right there. Yeah, yeah, he, Steve's danger, he's dangerous. He's. In fact, I talked to him actually probably about maybe five, six weeks ago for the first time in years. Yeah, he's. He's somebody that Steve, one of those kind of guys where if you're messing with him and just joking around, he questions, okay, is this guy really messing with me or is he. Is he wanting to start something? You know, and he's like. He's always that serious. He. But he's a good dude. He's funny, one of the nicest people you'd ever meet, but he's just somebody that. He's dangerous. He's just flat dangerous.

[Steve Austin]

Okay, but what's his skill set? Because, like, when you say ming, he had that throat goozle where he could grab a guy and basically the guy would stop breathing, he would gouge an eye, he could kick you. I mean, strikes. And obviously, I mean, the guy was just super, super solid, maybe 6, 2, 300 pounds, whatever it was, he was super solid. But I mean, dude, he would pull an eyeball at the, you know, blink of an eye, no pun intended, or grab you with that goozle. You know, some of the stuff I've heard. And he was a guy that nobody wanted to mess with. So if that was his offense or his arsenal, what would you say would Steve's method of attack be? Or defense, or whatever?

[Bob Holly]

Same, because the things that we've talked about, he knows all the pressure points of the human body. He knows all the striking points, where to put somebody down. I mean, he knows. There's so much that he knows just from listening to him talk as far as the human body, the anatomy of just how much pressure it takes to drop somebody and things he knows how to do. He's always thinking. It's like this one time something happened, and he was so quick to think that somebody knocked on his hotel room door. The story is not completely clear, but he was already in position to do damage to somebody that came through his door before you even knew it. And he's always ready, constantly. He's always like. He just. And he's so fast, too. He's really, really fast. He just. He just knows. He's one of those people that. He knows every pressure point, every. Every spot to. To hit someone to where it could fatally kill him. He practices that all the time.

[Steve Austin]

Well, how was it that you connected with him and what's he doing now?

[Bob Holly]

He owns a bail bondsman business, so he's doing that. And he has a martial arts school, an MMA school. He runs that. But that's what he's doing now.

[Steve Austin]

You know, is he a guy that's happy now that he's out of the business and found a new way of Living.

[Bob Holly]

Yeah, he sounds like he's happy. He doesn't really have any desire to put himself back out there as far as wrestling or appearances or anything like that. He's content doing what he's doing. I know he's married, he's got two kids now and he seems happy. So he seems perfectly content what he's doing.

[Adam Carolla]

Hey, this is Adam Carolla from the Adam Carolla Show. Betonline continues to be your number one source for all your football betting action. Betonline has more ways to get, get in and stay in on action with the latest odds, news and scores. Even live in game betting from every NFL and college game to mlb, UFC and NHL futures as well. Betonline remains your choice. For sports wagering info. Head to the website today and take advantage of their industry leading VIP program which with level up bonuses and weekly cash boost in between games. Head over to Betonline's casino with all the top Vegas style games including poker and live casino Betonline. The game starts here.

[Steve Austin]

Hey man, you brought up Brawl for all and I wanted to get your thoughts on that because you know that was set up almost. Well, I guess it was for Dr. Death, Steve Williams. They assumed that he was going to take his whole thing and I guess that was going, going to be after that he was going to be an opponent for me. So all of a sudden the word comes down and I barely remember this. So you take me through what your thoughts were when you heard about this because you know, I was on the inside but I was looking in from the outside thinking, okay, well maybe I'm going to fight Dr. Death or I'm going to work with Dr. Death after this and all of a sudden it didn't go as planned. So when you guys, you know, some of you guys that were used to duking it out, Bart, you, all those guys, what were you, what were you thinking?

[Bob Holly]

Well, I know I was riding with Bart at the time. The whole, like you said, the whole thing was set up for Steve to come in because they didn't want to just all of a sudden put him with you and run a program. They wanted to bring him in, build him up and that the Brawl for all was a way to build up to start working with you. And so they decided on this brawl for all whoever. I can't remember who came up with this crazy concept, but I wasn't even supposed to be in it. I wasn't even on their radar to be in it. That Tiger Ali Singh backed out of it and he said he was going to beat everybody, but then when it came down to it, he backed out of it. And so Pritchard called me and asked me if I wanted to be in it, and so I was. So I got in it. And so when Steve heard about Black men, heard about it, he wanted in. So they put Steve in it. And actually, I think Blackman probably would have won the whole thing, but during he was taking this thing so seriously, and this is the mindset of Steve Blackman. He was taking this so seriously. He was actually working out with guys, preparing for this brawl for all, shooting in, taking guys down. Like, you know, obviously boxing was included. He was practicing doing that. And this guy that he was practicing with, training with, was a lot heavier than Steve. And the guy ended up rolling on his knee and messed his knee up. So Steve had to back out of it. Obviously, Bart was in it. And I, when I was. I was riding with Bart Gunn at the time, and he had called Bruce Pritchard and told Bruce that he was going to win the whole thing. And Bruce says, I have no doubt you will. You know, good for you. I think you, you know, you'll do well in it, blah, blah, blah. And. And Mike, Bart was like, no, Bruce. Because I think he actually thought Bruce was patronizing him, and he's like, no, Bruce, I'm going to win this whole thing. Long story short, Bart ended up winning it. But on the way there, when Bart did fight Steve Williams and knock Steve out, that actually screwed up their whole plans for Steve Williams to work with you. And because they had no idea Bart was gonna knock him out, and he was. And the thing is, to see, during that whole fight between Bart and Steve Williams, the scorecards were completely wrong because the boys knew that the fix was in on that deal.

[Steve Austin]

Yeah.

[Bob Holly]

Because if you go back and watch it, Bart actually took Steve down more than Steve took him down, and Bart out punched him. But yet the scorecards had Steve Williams ahead. And like Bart said, if they would have just told me what. What the deal was, you know, he would have had no problem putting Steve over, basically. And so Bart just went out there and did what Bart does, and Bart knocked him out and ended up screwing up their whole thing. And so. And that's how Bart ended up moving on and obviously knocking out Godfather, knocking out Bradshaw, and making his way to the end. And. But as far as. And Steve Williams, I mean, I was on JR's podcast about this whole thing because JR was saying that he didn't pay off Steve to win, and I was Just going by what I heard Steve say and Steve's not here to defend himself, so I'm not really going to talk about it because we already talked about me and Jay already discussed it, but just screwed up their whole, whole storyline as far as Steve working with you. When Bart knocked Steve out because you know, their whole plan was for Steve Williams to win the whole thing and, and they thought he was. And actually the sad part about this whole thing was is seeing somebody like Steve Williams get knocked out because of who he, he was, how big of a deal he was and what a stud he was. And, and it was just, it was just really tough seeing that happen. But the boys all popped when it happened because Junior was going around telling everybody how Steve Williams was going to just walk through everybody and people were tired of hearing that. The boys were tired of hearing that. And when Bart knocked him out, the boys like it just blew the roof off the back when the boys popped because everybody was sold out at the monitor watching the thing. And when Bart knocked him out, the boys popped.

[Steve Austin]

The thing about it was, you know, because Dr. Dust, Steve Williams was a huge star in Japan, you know, along with Terry Gordy and look at Hanson and Brody. All of those guys were over like gods in Japan. You know, to bring Dr. Death Steve Williams over here, he's like what, four time all American at Oklahoma. So yeah, a lot of notoriety in Oklahoma and you know, watch territory. But on the big platform because he spent so much time in Japan, they decided to have this to make him for me as a formidable opponent. And that's a quick way to get it over. But turns out, man, when we're out there working, it's very competitive. But we're working, we're cooperating with each other, we're trusting each other with our bodies. All of a sudden you turn something into a shoot. And man, every single time there was a fight, dude, every monitor was sold out because all the boys, I mean, yeah, you kind of knew how it was supposed to be skewed, but dude, when you throw on a full on shoot and these are guys that, you know, dude, you know, this is an.

[Bob Holly]

Opportunity right on top of winning a hundred thousand dollars. Shit, come on, it was great. Exactly. You know, how can you. And see, that's the thing, it's like you cannot plan for something like that to work out in your favor because it's not. When you dangle a hundred thousand dollar carrot in front of somebody, especially a bunch of hungry boys, your plant, it's not gonna work out like you think it is, and it didn't. And unfortunately it didn't. And, you know, within it. And you really stop and think about it because of who Steve was. Like you said, an all American football player, he's a big deal in Japan. And then he. Then all that gets just wiped clean from getting knocked out. It's like it's. All of his credibility almost went out the window, in a sense. It didn't, but it did, if you know what I'm saying.

[Steve Austin]

Right.

[Bob Holly]

And it's. It's like they're bringing in this guy that's supposed to be one of the baddest men on the planet. And then Bart knocks him out. You know, it almost wipes out his whole credibility, even though anybody can get knocked out at any given second. And that's why you don't pit the boys against each other like that. It was a bad idea to start with, you know, and it's like if you. And the thing is, it's like if they wanted him to work with you, there's a whole bunch of different ways to get him. There's. Instead of having to come in and just. And try to do a shoot fight for $100,000, and it's just. It's not going to work out. Not going to work out. There's so many different avenues to get him to where he needed to be to work with you than to do that.

[Steve Austin]

Did anything out of that surprise you out of any of the matchups, any of the outcomes, or did it surprise you that Bart was knocking everybody out other than yourself? Did you know what kind of fighter he was? Because I talked about Billy Gunn. Because, man, we traveled a lot together. And then Bart would jump in there every now and then and stand at the kind of lodge and those old, you know, red deer, mule head, whatever it's called. You know, all those towns up there in Canada, man, we were hanging around. I never knew that Bart was such a badass fighter. And Billy goes, oh, no, dude. He goes in Apopka or wherever it was he's from, or Titus, Florida, wherever it is, I can't remember. But he says, man, he goes, when. When Bart walks in the bar, he's the man.

[Bob Holly]

Yeah, I. I had no idea how. How bad he was. I knew he was, you know, it's like he's a big frickin, you know, country boy. Obviously there is some, you know, there's a lot of toughness there, but I didn't realize to what extent until I started watching him drop everybody. It's like, holy hell. I guess I survived up some bitch. I don't know how I did because I know he hit me, Steve. I was on one side of the ring and when he hit me, I was on the other side and I was at. I stood there and I was like, how in the fuck did I get over here? I did in the middle. I was like, how in the hell, how did I get over here? And all I can. All I know is I got hit and next thing I was on the other side of the ring and I was standing there, I was like, how in the hell did I get over here? And. But I know he hits like a mule. I do know that. And so. But it didn't need it. It's like it did surprise me that he walked through everybody. Like he did. Just shocked me.

[Steve Austin]

Hey, man, I know how it is. I know how it feels to walk out to in front of a crowd and get into a squared circle and have a match as well as you all of a sudden, take me back to. You know, it's. The moment is now you're walking out for that first fight and it's a shoot. You've got boxing gloves on you. Probably thrown hands in the past for sure in fights, but now sudden you, you've got these big ass gloves, you're walking into a chute. What was running through your mind as you walked through that ring and stepped through the ropes?

[Bob Holly]

Not losing. That was what was going through my not losing and getting knocked out.

[Steve Austin]

But it was a damn sure different state of mind than going out there to put on a match.

[Bob Holly]

Oh, absolutely. The whole thing I was thinking is obviously I wanted to win, you know, but I had no idea. I mean, big ass boxing gloves, it's just those things, they were pretty damn soft. But the thing is, it's like when you're out there, I mean, the shit's real. It's like, okay, we're fixing the fight for real. And completely different mindset from going in the ring and wrestling. Because it's like, okay, we know what we got to do. And as far as fighting, it's just whatever happens, happens. And that's, that's the mindset that I was going with, you know, and because me and Bart, we agreed, like we agreed not to shoot in on each other, that's one thing. Because we watched the pass bys and they were, to me, I thought they were kind of boring because guys shooting in on each other and it was like going down to the mat and we wanted, we wanted to fight and that's what we agreed to do is like, okay, you don't shoot in on me, I won't shoot on. Shoot in on you, and we'll just stand there and fight. And that's what we did. You know, obviously he ended up moving on, which I'm happy for him, but it would have been nice. I mean, I still got five grand for just getting in the thing, but it was, it's, it is, it's a whole completely different mindset. Because first of all, everybody's ready to fight until they get hit with that first punch and then changes their whole frickin mind. Like, okay, I didn't want to do this, but not saying that was with me because I've been in fights before and it's like, you know, you get hit, you get hit and you just throw back. But with Bart, when he hits you, you know you've been hit, it's like, I might as well have got ran over by a fucking truck. That's so. But I enjoyed it. It was fun.

[Steve Austin]

Hey man, I remember one time you and me were working, we worked a lot back in the day. Back in the day we'd do double shots on Saturdays and Sundays. You remember those, right?

[Bob Holly]

Oh yeah. Oh yeah.

[Steve Austin]

And a double shot was when. Shit. The first show would usually start about what, two or three? One or two.

[Bob Holly]

I thought it was 12.

[Steve Austin]

Could be 12.

[Bob Holly]

One o'. Clock.

[Steve Austin]

12, one o'. Clock. So we'd work a show, all the boys either take a shower or just stay in your gear. And normally the next town over for that matinee show was going to be, give or take, about 100, 120 miles. And so we was working a double shot and the first town was Pittsburgh. And where were we working that night? Was that Cincy?

[Bob Holly]

I can't remember, Steve. I can't.

[Steve Austin]

I can't remember whatever was when. 100, 120 miles of Pittsburgh was the next shot. So anyway, I'm out there, I'm working with Bob and I'm calling the match and I'm working heel. Right, Bob? I'm working heel.

[Bob Holly]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was a baby fan.

[Steve Austin]

Okay. So anyway, we locked up, we did a couple things and me and Bob always had fun working with each other. And then, yeah, so I was thinking, okay, I guess I'm going to do the old slap slap spot with him. And the slap slap spot is, you know, after a couple of taps into the corner, you know, a couple of rough breaks, you know, referee has to come in, tension's starting to get A little high. Then all of a sudden, off a break, that heel would just reach back and just slap a dog shit out of that baby face. And so I slapped shit out of Bob Working style. I didn't hit him too hard.

[Bob Holly]

I saw a few stars. I tell you that. I did see a few stars when you cracked me.

[Steve Austin]

Come on.

[Bob Holly]

I remember. I swear to God.

[Steve Austin]

Straight up.

[Bob Holly]

Straight up. Yes, I did. I was like, okay, that was good. This has got to be better, though.

[Steve Austin]

Here's the thing. See, Bob, I was protecting the business. So anyway, we're right here. Here's the thing. And Bob and me were laughing about this over the phone because since I'm slapping him first, that means he gets the return. That means I'm setting the standard and he's either gonna either take care of me or protect the business on his end as well. Holy shit. Bob reared back. He was supposed to. He slapped the dog shit out of me. My jaw went over like one of them old school typewriters and dinged and I pushed it back in place.

[Bob Holly]

Hey, it was like one of those deals where, okay, he cracked me. That was good. But, you know, it's like, I gotta crack back. And it's like. It's one of those deals where I saw stars. He's gotta see stars, too.

[Steve Austin]

You know the worst thing about getting slapped is the eyes watered. So I'm trying to be a. Yeah, I'm out there. Well, you know, the house wasn't that great, so there wasn't a whole lot of people there. But I'm out there trying to look like a tough guy. Just slapped the shit out of Bob. He slaps me back, I got tears in my eyes. I looked over Bob. The first thing I said, I said, I ain't calling that fucking spot this afternoon.

[Bob Holly]

I think we worked together the next night, and you didn't call because. I know. I remember working with you on Raw. Yeah, I remember working with you on Raw. And you didn't call that spot because I specifically remember asking you, did you want to do the slap Slap spot? And you said, hell, no, we are not doing that tonight. No, I remember that. Yeah, that was. That was funny. Yeah, I remember that. I remember you saying to me, I'll never call that again. Again. That was.

[Steve Austin]

Yeah, I popped you as soon as I said that. You started laughing. And we're sitting there standing. Standing in the middle of the ring, three feet away from each other, and Bob's laughing his ass off. I'm crying. We better go a different direction with this match.

[Bob Holly]

I was just laughing because of what you said. That's what made me laugh. Believe me, I wanted to cry.

[Steve Austin]

Dude, here's the thing. After I took that damn slap from you, I was thinking to myself, in retrospect, I probably could have won bra for all.

[Bob Holly]

Yeah, you could have.

[Steve Austin]

I don't know if I could have knocked anybody out, but if I could survive that fucking Paul, I might have been able to survive brawl for all. Anyway.

[Bob Holly]

It definitely went further than I did, that's for sure.

[Steve Austin]

Dude, who some of your favorite guys to work with. Just as far as action and you being able to do your shit because you always like to work snug. I like to work snug as well. Not crazy snug. I wouldn't call it strong style. I like to make my shit believable. Lay it in. Wasn't trying to kill anybody, but, you know, I was guy dude, you know, and one time, one time a guy hit me really, really stiff. And it was Booker T. And I was talking to Booker T on the phone the other day and we were laughing again about it and boy, he just threw a jab and just knocked my block off. And normally, you know, I'm really, really patient as far as sending receipts, you know, going back to the old European tour when bossman was having an off night. And he hit me about six or seven times with live rounds. And he had that quick left hand. And I finally, you know, Earl kept. He had that little shit eaten grin on his face. Earl Hebner, he's like, he knows I'm going to come back and do something. And I was white hot. And finally I'd had enough of those damn things. And I grabbed boss man by the arm. I sent him into the ropes. I said, watch the clothesline. And here comes big old Ray Traylor. I love Ray. He was such a good guy. He was so funny. And here comes big Ray running straight up, expecting that clothesline right, right below his throat in that high chest area. And I balled up my fist and I hit him vertically with my forearm, right between his eyes, Bob as hard as I could. And it sounded like a gunshot. Big, big boss man went down to his knees. And it was almost like one of those Saturday morning cartoons where you see the stars circling around over his head because damn near knocked him out. And he just had this little grin on his face. And he looked up at me and he was damn near as tall as me on his knees. He looked up at me, he had this little smile on his face. And he goes okay, meaning, you know, he got it. He knew where the receipt was coming from. But going back to Booker T. When Booker T. Lit me up, dude, immediately he hit me so damn hard, I threw a right hand. And because my elbow does not straighten out all the way, it stopped right when I hit his chin. But I was swinging for the fence.

[Bob Holly]

Oh, geez.

[Steve Austin]

And so anyway, we both started laughing. We finished the match, and we got in the back, and anyway, we laughed our ass off. Because I always loved working with Booker T. But how patient were with you or how frustrated would guys get with you when you were working your style? And I understand why you work your style, but how did people deal with you? Or did I ever say, hey, dude, can you lighten up a little bit? Or what was the story there? Because everybody has a different MO, Right?

[Bob Holly]

See, I was like you. I wanted it to be believable. I am one of the biggest believers. I take what I give, and I am the first person. If I crack somebody, I expect it back. And that's just how. That was just a rule of thumb for me. How I went by. And, like, I worked. I liked working with guys. I liked working with you, obviously. I liked working with Jericho. I liked working with Benoit. I liked working with Eddie. I liked working pretty much with everybody, straight across the board. But there were certain guys, like Benoit, for example. Like, if you see your name across from his, he's one of those guys where you better be ready to bring it, because if you don't, he's going to eat you alive and you better keep up. He was one of those kind of guys, and other guys were like that. Like, Jericho. Jericho's like that, too. He'll eat you alive if you let him. But I was one of those kind of guys where it's like how I work with you. That's how you work with me. You could be as rough as you want. I don't care. My whole thing was my nose and my teeth. That was the no zone.

[Steve Austin]

Yep.

[Bob Holly]

If you knock my teeth out, guess what? We're gonna have a problem. And. And that's like, I didn't care how hard I got hit. To me, as long as I don't get hurt, that's all that matters. And as long as I don't hurt somebody else, that's all that matters. My whole career, I worked there. I never hurt one person. Yeah, I'm rough. Don't get me wrong. I'm very physical and very rough, but I have never hurt one person to where they'd be out of work for the next night. I've never done that. And I've always liked the physicality of wrestling. And my whole thing was I need, I want, I don't want people to see through what I do. Yeah, they know, they know the deal. The fans know what's up.

[Steve Austin]

Yep.

[Bob Holly]

But I want to put doubt in their mind. I've just always like. I liked working with Brock because he's a big physical guy and I liked working with him and I just. Anybody that was physical, I liked working with the, the, the one guy that nobody ever talks about that was physical. Actually the two guys, one was test and the other was Gene Snitsky. Gene Snitsky is like running into a brick wall. And when he hits you and I don't know, I see Gino, he. I think with me, Gene things, you know what, Bob? I could just do whatever I want to him and he's going to be okay with it. And I was. But God damn that son of a bitch. He. He tried to hurt me. And it was funny because he would laugh. Every time he'd do something to me, he would laugh. And I remember one night in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, that bastard hit me so hard and I picked up a chair and I cracked him with a chair, Steve. And I laced him wide. Oh, I mean I ripped him wide open with that chair. Like it looked like a pig was slaughtered in that ring. And, and which he was fine with it because we were both laughing about it when, you know, of course I made sure he was alright. But Gene is somebody like Snitsky was some, a guy that I enjoyed working with him. But gosh dang, he was rough. I mean, he really was. And Test was rough too, which I don't know if it was just with me that they were like they'd go overboard with, which again, I never complained. I actually enjoyed it, to be perfectly honest. I don't know what's wrong with me, but I actually enjoyed how rough they were. I guess it makes it easier to sell too for me.

[Steve Austin]

One time they put me in the ring, it was a gauntlet match. I had to go through, I don't know, three or four different guys. It was at a period of my time, of my career. I was pretty burned out and all of a sudden I see him to be working with Tess and Tess is no longer with us. I wish he was. But anyway, it was a television tape and Monday Night Raw, something like that. And Tess was fairly green, you know, he was a big, tall, strong son of a Bitch. He was strong. He was a big dude and he was strong. And so, man, all of a sudden he goes to send me into the ropes. Dude, when I'm sending somebody in the ropes, I'm going to send their ass into the ropes. But Jesus Christ, this guy acted like he was trying to start a lawn mower that had been sitting out in the yard for about 15 years. He damn near yanked my left arm out of a damn socket. I went and hit the damn turnbuckle and that son bitch come charging. Boy, I probably put a boot right in his damn chin. Like, holy fuck. I was like, dude, slow down. He would send me into those ropes so hard. He was so green. I think he was excited because it was TV and I'm, I'm at burnout stage and I'm like, Jesus Christ, fucking really.

[Bob Holly]

Well, you know, and to hit the fan, you know, he doesn't know. So he just going out there and he's just doing everything he can and he. And you know as well as I do, guys that first come on, they always rush. They, you know, tv, so they rush. And he just probably didn't know any better to hit the fence, you know. And it's like, it's one of those things that. And plus what makes it worse is he's like six, six, you know, 275 and. And so. And he wants to make a good showing too. So obviously it was, it was one of those deals where he didn't know any. Nobody got to him and said, this is a work.

[Steve Austin]

But he was, I, I wish he was still around. I mean, he got caught in some, you know, I guess his pain pills and everything else. Yeah, too many of the guys have left us and it's a shame. This October, fear is free on Pluto tv. With horror movie collections from Paranormal Activity, the Ring.

[Bob Holly]

You will die in seven days.

[Steve Austin]

Scream. And from dusk till dawn.

[Bob Holly]

This is my kind of place.

[Steve Austin]

And don't miss the man made nightmares in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein or the world ending chaos in 28 days later. Something in the blood all the time Scares all for free. Pluto TV Stream now pay Never.

[Bob Holly]

This is the Steve Austin Show.

[Steve Austin]

What are you doing now? I mean, I know you're doing the training to do the alone thing, your survival training and stuff like that, but when, when you started doing all this camping and you married your current wife, your former sweetheart, and you're living in Iowa, like, how do you guys decide where you want to go?

[Bob Holly]

Just places that we like see on TV or places we read about or just, like, when we go across country, there's somewhere we see that we explore. We'll go do that. And, like, when we take trips and stuff like that, we typically drive. Because when we fly, obviously, number one, I don't like to fly.

[Steve Austin]

No.

[Bob Holly]

And number two, you know, when we drive across country, at least we stop and go wherever we want to go. And there's. We enjoy, you know, seeing different things. And the thing is, it's. It's. We just. I don't know, we just pick a. Pick where we want to go and just go there and look at, you know, and explore. And there was no. Really no rhyme or reason or anything, just places we've always wanted to go.

[Steve Austin]

Are y' all dry Cabin with a tent and a couple sleeping bags and, like, a Coleman stove to cook with. What are you doing for your meal prep out there?

[Bob Holly]

Yeah, that. We do that. And sometimes we'll stop at campgrounds and camp or we'll. Like my wife, she was in the military for 25 years. She was in the Air Force. And so sometimes we'll go. We'll stay at Air Force Base and. And we'll stay there because, you know, her being retired from the Air Force, they get perks and stuff as far as staying on bases and everything. So we'll do that. But as far as camping and stuff, yeah, we just cook on a stove over a fire or, you know, one of those gas little stoves or whatever. But most time over fire and shoot. There was something else I was gonna say, and I freaking forgot. But anyway, what was it? Oh, one another thing, too. You talk about camping and survival, stuff like that. She just reminded me the Appalachian Trail. I've been looking at stuff like that as far as the Appalachian Trail. It's a trail that starts in Georgia. I think it's in Springer Gap, Georgia, somewhere around there. It goes all the way to Maine. It's a trail. You literally walk through the mountains all the way up to. Through Maine to Canada. And there's a Pacific Crest Trail over on the west coast that goes from Mexico, starts in the California border, Mexico state line, and it goes all the way up to Canada, the Washington Canada line right there. And it's 23, 2400 miles. And people actually spend four or five months, six months hiking these trails. And that's. That's another. That's a goal of mine that. That I'm shooting for, to go do that, too. And I'm gonna. When I do do it, I'm gonna video all of it. I'm gonna make, you know, put a video together and video all that. So that's something else that. That's another goal of mine also. And if I don't get on the alone show, then I'm for sure gonna do that. But I'm not sure which trail either the Appalachian or the Pacific Crest Trail.

[Steve Austin]

We talked the other day on the phone. You're saying with the alone thing, they dump you out there. You're in the middle of nowhere. Maybe they've given you a couple of supplies, but then you are on your own. So you have like a camera, a tripod, and you have to film everything yourself. So if you get on the show, you know, more power to you and good luck. But if you don't, like. Do you know how to edit?

[Bob Holly]

No, I've got somebody to do that for me. See, the thing is, with the loan show, and there's something I forgot to talk about too. They give you all the camera equipment. They give you all everything you need. There's no production crew with you or anything. They give you all the camera equipment, all the batteries, everything. And when they do the medical check, that's when they refresh your battery, give you new batteries and stuff like that. But you have to literally video every step you make out there. Everything you do, you have to video. So that way they turn around and edit it. That's. That's how they edit and put the whole show together, from the 10 contestants to 10 people, is they put everything together, pick out the best parts of what they're doing, and put the whole show together that way. And that's how the whole alone show is produced. So you. You're basically literally out there by yourself alone, but you're videoing everything you do, too. Like when you fish, you video. When you cook, you video everything. You walk through the woods, you video. You video everything. So. And you. And people, a lot of people just talk into the camera and just talk and tell stories and stuff like that. So, you know, that's one thing that everybody does. And so that's how. That's how the show is put together. They don't, you know, no production crew whatsoever is out there with you. You're literally alone.

[Steve Austin]

Are you doing any wrestling at all anymore?

[Bob Holly]

I do some. I don't do much. I just. I do mostly appearances now here and there. But I pick and choose what I want to do. I'm home more than I'm gone. I don't want to be gone every weekend. I could be gone somewhere every weekend if I wanted. To, but I choose not to. I just, I enjoy my time at home and my time with my wife and my dog. Me and my wife are literally together 24 7. And I wouldn't have it any other way. And I like my life like that. And that's, you know, like I said, every once in a while, go do this stuff, go do appearances here and there. But I pick and choose what I want to do. It's not like, okay, this weekend I'm going here, next weekend I'm going there. It's like, okay, well, in a couple weeks I go somewhere. Well, maybe another four weeks I'll go somewhere else. So. But most of the time I'm home. And that's how I want it. I enjoy what I do in the way I do it. I just pick and choose what I want to do.

[Steve Austin]

Man, these days, as far as watching television, is there anything on TV or any of the shows, like on a Netflix or Amazon or whatever the hell it is that you watch? Like for instance, my wife and I just finished the last episode of Longmire, six seasons. And I'm not going to drop any spoilers, but goddamn, that was a disappointing ending to six ass seasons. So anyway, we just got finished watching Longmire Shot over in Wyoming. It was cool. The sheriff riding around in a Ford Bronco solving crimes. Is there anything you'd like to watch on tv? Is it sports? Is it ufc or what are you watching?

[Bob Holly]

I love watching ufc. That. I keep up with that. I love watching ufc. I'm a big UFC fan. But as far as like the Netflix series had actually just me and my wife just finished watching Dexter. That was a hell of a show. Hell of a. There was eight seasons, nine seasons of that, I think. And we kind of binge watched that. Not all in one, in one sitting. Right. Took a while. And now we're watching Ozark, which we watched first season of Ozark. They just started the second season and we're watching Ozark. So which is good. But other than that, I mostly watch survival shows and those automotive car building shows. Yeah, what I watch, to be honest, I haven't watched wrestling. I just, I have no desire to watch wrestling.

[Steve Austin]

Well, hang on, that's my next question. But going back to Ozark, Kristen and I, my wife and I, we watched the first season and we know it just came back on. So last night we put first season on last episode, you know, because it's been so long and I've been hitting it with so many steel chairs. I can't remember what the fuck happened? So last night we refreshed ourselves. We got about halfway through it and it was time to pull a plug and go to bed. So we'll watch the other half tonight and then we'll start off fresh on Ozark. But, man, that is anybody out there that ain't watching Ozarks. I highly recommend it. YouTube, Bob.

[Bob Holly]

Oh, yeah, absolutely. But you've got to watch the first season. You've got to watch that, otherwise it won't make any sense.

[Steve Austin]

Oh yeah, 100%. You got to watch it first. Especially that first episode. Because I was sitting there, my wife was telling me she watched the whole season, first season, without me. And she kept telling me, steve, you know, I had my head up my ass. She goes, you got to watch this Ozarks, man. I'm telling you, you'll really like it. So finally I said, well, if I want to spend any time with my wife, I better watch this damn show. So, man, you know, we watching, you know, I'm trying to look at my computer. I kind of half ass don't want to watch it. And all of a sudden that shit goes down. Esai Morales character, you know, is getting jipped. He's the number two cocaine dealer in the world. All of a sudden the shit hits the fan and I was hooked. And then all those seedy people, those seedy characters down there in the Ozarks. Lake of the Ozarks. And so. No, man, I dig that show. I love that show.

[Bob Holly]

Yeah, Jason Bateman is just such. He is so good. He is such a good actor. I've always thought he was good dude.

[Steve Austin]

When I was thinking about it, the dude was new to me because my wife says, well, he's in a lot of sitcom type stuff. I don't know anything about him. I'd heard his name living out there in la, I heard the dude's name, but I didn't know what the fuck he was in. Well said, man. You talk about an excellent, excellent actor. And Laura Lenny is awesome as well. I love her.

[Bob Holly]

Oh, absolutely.

[Steve Austin]

But that whole, that whole shebang is good. But yeah, him in the lead is money.

[Bob Holly]

Yeah. Oh, he, he. To me, his expressions are everything. He's so dry, but it's priceless. He, he just. Yeah, like you said, he's money.

[Steve Austin]

But also. But I love the way, because his character is so smart, I love the way he processes information. All of a sudden his partner gets capped and he sees that damn flyer down there on the ground and all of a sudden he's got to Come up with some type of plan to keep his mother from killing him. And so, you know, he's a smooth talking guy, and now all of a sudden he's dealing with. Man, we're just watching the last episode of the first season, man, that dude, I can't remember his name, is running him drugs and they're selling them on the water. And the preacher guy just kind of wigged out and shit the bed. And so now there was a baby laying on this table because something happened. The sheriff just goes out to those people's house that are selling that heroin. And, boy, that lady will catch somebody in a heartbeat. So it's just a badass story. I don't want to keep talking about it on the podcast. But, Dan, what is I fixing to ask you? Oh, you said that you didn't watch the business anymore. I dvr the shows. I try to keep up with the shows. I watched SummerSlam and NXT before that, and that was a real solid show. Why don't you watch a business anymore?

[Bob Holly]

I just don't, Honestly, Steve, I don't think about watching the show. I don't. I just like. Like this morning when I got up and I was going through Twitter and I saw how they were talking about Ron, I was like, oh, shit, it was on last night, you know, so it's like, a lot of times I don't think about it, and I just. It's just not on my radar for whatever reason. It's not that I don't want to watch it. It's. I think I'm watching other things that I'm more interested in. So it's. It's. Yeah, it's. I just don't watch it. And honestly, there I have no reason why I don't watch it. I just don't. And I mean, I should, because it's like that was my livelihood. That's what I did, and I should keep up with it, but I just don't. And I just. I don't know. I don't have a reason why I don't watch it, to be honest.

[Steve Austin]

What sparked your interest in the ufc and when did you start watching that? Kind of on a real steady basis?

[Bob Holly]

I just. I like the physicality of it. I just. I think that's what I gravitate to is physicality. Because it's funny, because when I was a kid, I never knew wrestling existed. Watching Saturday morning roller derby on Saturday morning as a kid, the physicality of roller derby hooked me. And I was like, that's what I want to do. When I get older, I want to be a roller derby person. And then when we moved to Oregon and I saw professional wrestling for the first time, I think I was 8 years old, right around 8 years old. And I saw big time wrestling out of Sacramento, California where Pat Patterson, oh gosh, Jimmy Snooka was down there too. Peter Mavia, like Ray Stevens, all these guys were down there. Then Mr. Wrestling too. And then I saw that on Saturday for the one we first got cable. I was like, holy hell. Wow, what is this? And then Saturday night at 8:30, Portland Wrestling came on and I was like, oh my God, what is this? And so my Saturdays, every afternoon and Saturday night, that's all I did was watch wrestling. And I was like, that's what I want to do. I mean, when I was eight, nine years old, I knew what I wanted to do and, and so I grew up watching Portland wrestling and big time wrestling. And that's how I got started. I first wanted to be a roller derby guy and then saw wrestling and I was like, oh, wait a minute, this is even better than that. So that's, that's, that's how I got started.

[Steve Austin]

Yeah, but you know, I had the same one, two combination too. Coming up in Texas. I grew up doing the same thing. I watched Houston wrestling. Paul Bosh was, was a promoter and man, they had a hell of a damn roster. Then you know, roller derby would come on and like, man, I was like you, I was hooked on both and I really gravitated toward wrestling. And I was 7 or 8, about the same age as you. And so man, I was just, man, wrestling was a shoot. But here's the thing. So was roller derby.

[Bob Holly]

Exactly. I thought this, I was like, oh my God, how they're beating each other up and they have these match races and everything. And I was like. And they had the jammers and all that. And I was like, I wonder, you know, I wanted to be one of the jammers and stuff. And because back then they had the track, like they had the, the bank track with the railing around it, you know, and that was, that was, to me, that was it. I was like, holy heck, it doesn't get any better than this.

[Steve Austin]

No, but it was, but it was like the same formula as wrestling because they'd go out there skating in that damn semi. It was like a, or skating on that oval. They had those little banisters around a guardrail. And you know, all of a sudden the baby faces are. You had a good team and a bad team, basically. Then all of a sudden, get some heat. They'd knock one of the chicks or whatever over the over the top rail. They'd take a hill and then bump. Come on my gut, you motherfucker. And sure enough, later on down the road, someone would get slingshotted into that other some bitch that knocked the person over. And they'd get their revenge and everybody be, you know, laughing and joke. I mean, everything would be all good. But you had sets of heat, you had little comebacks and all kinds of shit.

[Bob Holly]

Oh, absolutely. And then, and then, you know, they get into the fight where they each had each other's jersey and they'd start, punch, start hitting each other, and then one of them would slam the other one's head into the railing and that would kind of end the fight right there. And they'd skate off, you know, and it was just, it was. To me, I thought that was real. I really did. And I was like, that's what I want to do. And then of course, you know, got into wrestling and stuff like that. And then when I moved to Alabama, there was world class championship wrestling, there was Mid south wrestling from Watts's territory, and I, you know, and then there was continental. So I was wrapped around wrestling every Saturday. I mean, that my day was nothing but wrestling every weekend. And so then that's how I was hooked. I mean, I was. There was no getting away from that.

[Steve Austin]

I equate so much of you with Alabama because you were down there for so long and that's where you got your start as far as in the ring and training and stuff like that. You were welding down there and then you ended up in Iowa. And then I didn't know you were from Grants Pass, Oregon. And hell, I forget that you were even born in California because yours sounded more Alabama to me. So you were down in Alabama so long. Did you, did you not like Alabama or you were just ready to get out? And I know your wife was in Iowa, but why not stay in Alabama? It seems like a good place to be.

[Bob Holly]

Well, it was. Don't get me wrong, I liked Mobile. I loved Mobile, but I was just ready for a change. And you know what's funny about the whole thing? Linda, my wife, she was stationed in Montgomery, so she was down there in Alabama for four or five years as it was, too. And it's just funny because, you know, she spent it because we both came from Grants Pass, Oregon, and here she's in Alabama, I'm in Alabama. But more so than that, she was in Spain, she was Actually all stationed all over. Minneapolis, South Carolina, North Carolina, Sacramento, California. So she was everywhere and she ended up in Iowa. So I figured, you know, it's like, okay, time for a change. I wanted to change anyway, so it just, it worked out perfect up here. Yeah, there's humidity here and stuff like that, but not to the extent there is in Alabama, in the South. I mean, I love the South. I grew up, most of my adult life was there. So the south has always got a special place in my heart. I loved it down there anyway. It's just I'm a redneck anyways. It is, and I just fit in down there. But I like it here too. People always ask me, why here? Like, when I was in Mobile, I was working out at a gym there and I was working out and said, oh, wwe here in town this weekend? I'm like, no, I live here. What do you live here for? Well, I gotta live somewhere. And it's like everywhere I go, people like, what are you doing here? Well, I live here. Why? Why here? It's like, well, where should I live? You tell me where I live, you know, and it's like, it's. The thing is, when I look at it, no matter where I was to live or I do live, you can find the same things to do here that you can there anywhere else. You just have to go do it. That's the way I look at it. It's like being in Iowa is no different than being in Mobile. The weather's different during the wintertime, but there's really no difference. Yeah, the Gulf coast, you're down by the water. But if I wanted to go to the water, I just go to Mississippi, go to the Mississippi and then float up and down the river. So it's what you make of wherever you're at. And every place is the same. Like California is beautiful weather. You're not going to beat the weather there. Nope, beautiful weather for me. I don't want to live in California, dude.

[Steve Austin]

There's too much traffic, especially in Los Angeles. That's why, you know, we're in Nevada, we sold our place in Texas, we got this smaller place out here. But the thing out here is everything is, you know, BLM is public land. So like we went out the other day, man, we were on, well, literally hundreds of thousands of acres of just land. And the road system was actually pretty decent. There was some technical stuff on some rocks, some climbing and some descents. That was pretty technical. But a lot of the road system is so good. I just have an Absolute blast out there. So I'm looking to make the transition to being out here at least 80, 20 or whatever ratio I can make it just because I just want to get out of the city. But enough about me, dude.

[Bob Holly]

No, see, I can't. That's the qu. That's the question I have is like, see, when I, when I think of Steve Austin, I think of Texas, I think of, you know, Utah, I think of Wyoming, I think of Montana, I think of, you know, the country. It's like, I don't think of Steve Austin in la, you know what I'm saying? It's like I was out in la, me and my wife were out in LA couple months ago and I love visiting out there, I love my sister lives out there, I love being out there. But I'm ready to go because the traffic is just crazy and it's like, I just, I can't picture you out there. I know you got, you have to be there, but I just, I can't picture Steve Austin in la. I just can't do it.

[Steve Austin]

I know we were supposed to hook up on your visit to la, but I just came back over to Nevada, so I shot you a text message. So we got to hook up, up in person one of these days where there's camping or in LA or whatever. But yeah, my whole thing is with LA, you know, when I got out of the business, 38 years of age, I stayed there. I was living in a gated community in San Antonio where a lot of the spurs live. George Strait used to live there. His house was currently for sale. And when I got out of wrestling business, I hunted, I fished and I drank. I told that story for so many years, I won't tell it again. But I did that shit for sale 3 years and I finally said, dude, you know what? The R word always sounds good, but you know, if you're ready to do it, but at 38 years of age, you're not ready to do it. So I said, you know, I don't want to get into acting, but I'd done some of those episodes of Nash Bridges. So I said, you know, if you don't want to go back to driving a forklift, pro wrestling doesn't teach you anything about any other trade. So it's not like you're going to go fill out a resume and say, Yeah, I got 13 years in a squared circle. Doesn't apply to anything we're doing here on this job, but here's my resume. So I said, shit, I go out there to la, see if I can strike something up. Moved in with Dallas Page and just kind of fiddle fucked around and finally started making some low budget movies and found reality television. But enough of that, the traffic is so severe out there, I just had a gut full of it. And I told my wife we're trying to do some remodeling out here in Nevada. And I said, you know, whenever we get done, I said, man, I'm done with la. Maybe we'll maintain a place there, whatever, just come and go because her family is there. But just for me, you know, I'm ready to get out of Dodge. It's just, it's just too much and it's like glass is always half full with me. But that being said, you know, I got to think to myself, Steve, do you want to wake up in the mountains with a chance to ride your four wheeler your side by side or whatever you want to do, just go out and shoot your gun or you want to sit in traffic on the 405 or all those other places and be in the grind? If you ain't got to be in the grind. So I want to be in a place that I'm happy and in Texas, got too far to go back and forth and being in this area, I'm only within 500 miles of Los Angeles rather than 1500, so it suits me well. So I'm looking forward to getting out of LA though, because I've been there long enough. As far as near term goals, what are things right now that you want to do? I know you want to be on a loan, I know you're training for that and you like the outdoors. But as far as, hey, you know, what you and your wife want to do or you want to do goals bucket list type things, what is there?

[Bob Holly]

We'd like to move and we talk about moving either back to Oregon or up into Door County, Wisconsin. We're just not sure yet which direction we want to go as far as that. But right now we're just taking a day by day and just seeing, you know, what happens day by day as far as. We just don't have any plan, definite plans right now which direction we want to go. And so we'd like to buy a piece of property and build a nice cabin on that property, but we just haven't decided which direction we want to go yet. And so, I mean, there's reasons why we haven't gone yet. That's what we want to do, but we're just not sure which way we want to Go yet.

[Steve Austin]

A lot of times when you think about Wisconsin, you just think of Milwaukee. Milwaukee is a neat town in and of itself. Lots of beer over there. You know, it was a good crowd to wrestle in front of the Mecca, but, you know, Wisconsin. And you know, Green Bay is such an interesting town just because it's not a very big town. And every single weekend that. That state, that stadium for the packers is chock full. But I remember we used to go through La Crosse, Wisconsin. I don't know if you remember that town, and I don't know what county you're talking about, but that was a beautiful area that I really liked.

[Bob Holly]

Yeah.

[Steve Austin]

What is the county you're talking about?

[Bob Holly]

Oh, it's. It's up in Door County. It's. It's that peninsula between Green Bay and Lake Michigan.

[Steve Austin]

Okay.

[Bob Holly]

And it's so beautiful up there. It's so peaceful. We do a lot of kayaking and paddle boarding up there. And every chance we get, we go up there. It's like, it's. It's almost like it's. It's a country of its own within the United States. And people up there, just so nice. There's so much land up there and there's so much history up there. It's just. It's beautiful country. It's. It's nothing like the mountain. But if that's. That's. It's just. It's beautiful up there. It just. It's. You got the lake and just. There's so much to do, so much stuff to do, and that's that. And whenever we go up there, just. We. It's almost like it recharges our batteries every time we go up there. And it's like we don't ever want to leave to come back. It's one of our favorite places to go.

[Steve Austin]

You tie it in like. Like with where you live in Iowa. Do you have a bunch of people that you hang out with?

[Bob Holly]

No, I'm.

[Steve Austin]

Same here.

[Bob Holly]

I actually don't. Yeah, I don't do anything with anybody really. There's a friend of mine, he's a. He's a contractor. I go snowmobiling with him whenever it snows. But as far as really hanging out with anybody, I just. Me and my wife. My wife is who I hang out with. Me. Her and my dog. And that's it. That's it. I just. I'm kind of a loner, basically, really. And it doesn't bother me. That's the way I like it, and that's the way I Want it. Like, that's what I want.

[Steve Austin]

Oh, I tell people the same thing. I mean, you know, because it was interesting being in an entertainment business. I mean, we're always around people, and many times we were the center of attraction because we were performing in a ring. We're hanging out with the guys, driving up and down the road and being around people's fine. But left to my own devices, man, I just, you know, be in the middle of nowhere by myself or with my wife, but I really don't need a whole lot other than my buggies, my four wheeler, and that's about it.

[Bob Holly]

Yeah, I'm the same way. I don't. You know, it's funny because I don't. I don't need material things to make me happy. I all. I. As long as. As long as I wake up in the morning and see my wife laying next to me, that's all that matters to me. And my dog, of course. I'm like you, though. I like my four wheelers, I like my toys, and as long as I got something to do like that, that's. That's all that matters to me. And I've always got something to do. I've always got something to do. So. And it's like one of those deals where me and my wife get up in the morning, it's like, okay, what do you want to do today? And we just figure out what we want to do and we do it. And there's, you know, and I would. I wouldn't have it any other way, to be perfectly honest.

[Steve Austin]

Bob, how can people find you on social media or what else? Is there anything that you wanted to promote or talk about?

[Bob Holly]

I have Twitter at the Bob Holly, and that's it. That's the only thing I have. I don't have Instagram. I don't have Facebook. I haven't had Facebook. Actually, I got rid of my Facebook after I found Linda. So, yeah, that's on Twitter. That's at the Bob Holly. That's how people could find me. And I actually, believe it or not, I answer everybody. I may not answer somebody right away, but I actually answer everybody. Yeah, I don't have the millions of followers that you've got, Steve, so I can understand why you don't answer everybody, but I can actually answer everybody because I've got like 70,000, 60,000 followers, so it's easy for me to answer people and. But I do. I try to answer everybody that I can when I get time to. So. But that's. That's all I got, I don't have any other social media, so I actually content with Twitter, I don't, I don't need those stuff, so.

[Steve Austin]

Man, you know what though, Bob, as much as you travel and as many cool things as you do, I imagine they're going to take your cell phone away from you if you do the alone thing, because you're going to be left to your own devices, their camera, and no communication with the outside world. But in your camping endeavors, dude, you ought to start your Instagram account because you start your Instagram Bob Holly or the Bob Holly, whatever it is. And you know the thing I like about Instagram is you ain't got to write any words if you don't want to. You can put some hashtags or this, that or whatever on there, but it's all pictures. And so y' all are seeing so many beautiful places, man. You start your Instagram page, you just pick one of your pictures, post it, done deal. And I think it's a neat way to document your travels or another way for your fan base to stay in touch with you or see what you're doing. So I've enjoyed Instagram and I actually started using that way more than Twitter. Just because you take a picture, few words or nothing at all is what it is. So I can't believe I'll never forget. I just filmed a low budget movie called damage probably 10 years ago. Better, I don't know, remember? And I was at the racetrack in Pomona or Fontana, whatever it is, and I needed to promote the movie. And someone had been telling me about this new social media thing called Twitter. It had been around for about a year or two by then. And I'm trying to understand this because I never was on Facebook, I never was on nothing. And I said, well, let me understand this. I said, it's called Twitter and when you send a message, it's called a tweet. Well, you know, for. I consider myself a pretty tough dude. And all of a sudden I would jump on social media and send out tweets. So finally I said fuck it, because at some point you just got to join in to the conversation to have any kind of awareness or word or whatever. And so I started, and all these years later, I'm glad I started it. But when I get somebody that says anything negative on my Twitter account or on my Instagram Instagram account, dude, I just go directly to mute and block. And it's like, I'm on social media, try to have fun with it and try to communicate with people. But when someone gets on there and starts trashing me, this, that, or whatever, it's just like, man, you wouldn't do that to my face. And so I only give my time of day. It's just block.

[Bob Holly]

Yeah, I don't either. I'm the same way. You know, it's funny because I've never used any foul language on Twitter. I've always, never engaged in any banter between somebody badmouthing me. I've never done that. And I just. I'm like you, I ignore it. And so I just don't give them the energy to just. I just. I'm like you. I just ignore it.

[Steve Austin]

Well, dude, to me, I'm at the stage in my life where, like I said, glass half full, if someone wants to be an asshole, this out, or whatever, I'm not going to get dragged down by it. I just want to do something, do things that make me happy, make my wife happy, my dog's happy, and have a good time. When you get somebody hiding behind this picture of an egg, calling you every name in the book, it's like, all right, you brave son of a bitch, I'll handle this. Real easy. Mute and block. We'll catch you down the road.

[Bob Holly]

That's right. And see, a lot of times, too, Steve, those people that are trying to drag you down, or drag me down, dragging anybody down, a lot of times, those are people that are miserable, so they're trying to make sure you're miserable, too, because they. They don't want to be alone as far as misery. So. And that's. That's the way I look at it. It's like, okay, this person's got something going on in their life where they have to make themselves feel better by putting somebody else down. And. And that's the way I look at it. And I. That's. I don't even give them the power or the energy to get me going or get me pissed off, because I just look at it like, they're real relevant in my life anyway, so.

[Steve Austin]

Hey, dude, on a final note, you were in la. Did you do an appearance in LA or was a wrestling show?

[Bob Holly]

It was a wrestling show. That bumps and bruise thing? Yeah, I did. Yep. That's what I did. It was an awesome, awesome show. They were awesome people. And I did a wrestling seminar also while I was there, so. But that bumps and bruises was. It was. They were awesome to work for.

[Steve Austin]

When you say a wrestling seminar, what were you talking about?

[Bob Holly]

Wrestling. Doing a private seminar where there's a wrestling school there and all their students like me and Al Snow came in and just went over the ins and outs of wrestling and so forth.

[Steve Austin]

So. But. But informational.

[Bob Holly]

Yeah. Well, teach them how to teach them the different, like, things as far as, like, locking up and the way of the locker room, proper etiquette, promos, how to deliver promos and so forth. Just basically cover as much ground as you can within that few hours. Not that you can cover everything, but you give them information that'll try to help them along with their career as far as bettering their career and getting somewhere.

[Steve Austin]

Got you. Just drop us a 411 on them.

[Bob Holly]

Exactly.

[Steve Austin]

Hey, man, we got to stay in touch. And you know, I'm the worst about texting people and stuff like that, and, boy, I'll tell you what, I gotta.

[Bob Holly]

Come out to Utah. I'll drive my damn jeep. I. The. Utah.

[Steve Austin]

Utah. I'm in Nevada.

[Bob Holly]

Nevada.

[Steve Austin]

Nevada, yeah, you'll be a state away, but come out to Nevada because I'll tell you what, I was trying to get a hold of Bob for this podcast, and, man, I never would return my calls. Every now and I get a text message. Finally I let. I cut a. I cut a couple of scathing promos on his damn voicemail. I said, God damn, I thought, I'll find you on the back of a milk carton trying not to be so hard to reach.

[Bob Holly]

It was like. It was like I was in witness protection, actually. I get your text and it would make me laugh, and then I would listen to your message and I would laugh my ass off because the delivery of the message was. It was good. It was. It was funny. I mean, it laughed. And I was like, I know I gotta get in touch with Steve. I know I do. Otherwise he's gonna think I hate his guy.

[Steve Austin]

Hell, everybody else hates me. Why can't Bob join in on the fun?

[Bob Holly]

But the thing is, I don't carry my phone around. I'm not. Like, most of the time, my phone sits on the kitchen table. Like when I leave the house, when I. When I'm home and I leave the house, my phone sits on the kitchen table. Like, if we go out and about, like shopping or grocery shopping or whatever we have to do, take the dog to the vet or we go for a walk in the woods or something, my phone stays on the kitchen table. So I don't carry it with me outside the house unless I'm going out of town or going somewhere where I'm not going to be home. That's the only time. So like, somebody can send me a message and I may not see it for four or five, six hours. So. And then by the time I get home, it's too late to respond and then I'll respond the next day or I'll forget. So, not making any excuses. I just don't carry my phone.

[Steve Austin]

No, no, no, man. But I'm the same way. I always tell everybody, say, God damn. I said, man, I sent you a text message how many weeks or months ago? I said, man, I'm sorry. I said, everybody hates me. I'm bad at returning text messages. I never return calls. My wife will look at my phone, she'll go, you know you got six messages there, don't you? And I said, yeah, I can see that. She said, well, when are you going to listen to them? I said, I don't know, it's okay. A couple of weeks go by? Yeah. She'll say, you know, would you please listen to those messages? They might be important. And I said, well, it's only so and so or so and so and so and so. What could they have to say? So anyway, I got a ton of heat on me.

[Bob Holly]

Well, my wife, she'll sit down, tell her, oh, Steve. I'll say, Steve Austin, text me, I need to text him back. And I'll be like, she'll sit there, like, I'll wait and she'll go, did you text me back? No. And then she'll ask me later on, did you text Steve back? No, I'm going to. So she's always reminding me. The same way with you. It's like she's always reminding me, hey, you need to call Steve or you need to call such as or somebody. I'm like, I get it.

[Steve Austin]

I know we got to go on a camping trip together, but if we do, I'm gonna drag my camper behind my truck. My beat up as carcass. I gotta have my damn CPAP machine plugged into my damn battery.

[Bob Holly]

Well, I appreciate you having me on, Steve. Thank you very much, man. I really appreciate it.

[Steve Austin]

Oh, man, it's good catching up with you.

[Bob Holly]

Yes, sir, it always is.

[Steve Austin]

All right, everybody, give me the Go home Q. It's time to wrap up his podcast and ride off in sunset. But before I do that, I want to thank my guest, Bob Holly for coming on the podcast today. Check out his book on Amazon. It's a badass book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and you can too. It's the Hardcore Truth, the Bob Holly Story. And Bob tells it like it is. Bottom line. Hey, man, I got the best damn IPA on the planet sitting right over here in El Segundo, California. It's called Steve Austin's Broken Skull ipa. They're selling out of it because everybody wants it. That's how good this beer is. If you swing through Los Angeles like a couple of cats from England did, they sent me a tweet on Twitter. They came all the way down here from the UK to take care of business. And while they were taking care of business, they went down the brewery to check out some Broken Skull IPA. And they loved it. Stop by the brewery at 140 Main street and tell them Steve Austin sent your ass to get some Broken Skull ipa. If you're in Cali, Southern Cali, you can find it at Whole Foods and Total Wines. If you ain't in Cali, you're probably shit out of luck. And while I'm talking about things that are great, my cold steel Broken Skull knife and my cold steel working man's knives. Two different price points. Two badass knives. You can find both of these knives at my new Amazon store. Amazon's got the best price on both knives. Just go to Amazon.com shop steveaustin, or go directly to the cold steel knives website and check out all their badass products. Folks, I am on social media, Twitter and Instagram, teveaustin, bsr. If you spot a fake account, please report it to me so I can get their ass off. Until next time, my name is Steve Austin and I will catch your ass down the road.

[Bob Holly]

This has been a Podcast one production. Download new episodes of the Steve Austin show Every [e-mail] that's podcastone.com.