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Steve Austin on the Difference in Today’s WWE Product, Credits Wrestlers for Working With No Crowds

February 3, 2021 | Posted by Jeffrey Harris

Image Credit: WWE

– WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin appeared on ESPN First Take this week to promote Straight Up Steve Austin and chat about this weekend’s Super Bowl LV. You can view some clips of Austin’s appearance and highlights below.

Steve Austin on today’s era of wrestling: “You’re spot on. Today is a different era. It’s a more athletic product. The guys and girls are better athletes than we were. But going back to the names you mentioned were the exact same names that I grew up on, big NWA fan, Mid-South, Power Pro from Bill Watts, from where I broke in, World Class Championship Wrestling, and into the Attitude Era, my peak, I just think the business was a lot more protected back then. And you didn’t have to be — we really pushed the envelope creatively as far as the Attitude Era goes. It was just a grittier product, which is kind of what I thrive on.”

Austin on today’s WWE product: “But all resect to all the men and women of WWE for working through this pandemic and working without crowds because when you watch the football games being played with no crowd or at 25 percent capacity of crowds, those crowds affect your performance, and especially in the ring, in professional wrestling because that’s how you get your feedback, as far as your decision-making process. So, I miss the crowds, and it is a different product today, Stephen [A. Smith]. You’re spot on, and all the guys you mentioned were my heroes.”

On why he didn’t use a Stunner on Bigfoot on his reality show: “Man, you should’ve seen how big that Bigfoot was. And I never believed in Sasquatch because every time you see him in a picture, he’s blurry. But it was just a fun day hanging out with Brett Favre, and hell, by the footage that you’re seeing right now, I wasn’t that effective with the bow. And I think he had a little bit of home-field advantage.”