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ST. VALENTINE'S DAY MASSACRE - SAS CLASSIC - The Steve Austin Show | Wave AI Podcast Notes

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ST. VALENTINE'S DAY MASSACRE - SAS CLASSIC

The Steve Austin Show

Thu Feb 26 2026

Summary

The Steve Austin Show
Episode: ST. VALENTINE'S DAY MASSACRE - SAS CLASSIC
Original Air Date: February 26, 2026

Overview

In this nostalgic solo episode, wrestling icon Steve Austin takes listeners on a deep-dive journey through one of the most famous matches of his storied career: the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre against Vince McMahon, which took place on February 14, 1999, in Memphis, Tennessee. Austin offers play-by-play insight, backstage context, and personal reflections on the lead-up, execution, and legacy of the match. The episode is a treat for wrestling fans—especially those obsessed with storytelling and behind-the-scenes tales from the Attitude Era.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Stage: The Match & Its Significance

Opening Riff on Valentine's Day (00:13 – 03:40)
- Austin riffs on his ambivalence towards Valentine’s Day and connects the date to the historic match with Vince McMahon.
- He notes how this match was a product of both characters being at their most “over.”
- "It was just great being in the ring with him... that stone cold Vince McMahon thing was kind of next level stuff." (03:04)
Personal Connection to Memphis (03:40 – 07:30)
- Emotional return to Memphis, where he got his start in USWA and was named "Steve Austin" by Dutch Mantell.
- The Pyramid Arena crowd (approx. 19,000 strong) was electric: "Totally involved and engrossed in riding along everything we do..." (05:46)
Praise for Vince McMahon
- Austin puts Vince over as one of wrestling’s greatest villains—“the most complex, evil, conniving and intelligent... character... in the history of the wrestling business.” (06:14)
- Notes Vince's self-criticism and commitment: "He will do anything to get a match or an angle over." (06:28)

2. Timeline & Match Build-Up

Recapping the Angle (12:53 – 16:45)
- Austin gives context: lost his chance at WrestleMania title shot at the previous Royal Rumble due to The Rock’s interference and Vince’s corporate shenanigans.
- Highlights how much real heat the feud had and the importance of the match as the "first of a trilogy" of WrestleMania main events with The Rock. (27:59)
- "If I win...I would be my first time to headline WrestleMania with The Rock and we would go on to headline WrestleMania 17 and WrestleMania 19. We’re the only two guys to ever headline three WrestleManias and for that is something I’m very proud of in my career." (27:59)
Shoutouts
- Consistent praise for commentators Jerry “The King” Lawler and Michael Cole and their role in storytelling.
- Appreciation for Howard Finkel as ring announcer: "When I walked down and Howard Finkel introduced me, I knew that I had made it." (26:17)

3. Walking Listeners Through the Match

Austin provides a play-by-play breakdown paired with personal insight and running commentary.

Pre-Match & Early Stalling (27:59 – 31:30)

Vince plays the “chicken-shit heel,” repeatedly stalling entry into the cage.
Austin admits the importance of timing crowd engagement vs. over-stalling: “Sometimes you can kill a crowd with this if you don’t, if you play too long. But we don’t... we're off.” (28:56)

Brawling Outside the Cage (31:30 – 38:12)

Describes intense, physical brawling around the arena, vintage of the Attitude Era.
“You got to lay your shit in because, hey man, you got to make everything you do look good... everything over there is double snug.” (33:46)
Austin praises Vince for insisting on realism: “If you didn’t hit him hard enough...he was going to be pissed off at you.” (34:33)

Vince’s Death-Defying Bump (38:12 – 41:03)

The show-stopping moment: Vince takes a brutal fall from the steel cage through the announce table.
“Here we go... BOOM. Bam. Holy shit.” (38:12)
"He may be dead. Mr. McMahon fell 20 ft... through the Spanish announce table." - Michael Cole (38:12)
Austin recounts urging Vince to reconsider and Vince’s reply: “Oh, God damn, Steve. We got to.” (38:55)
- Analyzes the bump: Vince landed on the table’s edge support (“no give”) resulting in a devastating impact: “I think it knocked him out for a second or two.” (39:20)

Medical Drama & Match “Restart” (41:11 – 43:30)

Paramedics arrive; Austin, in character, demands to finish what he started.
Notable moment: “If you want me to finish this can of whoop ass, give me a hell yeah.” (41:47)
Austin forcibly pushes the stretcher with Vince back to the cage, continuing the match.
"Great job by Cole and Lawler hitting him with that yellow board that they just brought him out on the stretcher." (43:21)

The Real Fight Begins (43:30 – 47:50)

Bell finally rings after all the chaos.
Austin unleashes his iconic “stomp a mudhole and walk it dry,” emphasizing how this became a trademark in WrestleMania 13 and was further refined here.
- “That signature stomp, stomp, stomp, stomp, stomp with the pickup in the cadence and the aggression... that was just one of the things that I was just doing.” (44:56)
Vince, ever the villain, musters moments of defiance (nutshot, attempted escape, middle finger salute).

Promise of Blood & Storytelling Psychology (47:50 – 50:03)

Austin purposely busts Vince open, satisfying his earlier “guarantee” to the audience.
- “At the beginning of this match, I promised there will be blood. So there was an introduction into the cage...Looks like Vince has indeed been busted open by getting swung into the steel cage by none other than Stone Cold Steve Austin.” (45:31)
The back-and-forth continues, highlighting the psychological storytelling (Austin refuses to accept an easy out if Vince provokes him).

Paul Wight's Debut - The Big Show Arrives (50:03 – 52:22)

Major twist: Paul Wight (Big Show) emerges from under the ring for his WWF debut, attacking Austin.
Austin describes the mechanics of the surprise: “Paul White is so big and so strong. He’s literally throwing me so fast I can’t take a proper bump.” (50:56)
The finish: Big Show attempts to throw Austin into the cage, but the cage gives way, allowing Austin to drop to the floor and win.
- “The cage opens. It came off the hinge. I just won the match.” (51:28)
Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler with the call: “Stone Cold is going to WrestleMania 15 to wrestle the WWF champion. Oh, no. Mr. McMahon’s master plan has backfired...” (51:58)
Austin emphasizes how Vince’s own plan self-destructs, making the ending both chaotic and cathartic for fans.

4. Reflections on Wrestling Psychology, Vince, and the Era

Match as Drama, Not Spot-Fest (56:57)
- Contrasts the bout’s storytelling and character work with modern-day “athletic extravaganzas,” calling this match effective because “all we needed to do” was tell the story.
- “We set the table for them to see a fight or a match...and we didn’t have to do anything crazy and Vince didn’t even have to take that bump, quite frankly.” (56:58)
Lessons for Wrestlers
- “Don’t act like a wrestler...friggin’ BE a wrestler. And if you turn you up to 11 or 12... believe in it. Don’t act.” (58:32)
- Austin admires Vince’s philosophy: “He will do absolutely anything and everything to make an angle get over to the highest degree that it can.” (57:46)
- Cites storylines with Bret Hart for comparison, stressing the pressure and reward at the top of the card.

5. Memorable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

“Nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.” (05:11)
“You talk about a hell of a bump that he takes off that damn steel cage and that table...” (06:44)
Michael Cole (about Vince’s bump): “He may be dead. Mr. McMahon fell 20 ft... through the Spanish and aft table.” (38:12)
Austin on the match’s legacy: “That match is damn near 20 years old, but what a fun day at the office.” (53:48)
Referring to the fans: “...the explosion that happened...when that crowd...realized that I had won the match was off the charts.” (52:40)
“Vince is a badass. If he goes out there and he wants to give his all...from a promoter standpoint, he wants you as a talent...to go out there and give it your all.” (57:29)

Notable Segments & Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|---------| | 00:13 | Episode Introduction and Valentine’s Day context | | 03:40 | Memories of Memphis and receiving his ring name | | 12:53 | Build-up to the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre match | | 21:32 | Direct audio from match build-up promos | | 27:59 | Austin begins match breakdown in real-time | | 38:12 | Vince’s legendary bump off the cage | | 41:11 | Austin takes over story after stretcher segment | | 44:56 | The “stomp a mudhole” sequence expounded | | 50:03 | Big Show/Paul Wight’s WWF debut, match finish | | 53:48 | Reflections on the match’s lasting legacy | | 56:58 | Wrestling psychology and the match’s storytelling | | 58:32 | Austin’s advice for wrestlers/new generation |

Tone & Style

Steve is characteristically unfiltered, mixing deep wrestling savvy and technical details with colorful Texas metaphors and stories. His manner is nostalgic but in-the-moment, making listeners feel ringside both as fans and as would-be wrestlers.

Notable humor includes a digression about scooter safety (“scooter on a stick”) and tales about his days on the road with other wrestling icons. Austin keeps the energy high, peppering in signature catchphrases and breaking the fourth wall with audience call-and-responses (“give me a hell yeah”).

Final Reflections

Austin encourages all wrestling fans to check out the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre match on the WWE Network, specifically praising its crowd psychology, storytelling simplicity, and pivotal role in his storied feud with Vince McMahon and long-term career arcs with The Rock. He closes with shout-outs to Goldust and teases upcoming interview episodes with fellow wrestling legends.

For Further Listening/Watching

Watch the match: WWE Network, St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, Feb 14, 1999 (start at 02:19:49)
Follow Steve: @steveaustinbsr (Twitter/Instagram)
Next episodes to anticipate: Joey Diaz, Lisa Moretti (Ivory), Dr. D. David Schultz interviews

This episode is essential listening for students of wrestling history, storytelling, and Austin/McMahon die-hards. “And that’s the bottom line, ‘cause Stone Cold said so!”

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Transcript

Steve Austin (0:00)

The following Program is a podcast ONE.com

Steve Austin (0:02)

production from Hollywood, California, by way of

Steve Austin (0:05)

the Broken Skull Ranch. This is the Steve Austin Show.

Steve Austin (0:08)

Give me a Hell yeah. Hell yeah.

Steve Austin (0:11)

Now here's Steve Austin.

Steve Austin (0:13)

All right, everybody. Welcome to Steve Austin Show. I am coming to you from the mean streets of Los Angeles, California today, sitting over here at 317 Gimmick street and as I record this podcast today, It's Valentine's Day, February 14th. So happy belated Valentine's Day to all you lovebirds out there sending your cards, your letters. Go get you some red roses, flowers, chocolate candies in a heart shaped box, all that stuff. Yep, Happy Valentine's Day. I hope you had a good one. Maybe some of you got laid. Hey, anyway, I didn't bring up Valentine's Day just out of the random, but I tell you, happy Valentine's Day because shit over here, 317 gimmick street Valentine's Day ain't really like it's a major holiday. I brought it up, though, because thinking about Valentine's Day, I thought for today's podcast I'd go back down memory lane and talk about one of my favorite matches I had with Vince McMahon. And it happened on Valentine's Day, February 14, 1999, in Memphis, Tennessee. It was the main event of the pay per view St Valentine's Day Massacre. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Vince McMahon, or rather the character, Mr. McMahon. I had a good time in this match. I'm gonna go take you through this match. There'll be a couple of times I'm gonna play the volume on my little gimmick speaker I got set up on this table here. Ain't no technology behind this podcast. It's me, a microphone, a little gimmick speaker. So hopefully you'll be able to hear all the sounds that come out of it. And I'll set the table for you. I'll turn the speakers up when Michael Cole and Jerry Law, who do an outstanding job of calling this match and throwing down the heavy duty ramifications of his angle. And you know, Vince McMahon's hate for me and my intern hate for Vince McMahon doing an outstanding job. So I'll go back and forth between the speaker and turn the volume up as they commentate. Then I'll jump in there and I'll talk about what's going on within the confines of that cage and through the confines of that arena, as most of it is a brawl outside of that cage. And then we get in there and we settle a score. This is a great match. I'm not gonna sit here and call one of my matches a great match. It was an interesting match. Let's say that between two characters, two guys, two Personas that were really over at the time. It was a built angle and we were doing business at a very high level. I loved my feud with Vince McMahon. He's one of my favorite guys to work with, just because of his commitment and his intensity level and, you know, just like many other top guys that I've worked with. But for some reason, that stone cold Vince McMahon thing was kind of next level stuff. It was just great being in the ring with him. And anybody that's done business with him will tell you the same thing. That's just the way he is. He has the ability to just go full bore to make an angle, be the best that it can be. And in all the matches that we had or all of our dealings that we had with each other, it was damn near a straight up shoot. It was a work. But we, you know, we played the parts, man, and it was real to us, as real as it can be in that world. And I think that's why it was so successful. I gotta say, it's been a long time, but to anybody that was there, thank you. To that crowd that gave us the response that we got, they were involved in that match hook, line and sinker from the get go. The way Vince told that story, and I'll just go ahead and lay off of that right now because I talk about it once the podcast gets going. It was just, it was a good time and we were clicking on all cylinders. Hot arena Memphis, Tennessee was kind of a homecoming of sorts for me because, you know, when I started in Dallas, two months later they shipped me off to Nashville and Mid South Coliseum in Memphis was my first shot to make for the USWA on the road. Nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. And that's where legendary Dutch Mantell gave me the name Steve Austin. And then later, stunning Steve Austin. And here we go back to Memphis all these years later in 99, and I'm stone Cold Steve Austin, a version of that name that Dutch Mantell gave me, who was a stronghold in the USWA territory and over in Puerto Rico. Everywhere he's been, he's just been a great mind and a great talent inside the ring. But to go in there to the Pyramid arena, have a crowd of about 19,000 strong, totally involved and engrossed in riding along, everything we do within the story of that match was just an outstanding feeling. Anytime you do business, you want to do business at the highest level. You want to make as much money as you possibly can and put on a great product, a great show for the people to watch and believe in. And, man, I tell you what, working out there with Vince is a great experience. Just total consummate pro that will do anything to get a match or an angle over one of my favorite guys to ever work with. And I tell you what, Vince is hard on himself, you know, as far as the activities that he does in the ring or his ring work, I don't think he ever gave himself credit, but he was awesome to work with. And the character of Mr. McMahon was one of the greatest and most complex, evil, conniving and intelligent. Well thought out, well played, damn near shoot that's ever been in the history of the wrestling business and got a lot of respect for the guy. And I'll tell you what, I'll talk more about it once the podcast gets moving, but you talk about a hell of a bump that he takes offside, that damn steel cage in that table, and I'll tell you why and how that bump could have been better in the podcast or been a little bit easier on him, let me put it that way. That was a tough landing. Anyway, you slice it, but. But just a great day at the office. And I figured, you know what, I got some cool guests coming up later on this week, and I'll talk about them in the back end of the podcast. But this is a podcast where, like I said, I'm laying down a soundtrack, telling you what's going through my mind, what's going on in the ring. I'll turn the volume up on the speaker so you can hear the announcers do their thing. Once again, a shout out to the one and only Jerry the King Lawler and Michael Cole. I thought this was one of the best matches they ever called and they caught a lot of good ones. I always like when my old buddy JR's out there. But, man, the King and Michael Cole crushed this with the way they set up how heavy duty the angle was, the hate between Vince McMahon towards Stone Cold and vice versa towards Mr. McMahon. And the stakes that were, you know, if I wanted to shot that title, I put my title on the line, you know, to get a shot at the title. Vince McMahon had eliminated me from the Royal Rumble the previous month whenever it was, and he forfeited his spot. So we did a little skid over at Shawn Michaels house, and if you watch and you're going to listen to the video package, as I set this up, and I let the angle kind of play through the speakers. If you get a chance to watch this wrestling match on the WWE Network, I give you a time code, and we stick with real time all the way through as I talk you through this thing. And I'll turn the speakers up, and then I'll start commentating over the speakers and turn them back down. But you can go on a ride with me, and if you're driving to work, it doesn't matter. You ain't got to see the match. I can just tell you what was going on, and you can listen to the action. But I included this package on there. The video package that they play for all the big main events or all the matches, really, but more so in the main events, just kind of set the tone and the vibe that was going on right back then in 1999, man, because things were hot and heavy, the business was on fire. And again, this was a built match with a built angle. So everybody was involved. It was just a good time, man. So that's what I got for you today, and I hope you enjoy it. And if you did, send me an email to questionsteveaustinshow.com if you want me to cover a certain subject. Give me a comment or an email on my Twitter account, steveaustinbsr, and let me know before I get to podcast. Man, I was just looking out my window here at 317 Gimmick Street. Man, I've been seeing these damn things go by, and it seems like they're out of control. I call them the scooter on a stick. I don't know what in the flying hell is up with these things, but, I mean, it's like a scooter with a stick. Like back in the day, in my day, you had to pedal a son of a bitch. You know, I never had one. But you got a handlebar, it's hooked to a rod that goes down to what's basically a skateboard. That's why I call it a scooter on a stick.

Steve Austin (8:44)

And with one leg on the scooter, you just propelled yourself using your other leg. Well, it ain't like that anymore. They got these electric scooters on a stick, and the thing that champs my ass is they got all these kids riding these some bitches all over Los Angeles, probably all over the world. But I'm over here in Los Angeles, and I ain't seen one little kid or one teenager or one adult for that matter. That's Been wearing a helmet. And these son bitches run up down my sidewalk. I'm sitting here on this gimmick page on a computer. Hell, these things go 16 miles an hour. 16 miles an hour is hauling ass when you got your foot on a stick. And it's electric powered. Lot of room for disaster there. There was just a report in this local newspaper of the neighborhood that I live in. A lady was going down a busy street and. And some lady when I was a teenager who was an adult riding one of those electric scooters on a stick. And she was riding right down the middle of the road without a helmet on. You don't need a license to drive these things. You don't have to have insurance to drive these things, but you should. And here's why. Everybody kept going around this chick. Everybody kept going around this chick because she's going 16 miles an hour. That's too slow. She needs to be on the side of the road, over in the bike path, car is trying to go 30, 35 miles an hour. So finally there's a red light. Car ahead of her, stops at the red light. This chick on the scooter on a stick runs right into the backside of the car, flips on top of the lady's trunk, she's laying there. Well, the lady driving the car is freaked out. She's wondering if the chick's okay. Turns out she, the lady says, hey, are you okay? Do you want me to call the police? She goes, no, no, no, don't worry, don't call the police. And as she gets on her scooter on a stick takes off. Well, meanwhile, the lady's got a couple of scratches on her car. The lady on the stick just got on the damn scooter on a stick and hauled ass. Anyway, my point is, man, these things look really neat. I wouldn't mind having one. But God dang, if you're gonna ride these some bitches on the damn street, you ought to wear a helmet. You ought to keep off the goddamn middle of the damn road and stay on the side of the road. And I really think you ought to have to have insurance to drive these things. Because here in Los Angeles, I guess you can just rent them on a daily basis or an hourly basis for X amount of dollars. I don't know, but there's some bitches everywhere. It's like an invasion. It's probably one of the coolest inventions I've ever seen. But there's got to be a little bit more responsibility. These things, man, I mean, Come on. Lady got jacked up. She got rear ended by one of them. Yeah, she didn't get hurt. She was concerned about the girl on the stick. But the girl on the stick caused her car damage. Here's another example. If I walk straight out of my gate and I got my two dogs and they charge out there and one of them damn idiot kids is hauling ass 16 miles an hour down my sidewalk and runs over one of my dogs, I'm gonna be a hot son bitch. So, yeah, string up little clothesline out there, knock him some bitches off him. Scooters on a stick, slow them down. And if you're a parent, you gotta be a little bit more responsible than that, man. Make your kids wear a damn helmet and then keep them off the sidewalks, man. Just keep over the cul de sac or something anyway, and I'll stop ranting, raving, man. It's bullshit. But God dang it, those things look fun as hell, but right now they're kind of pissing me off. Anyway, let's get into the match. Right before I get into the match, got to take care of a little business.

Steve Austin (12:53)

All right, everybody, here we go with the Steve Austin Show. I'm gonna take a swing at this. I just hit the record button. I ain't gonna hit the pause button until I get finished. So if I screw up, so be it. That's just the way it is. Like I said, in the open of the show, I'm sitting at 317 Gimmick Street. I got my table up. I got my laptop computer on. Vincent Kennedy McMahon is on my computer screen. I've got him frozen because I have the pause button pushed. I'm about to hit the play button and play some of the voiceover work. Some of the promos that were cut, the buildup by Jerry the King Lawler and Michael Cole, who did an outstanding job of setting this match up, calling the action in the ring. Those two were on fire. I always miss my good friend Jim Ross on commentary, but I got to give a shout out to Jerry Lawler and Michael Cole for setting all the angles up, putting everything in place and building all this. So this is a built match. The feud was hot. I put my title on the line for a shot to get back in WrestleMania, I believe, because I'd gotten thrown over the top rope at the Royal rumble by Vince McMahon with interference by the Rock. So there was a video here right after I take a trip to Shawn Michaels house where he was acting as a commissioner, and I checked myself back into the storyline. I challenged Vince to a match, put my belt on the line. If he could beat me in the cage, well, then I wouldn't go to WrestleMania and I would lose my belt. This was the introduction of Paul White into the WWF at the time, and we'll let this all unfold. But as I'm looking at this picture here, Vince McMahon on my screen with respect to the Rock and Brett the Hitman Hard and all the other great talents that I've worked with. Vince McMahon is just one of my favorite opponents because his intensity was as great as mine was. And God dang, he's just the ultimate heel. He's the ultimate guy to feed back and forth of. I guarantee you can talk to anybody that's ever feuded with him or business with him. Everybody works for him. But when you do business directly with him, it's just kind of next level stuff. His instincts, his reactions, his facials, his master plan, all the gears are turning. Me and Vince had the kind of chemistry that you dream of for a feud, and so all of the pieces were in place. He's super over, I'm super over the crowd, the fans are super invested, and it was just a great night at the office. I'm going to play you the video packages leading up to the match. You'll hear my glass break. And when you hear the glass break, it's a delayed pop. It's a pop that kind of builds because they just finished constructing the cage, the steel cage. All of a sudden, out of Jump street, out of nowhere, my music hits. The people come up for me. I'm walking to the ring. That's when I'll kind of turn down the sound and take you through what's going on in this match. This is a match that I enjoyed a hell of a lot of. I think in a personal part of my life, I wasn't going through a great time. And you'll see Vince Make a call or two. Other times it's me making calls to him. We had to help each other stay on track throughout this endeavor. And it wasn't a cage match with two great all around athletes. It was a cage match with a guy like me in two leg braces, who isn't the quickest cat in the world, and Vince McMahon, who's not the most coordinated individual in the world, but two attractions that the people wanted to see do battle. The reason I say that is not poke fun at Vince or to not poke fun at myself, but with respect to all the great athletic ability that's going on in the ring these days, it's not always about your movements and your high spots and the hurricane runners and the this and that. It's all about characters. And we had spent a lot of time developing the Stone cold character. The Mr. McMahon character spent a lot of time and a lot of promo work and the actions and the things that he was throwing down to build up ahead of steam in the form of heat for him. And, you know, as far as the Stone Cold character goes, I was on fire at the time. It was a really great crowd there in Memphis that night. I remember Memphis vividly because that's right when I broke into the business of professional wrestling. I was working at the Sportatorium for about two months and I asked Jerry Jarrett when I could start working full time. And he said, hey, I think you're ready now. And they sent me down to Memphis, Tennessee. And back in the day, the building was the Mid South Coliseum, a very, very famous building that Jerry Lawler drew a lot of money in, along with a few other guys in that territory. So Memphis was kind of a stronghold for me. The people really took to me there. I've always said Chicago and other cities were like that. That were a stronghold for me as well. But man, this Memphis crowd here in the pyramid, built crowd, a built angle, and we were ready to put on a show. And Vince plays cat and mouse at the beginning of this thing. Let's just go ahead and get that out. He doesn't want to get in the cage. He's stalling. I fake an injury. And then here comes Vince. We clothesline him, we start the match. Well, the bell hadn't rang yet, and I'll cover that in the promo during the match. Officially, it hasn't really started. So when I first started looking at this match, because I'd been thinking about doing this for a podcast on Valentine's Day, or at least in the week of Valentine's day, I was like, well, Jesus Christ. The match only lasts eight minutes. But when I went back and re watched it, well, obviously the match with all the shenanigans, the packages, the buildups, them putting the cage together, the stalling inside and out, the brawling that we do, Vince McMahon's incredible bump off the top of that cage through the announce table, which I'll cover in depth and detail about how we landed and how he could have landed better. Well, it lasted quite some time, so I'm making a podcast out of it.

Steve Austin (27:59)

All right, now I got to win this match to get to WrestleMania 15. And this is going to be the first of a trilogy. This is going to be the first time. If I win, which we know that I did, this would be my first time to headline WrestleMania with the Rock and we would go on to headline WrestleMania 17 and WrestleMania 19. We're the only two guys to ever headline three WrestleManias and for that is something I'm very proud of in my career. And of course everybody knows of my love for working with the Rock and our chemistry together. Okay, let's go on here to the ring, man. We got action. I got Callie over here trying to get in my lap. Vince McMahon has just climbed outside the cage. I'm inside the cage, Vince is climbing down. I'm at 2:27:03 in the match. I'm trying to give you guys some time codes. So basically Vince is playing the chicken shed heel. He walks down like a badass, but now he doesn't want to really get inside the ring because his opponent is stone cold Steve Austin. Now he hates my guts, but he's always used to dealing with me. When he has an upper hand or strength in numbers on a one on one type setting, he's not so brave. He's got this look of hesitation on his face and now he's like what the f? He's stalling, he's buying time. I got that sarcastic look on my face. Vince is all jacked up, got a black tank top on, got his black Levi's jeans on, the elbow pads. He's got everything at his disposal. Alright, I'm crouched down. I'm ready for him to make an entrance into the ring. He's coming up the steps. He's coming up the steps. He's about to climb inside the cage and here he comes. Not so fast. He jumps down and slams the cage door closed. He's going to buy more time. Here's the thing, as he's walking around, he's got this cocky look on his face. He's got his lats flared out. This is buying time. This is gaga. Sometimes you can kill a crowd with this if you don't, if you play too long. But we don't off, we're off. Running around. Stone Cold has gotten out of cage and I'm chasing his ass down. Vince runs into the safety of the cage and he's trying to kick me. He won't allow me to come up the steps. The steel steps to get inside the cage. Sorry. Son of a bitch. My Kyoto referee, I can't believe it. I'm looking at the crowd. You got to bring the crowd in in certain situations. I'm bringing the crowd in. I like. God dang, you son of a bitch. You're not going to let me in. I go around to the side of the cage. I'm going to climb up to the top. No. Vince beats me up to the top of the cage. He's on the inside, I'm on the out. Now he's trying to stomp on my head. He'll actually connect. We're going sideways now, like a couple of spiders on a. Yeah, here we go. Hanging from that cage. He's way up top. I'm down below. He's on the inside. I'm on the outside now. He's going to try to kick me with that black boot now. Okay, I'm going down like two spiders playing. Oh, man. I just came down from the cage, tried to make a landing, and seemingly I blew out my left knee. And. Correct. I'm only wearing one knee brace at this point in my career. The right knee hasn't gone yet. Got a blown PCL on that knee. Over talking to Kyota right in front of the announce table. Okay, Vince. Okay, since he's hurt, I'll go kick his ass. Turns out I'm just playing possum. Ain't nothing wrong with me. Fixing to spring up and clothesline the living hell out of Vince McMahon. Bam. And now we're off and running now. Crowd comes up. Let me hit the volume here. Vince goes over. Here's the thing about working with Vince. Let me take the volume down a little bit. Working with Vince. I just hit him in the head with the fan there on the announce table. He used to get hot in those arenas when that crowd gets in there and all those people in there, okay, bam. I throw Vince into the cage. Vince, you know you got to go with a person when they throw you. Okay, I'm choking him with an extension cord here, a power cord. You can't do that anymore, but you could back then. I'm on top of him. I'm choking him with that power cord. When you're throwing someone into the. Into any kind of object, you got to wait for them to come with you. So his timing, okay. I'm trying to get him into this desk. He kind of overdoes it, overshoots the desk, and he's not the most coordinated guy in the world, but God dang, he's out there and he's trying to. He's not supposed to be a super athlete and he's not. Just give him a big right hand there. He's heading over the guardrail here pretty quick. I'll flip him out over. There he goes. Kyota's trying to get us back into the ring but he can't get us back in the ring yet. I always love. Okay, now I'm stomping his ass, he's on the outside of the barricade and I'm stomping his head, stomping his shoulders. Hey man, here's the thing. When you work out in the crowd and we're about to brawl out in the crowd here in a minute, okay, I just got a water bottle, just spraying water all over him. Give him a big right hand fix, pull it back over as we're getting ready to bring him back in, getting ready to brawl out in the crowd. I always like brawling in the crowd, man. You got to be careful, depending on how much heat you got, whether you get stabbed or cut or hit or whatever. I'm dragging Vince. Come on Vince, get your ass up, Vince. Come on. Taking him around, throwing him into the steel steps there. A nice bump by Vince. Hey man, people always ask, do those steel steps hurt you? Damn right they do, depending on how you hit them. Alright, I'm just working a crowd a little bit, you know, just kind of. I'm beating his ass just like I thought I would. Okay, Vince rakes my eyes now here, watch him sling me into the cage here. He slung me so hard into the cage I wasn't ready to take that bump. So my feet whip out underneath the apron and it caught me off guard so I was like, God damn it, something give me a little help. You got to wait for me to catch up like I was just telling you earlier. So right now the camera doesn't show up, but Vince gives me a double bird. Okay, that's something you don't do to Stone Cold Steve Austin. So here we go. I'm chasing his ass into the crowd. We're walking up, here we go. I always like fighting into the crowd. You don't get a chance to do it too many times, but when you do, you got to lay your shit in because hey man, you got to make everything you do look good. And so everything over there is double snug. Look at the excitement of that crowd. This is the kind of stuff that you live for when you're trying to go out there and put on a good Match and you're telling the story. And, dude, you gotta understand, we're fighting for the right to go to Wrestlemania. Everything is on the line here because I was out of the picture before. We, you know, rigged this matchup. Coming back down. Vince is crawling. Got him by the seat, pants. God dang. There's big old Jim Dodson. Rest in peace. Jim died a couple years ago. A good friend of mine, security guard, heavy metal, had a big right hand by me, laying that shit in. Out there in the crowd. Boom. And that's the way Vince liked it. That's one of the things I liked about Vince. If you didn't hit him hard enough, if it didn't look good, he was going to be pissed off at you. And the way we were working, I'm dragging him back through the crowd here. Michael Chioda, one of my favorite referees, doing a great job. He raced my eyes, cut me off. Always got to lay your shit in with Vince because if you don't, if you kill an angle with him, you don't ever want to kill an angle with anybody, but specifically with the man. Okay, over he goes. Just lays there. He's coming up. Both of us just coming ringside, brawling outside, taking him on a little walk here. Throw him into the guardrail here on the entrance way. Just really putting in time here. Getting ready to get back in the cage. Well, really get in the cage. Throw him up against the cage here. We're just killing a little bit of time working. There's no reason to get in a hurry. Okay, Vince is thinking about what going up. He's scaling up the cage. He's scaling up the cage. Now I'm going to pull his ass down, look into the crowd, see what they want. They want me to pull his ass down and beat him up a little bit more. Big right hand. Could have kept the hand a little bit closed on that punch. Okay, Vince trying to climb up the cage again from the outside in. No, Vince, come back down. Got some more shit for you here. Throw him into the cage. Little discombobulated bump there. Vince goes down stone cold on top. Time for the old gut stomp.

Steve Austin (38:55)

All right, let me tell you something. Here we go up there. We've never done this before. I don't, you know, I don't know that Vince McMahon has ever taken this bump before. If he ever did it back in Stanford, then he did. I don't know that he did. I just know that he wanted to take the bump. And I'll never forget, before the match, I said, hey, man, are you sure you want to take that bump? He goes, oh, God damn, Steve. We got to. So I'm like, well, I'm not going to talk him out of it. I've already offered up and shown my concern. So if he wants to go for it, who am I to argue with the boss, okay? I told you that mother sucker wouldn't make it a goddamn match. It's me talking trash Inside that ring, trying to buy a little bit of time as they bring out this gurney. Here comes some medical personnel. The thing about this bump that was so devastating, Vince probably landed in about the worst place you could land as far as taking a bump like that onto a table, because he landed right there on the edge, and that's where the vertical support base goes down. So had he landed about a foot over, you know, back towards the backside of that table, it would have been a much forgiving blow. The table would have just crushed. And it was still been a devastating bump. But where he landed, there wasn't no give. And you could see his head and his neck whipped down in a whiplash. Whipped. And you can see his head and his neck whipped down in a whiplash fat like fashion. And it totally. I think it knocked him out for a second or two. It certainly dazed him, and he certainly saw stars. I do remember that. So he's out there and he'll tell him, oh, don't touch me. Don't hurt me. He's out there, you know, he's really rung up. That was a hell of a bump. And I don't know how Vince. I don't know how old Vince is at this point in this match, but an amazing bump, and I don't care how old you are. Okay, now we've got an arena full of 19,000 people, so the match can't end like this. Vince is in bad shape. Let me go to the commentary team here. Here we go.

Steve Austin (41:47)

Jackass. Jackass, that's you in the black. Is the son of a bitch still breathing? Well, since he is still breathing, if you want me to finish this can of whoop ass, give me a hell yeah. Oh, hell yeah. Shit's on now. Got the bmf. Walk up those ropes. I use those ropes to give me extra spring action. Up that cage with a bunch of energy, lots of mustard. That was a BNF BMF climb. They're wheeling Vince out. Watch me. I'm gonna start grabbing them. Okay, Jimmy Korderas, Timmy White, Dave Hebner pulling everybody out of the way. Tony Guerrero. Yeah, Tony Guerrero. You think he's getting pushed away now? I'm pushing Vince back towards the cage in that gurney. Boom. He goes vertical, takes the crash landing. All right, everybody in Memphis knows there's about to be a can am whoop ass open right now. Great job by Cole and Lawler hitting him with that yellow board that they just brought him out on the stretcher. Come on, Vince. Come on up for me, Vince. Come on up for me, Vince. Okay, Kyota's talking to us. Probably give us time. Cue Jimmy Korderas in the background here. In a minute we'll fix. Take this thing in the ring and finally actually ring the bell and start the match. Kyota trying to get a sense of urgency, get in the ring so I can start the match. So that's what we're going to do. Coming around now. After a hellacious. After a hellacious bump by Vince, I just shoved his ass in a cage, okay? I'm talking trash. Hey, hey. We're fishing to get in the ring to start this bitch up. Memphis crowd goes crazy. Kyotis finally closes the door. The match has officially started. And Vince just officially got a big ass stiff clothesline in his neck brace. I'm pulling his neck brace off here. All right? It's just time to just start stomping a mud hole. He's been beat to death. He's taken a hell of a bump. He's coming up slow. Just selling his ass off. Just a great job by selling by Vince. Okay? He wants to take a couple of these, couple of forearms from the second turnbuckle. Wham. Drilled it. Wants one more. There'll be a little bit of an adjustment on the knee pads after the second landing. Man, I tell you what, that's a hell of a jolt on the old knees. I used to do this without knee pads back when the old school days. Wham. Okay, let's adjust the knee pads. Make you make sure these humbitches are covering the joints the corners are supposed to cover. All right, I figured that's enough, man. Looks like I'm calling for the door. We got Austin Chant.

Steve Austin (44:56)

Misery. Man's flipping me off. I was about to go down the bottom stair and walk my way into Philadelphia to the main event. Wrestlemania against the Rock. And Vince flipped me off. So I said, nah, nah, nah, you sorry son of a bitch. You Ain't gonna flip me off. I'm the guy that flips people off. I've got his ass in the corner. I'm stomping a mud hole in his ass and walking it dry. Double burrs. Final kick. Trademark move that I invented in WrestleMania 13. I've never ever done that before. I'd stomp people in the corner, but that signature stomp, stomp, stomp, stomp, stomp with the pickup in the cadence and the aggression, the pause, the double birds, and that final fu kick, that was one of the things that I was just doing. Oh, Jesus Christ. I've been on top all this time. Vince just kicks me, gives me a nutshot, throws me into the cage, kicks me in the balls, throws me into the cage. Vince McMahon is on his way out to try to win this match. He's going to Wrestlemania. I'm still down. He's over on the top. He's going down, Vince. Okay, here I come, Nugget. You ain't going to WrestleMania. I am. Hit him in the nuts. Okay, you've got the owner of a billion dollar corporation. I've got him straddled over his waistline, inside the cage, outside the cage. He's face down. I'm about to throw his ass just like a pile of trash. Got to be careful there. Nice bump by Vince. You know, for a guy who didn't grow up in a squared circle, you know, his dad never wanted him to be in the business of wrestling, especially as an in ring performer, as we all know how that happened. You know, he bought the territory from his dad and ended up turning the business of wrestling into the landscape that it is. Okay, man, let's throw him in the cage. I promise. Blood. If you remember, at the beginning of this match, I promised there will be blood. So there was an introduction into the cage. There I am over there buying some time, climbing to the top, just jacking with the crowd. Probably go up there and take a seat. Oh, do they want me to throw him out? I ask him. Oh. Looks like Vince has indeed been busted open by getting swung into the steel cage by none other than stone cold Steve Austin. Picking his ass up. Little conversation here. Keeping a head down. Always protect your calls. Bam. Back into the cage. Just needs a little bit more physical trauma to that injury to make it bleed more, to make it a little bit more pronounced. The job has been done, but every time you keep banging on that injury, it helps that damn blood start flowing. Okay, Vince is in Shakespeare mode. Looks like Hamlet in a Shakespearean play. Let's go back to commentary.

Steve Austin (52:22)

All right, tell you what. What happens was Vince McMahon's game plan totally backfires on him. Big show picks my sorry ass up, throws me so hard the steel cage comes off a hinge. It swings open. Hell, there's gravity, there's the ground. Hell, I drop off, let go. I'm the first one to get outside of that steel cage. I could have left sooner, but Vince kept enticing me and baiting me back by flipping me off. So I never left the ring because I wasn't going to win that way without delivering on what I guaranteed I was going to deliver. Then finally going back, hitting his ass with the Stone Cold stunner. Here comes Paul White. God damn, what an impressive big badass son of a bitch he was back in the day. Boy, I'm talking shit here. I've given Big show the bird there at the 250:39 mark. Vince just looks like beaten, battered. Can't believe his plan backfired on him. My sorry ass. Stone Cold Steve Austin, as he sees it, as going to WrestleMania for a shot at the championship. Well, I got the championship. Nevermind. There's Paul White in there and boy, I'll tell you what, the explosion that happened, the pop that happened when that crowd won't realize that I had won the match was off the charts. All right, man, I tell you what, there was, you know, I didn't know how that cage was going to work. They're showing a replay here. We're still going. Kyoto comes down and raised my hand up. Look at that look of disbelief on my face. I don't know what I should have wanted. My watch. I recognize that I won, but I realize how fortunate I am to have won because, hell, who would have expected that to happen? Paul White trying to gather up Vince McMahon. Let's call him Mr. McMahon here. He's beaten up. Copyright 1999, a Titan Sports production. All rights reserved. Coming on the screen end credits as Paul White goes to pick up Vince McMahon. I'll tell you what, let me shut my computer down for a second. I hope that that breakdown of that match and sometimes I'll kick it back into the commentary supplied by the commentators. Jerry the King Lawler, Michael Cole. Didn't blare your ears out. I turned the recorder volume up so that when I played that you could actually hear the commentary. So this isn't a scientific podcast. It's never going to be an NPR podcast. That's never what it was intended to be. But nonetheless, that was a real fun night at the office. You know, when you're involved in those angles where all the chips are on the line and like I've said this in podcasts before, and doing business like Brett the hitman Hart and WrestleMania 13, you know, to be able to execute that double turn, you know, all of your big money is riding on every single angle on that card. But obviously the angle's on the top. That's the icing on a cake. That's the top spot. So you got to be able to crush it damn near every single time you go out. Well, let's take damn near out of it. You have to crush it every single time you go out because the company's put its trust in you. Looking back at this match, great storyline, great buildup, great packages. I'm going to recommend that you watch this at the end of the podcast. This was St. Valentine's Day Massacre from 1999, February 14th in Memphis, Tennessee. And it was just a great time right then in the business when you could go out there and and make a promise or guarantee that you were going to see blood and it wasn't going to be mine, but you could guarantee blood. Boy, that was a great feeling when you bust out things like that that you could do back in the day. It was just a lot of fun and damn near shit. That match is damn near 20 years old. 19, give or take. But what a fun Day at the office. And it's funny because working with Vince, you know, when he was working in a match, I don't think he really ever knew. I don't think he had an appreciation of how good and how effective he was as an adversary or an opponent. And, you know, he needed that feedback. And I'll tell you what, man, this wasn't a cage match with a bunch of crazy bumps, a bunch of high flying stuff. The only spectacular bump in a whole match was Vince's bump that he took onto that announce table. Hell, I didn't. Basically all I did was go out there, deliver an ass whooping, work the crowd a little bit. That's all we needed to do.

Steve Austin (56:58)

They didn't expect to see an athletic extravaganza from Stone cold and Vince McMahon. We set the table for them to see a fight or a match, and with all the shenanigans, all the delays, all the stalling tactics by events, and as far as cage matches that were way more crazier, way more athletic, there's been a bunch of them. But this one told the story of the story that we were involved in and we didn't have to do anything crazy and Vince didn't even have to take that bump, quite frankly. Although, you know, shit, that bump off that cage was magnificent, spectacular, very brave on his part, and really added a bunch to the match. The thing about working with Vince, man, and everybody from, I guess the last time I saw him do something like this was the headbutt delivered by KO to Vince on a Monday night raw a couple of months ago. Man, Vince is a badass. If he goes out there and he wants to give his all. And also just from a promoter standpoint, he wants you as a talent from going back in the attitude era, my day, to the guys and gals in the ring this day, man, he wants you guys and gals to go out there and give it your all, man. He's setting the stage for you. It's show biz, man. It's a wrestling business. You want to call it sports entertainment, you can call it sports entertainment. But the thing about Vince is I don't know if enough people know him well enough to understand how he's wired, man. He will, like I've said in past podcasts, he will do absolutely anything and everything to make an angle get over to the highest degree that it can. And so that as performers, whether you know Vince or don't know Vince, go out there and don't pretend to be a wrestler, don't act to be a wrestler. I'm saying this to the guys and gals in the ring all over the world. Friggin be a wrestler. And if you turn you up to 11 or 12 or whatever your character is, believe in it. Don't act like a wrestler. The thing I liked about Vince, the thing I loved about Vince, some of the high level guys that I got a chance to work with, there was no pretend you are living and breathing and dying in that business. Dying. I don't mean to go too crazy on you, but it's just, I get excited. I had a WWE Superstar call me the other day or I call them. I can't remember. We started talking about the business and hell, I was blowing up after talking to him because I just enjoy talking about the wrestling business again. Let me stop rambling around, I'll bring this thing home and I close the podcast. I just wanted to go over this match just because I think Joey Diaz is finally coming by the crib here in a couple of days. I'm talking to Lisa Moretti, AKA Ivory, AKA Tina Ferrari in a couple of days. I'm talking to Dr. D. David Schultz in a couple of days after I read his book. So I'm looking forward to talking to these guests that I've got coming up. So I hope you enjoyed this show. I had a good time talking about it and I had a good time doing this match back in the day. I'm very appreciative of the fans in attendance that night. It was a great building, good acoustics, highly responsive crowd and a built angle. And man, once again, Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler did an outstanding job of explaining the hatred that Vince McMahon had for Stone Cold Steve Austin and God dang, by the same token, the hatred that I had for that son of a bitch. So just great storytelling because when you're out there working, you know, the live crowd is the live crowd and they don't hear that feed. But when you're at home and you're watching that commentary means so much to that match. And that's, you know, these guys did a great job, as J.R. always did. I mean he's the narration, he's the soundtrack of everything that you're seeing. And that night Jerry Lawler and my CO crushed it and knocked it out of the park. Great response. Anyway, I'm coming right back, we'll close up his podcast. Callie, my black lab has come over here and she is being a pain in the ass. She wants me to throw the tennis ball for her. Alright now she's laying on her back, kicking her legs up, coming right back.

Steve Austin (62:02)

All right, everybody give me to go home. Time to wrap up his podcast, ride off in the sunset. Before I do that, I'm going to give you something to watch. It's a match I just got finished talking about. If you've seen it before, you heard me just go through it. Maybe you followed along, maybe you didn't. It's a match off a hell of a pay per view card and a match that I really enjoyed and a great part of the storyline that would lead to me to headlining three WrestleManias with the great one, the Rock, 15, 17 and 19. And then I rode off into the sunset. This was leading to the start of that trilogy, which I'm very proud of. So check out St. Valentine's Day Massacre from February 14, 1999 on the WWE Network. And that's the bottom line. It's a badass match and a badass pay per view for that matter. And before I get off that pay per view, I want to talk about Goldust entrance on that pay per view. When I first went to the wwf, way back in the day, I was riding with Goldust. Watch that entrance. He makes just a great entrance. And I love the way they put the film aspect or however they film that entrance. But that Goldust character, man, I could do a whole podcast on that. And I like to talk to Dustin as well anyway. But man, you gotta understand, because I was driving down the road with that guy when I first came into wwf. And me and Dustin knew each other from our WCW days, in our USW days days as well. But man, what a gimmick, what a worker. Just what a character. And then they just chopped it up. Chopped his legs off. He's still working his gold dust, don't get me wrong. And he's still doing a great high level job of working the ring. But when they were giving that gimmick a push back in the day, holy smokes, did it have some friggin heat. It was awesome. So anyway, check out that match. Anyway, let me go ahead and get some plugs in here. ProWrestlingTees.com SteveAustin has all of my shirts from the Broken Skull Ranch. Best damn IPA on the planet in my opinion. Broken Skull IPA from El Segundo Brewing Company. You can get it at Whole Foods and Total Wines if you live in Cali. If you don't live here, check out insidethecellar.com and see if they ship to your state. And if you're looking for a badass pocket knife, which I highly recommend everybody carry, check out the Cold Steel Broken Skull knife or the New Working man knife and get them at my new Amazon store. Amazon has the best price on both knives. Just go to Amazon.com shop steveaustin and before I check out I want to say one more time thank you to all 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 sponsors@podcast1.com just click on the Killer Deals button at the top of the page and then click on the Steve Austin show banner. Speaking of Podcast 1, the new Podcast 1 app is now available for download at the App Store or Google Play. Ain't another podcast app like this one out there anywhere? And that's because the new Podcast one app is loaded with some cool ass features that let you do a lot more than just listen to your favorite shows. You can access behind the scenes photos, articles, 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 there in the same room with them. So get to the App Store, Google Play and download the new Podcast one app. Now folks, if you want to follow me on social media you can. I'm on Twitter and Instagram. EveAustin BSR folks, until next time, my name is Steve Austin and I will catch your ass down the road. This has been a Podcast one production.