I Listen So You Don't Have To: Steve Austin Show Ep. 157

Austin refutes the comeback story and talks Monday Night Wars this episode
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: 157
Run Time: 1:18:24
Guest: Kristin Austin (momentarily)

Summary: The show opens with Austin in his truck, narrating a drive through Los Angeles. Later he chats with his wife and her recent health scares before offering more stream of consciousness musings. Eventually he responds to a few listener questions about wrestling, touching on the future prospects of TNA talent, the durability of John Cena, Kurt Angle’s career, discussions with Vince McMahon in the wake of 9/11 and a plug for Monday Night Wars on the WWE Network.

Quote of the week: “I was talking to Ric Drasin on a podcast a few weeks ago. And me and Rick were just talking about Gold’s Gym because that’s where we met. And Ric Drasin was the guy that created the Gold’s Gym logo and the World Gym logo, two of the most iconic logos of all time. And I told Ric, tongue in cheek, that I was getting back in shape to make a comeback to go to Gold’s. Because I didn’t want to show up at Gold’s like a fat tub of lard. So people misconstrued that and it’s been making headlines all over the place that I’m trying to make a comeback to the world of professional wrestling. I’m not trying to make a comeback. I was kidding. And I just said I was making a comeback to go to Gold’s Gym.”

Why you should listen: If you’ve ever wanted to be a fly on the wall in Stone Cold’s car, here you go. It’s interesting to hear Austin’s take on how the return rumor spun out of control, though I guess I spoiled that with the quote of the week. TNA fans will enjoy hearing Austin talk up some current and former stars, and John Cena fans will enjoy Austin giving the Champ his due.

Why you should skip it: This is ostensibly the family-friendly show, and Steve drops a handful of s-bombs. That doesn’t bother me, but if you skip his Thursday shows because he works blue, you need to be aware some of that approach seeps in here. There’s nothing of substance until the listener questions, and those are tucked into a fleeting bit near the end. Also, if it drives you crazy that Austin misremembers 9/11 happening before a Monday Night RAW (it was a Tuesday), and if you can’t give the guy some slack considering the very real possibility he’s suffered some brain damage, well, maybe wait for Thursday.

Final thoughts: It’s amusing to consider Austin watching the Monday Night Wars series and what parts are entirely new to him and which others are reminders of things he’s surely forgotten. It would be great to have him spend an entire 90-minute podcast breaking down his take on the Network documentary series for several reasons, especially if he had free rein to call BS on revisionist history. But we’re not there yet, so instead we get another dose of Stone Cold’s disdain for Prius owners. As others have noted, it’s curious how WWE keeps promoting Austin’s shows and then they turn out to have very little to do with wrestling. As a regular listener, I don’t mind a little lighthearted look into Austin’s daily life, but if this was your first episode of the show, I struggle to see why you’d feel compelled to come back.