I Listen So You Don't Have To: Steve Austin Show Ep. 308

Austin gabs with Ted Fowler this week
Photo Credit: WWE.com

If you’re new, here’s the rundown. We 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 many wrestling podcasts out there, of course, but this feature largely hews to the regular rotation we feel best fit the category of hit or miss. If we can save other folks some time, we’re happy to do so.

Show: Steve Austin Show — Unleashed!
Episode: 308 (March 17, 2016)
Run Time: 1:24:59
Guest: Ted Fowler (12:50)

Summary: Before he ended his quick stay at the Broken Skull Ranch, Austin hit the record button on a conversation with a slightly intoxicated Ted Fowler. They open with a lot of construction talk, including Fowler’s explanation for why he doesn’t wear a hardhat on the job site, before checking in on the alligator that lives at the BSR. Austin tells a quick story about securing some Broken Skull IPA for Fowler, who launches into a length account of how he destroyed his iPhone on an ill-fated fishing excursion. They end the session breaking down the recent UFC card and Holly Holm’s surprising loss.

Quote of the week: “Once the plumber’s done with his deal, he’s gotta fill it all full of water, and you gotta have Frank from the city come out and do an inspection and make sure nothing’s gonna leak underneath the slab. So there’s another day. So then once that’s done, your concrete guys come back out, they fix up whatever the plumber jacked up while he was digging in all of his pipes. Then, with only two concrete companies in the whole town, now you’re scheduling a 40-yard pour, and they’ll get to you when they get to you, because they’ve got the corner marketed. You know, or the, I’m sorry, the market cornered. Yeah. So if they’re gonna get to you in three days, in four days, in five days, they don’t give a shit.”

Why you should listen: Considering a residential development in Rockport, Texas? Want to hear about a guy expecting to get sexted only to be disappointed when saltwater breaches his waders? Then this, my good friend, is the show for you. Your enjoyment of this one rests solely on how much you value Ted Fowler, the skirt-chasing working man who likes his alcohol and is unafraid to go story-for-story with the Texas Rattlesnake.

Why you should skip it: Aside from hearing Austin confirm his dedication to get in peak physical condition for an on-camera appearance at WrestleMania 32, there’s zero wrestling talk. I don’t care a lick about the UFC discussion, but it probably should be noted that part is stale and unsophisticated.

Final thoughts: I actually found myself enjoying the construction discussion, though maybe that’s because we’re in the midst of having our bathrooms overhauled. Fowler is definitely a testament to absence making the heart grow fonder, or at least more tolerable, and there’s no denying he and Austin make for an entertaining duo when they’ve got enough sobriety to focus. There’s absolutely nothing important about this episode, but as Ranch gabfests go, it was amusing enough to make the time pass quickly.