“Stone Cold” Steve Austin was the biggest name of WWE’s “Attitude Era,” and as an anti-establishment rebel, his greatest enemy was WWE Chairman Vince McMahon. Because of this, Austin and McMahon got in the squared circle for segments and even matches on many occasions, but according to “The Rattlesnake,” there was one thing about McMahon that tended to upset him.
“I was just always mad that when he came to the ring, he was more jacked up than I was,” Austin admitted during an interview with The Takedown on Sports Illustrated. Considering McMahon wasn’t a traditionally-trained wrestler, stepping into the ring with him was a massive ask for Austin. However, McMahon had an innate ability to perform and thrived on the reactions of the crowd, according to Austin. “He had such a vast knowledge of some of the greatest heels and some of the greatest babyfaces, I think he drew from that.”
Austin indicated that he and McMahon had strong in-ring chemistry. “That guy picked up the business really quickly and there was never any nervousness about working with him,” he said. “He was slow and methodical during his heat.” The retired wrestler then shared his belief that McMahon drew inspiration from larger-than-life pro wrestling legend “Superstar” Billy Graham when developing his TV persona. “Vince interviewed him several times and worked together with him many times,” Austin noted. “I always thought maybe there was some ‘Superstar’ influence as far as his ring presentation.”
Read the full article here
