Steve Austin on No Mercy Matches, Wrestlemania X7, and Next Boom Era?

Californian radio show 107.7 The Bone with Baby Huey & Bimbo Jimbo held a recent interview with Steve Austin discussing the Universal Championship match at No Mercy, his heel turn at Wrestlemania X7, if another Attitude Era like boom era can happen again in the WWE, and the recent feud between John Cena and Roman Reigns.

On the topic of the Universal Championship match at No Mercy, Austin felt the WWE could have gone with a better finish for the match based on how they have been building Strowman. He hasn’t seen the match itself yet but based his opinions from what he has heard on how the match ended.

“In hearing that I was surprised in that finish as well. Both guys I consider friends, but they have built Braun to be The Monster Among Men, and to me maybe you got to have something, a couple of F-5s or something to put a chink in the armor before the F-5 to keep Braun Strowman, The Monster Among Men down for a three count. I have not seen the match, but from what you guys are telling me I would probably would tend to agree.”

On the topic of his heel turn at Wrestlemania X7, Austin stated in hindsight it was a big mistake and something he should not have suggested as an idea.

“When I look back I would never have changed, but you know when I was caught up in it and Vince always likes to do something big at a Wrestlemania…I just said “Hey man, how about me turning heel?” So, it was my idea because I always liked working heel. I enjoy being the bad guy. I had a great time as that edgy Stone Cold baby face don’t get me wrong it was a blast, but when you do that for a couple years you just want to change…Looking back if I was to go back in time I would have shook his hand and said watch the Stunner, and just dropped him. I’m sure he would have been fine with it…At the end of the day no one wants to see John Wayne as the bad guy. After the people invested so much emotion and love into the Stone Cold persona and character and lived vicariously through everything I did they didn’t want me to be a heel, and I don’t blame them.”

When asked if the WWE can have another big boom era like the Attitude Era, Austin stated he would love to see it happen again but thinks it will be very tough to make happen due to today’s climate of television watching.

“I would love to see another moment in they call sports entertainment these days, but I would love to see a period of time where things just ramp up and become as hot as they were back in the day, and I hope that would be the case. Do I think that will happen? Man, with the trends and even how people watch football or go to stadiums is changing. Everybody that’s watching anything on TV is either streaming it or changing the way they watch or consume it. So, it’s just a different world.”

On the topic of the recent feud between Cena and Reigns, Austin was asked if he felt the reactions of both stars showed a shift in the heel/face dynamic of wrestling. Austin stated he didn’t feel that way and their reactions are more due to how crowds respond to those characters than a major shift within wrestling itself.

“I think it’s just the way those people take those characters. I think heels and faces are still heels and faces…Here’s the thing everybody loves and respects John Cena whether they are hating on him or loving him. That guy has had an unbelievable career. Roman because I think people think that he was shoved down there throat for so long have a tendency to want to boo him. He’s got a ways to go he’s still learning and developing, but Cena you look at the career that guy’s had, it’s been flat out amazing. People appreciate and respect that guy I don’t care what they say.”