JBL Says Steve Austin Wouldn’t Have Hit The Same Level In WCW

On the latest episode of Something To Wrestle With, JBL talked about his belief that Steve Austin would not have achieved the same level of success in WCW that he reached in WWE. Austin went to ECW after he was fired from WCW, and eventually headed to WWE. JBL credited Austin’s time in ECW as the defining period that transformed him into Stone Cold. You can check out some highlights below:

On Whether Austin Could Have Had The Same Success in WCW:

“No, I don’t think there’s a chance in the world. And not because of not the creativity of WCW; Steve did that pretty much on his own. That was just — I mean, things just happened. Though sometimes the universal lines — you know, obviously people tell the story a million times. Hunter was supposed to go over and King of the Ring. Getting punished for the Curtain Call, Steve steps in. It just happens that he’s going to Jake Roberts, a religious gimmick, comes up with Austin 3:16 on the fly. I just don’t think that the stars align for him in WCW.

“He was such a good hand. I mean, he was a great worker, him and Pillman. What a great team. You know, Steve was probably better worker then before some of the injuries than he was later. Not a better worker, better wrestler because he could do so much more, and he was more healthy. But I just don’t think — I think they would have used him and he’d have been a great he’d have been a great hand. Probably would have been champion, but I don’t think he had ever risen that level.“

On Austin’s run in ECW:

“I think what happened to Steve was ECW. I think we got to ECW, and Paul Heyman just gave him carte blanche. And maybe maybe helped him a little bit, I don’t know what all went on there. Steve really came into his own about how to cut promos and how to be himself. And I thought about one other thing, Conrad. Between him and Hogan — and again, you’re comparing great and maybe greater. It’s a little difference in making a hot territory mega hot, and making a territory or helping it rise from cold to mega hot. I think that might be the difference in Steve. You’re arguing about who was One and who is One-A. So a lot of things could go back and forth there.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Something To Wrestle With an h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.