WWE Hall Of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin was recently interviewed by Sports Illustrated to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Austin explained why he believes WWE Monday Night RAW is in the right hands with Paul Heyman at the helm, advice for today’s product, and showing fans a side of him they never got to know after all the years he spent as “Stone Cold.”
Here are the highlights:
RAW being in the right hands with Heyman:
That is the right guy for the job. Paul E. has a vision of what this business should be. He’s working under the watchful eye of Vince McMahon, but Vince is looking at so many big pictures while Paul is going to focus on this.
Paul E. is really close to the pulse of the product. He understands where and why the business should be, and how it should feel. You should feel something when you watch that show. Paul E. is hungry to bring back this industry to its heyday. There is already more of a sense of urgency and importance of the world title.
Advice for today’s product:
Emotion sells tickets and draws ratings. If you don’t care, then why watch? If you care, you’re invested in those characters. So slow it down a little bit. You can move as fast as you want in the ring, but to me, the business is built on characters, emotions, and depth. When you have great action on top of it, that’s even better.
Right now, those guys and gals are operating at such a high speed and high level of athleticism. It can’t get any higher than it is right now, so they need to keep finding ways to make people care about them. That will elevate the business and make it resonate with the audience.
Now getting to show fans a side of him they didn’t get to see after all his years as “Stone Cold”:
It’s been really nice for people to see another side of me. This is the side my friends see. I’m not ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin every single day of my life, except for maybe when I get mad. The guy you see on television each week, laughing and joking, that’s me in everyday, regular life.
Read More: Steve Austin Talks Favorite ‘Straight Up’ Moments, Being At RAW In MSG
