My problem with Austin

[Guest Blackston]

With the return of Austin at No Way Out, many people are happy that he is returning, and some people are questioning the logic about his return. Personally, I am quite excited about Stone Cold's return, but I definately had issues with the way that he conducted himself towards the end of his run.

 

One year ago, the WWF spent quite a bit of money and hype (not to mention a serious loss of backstage morale) when they brought in the New World Order. Hall, Nash, and Hogan were brought in as bona fide main-eventers, designed to rejuvinate the then-ailing top card of the WWF. Their first programs were against Austin and the Rock, and those matches were promoted like dream matches. Evidently Austin had a problem with the nWo, and set out to destroy whatever momentum they could achieve. From everything that I have read, all three wrestlers went out of their way to be "one of the boys", especially Hall, who really worked hard to clean up his life. The nWo deserved a chance to get themselves over... and Austin refused any part of it. Austin nixed any ending at Wrestlemania X-8 that wouldn't have himself victorious. I have read that Austin was miffed that he wasn't plugged into the Rock's spot, and that he was pissed that his match with Hall wasn't one of the more prominent matches on the card, but as an observer, I feel that the Austin-Hall matchup was one of the more hyped, better promoted matches on the card. Austin destroyed both Nash and Hall at Wrestlemania X-8, dropping both men to mid-card status in one fell swoop. Hall, in particular, turned into one of the most high-profile jobbers in the company, feuding with Bradshaw before dropping out of the company entirely. Austin's actions in that feud buildup (and Hogan's departure from the group) cut the balls off of the nWo before they even had a chance to go anywhere. Then, after destroying one of the companys dream angles, Austin had the nerve to skip the next night's Raw. That just seems fucked up to me.

 

I didn't have so much of a problem with Austin's departure before he was slated to fight Lesnar. Austin-Lesnar is a dream match, that shouldn't be wasted on a Raw with absolutely no buildup. That said, I wonder if Austin would have thrown such a hissy fit if he were booked to go over Lesnar. It seems to me that McMahon may find Austin resorting to his antics, and he must be sure to nip such behavior in the bud..

[Guest Rob Edwards]

Hall was drunk on his first night in the company from what I've heard

 

Vince needs Austin to pop ratings so he's just going to have to book in his favour for the moment, it's his own fault for letting HHH and Taker bury all his potential draws

[Guest bravesfan]

Their first programs were against Austin and the Rock, and those matches were promoted like dream matches.

 

Rock/Hogan, yes....Austin/Hall? It was the 4th most important match on the card. And the writers treated it as such.

 

The nWo deserved a chance to get themselves over... and Austin refused any part of it. Austin nixed any ending at Wrestlemania X-8 that wouldn't have himself victorious.

 

IIRC, Austin agreed to job due to outside interferance, then Hall showed up drunk on the day of the event, and the finish was changed. It's obvious by the way that match turned out, judging by the mis-communication and crappy finish.

 

In the end, this match meant zero to the build-up of either man; Hogan's face turn later in the evening took the sails out of the stable right then and there, and it never recovered judging by the faction's performance in later months.

 

I have read that Austin was miffed that he wasn't plugged into the Rock's spot, and that he was pissed that his match with Hall wasn't one of the more prominent matches on the card, but as an observer, I feel that the Austin-Hall matchup was one of the more hyped, better promoted matches on the card.

 

Based on build-up and development, Austin/Hall was placed behind Rock/Hogan, Helmsley/Y2J and Flair/Undertaker (which was 2 months in the making).

 

Austin destroyed both Nash and Hall at Wrestlemania X-8, dropping both men to mid-card status in one fell swoop.

 

Hogan/Rock vs. Hall/Nash, in the main event slot fought on the following Raw, in a bad match. Nash/Rock, in the main event slot fought on the following Smackdown, in one of the worst matches I've EVER witnessed. Could their de-push be based on their...umm...shittiness?

 

Even then, the nWo was pushed down our throats with various mid-card stars (X-Pac, TBS, Booker, HBK) for an additional FOUR MONTHS, while the fans sat on their hands. And just as the nWo was picking up steam, Nash injured himself, with X-Pac receiving his release the next day for a refusal to job.

 

So, it was Austin's fault, you say?

 

Hall, in particular, turned into one of the most high-profile jobbers in the company, feuding with Bradshaw before dropping out of the company entirely.

 

It wasn't Hall that was being de-pushed, it was Bradshaw that was being pushed to Hall's level. Bradshaw's push was canceled abruptly after that atrocity of a match.

 

Austin's actions in that feud buildup (and Hogan's departure from the group) cut the balls off of the nWo before they even had a chance to go anywhere. Then, after destroying one of the companys dream angles, Austin had the nerve to skip the next night's Raw. That just seems fucked up to me.

 

McMahon and Ross knew he was going to miss that Raw (for whatever reason). Ask yourself a question: Now considering one of your "top stars" didn't appear at the television show the night after the biggest PPV of the year, do you attribute the star's anger to something that you may take fault for? The bad writing? Horrendous angles? Horrible build-up to matches?

 

No, you simply attribute his anger to "burn-out", prance upon your merry little route to 2.0's on the Nielsen's, while indefinitely "benching" this star, as he is booked to urinate on another performer and sing karaoke at bars?

Is this how great angles are started?

 

I didn't have so much of a problem with Austin's departure before he was slated to fight Lesnar. Austin-Lesnar is a dream match, that shouldn't be wasted on a Raw with absolutely no buildup. That said, I wonder if Austin would have thrown such a hissy fit if he were booked to go over Lesnar.

 

It's not about winning or losing to Lesnar, it's the fact that it horribly booked, NOT EVEN ADVERTISED TO HAPPEN, and it's the biggest star the company had at that point, facing an rising up-and-comer who was barely on the scene for 3 months (who needs the win to maintain crowd heat).

 

Excuse my language, but Austin/Lesnar IS A FUCKING DREAM MATCH. Not a "End of Hour One: King of the Ring Qualifying Match".

 

Win or lose, which wrestler WINS in this situation?

 

It seems to me that McMahon may find Austin resorting to his antics, and he must be sure to nip such behavior in the bud.

 

Antics? Complaning when the writing is piss-poor? Complaning where dream matches and money angles are being flushed in the way of hot-shotting titles and victories? These are ANTICS?!?

[Guest THE MIGHTY THOR]

Austin should be use to elevate other wrestlers and that's it, ratings were going down while he still was on RAW. And another thing is that the fans still hasn't forgiven him for taking his ball home and will eventually get tired of him. I think he was the one that saved the WWF back in 98 and i admire him as a wrestler but as a human being i don't respect him for beating up on a woman, there is no excuse for that.

[Guest The Hamburglar]

The 2002 Austin antics I didn't like were basically just Austin being generally shit. Fuck the political stuff, his wrestling and promos were god-awful. His pathetic feud with Flair was painful to watch. He had one of the worst matches of the year with Undertaker. And he went over everyone and anyone. Enough Austin crappiness there without even mentioning the NWO storyline. I only hope he's improved.

[Guest NoSelfWorth]

The finish to the Austin v Hall at WrestleMania X8 was changed by Vince after his agents talked him around. Austin may have intened to have it changed himself, but it was going to get changed anyway by other forces.

[Guest Trivia247]

daww what happen to the Austin lovahs too defend him? Those Blind and deaf fans who Simply wants Austin in and be damned the reprocutions like Goldberg's worshipers wanting NAY Demanding his presence in the WWE.

 

im glad people can be objective

 

Austin comes back, I hope he can behave himself.

[Guest TonyJaymzReloaded]

I dont care much for Austin. Unless he is going to put over guys like eddy, benoit, edge, etc. than i dont want to see him on the screen. I mean, how many times can we do Rock/ Austin or Austin/ Undertaker?

[Guest The Superstar]

The RAW article said he was in the best shape of his life...now then, I'm happy he's back. I couldn't care less if he goes over everyone in the company, AS LONG AS he's putting on good matches.

[Guest Nevermortal]

I wouldn't mind seeing Rock/Austin once more, but UT/Austin would be my night.

 

Although I'd really REALLY like to see Benoit/Austin again.

[Guest Youth N Asia]

I doubt you could call his 2002 work, "a run."

 

I think if Austin stays for the long haul the ratings will slowly go back up. I don't think it'll spike like they think it will the first night back. Personally I can't wait to see Austin back. Just not looking forward to another Austin vs Management angle though.

[Guest Blackston]

Austin/Hall may have been the fourth most important match on Wrestlemania X-8, but I do not think that it was treated like such. Ausin and Hall had plenty of time on both Raw and Smackdown, and the nWo was treated like a huge threat. It seemed to me, at least, that whenever Rock-Hogan was getting hyped Austin-Hall was getting just about the same amount of hype. The week before Wrestlemania, Rock fought Hall, and it turned out into a clusterfuck (as expected) as Nash, Hogan and Austin all got involved. The Raw before Wrestlemania, Austin/Rock vs. nWo got the main event slot. Everywhere the nWo was, both Rock AND Austin were... so I don't exactly buy that Austin-Hall was given nothing to work with by the writers.

 

I was not aware that Hall was caught drinking the day of Wrestlemania X-8, but that would explain a bit. Hall obviously needed friends that were looking out for him, instead of looking at him as a drinking buddy. If he was caught multiple times drinking before his eventual canning, then I've got no real problem with his firing.

 

By the time the nWo "B"Team was introduced, the angle was already a lost cause. The WWF was just trying to get any money they could, for the fairly large investment that it put into this angle. For my two cents, I strongly feel that a healthy Kevin Nash, a sober Scott Hall, and a rejuvinated Shawn Michaels would have made for a GREAT faction. It just couldn't happen that way, due to freak accidents, and a loss of willpower...

 

Austin's victory at Wrestlemania obviously didn't kill the nWo entirely (they went for a couple more months afterwards), but you have to admit that it at least crippled it. How could they be taken seriously as a "poison to the WWF" when they went 0-2 at their very first Pay Per View?

 

Finally, if a superstar on the level of Austin has a problem with the direction of the company, I would think that he would be able to actually sit down and talk to Vince about it, unlike say Hardcore Holly. A wrestler on the level of Austin has to realize that fans come to the shows specifically to see him, and for him to no-show just absolutely stinks of selfishness. When I bought my ticket to King of the Ring 2002, I bought it because I wanted to see Hollywood Hogan, Steve Austin and Triple H. Austin walked out of the company about two weeks after I bought my ticket. I do want to see Austin in the WWE again, but I am sure that I'm not the only fan that was burned by him taking the ball and going home...

[Guest Olympic Slam]

What I'm most worried about, concerning Austin's return, is that Vince is going to let him do whatever he wants. That being, MORE feuds with Undertaker and Vince.

[Guest The Mighty Damaramu]

Do we have to have the Austin debate again? Everyone says the same thing. Blackston you are saying NOTHING new.

[Guest creativename]

Do we have to have the Austin debate again? Everyone says the same thing. Blackston you are saying NOTHING new.

I've barely seen anything on this board that could be considered new. Not that there's anything wrong with that. And this is at least relevant, with Austin returning to TV in just a week. So I fail to see the point of your post.

[Guest The Mighty Damaramu]

Because we've debated this isssue over and over again and nobody can change anyone else's mind. We have on one side:

"Austin's an ass! He should've never walked out!"

and on the other side:

"Austin was justified! Screw the WWE!"

And by now it's just been repeated over and over again. There's nothing new to add to it and nobody's mind is changing.

[Guest bob_barron]

nWo was treated like a huge threat.

 

With the exception of Hogan- I disagree. Austin made them look pretty weak-

 

Remember when he kidnapped Hall and spent a whole show mindfucking the nWo? Or when Austin shot a fishnet or something at Hall?

 

If they were gonna give Austin the win, I would've spent the whole month just having them beat the fuck out of Austin and making them his bitch only for Austin to overcome the odds and get the decisive victory

[Guest The Mighty Damaramu]

Oh yeah I forgot about the net gun and the kidnapping. Yeah Blackston that was such a greatly booked feud.

[Guest MillenniumMan831]

My biggest problem with Austin returning is that he never said he wouldn't walk out again.

[Guest Austin3164life]

The NWO should've never been brought in in the first place, but that's another story for another time. Austin never did any "antics" that changed the course of the NWO, it was the absolutely HORRIBLE writing and booking at that time that flushed the NWO angle down the toilet and made Austin look like a glorified midcard man. The NWO were finished and then Austin was booked to piss on Arn Anderson, sing, and get beaten up in a kareoke bar. Hardly the genesis for a promotion-changing angle. Austin left after they told him to job to a heatless Lesnar on a match with no buildup or backstory. In this he is justified because they should build up a match like Lesnar/Austin properly and over time, not in the span of less than a day. Some say it shows Austin's ego, but it shows his passion for perfection more. Now that he is returning, Austin should be given excellent programs with the likes of Benoit, Angle, Eddy, etc. to help elevate them and leave the business in good shape. Some people say he wont do that, but look at Michael Jordan. I'm positive Jordan could still play well, but he isn't playing a lot because his legacy is solidified, he wants to help a young team mature.

 

As for his problems with Debra and the time he hit her, that was wrong, but that is his own business and his problems are his to deal with, not anyone else's to scrutinize.

[Guest Rob Edwards]

It's not like he made the nWo look bad himself though, in the ring he was generally getting hammered by them, the only time they looked silly was in backstage skits which the production team could have edited

[Guest creativename]

There's nothing new to add to it and nobody's mind is changing.

And when, praytell, was the last time anybody changed anybody else's mind about anything?

[Guest Mik at Cornell]

daww what happen to the Austin lovahs too defend him? Those Blind and deaf fans who Simply wants Austin in and be damned the reprocutions like Goldberg's worshipers wanting NAY Demanding his presence in the WWE.

 

im glad people can be objective

 

Austin comes back, I hope he can behave himself.

I honestly had to read this 5 times to decide whether or not it was English.

[Guest Nevermortal]

On a side note, does anyone know of any sites that have the Steve Austin Raw magazine interview typed up and posted?

[Guest Nater]

And what have you deduced Mik?

 

I believe that this entire walkout might have been caused because Austin was refused Austin/Hogan at WMX8. Thats a match of two decades work and it wasnt mainevent at the biggest PPV of the year?

[Guest Mik at Cornell]

I've deduced that it's obviously not English...at least not in any form that I'm familiar with. Go back and read it. It's impossible to decipher.

[Guest Tim Cooke]

Hall never stopped drinking at all during his stint with the WEEEE. Meltzer reported about it almost on a weekly basis in the WON.

 

In the RAW magazine, Austin says he never had a problem with Hall. How much is kayfabe and how much is the truth is questionable but aiming this incident straight at Austin hating Hall (with Hall being clean, sober, etc) seems ignorant.

 

Tim

[Guest Nater]

daww what happen to the Austin lovahs  too defend him?  Those Blind and deaf fans who Simply wants Austin in and be damned the reprocutions like Goldberg's worshipers wanting NAY Demanding his presence in the WWE.

 

im glad people can be objective

 

Austin comes back, I hope he can behave himself.

Where now, are the Austin fans that would defend his actions?

 

Those who, without sight or hearing, want Austin to return regardless of what will occur (much like those who request Goldberg's presence).

 

Objectivity is an acceptable personality trait.

 

When Austin returns, I wish that he may comport himself in a manner acceptable to his employer's standards.

 

 

I've spent time studying the habits of those I call "Ceiling-lovers" so I have become familiar with their speech patterns.

 

VIVA LA KANYON~~

[Guest Mik at Cornell]

haha

[Guest DawnBTVS]

IIRC...Didn't Austin request personally that he feud with Eddie Guerrero which resulted in the bar skit, etc.? Of course that did get pushed to the back burner when Austin left and refused to job to Lesnar in what would have just been a wasted, nothing match that wouldn't have popped any ratings.