I Listen So You Don't Have To: Steve Austin Show Ep. 163

Austin gabs about Halloween and Ebola this week
Photo Credit: WWE.com

If you're new, here's the rundown: I listen to a handful of wrestling podcasts each week. Too many, probably, though certainly not all of them. In the interest of saving you time — in case you have the restraint to skip certain episodes — the plan is to give the bare bones of a given show and let you decide if it’s worth investing the time to hear the whole thing. There are better wrestling podcasts out there, of course, but these are the ones in my regular rotation that I feel best fit the category of hit or miss. If I can save other folks some time, I'm happy to do so.

Show: Steve Austin Show
Episode: 163
Run Time: 1:21:45
Guest: None

Summary: Stone Cold is still on location, but he and Stacy breezed through the empty streets of Los Angeles on a Sunday morning to record a show with calls from listeners. After about 15 minutes talking with Stacy, Austin answered questions about Halloween, deer rifles, bringing a “real fight feel” to WWE shows, his WWF Title match with Kane at King of the Ring 1998, the origins of his podcast, how performers’ bodies change after leaving the ring, the frequency of title changes, working with Eddie Guerrero, breaking into the business in 2014, wrestlers who use other workers’ move sets, Austin’s RAW moments with unusual vehicles and working with Ricky Steamboat and Rick Rude.

Quote of the week:

Caller Ben: “I just want to say thanks for everything you do on the podcasts. I listen to both shows and I love ’em both.”

Austin: “Hey man, how old are you?”

Ben: “13 years old.”

Austin: “And you listen to the Unleashed show?”

Ben: “Yes. (Laughs nervously.)”

Austin: “OK, don’t use the language that I use, OK?”

Ben: “I won’t.”

Austin: “All right, you take care of yourself Ben. I appreciate you calling.”

Why you should listen: Austin is in a great mood this week, and he has great things to say about Guerrero, Steamboat and Rude. The move set question is amusing to anyone who, like me, had been unaware of the Uso/Jeff Hardy connection and especially the alleged Randy Orton/Kurt Angle beef. Also, if you’re confused and terrified about Ebola, you’ll be happy to learn Austin and Stacy from Podcast One are in your camp.

Why you should skip it: Look at that topic list up there. That is some well-worn territory. The question from the caller who is in college but plans to enroll in wrestling school after graduation is almost identical to one Austin answered last week. The Rick Rude hunting story he tells near the end is an old saw, and Stone Cold has brought up his Kane match (and preceding staph infection) early as often as he’s been asked about the Montreal Screwjob. This is like a greatest hits episode, except they’re all B sides.

Final thoughts: It’s a little easier to forgive the repetition on call-in shows than the email episodes, on account of the unpredictability of live conversation, but it’s obvious the calls are screened. There was almost nothing discussed on the episode I hadn’t heard at least once, including his thoughts about Halloween. I don’t get how you can be enough of a Stone Cold fan to wait on hold for 45 minutes to ask him a question, yet not want to explore a new topic instead of something he’s addressed repeatedly. This episode was not the best use of my time.