Bruce Prichard Talks About Rumors That A Japanese Promotion Was Trying To Book Steve Austin vs. Goldberg In 2004

In the latest episode of Something to Wrestle, Bruce Prichard spoke about the rumors that a Japanese promotion called Hustle was trying to book a match between Stone Cold Steve Austin and Goldberg in 2004. Here are highlights:

On the original plans for a Stone Cold beer: “Well we had been working on a beer probably since ’98. Going back in time of trying to do something with…whether it was Steve basically sponsoring a beer or having his own beer. We had talked several times with different brewers across the country, across the world, to do a beer. A special beer. From the Coors brewing company to the Anheuser Busch, their ‘Lite’ brand, to do something with that. And some Canadian beers had their hat in the ring and it was an ongoing process. Trying to get through that process and weed your way through was a painful process in and of itself. However, you know, we had talked about it. Yes, we definitely had been working on a beer for Steve for a few years at this point and it had started to come to fruition, where it looked like it was actually going to happen when everything, communication, just disagreements, started to take place.”

On rumors that Steve Austin was in talks with Japanese promotion Hustle: “I don’t think we were ever really concerned about it because of Steve’s health and his neck issue being the way that it is. To work that style with Goldberg might have been different. I think Bill probably could have protected Steve and they could have got through whatever they needed to get through in the match. But Steve going over there, there wasn’t that big of a concern. And you hear those rumors all the time, especially in that time frame because if a guy was unhappy, ‘Oh I’ll just go to Japan.’ And Japan was also starting to lose its allure here because the bigger companies just weren’t doing the kind of business that they had done before. I’m sure it was a rumor that was out there and from our vantage point as far as Steve going to work for somebody else on any kind of full-time basis, that certainly wasn’t a fear. It was, ‘Well we definitely want Steve for us if Steve’s going to do anything in the wrestling business. We want him to do it for us.’ That was the battle. That’s what was taking place.”

On Hustle wanting an Austin vs. Goldberg match and if Vince would have tried to book it himself: “I don’t know if he would have. I really don’t know, because obviously we never got there. It was never taken seriously to that next level. Had Steve gone to work for someone else in a wrestling capacity I think that would have hurt. That would have hurt Vince, I think that would have hurt him personally. But it didn’t, so it’s kinda hard to speak to that and if there was a match out there, the match was definitely Goldberg vs. Austin.”

If you use any quotes, credit Something to Wrestle with an h/t to 411mania.com.