Ric Flair 30-for-30 Q&A PART TWO - SAS CLASSIC

Summary

The Steve Austin Show – “Ric Flair 30-for-30 Q&A PART TWO” (SAS Classic)

Release Date: January 8, 2026
Host: Steve Austin
Podcast Network: PodcastOne

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Steve Austin dives headfirst into fan questions—most notably his reactions to ESPN's “30-for-30” documentary on Ric Flair. The episode morphs into an impassioned, in-depth reflection on Flair’s legacy, classic pro wrestling psychology, and Steve’s personal experiences both watching and working alongside wrestling legends. Austin also fields questions about blood in wrestling, the nuances of his own in-ring persona, and the camaraderie and mentorship that define great wrestling careers.

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Key Discussions & Insights

Ric Flair’s 30-for-30: Austin’s Reaction and Reflections

[00:02–14:23]

• Austin’s roots as a Flair fan:

  • Steve expresses how Flair was the largest single influence on his in-ring style. He admits that “the first part of my career, I modeled my style after him.”

    “If there was anybody that was born to be a pro wrestler, it’s Ric Flair.” – Steve Austin [03:12]

  • Flair’s evolution: Austin talks through Flair’s early days—his build, the turning point following his plane crash, and how he fused elements of Buddy Rogers into his Nature Boy persona.

• The meticulous crafting of ‘Ric Flair’:

  • Austin highlights that Flair’s character was built via “trial and error” and was an evolution over time—not an overnight phenomenon.
  • He praises the documentary’s inclusion of stories from Jim Cornette, Greg Gagne, and Flair’s family, noting how they emphasized both the sacrifice and obsession that came with Flair’s success.
  • Austin is impressed by Flair’s candor, especially around prioritizing wrestling over family, saying, “Was it selfish? Yes… but that’s just the business. Rick was the business.” [06:51]

• Flair vs. Hogan—Respect Without Heat:

  • Austin addresses the legendary Flair/Hogan debate and their different positions—one the world-class worker and regional hero, the other the mainstream box office star.

    “You were either an NWA guy or a WWF guy… I was an NWA guy, hands down.” – Steve Austin [08:19]

• Flair’s Impact on Peers and Austin:

  • Steve touches on the effect Flair had on countless wrestlers, both in style and in promos.
  • “There wasn’t a Richard Fleer… it was Nature Boy Ric Flair, 24/7.” – [10:36]

• Flair as the Ultimate ‘Veteran’:

  • Steve uses Sting as an example: Flair’s over-the-top selling “made Sting.” He recalls how Flair’s psychology and professional generosity put others over, notably during the famous Flair-Sting battles.

    “Ric Flair lit his ass up and that’s the bottom line on that. And everybody knows it.” – Steve Austin [12:14]

• Magic of Flair vs. Steamboat:

  • Austin sings the praises of both legends, noting the psychological brilliance, lack of visible cues, and flawless in-ring chemistry.

    “You couldn’t see the transitions… they kayfabed it. They worked so well together.” – [13:28]

• Contrast to Modern Wrestling:

  • Austin respectfully contrasts past and present, believing Flair/Steamboat matches would “hold up in today’s wrestling scene. Hands down, bar none, end of story.” [14:04]

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Blood in Wrestling (WrestleWar ’92 and WrestleMania 13)

[15:40–27:40]

• Blood in the old days:

  • Reflecting on past WarGames and “getting color”, Austin acknowledges the high risk in retrospect, stating it “seemed like the dumbest thing in the world” now, but “we weren’t thinking about it. We were just doing it.”

    “That was just the way the business was. That’s the way we were all wound up.” – Steve Austin [16:40]

• WrestleMania 13: Austin, Bret Hart, and Blading:

  • Austin gives an in-depth account of the legendary “I Quit” match, clarifying Bret Hart offered to blade him—not the other way around—taking the heat for breaking company policy.

    “It was his umbrella policy. He was taking responsibility to help a brother out, and by helping a brother out, he helped get me over.” – Steve Austin [24:41]

  • He credits the iconic image—blood streaming from his face while locked in the Sharpshooter—as life-changing for his career.

• Wrestling Etiquette and Mutual Respect (with Chris Benoit):

  • Austin relays a story about ensuring Benoit “got over” in their match, using the seniority umbrella analogy to explain the code between top guys.

    “You really got me over.” – Chris Benoit to Steve Austin [27:08]

    • Austin describes this as “one of the biggest compliments I ever got after a match by a guy that I worked with.”

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Austin’s In-Ring Persona: The Walk, Trash Talk, and Crowd Connection

[28:20–32:00]

• Stone Cold’s Entrance:

  • Fan question: “What did you say as you walked to the ring?”
  • Austin reveals he’d talk genuine trash, never gibberish:

    “That’s right, motherfucker. I’m going to beat… I’m going to… it was just a constant stream of F bombs.” – Steve Austin [29:10]

  • Compares his conviction to Flair’s, stating that living your character is essential:

    “As much as Ric Flair believed in his character and his persona, the same did Stone Cold, dude. That’s who and what I was—a bad motherfucker.” [30:30]

• The Power of the Pop:

  • Austin discusses the energy from going to the turnbuckle and soaking in the audience reaction, describing it as “an adrenaline shot you will never, ever forget.”

    “You got that shit right, motherfuckers. We’re going to raise hell up in this motherfucker.” [31:40]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Ric Flair as a role model:

  “If there was anybody that was born to be a pro wrestler, it’s Ric Flair.” [03:12]

• On true character immersion:

  “There wasn’t a Richard Fleer… it was Nature Boy Ric Flair, 24/7.” [10:36]

• On being ‘over’ in wrestling:

  “Ric Flair lit his ass up and that’s the bottom line on that. And everybody knows it.” [12:14]

• On the evolution of matches:

  “Good work holds up, good people, great talent hold up. They get over the next generation.” [14:12]

• On ‘getting color’:

  “It wasn’t nothing but a thing like a chicken wing on a shoestring. Man. Go out there, pick your spot, and get you some color.” [17:36]

• On the iconic WrestleMania 13 finish:

  “That iconic photo of me just giving it everything, I got to get out of that hold with blood streaming down my face… was iconic.” [23:38]

• On his in-ring trash talk:

  “That’s just… in any competitive endeavor, some people talk shit, some people don’t. Also realize you’re playing in front of 20,000 people and… a worldwide audience.” [29:56]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:02] – Opening/Ric Flair 30-for-30 documentary discussion
• [12:45] – Reflecting on Flair’s work with Sting and Steamboat
• [14:23] – Transition to blood and violence in wrestling
• [15:40] – WarGames ’92 and blading
• [19:00] – WrestleMania 13 and the story behind the blood with Bret Hart
• [24:41] – Chris Benoit match and understanding wrestling respect
• [28:20] – Austin’s entrance, walk, and in-character trash talk
• [29:56] – The importance of the crowd and connecting with fans

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Summary

For lifelong wrestling fans and new listeners alike, this episode is a heartfelt, reflective, and often hilarious deep-dive into what makes pro wrestling legendary in the eyes of one of its greatest icons. Steve Austin’s passion for the craft, his unabashed admiration for Ric Flair and Bret Hart, and his colorful, candid storytelling make this an essential listen for anyone interested in wrestling psychology, history, or character-building.

Bottom line:

“Stone Cold Steve Austin, I’m fixing to beat somebody’s ass. That’s the kind of shit that I was saying.” – Steve Austin [31:56]

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Recommended viewing, per Steve:
“30-for-30 Ric Flair – Nature Boy” – ESPN

“Flat out awesome in my opinion… let me know a lot about the man I didn’t know.” – Steve Austin [14:04, 40:34]

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Listener questions or feedback?
[e-mail]

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For the love of the business—Watch the 30-for-30, keep up the Broken Skull Challenge, and never forget the power of a well-told story.

Transcript

[A]

This. This is Steve Austin. Unlock leash. All right, guys, welcome back to part two of the podcast. Hey, man, before I get cranked up here on the second half and answering questions you sent in, man, I want to say thank you to all the military guys that came out to the Broken Skull Challenge compound on this past episode on cmt. Man, the season really ramps up from here. And to go out there and spend all day with the United States Armed Forces guys that served or are still serving in the Armed Forces was an absolute blast. Those guys are cool as hell. They're all badasses. They're always ready. And Dan just totally crushed it all throughout the day. Just an impressive performance. But, man, when you get to go out there and hang out with the people that take care of our country and put everything on the line for us, for our country, it's an absolute blast. This season just keeps getting better and better as it continues with the women coming up next week, and then just crazy off the chart stuff after that leading into the final show. But big ups, big thank you to the military guys for coming out and putting on the line for the Broken Skull Challenge. I had a blast hanging out with you guys. An absolute blast. Anyway, questions you guys sent in, and this one is a great question for the first one because it says, Steve, what are your thoughts on a recent Ric Flair ESPN 30 for 30 interview? I know he's one of your all time favorites in the ring, and that comes from Eric over in Greenville, South Carolina. God dang, man. I got an invite to go down to the premiere in Atlanta to see it with Rick and Wendy, but I didn't get a chance to go as I was in Nevada on my hunting trip. And I couldn't make it all the way down to the ATL for that, but I got a chance to DVR it. I was watching the Broken Sequal Challenge, and I watched it just this afternoon and I turned it on, man, and I tell you what, it brought back so many memories because, you know, Flair's been around a long time. He's a generation ahead of me or generation and a half. And I grew up watching Ric Flair. I wanted to be Ric Flair. Hell, the first part of my career, I modeled my style after him. Now, I could never approach what he was doing, but he was the guy that really had the biggest influence on me from an in ring standpoint. And so that's how big of an influence the guy was on me. And just watching some of that old stuff, man, when you saw him first coming out of The Gates, you know, with that big husky build before he had that plane crash. And, you know, he kind of developed into that 235 pound body that he wrestled into his greatest heights. He was just a big guy, a big football player, ex football player. And then, you know, he kind of dialed in that character. And it was during that healing process that, you know, he took after Nature Boy, Buddy Rogers, and he put all the pieces together. And it was interesting to see Jim Cornette kind of recant how Flair was coming up with all this stuff. It didn't all happen at one time. It was an evolution of trial and error and the process that he was going through to put all the pieces together to become, to me, the greatest of all time. He's my favorite professional wrestler and man, I tell you what, that guy. If there was anybody that was born to be a pro wrestler, it's Rick Flair. Flair. Just hearing the stories about his upbringing, being adopted and then, you know, going to Vern Gagne's camp and then quitting, and then Vern Gagne hitting him with an open hand slap and saying, hey, this is something that you're not going to quit. You know, listen to Greg Gagne, Verne's son, tell that story was really neat. But, man, I tell you what, just reliving all that stuff and I remember, shit, I remember more of Ric Flair's career than I did mine. And just listen to all those promos, the way he lived. He personified the sport or business of pro wrestling, not sports entertainment. And, you know, listen to Snoop Dogg, you know, give his comments on him, you know, what he represented to everybody. And, you know, that first title run, you know, when he took that belt from Dusty and, you know, no one did it like Ric Flair, you know, you know, whether it was just, you know, dressing to the nines the whole time, whether it was the women, the partying, the wrestling, all the hour Broadways that he went, the traveling. You know, there's been some great, great, great pro wrestlers that everybody admires and respects. The Terry Funks, the Harley Races, just those are a couple of the top, top Bret Hart, you know, guys like that. But for the longevity that he had, traveling in that territory system and representing the nwa, belt around the world, and the loop that he was running, man, it's just flat out amazing. I really don't think anyone did it like Flair and just living it up every night. And, you know, I looked at that thing as kind of being with the length that he had and, you know, his dedication to the Business. I mean, that was his first love. And you know, he was very frank and he was very open. You know, his family was on the back burner of what he wanted to do. And when he went home, he was bored. He needed to be out there doing his thing. That's what he was born to do. And, you know, could you say it was selfish? Yes. I mean, you could psychoanalyze this a million ways, but I mean, that's just the business. Rick was the business. And man, I'll tell you what, it was very in depth. He was very candid, he was very open. And I enjoyed the living shit out of it. Ric Flair and was also great to watch Hulk Hogan, you know, give him some many props because back in the day, you know, you would think that those two guys had animosity or heat or whatever, because back in the day, I mean, it's like the one guy came on there and said, you were either an NWA guy or you were a WWF guy. And I was an NWA guy, hands down. Then I started getting the WWF stuff on television and you know, I could understand what they were doing, but I was an NWA guy. Now when I got to wcw, which was nwa, you knew when you got there that the big time was the wwf. But back then, and you know, as Hogan was the more well known guy with, you know, all the box office, Flair was that world class worker that was lighting it up, like I said, on a more regional scene, but just tearing the houses down and becoming famous. Just two different careers, two different standpoints of looking at them. But just listen to Hulk Hogan talk about Ric Flair and the way that he did was really, really cool. And just Ric Flair's impact on the business, my career, countless others, I mean, there's no telling how many people were influenced by the style, the career, the character, the presentation, the guts, the bravado, the showmanship, psychology, tactics, techniques that were employed by the nature boy. I mean, man, I'm just talking in ring stuff and then you go to the promos, man, and you watch that guy. Because here's the thing, that guy was so far in, there wasn't a Richard Fleer, it was nature boy Ric Flair, 24 7. So, you know, he turned into that guy and it got him a lot of fame, it got him a lot of money. He became the greatest wrestler in the world. And he wasn't a great family guy. And they were very open in saying that. But anyway, I'm rambling, but God damn, man, I just love those old days and listening to Sting talk about how over the top Rick would sell. And I remember those matches and he made Sting. And when they did that test of strength and Sting went down with that test of strength and Rick just started wailing, you know, that's selling. That's the fucking veteran getting this green, charismatic Sting over and just, you know, coming into the ropes, body press over the top, back down, you know, back drops in the corners. I mean, just Flair being a rubber ball for Sting. I mean, he got that guy over, in my opinion, single handedly. And Sting had great potential, he had great charisma. I loved him. And Warrior, when they were together as the Blade Runners, way back in the day, they had something that attracted me to their tag team. And I think it was just that, the awesome strength and power that they represented. They were certainly not great technicians in the ring, but of course, the charisma of each one was undeniable, as they would go on to have phenomenal singles runs. But together I saw them coming a long time ago. And so Ric Flair going back to Flair, you know, really, in my opinion, and Sting got himself over. It was a great gimmick, it was a great look, great Persona and personality. But Ric Flair lit his ass up and that's the bottom line on that. And everybody knows it. And so it was nice to see Sting reflect on some of those days. And man, who can forget the classic battles that he had with Ricky the Dragon. Steamboat, as I say, Ric Flair is my favorite pro wrestler in the world. Ricky Steamboat is one of the favorite guys I've ever worked with, and just one of my favorite professional wrestlers as well, behind Ric Flair. Steamboat, just uncanny. Always knows where to be, what to do, how to fill in the gaps, when to fire. And those matches that those guys had were just magic. And part of the magic was in the fact that the matches were psychologically sound. They were physically demanding. You couldn't see the transitions or, or gaps. You couldn't see into the match. You didn't see nobody talk. And Flair's protecting the calls. Ricky never said nothing. Ricky just did it. And so, you know, like Steamboat said, with the look of an eye, you know, Steamboat would know what to do. And on instinct as well. And from wrestling each other so many times, they just basically knew each other inside and out. But you know, going back to what Rick was saying and who was it? Jesus Christ, was it baby doll? I'm sorry, I'm forgetting who was talking there at the beginning, it was the illusion. You know, wrestling's a work, but when you can't see what's really going on. That's when you buy in and you believe. And so a lot of times with today's current work, you see the tails, it's almost like, well, the guys aren't as slick as what Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, those guys were. The work was a little bit higher quality then. They weren't trying to cram in so much stuff into a match. And this is not an indictment on today's business. This is just a fact. You couldn't see through the cracks of what they were doing. They kayfabed it. They worked so well together. If you see somebody making a tell or leading into something, or telling what the next sequence of events is just by what they're doing, they're already jumping into the next spot and the guy's trying to send the guy into the ropes, well, they weren't doing that back in the day. So the reality of the matches, the drama of the matches was at a greater height. And again, not an indictment on today's business. That's just how good those guys were back in the day. And also understanding that, man, in today's business, and even when I was still in the ring or maybe a little bit afterwards, you know, the business turned into a faster moving business, you know, putting more stuff into a smaller amount, a window of time also, because it's become kind of a short attention span theater. If you ain't doing something, if something, if somebody ain't hitting the ropes, someone's going to change the channel, kind of that mentality. So some of the, you know, some of the business has changed. I respect that. But again, I go back to what I've said a few months ago on a podcast, you put in some of those. Well, you put in any Flare Steamboat match, you put in any Flair Windham match. Those matches those guys were having was at a great pace. The matches used, having with Sting, every single match Flair was doing back in the day would hold up in today's wrestling scene. Hands down, bar none, end of story. Bottom line, people sometimes ask me, you know, hey, could Stone Cold get over in today's environment? Well, yes, he could. Or so does, you know, the work of Ric Flair hold up. And even the fast paced business it is today, that style historically, you know, you could throw Jerry Lawler into that conversation as well. I'm talking about Ric Flair, of course. But you know, Lawlor's work, that methodical pace, that storytelling pace, you know, good work holds up, good people, great talent hold up. They get over the next Generation Flair was awesome. I sit here and just flat my gums about it for 15 damn minutes but but I absolutely loved it. I thought that guy did a hell of a job putting it together. And Rick's got a hell of a story and it was interesting hearing from his daughter and from his first wife. And if you have not seen it, hell I'll recommend it at the end of the podcast for something to watch the 30 for 30 for nature boy Ric Flair was flat out awesome in my opinion. And let me know a lot about the man that I didn't know because as long as I've known Ric Flair, I've had him on the podcast a few times. I don't know Rick very well. I know that I got the utmost respect for him. I think he's the greatest of all time. It was just a very well done, very well put together. 30 for 30. Congratulations on ESPN the director and for the nature. More Ric Flair for being so open and candid. Awesome shit.

[B]

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[A]

Here's one comes in from Kevin in Seattle, says hey Steve, I just wanted to drop you an email and say I appreciate when you give a heads up on the family friendly podcast in regards to dropping some cuss words. I'm on the road a lot with my family and it's nice to have a heads up. You and Mitch have great chemistry and hope to hear from you again sometimes. Keep up the great work on the Keto diet. My wife is on it and she's about persuaded me to do it as well. Best regards. Hey Kevin, I tell you what, if you need to drop a little weight, the Keto is a Very effective system to use. Manages drop out those carbs, eat clean proteins, eat clean fats, good fats, avocados, nuts, stuff like that. Anyway, back to the heads up. Yeah, When I'm doing the family friendly shows, I'll tell you, the Unleashed show is a lot easier to do because I like to cuss. I like for my guests to be able to cuss. It allows me to think a little bit more freely. So I give you a heads up. That being said, that family friendly podcast, you know, it's going to have, you know, an ass, a dam, a shit, or some bitch in there. I'll keep trying to give you those heads up, but it is what it is. I, you know, never put any F bombs on there because it's family friendly, but I'll keep doing that. And I appreciate you listening to the podcast very much. All right, let's stick with another wrestling question, Steve. I recently watched WrestleWar 92, and that was, of course, the War games match. You were busted open pretty early. You were busted pretty good against Brett in the I quit match at mania in 13. But, man, you looked legit hurt at the end of this thing. Knowing what we know now about blood poisoning and the risk of hiv, how scary it is now to look back and see eight guys bleeding. Kind regards, Alex Prentice from Northern Ireland. Man, I tell you what, Alex, man, looking back now, it's 2017 with a bunch of guys bleeding in the ring. It seemed like the dumbest thing in the world, especially when you got there. It's not hard ways, just razor blades. You didn't think about it back then towards the end. And, you know, in the 2000s, you know, when I faded out in 2003, you started thinking about it more then. But really. And it's crazy. It's absolutely crazy to think that no one would give two shits and guys were concerned, but that was just the way the business was. That's the way we were all wound up. That's just what you did. And believe me, it's a very foreign concept when someone comes up to you and says, I'm not foreign. Well, if it's new to you, if it's your first time to get color and say, hey, man, we need you to bleed during this match. Well, how do I do that? They don't teach you that in wrestling school. But to go back to your point, you know, as much as they test these guys these days, and I talked about on the podcast a few weeks ago, you know, I'm all for color. The guys are all tested, everybody's clean. It's just like a UFC fight. Somebody bleeds in the UFC or in boxing, all those sanctioned events to sporting event, everybody's tested. So, you know, everybody's clean with respect to the diseases you're talking about. Same with pro wrestling. But going back to the mindset of the day, you know, when you entered a war games match, you know, just about everybody entered at some bit, somehow, some way was going to get busted open during the course of that match. So it wasn't nothing but a thing like a chicken wing on a shoestring. Man. Go out there, pick your spot, and get you some color. It was fun because that's what we were doing. And there's an art to it. And you know, you're doing it to try to keep asses in seats or put asses in seats for future shows. And it went with the story, and the story was violent. And blood happens when things get violent in a wrestling ring, especially two rings under a steel cage, that's called war games. So it was fun. It was crazy. We weren't thinking about it. We were just doing it, hoping people were digging it. And that's the bottom line, you know, we're going to move on to the next question. And since we're just talking about War Games 92 and all the bleeding, here's another question about bleeding, and I'll give you an answer to it. Comes from Don Chisholm over in Nova Scotia, Canada. He says, hey, Steve, the WrestleMania 13 match with Bret Hart is my favorite match of yours. The psychology between you and Bret Hart is some of the best work in the business history. My question is, you asked Brett to blade you. How come you asked Brett to do this? And was it common for the wrestlers to ask their opponents to help them blade get color? Well, Don, here's a story. I've told it before and. And I'll tell it again. And it was also in Bret Hart's book when we showed up at WrestleMania 13 there in Chicago. We went to the finish room, myself, Bret hart and Vince McMahon. Vince laid out to finish, pass out in a sharpshooter from the pain. That was it. Go out there and do the rest of the match, whatever you want to do. But at the end of the night, at the end of the match, you're going to pass out in a sharpshooter. And so anyway, Brett and I both went out in the arena. We just kind of walked around a little bit, and I circled back there and went and talked to Vince. I told Vince, I said, man, are you sure about that finish? You think it'll work? And Vince looked at me and he goes, oh, God damn, Steve. Yeah, it'll work. And so I was sold hook, line, and sinker. So anyway, I went back out to the arena, started talking a little bit with Brett. We were shooting the shit. And at the time, there was a no color policy going on in wwf. Zero color, don't do it. And, you know, Brett looks at me and he goes, steve, he goes, if you're going to pass out in a sharpshooter, you need to have color. I looked at Brett and you gotta understand, I've only been in the company. I don't know, whatever. It was a year. I didn't have a whole lot of stroke yet. Brett was a veteran. He had stroke. He had a little bit of power, and he was gonna use it. So he says, you need to have color if you're gonna pass out in a sharpshooter. And I said, man, I said, I don't know, man. I said, I don't know. And he goes, I'll get it for you. I said, you will? He goes, yeah. So I didn't ask him to get color for me. He offered to get color for me. And what he was doing, he wasn't offering just to do the act. He was offering to take the heat. That's the thing about what he was offering. He was taking the heat because there was a no color policy. Now, if Vince would have asked me what happened, I'd lied to him and said I got busted open when I hit my head on that guardrail when he reversed me into it, that's what I'd have said. But nonetheless, what Brett was doing was taking the heat. And I'll give you, for example, when I was working with Chris Benoit one night on a Monday night Raw, we didn't get enough time. We were working a live television match, and I was mad because I was such a fan of Chris's work that we didn't have more time and we didn't have a better match than we did. And so the next night, there in his hometown on smackdown, we were working live to tape, and I told Chris we had a short time. It was probably 13 minutes. I told Chris, I said, hey, man, I said, I don't know how long we're going, but here's how we're going to do it. And I don't see you making a proper comeback on me. I see you just grabbing me and giving me 10 German suplexes. Or belly to back suplexes and that's your comeback. And then we'll go on to the finish. Shit, we had a fishbone of things carved out to do. We knew that was his comeback. And I told Chris, I said, don't worry about the time, I got it. So what I was telling Chris was, hey man, I'm Stone Cold Steve Austin. If we're going overtime, if the old man, if Vince has a problem with it, I'm going to take the heat. I'll answer the questions. You're under my umbrella policy. That's what Brett did for me. I was under his insurance policy. He was taking responsibility for it. And so that's one of the reasons why, first of all, I've always loved Bret Hart's work. I can't, he's just, he's one of my favorites of all time. And for him to pick me to come out of retirement, Bret Hart is such a big part of the career and success of Stone Cold Steve Austin, it's unbelievable. So to go out there and have that match with him and then, you know, to pass out in that sharpshooter and that iconic footage and that iconic photo of me just giving it everything, I got to get out of that hole with blood streaming down my face, through my teeth, through my goatee and onto that mat was iconic. And that was one of the things that helped me get over to a large degree. So I didn't ask him. He offered. It was his umbrella policy. He was protecting me. He was the veteran and he could explain his way out of this. And here's the bottom line. I came back from the match. Brett came back. Shamrock did an awesome job as a guest, a referee, enforcer. Nobody said shit. Nobody said shit because, hey, it was one of the best matches in the history of wwf. It was a big time pay per view. We delivered, it was a semi main, but God damn it, we did a double turn. That's where the money was. And we did it and we executed it. If you had to say 10 out of 10, 1 out of 10, 2 out of 10, that was a 10 out of 10 match. It was a 10 out of 10 execution. As far as getting the business accomplished at hand and following Vince's orders, we followed his orders and we added a little salt and pepper to it. So it was just an amazing time. And the cut was so minimal, it was unbelievable. The placing was impeccable. The amount of blood was perfect. You know, it wasn't a bloodbath, it wasn't gory, it was a lot of blood, but it wasn't a bloodbath. And it was so simple. It was so easy and so effective, and that's how good he was. And that's, you know, the best there is, the best there was, the best there ever will be, man. I just got finished talking about how badass that 30 for 30 was with Ric Flair. But, I mean, you know, same thing can be said with Brett Hitman Hart. There are so many parallels of so many guys that have gone up and down the road and reached a high level of work in the ring. Flair was Flair, and he was one of a kind, and Stone Cold was Stone Cold, and he did his thing. But Bret the Hitman Hart was Bret the Hitman Hart, and he loved the business. You know, I think anybody that has that kind of success or that run in a business, it's your love of the business and it's your selfishness to just forego, man. You know, Flair says he wasn't, you know, the best father in the world. He wasn't. And I've openly admitted that as well. Man, I was always on the road. Now, I didn't get a chance to spend nearly as long on the road as Ric Flair did, or even Bret Hart or many other guys, but, you know, it was just that love affair you have with the business. And there's so many stories that are similar to Flair's, but Flair just was able to. I'm not segueing off of what I was going to or going back to the original startup on this part. Two, Flair just didn't like nobody else and lasted longer than everybody else. So, anyway, that's a good question, Don. I appreciate you asking that, but it was an umbrella policy. He was taking responsibility to help a brother out, and by helping a brother out, he helped get me over. And you know what? Going back to that Chris Benoit match on smackdown, you know, it was one of the biggest compliments you could tell somebody anytime you have a match, you always want to say, hey, thank you, man. Thanks for the match. That's what you do, and that's proper respect. That's protocol. Things might go bad, it might be a pile of shit. You might not click. The crowd might be the shits. They might be dead. You might not be over. The crowd might not be reacting, but that's what you do. And when I first got into business, I didn't know that you were supposed to thank your opponent after the match. I caught a little bit of heat about that because Chris didn't smarten Me up to that. So back to the story with Chris Benoit. You always think you got the match. But anyway, me and Chris met after the match, and we knew we hit a grand slam with that match, and Vince came out and interfered and whatever he did. And we busted Chris open with that belt. That was a legit hard way. And he goes, man, thanks for the match. And, you know, I was such a big fan of Chris, and I believe that he was a fan of me, and we genuinely liked each other. And he looked at me and had this look in his face and this look in his eyes, and he said, steve, he goes, you really got me over. And that resonated with me because he understood what I was trying to do, and it was my job to get him over, and I did. But he had to get himself over by doing what he did. I couldn't just carry him to a great match. Nobody had to carry Chris Benoit, but he had to do what he did to get over. But, yeah, I set the table for him and then he fucking ran it. But he thanked me. He goes, you really got me over. And, man, it was one of the biggest compliments I ever got after a match by a guy that I worked with, and a high level guy at that. I always appreciated that about Chris Benoit. He understood what was up, he understood what was happening, and he recognized what I was trying to do. And that was a badass guy to work with. He was awesome. Goddamn turned into a wrestling podcast after all. I gotta ask this question by Lorenzo. Here's one. Steve, I'm a huge fan of you and the business. One of the things I enjoyed watching was hearing the glass break and the strings of that guitar strumming as the baddest motherfucker in the business walk down that ramp. But one thing I've always wondered is when you walk down that ramp with the BMF walk, you were always saying something as you walked. What would you be saying? Sometimes comically, me and my friends would be mimicking you and we would be yelling total bs. That made no sense. Do you just be shouting about being the baddest motherfucker, or do you sometimes shout in gibberish? No, no, I was never gibbering, man. I was talking shit the whole way down. That's right, motherfucker. I'm gonna beat. I'm gonna. You know, it was just a constant stream of F bombs. Yeah, that's right, motherfuckers about to tear this motherfucker's ass. It was just that it was sentences and, like, I said earlier in the podcast, you know how Ric Flair just believed and was living that character? Hey, man, when I was in that world, when I was in that zone, and that was no psych job, I wasn't trying to psych myself up. That was Stone Cold Steve Austin. And Stone Cold Steve Austin walk to the ring with that bad motherfucker, walk. Because he was sending a message to the other guy in that ring, I'm fixing to whip your fucking ass. And that talking that shit, hey, man, hey. That's just, just. In any competitive endeavor, some people talk shit. Some people don't also realize you're playing in front of 20,000 people and you're playing in front of a worldwide audience. You got cameras capturing the action. So, you know, it's just one of those things that, you know, as Flair was smart enough to do, you know, you know, dress to the nines, get the limousine, do the jets, talk about all that shit, take off his loafers and show it to you and brag about it and make you hate him for it or respect him for it, either or. Same thing with me, just in a different fashion. What worked for Ric Flair worked for Ric Flair. Many people tried to mimic that and be that. No one ever did it like Ric Flair. Same thing with me, just in regards to. That was one of my tactics. That was one of my techniques. That trash talk that bad motherfucker. Hey. And as much as Ric Flair believed in his character and his Persona, the same did Stone Cold Dude. That's who and what I was. A bad motherfucker. That's what I was saying. Hey, you got one of my favorite things to say when I got on that turnbuckle. You have to understand the power of a crowd. 20,000 people, or let's talk about a big arena. When you go to Pay per view, 60, 90,000 people, and you get up on that second turnbuckle. And that was one of the secrets to my entrance. I didn't really acknowledge the people. I'd give them a sideways glance or be looking at that ring or be looking at my opponent. Once I was on the way to the ring, but my entrance started not when I just came out, was a glass break, because that was instantaneous, Spike. But I recognized the crowd by standing on the first second turnbuckle. And then I first started hitting two corners, then I changed it to all four corners to give everybody a photo op. You have to understand the power of a crowd, whether it's 20,000, 60,000, 90,000, or a small, intimate and a more intimate Wild setting. You have to understand the crowd, the power of that crowd. When that adrenaline spikes and you throw your arms up and you get that response, Mr. It's an adrenaline shot that you will never, ever forget. So when I got that response from that crowd, all I was thinking, you got that shit right, motherfuckers. You got that shit right. We're going to raise hell up in this motherfucker. And so that was my key thing. I said, you got that shit right, motherfuckers. Stone cold Steve Austin. I'm fixing to beat somebody's ass. That's the kind of shit that I was saying. Fuck, I done talked myself into a frenzy about to put on my stone cold vest, walk around the neighborhood and stomp the shit out of somebody. I'm just kidding. I'm just fucking kidding. Living in Los Angeles. I'm just kidding. Hey, man. God damn it. I enjoyed talking about pro wrestling today, enjoyed talking with my wife. I only got to a couple of questions. I was Talking about the 3430 with Ric Flair so damn much. I sent Ric Flair a text message today telling him how much I enjoyed that 30 for 30 and what that guy meant to my career. And then now that we segued into Bret Hart, how much Bret Hart meant to my career. And it just makes me have so many fond memories of the business of pro wrestling. I love it, goddammit. I still love it. People ask me all the time, I don't miss it. But goddamn, when you watch something as special as that 30 for 30, you watch a lights out talent, once in a lifetime guy like Ric Flair and he kind of lets you in on what he was thinking. It kind of answered a lot of questions for me. Not questions about Ric Flair, but questions about Steve Austin's. I enjoyed the flying shit out of it. Hey, man, I'm going to come right back and I'm going to close this podcast down. I want to thank my wife for joining in on the beginning of this. I want to thank you guys for sending in your questions. I got some talent coming here to 317 Gimmick street in the next few weeks. I've got some comedians coming over, I've got some MMA people coming over, a different mix of people. I'm trying to collect some podcasts for our ride off and we try to hit Texas for a little bit, visit my mom and dad and see my brothers and my sister sisters. Appreciate everybody downloading this podcast, fixing light this son of a bitch back up. I got off on that hunting trip and I appreciate you Guys, giving me a break. The podcast Steve Austin show Unleashed. I'm coming right back to wrap this motherfucker up. And that's the bottom line.

[B]

Hey, buddy.

[A]

Hey, buddy.

[C]

What's going on, man?

[A]

Hi, guy.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, the team Loveline, man. You guys remember us from back in the day? Well, we're doing a pod and we're.

[C]

Doing it every day and we've been.

[A]

Doing it for a while.

[C]

And if you hear one more time, people say, God, I loved you and Adam together on Loveline. And I'm like, yeah, yeah, we're doing a podcast. Will you please just join us at The Adam and Dr. Drew show, [e-mail] It's a great show.

[A]

Come on now.

[C]

Only on podcast one.

[A]

That's us.

[C]

Adam and Dr. Drew Show. Just like the old days.

[B]

Doctor's orders.

[C]

Oh, man, you're funny.

[B]

Yep. All right, let's go save some babies.

[A]

Alright, I'm about to wrap this show up and ride off in the sunset. But first, let me get you up on Alpha Brain from onnit. Alpha Brain is a safe and natural supplement to help support memory, focus and cognitive function. Sound too good to be true? Well, the Boston center for Memory found otherwise when conducted a double blind study showing its effectiveness. Alpha Brain has been a secret weapon of champion athletes and business professionals for years. And now it's available for you to try for free by going to onnit.com steve. All you have to do is pay $4.99 for shipping and they will send you a 30 count bottle of Alpha Meringue right away. This is the same 30 count bottle of Alpha Brain that sells on onit.com for $34.95. And through this special offer you can get it just by paying $4.99 for shipping. It's gluten free, caffeine free, made of earth grown ingredients and most importantly, it works. ONNIT is only able to offer a limited number of free bottles per day. So get your free bottle of Alpha Brain now by going to onnit.com Steve. That's onit.com Steve to get your free bottles of Alpha Brain now. This is Steve Austin Unleashed. All right, everybody, give me the go home cue. So I'm gonna wrap up this podcast and ride off in the sunset. Before I do that, I want to give you something to watch. You gotta see it whether you go to ESPN or maybe they got it on ESPN.com, youTube. Maybe you gotta see the 30 for 30 at your boy Ric Flair. In my opinion, just off the charts. And I loved it. It brought back so many memories of my childhood and my adulthood as I was a big wrestling fan. And, you know, Dusty and Flair and Steamboat and all those guys, man, and that's the shit that got me hooked on the business. And that's why I got into the business. And Dusty Rhodes and goddamn, it was just a fucking blast. You got to go watch that, man. And you know what? I was supposed to talk, like I told you guys before the podcast, I was supposed to have a Skype conversation today. And I fucking. Whatever I did to my computer, I broke the cocksucker and I had to pull a podcast out of my ass. And you know what? I needed this. It was a come to Jesus meeting for me. And just talking so much about wrestling just kind of lit a fire under my ass. So you know what? I'm glad I fucked up my computer. And I was glad I was able to talk a little bit about pro wrestling, because, shit, quite frankly, I love the business so much. I love talking about it, but, you know, you got to have good shit to talk about. And I just love to have good conversation. And if you talk to. And what I mean by that is Ric Flair is out of the business. You can talk to anybody that's in the business right now, but you've got to be careful about what you talk about, because people got to protect their careers. So that's what I mean by that. There's a lot of great things to talk about with people now, but not everybody can be as open and as candid as Ric Flair can because he's not in the business anymore. But just the fact that I was so enthusiastic about that show today and being able to talk about it on the microphone with you guys, believe me, I love talking, especially with the microphone in my hand when I got something to talk about. Shit, I love to talk about. More hunting. I would like to talk about different things. If you've got something you want me to talk about or people that you want me to talk to, I got a whole list of people that I'm working with, my producer on right now, booking on the show. If you have somebody you'd like me to talk to, if you have a subject that you'd like me to talk about, just send it in to questionsteveausonshow.com I try to read every single question that comes in to that email address. I respond to some of them via an answer on an email on various short ones. Other ones I'm able to address here on the podcast. But if you've got questions, comments or suggestions, fuck man. I welcome them. Send them in question [e-mail] hey, like I told you, watch the 30 for 30. Ric Flair, Nature boy. Unbelievable. Great job. Hey man. Shout out. Keep watching Broken skull challenge on CMT Tuesdays 109 Central. These motherfuckers, man, they're about to really put it on a whole nother level. Shout out to the military. Much respect for coming out the athletes that are about to come out on this show. You're going to knock your socks off. You won't believe this shit. Badass. Prowrestlingtease.com Steve Austin has all the shirts wearing on this season and the ball cap too. If you're thirsty, I got a goddamn good beer for you. It's the best IPA on the planet. Bottom line, Broken Skull IPA from El Segundo Brewing Company. You can find it at Whole Foods and Total Wines. If you live in California. If you don't live here, check out insidethecellar.com and see if they ship to your state. And if you're looking to get a badass pocket knife, which I suggest you get one, check out the Cold steel Broken Skull knife or the new Working Man's knife and you can get them at my new Amazon store. Amazon has the best price on both knives. Just go to Amazon.com shop I want to say thank you one more time to the fine sponsors of the Steve Austin Show. That's how I'm able to do this podcast for you twice a week for free. And you can find all my [e-mail]. Just click on the Killer Deals button at the top of the page and then click on the Steve Austin show banner. And speaking of Podcast 1 shit, the new Podcast 1 app is now available for download at the App Store Google Play. There ain't another podcast app like this Some Bitch anywhere. And that's because the new Podcast one app is loaded with some cool features that let you do a lot more than just listen to your favorite shows. You can access behind the scenes photos, articles and connect with other fans of the shows you like. Watch over a thousand 360 virtual reality videos. You can actually watch some of your favorite shows in virtual reality. It's like you're sitting right in a room with them. So get to the App Store, Google Play and download the Sun Bitch. It's called the new Podcast one app now folks. If you want to follow me on social media, I am on Twitter and Instagram teveaustinbsr. In my spare time, I ride Kawasaki. Folks, until next time, my name is Steve Austin, and I will catch your ass down the road. Download new episodes of Steve Austin Unleashed every [e-mail] that's podcastone.com.

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This is the mantra.

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Huzzah.

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Pluto TV stream.

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Never.

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You're welcome.