The Steve Austin Show

Episode: Dr. Tom Prichard Part 1
Released October 7, 2025 – PodcastOne

Episode Overview

In this vibrant and nostalgic episode, WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin reconnects with his longtime friend and mentor Dr. Tom Prichard, chronicling their intertwined journeys through the wild world of pro wrestling. The first half of their chat is packed with tales from the road, reflections on wrestling’s gritty past, and plenty of candid insights about learning the craft—plus details about Prichard’s new wrestling academy in Knoxville. It’s a deep dive into wrestling lore, filled with both heartfelt gratitude and offbeat humor, all delivered in the distinctive, no-BS Austin style.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Steve Austin’s Personal Update and Media Rumors

• Nevada Life & Wildfires in California
  Austin opens from Nevada, relishing the “fresh air” at the Broken Skull Ranch 2.0, far from the “devastation and destruction” of California wildfires. He urges listeners, “if you’re told to evacuate, man, please get your ass out of there.” (03:05)
• Getting Taken Out of Context
  Clarifies rumors about his sobriety after a podcast remark was “spun out of control.” “Did I quit drinking temporarily? Yeah, I did… but I never said I was giving up alcohol permanently.” (08:35)
  Quote:

  “I hate getting taken out of context. I hate being misquoted.” (09:40)

2. A Friendship Forged in Wrestling

• Meeting Dr. Tom and Early Days
  Austin recounts crossing paths with Tom Prichard in 1990 in USWA, Nashville:

  “The first few rides together were very awkward and very silent... Eventually, the ice was broken and we became, dare I say, very good friends.” (11:38)
  Prichard becomes a mentor, always explaining the “why and how” of wrestling.

• Career-Altering Favor
  Austin credits Prichard for tipping him off about WCW interest, leading to a career breakthrough:

  “If it hadn’t been for Tom, I would have never known they were interested in me.” (12:10)

3. Highlighting the New Wrestling Academy

• JPR Wrestling Academy
  Austin plugs Prichard’s new school with Glenn Jacobs (Kane) in Knoxville:

  “There’s only a few guys out there I would recommend… If Dr. Tom Prichard and Glenn Jacobs are starting up a wrestling school, I highly recommend it.” (13:00)

  • Open house: Jan 3, D1 Sports, Knoxville (7pm)
  • Website: JPRWrestlingAcademy.com
  • Training: 5 days a week, 4 hours/day—20 hours a week, “compared to my two to three.”
  • Prichard praised for “a wealth of information,” calling the program “outstanding” for aspiring pros.

Main Interview: Wrestling Stories & Reflections

4. Wrestling History, Territories, and Bloodbaths

• Blood and Blades in the Old Days:
  Austin and Prichard swap stories about the days when blood (“color”) was a wrestling necessity.

  Austin: “You had an open wound on your forehead and it was every night… looked like damn near a maxi pad stuck on your forehead.” (18:15)
  Prichard remembers, “How insane or crazy do you have to be to actually go in there and do that… for $40 a night?” (20:12)
  “It just comes out to it that you’re insane and crazy for being in the business back then.” – Prichard (20:50)
  Both reflect on how blading became a “rite of passage” and its changing place in the industry.

• Wrestling’s Early Appeal
  Prichard describes the mystique:

  “The dirt, the grime, the grit... the gypsy lifestyle… that mystique that went along with how do these people exist on a daily basis?” (24:00)

5. Upbringing, Breaking Into the Business, Paul Boesch

• Grew Up in El Paso and Houston
  Prichard details being raised among legends: the Funks, the Von Brauners, and more.

  “You could go out there and these guys did anything they wanted... just looked, it was that attraction.” (27:15)

• Entering the Business, Iron Sheik, and Office Work
  At 16, he left selling shoes for a $75/week job as Paul Boesch’s assistant in Houston.

  “I got to be a second… walk the guys to the ring. Didn’t let me in the dressing room right away…” (33:32)
  The Iron Sheik—then “Mohammad Farouk”—brutally trained Prichard.
  “He says, now I might turn him, just get down all fours. So he, to this day, I don’t know what kind of hold he had me…” (34:11)
  Paul Boesch initially discouraged him but later admitted, in print, he had misjudged Prichard’s drive.

  Life Lesson:

  "You need to take care of the people who are going to take care of you." – Prichard on Boesch’s business ethics (38:51)

6. Gino Hernandez and Houston Legends

• Great Gino Hernandez stories and denial of longstanding rumors that Paul Boesch was Gino’s father:

  “She just laughed… people confused her and Valerie, his wife, all the time…” (40:36)

7. Territory Tales: LA, Continental, Portland, USWA

• Describes wrestling in LA’s Olympic Auditorium, “freaks and geeks” on Hollywood Boulevard, and life in the Milner Hotel and Van Nuys.
• Says Continental (Gulf Breeze, Pensacola) was his favorite, with “no pressure” and “a cool vibe.”

  “You’re gonna have a whole lot of fun.” (45:55)

Wrestling Psychology, Learning, and Styles

8. Wrestling Styles and Influences

• Prichard credits Terry Funk as his prime influence, admiring “how unorthodox and out of the ordinary” Funk was, along with Johnny Valentine and Dick Murdoch.

  “Terry Funk told a story even when there wasn’t one to tell… Everything he did meant something.” – Prichard (49:30-49:50)

• Dory Funk Jr.

  “When I first started, I did not understand it... once I gained experience... this friggin’ Dory Funk Jr. is really, really good.” – Austin (51:16)

9. Promos and Character Development

• Prichard found his heel persona more natural, shaped by life’s “left turns.”

  “I just felt more natural because smiling and doing all that stuff, I wasn’t feeling at that time, man.” (53:41)
  “Just going to the ring… that’s when you really feel comfortable.” – Prichard (54:32)

Formative Years Together: USWA and On the Road (Big Laughs, Cautionary Tales)

10. First Impressions and Sharing the Road

• Austin’s first territory experience in Nashville:

  “I was a new guy… you were an established vet… When the man gives you a job, you know… there I was on my way…” (57:45)
  They both lived in the infamous Congress Inn, scraping by on “$15 or $20 a night.”
  “Tony Anthony’s [Dirty White Boy] 1978 Toyota Tercel… broke down… all of a sudden, Tom’s out of a ride… They said, ‘Steve, can you start riding with Tom?’” (58:18)

• Hilariously, their first car rides were silent and awkward:

  “It was complete silence… I wanted to ask a million questions, but you seemed like you didn’t want to talk to me.” – Austin (61:09)

• Prichard admits,

  “That’s where I get very misunderstood… I could just be like this… just having fun, but not everybody knew how to take me.” (58:50)

11. Learning on the Job

• The intimidating, rough environment for a “greenhorn” in a veteran locker room.

  “You’re with guys that go out there and work their asses off... I was learning from most of them.” – Austin (67:00)
  Prichard reassures,
  “I didn’t see you scared at all… it was you trying to be you, then trying to find you.” (66:15)

• Austin recalls his rapid education:

  “When I got to the USWA and we were working at least six days a week, I picked up the business faster than any other place I’d ever been.” (71:56)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• “How insane or crazy do you have to be to actually go in there and do that for $40 a night?” – Tom Prichard (20:12)
• “You don’t even think about the health ramifications back then… but how wicked is that when you think about just the aspect of show business and instead of doing it the hard way… cut yourself open… like it’s pretty damn insane.” – Steve Austin (23:19)
• “To be part of that group of individuals that would drive all night and go to some town and do these insane things… with these weird characters… that’s how I was thinking of it.” – Prichard (25:45)
• “You need to take care of the people who are going to take care of you.” – Prichard, on lessons from Paul Boesch (38:51)
• “When you get to the ring, that’s when you really feel comfortable… it was better going to the show with people I liked… let’s have a good time.” – Prichard (54:32)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |----------------------------------------|--------------| | Steve on CA wildfires & personal update| 03:05 | | Rumors about his sobriety | 08:35 | | History with Dr. Tom | 11:38 | | Plug for JPR Wrestling Academy | 13:00 | | Blood/blading in wrestling history | 18:15–25:00 | | Prichard’s wrestling upbringing | 27:10–28:33 | | Starting under Paul Boesch, Iron Sheik | 32:16–36:46 | | Working in Houston / the Gino rumors | 40:06–41:36 | | Territory road stories, LA & beyond | 42:33–48:26 | | On Terry Funk, influences, psychology | 49:28–51:07 | | Promos & character, being a heel | 51:50–54:25 | | Austin’s early days, riding with Tom | 57:44–66:15 | | Learning on the job in USWA | 67:00–71:56 |

Final Notes

In this freewheeling, nostalgia-rich conversation, Steve Austin and Tom Prichard lay bare what made old-school wrestling so gritty, difficult, and beloved for those who lived it. The episode is loaded with helpful advice, road wisdom, and respect for the generations that shaped sports entertainment. It’s a must-listen for fans of wrestling history and those who appreciate no-frills, honest storytelling.

Stay tuned for Part 2, where they’ll get deeper into the Knoxville wrestling academy and more road stories.

Resource Links

• JPR Wrestling Academy: jprwrestlingacademy.com

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