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Jim Ross On Whether WWE Could’ve Defeated WCW Without Steve Austin, Bret Hart’s Impact On Austin’s Rise To Stardom

December 31, 2021 | Posted by Blake Lovell
WWE RAW Reunion Stone Cold Steve Austin Image Credit: WWE

In a recent edition of Grilling JR, Jim Ross discussed whether WWE could’ve defeated WCW without Steve Austin, Bret Hart’s impact on Austin’s rise to stardom, and much more. You can read his comments below.

Jim Ross on whether WWE could’ve defeated WCW without Steve Austin: “It’s hard to say, but a lot of talents really evolved and took giant steps. You could almost see it every week. We had a young Chris Jericho. We had Dwayne Johnson, who became pretty good. Triple H became a great heel. Shawn Michaels made his return. We had a lot of good pieces. Steve wasn’t the only good piece in the puzzle, but he was the biggest piece that pulled the wagon that a lot of those guys jumped on to ignite their careers. So, it’s a great question. You would’ve hoped that one of those guys would’ve taken the ball and run with it like Austin did. Austin just took the ball out of everybody’s hands and said, ‘I’m the man, and I’m the guy here. If I’m the only one that can see it, I don’t give a shit. Just watch what I do.’

On Bret Hart’s impact on Austin’s rise to stardom: “I don’t know if Steve would’ve gotten to where he did if it wasn’t for Bret Hart. Bret is as big a reason Steve Austin became Stone Cold as anybody because after their matches together, everybody saw their was no flaw in Austin. He was the real deal because he was pushing Bret Hart to the exact limit of where a man should have to go to win a match. They had great chemistry and respect. They didn’t do spots that made you roll your eyes. They didn’t slap their face or hip and all that silly shit. They just went out and wrestled. I think, at the end of the day, that’s what most fans are most interested in.”

If using any of the above quotes, please credit Grilling JR with an h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.

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