WWE Legends Biography: Stone Cold Steve Austin's Last Match
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00:00There is no one that has ever laced their boots any more intense, any more with a will
00:17to win, than Stone Cold Steve Austin.
00:30I'd run myself into the ground.
00:32I wasn't in a great place, and it was time to ride up a sunset, and I did.
00:37To be at your prime and at the top of your game and then have to walk away had to have
00:42been very difficult for him to cope with.
00:44I did not handle life after Wrestling World at all.
00:49I always said I would never come back, but then I also said if the stars ever aligned
00:53perfectly, that I would.
00:57After 19 years, Stone Cold Steve Austin, he is back!
01:02When you have done this for any period of time, and all of a sudden you find yourself
01:07back on in the ring, that doubt is crippling.
01:10I'm always concerned about his health.
01:12Anything can happen out there.
01:14Your body needs to be grinded to be ready.
01:17I think some people were still on the fence as to what it was going to be.
01:21I didn't know, mechanically, what I could do.
01:23People didn't know what to expect.
01:26It's a hell of a gamble when you don't know what you have.
01:30Although I'm going this with a clear head, I don't have that momentum confidence.
01:35But when that glass breaks, I'm Stone Cold.
01:39I fear nothing, and I'm ready for everything.
01:56Come here, buddy.
01:58There's old Rebel, about 28 years old.
02:01He's got some arthritis.
02:02He's got some back problems, so he's retired.
02:04So he's living a good life and just hanging out, eating in the pasture.
02:08Every now and then I'll come out here and drink a beer with him.
02:12The man who grinded the road is behind me.
02:14It's been behind me for a long time, since I walked away in 2003.
02:19And come here, buddy.
02:21It's been behind me since I walked away in 2003.
02:25And coming out here, to a middle of nowhere in Nevada,
02:27just peaceful surroundings.
02:29It's an absolute paradise.
02:32Now, all these years removed, my normal routine is
02:35getting up about 5 or 6 in the morning, having a few cups of coffee.
02:38It takes about an hour to wake up.
02:40All right, good morning.
02:44All right.
02:46See, the thing about chickens is,
02:48when you start walking around in the coop,
02:50there's a lot of chicken s*** in there.
02:51Come on. Don't come on out.
02:52There you go. There you go.
02:55Normally, when I'm coming out here,
02:57I'm just walking around and drinking coffee.
02:59My wife will usually feed the chickens and horses and all that stuff,
03:02and I kind of watch her do that.
03:04The hard work out here is really done by my wife.
03:07That's the truth.
03:10Got three eggs.
03:11What a super score.
03:13Farm fresh eggs.
03:15Start selling these at the grocery store.
03:17It's a complete difference from what I was used to on the road.
03:19That's a grind that you put yourself through,
03:21and it's an absolute blast.
03:30My career wasn't the longest,
03:31but god dang, man, it was a rocket ride from hell.
03:37But it kind of started getting frazzled at a physical level,
03:40and somewhat of a mental level as well.
03:42I was rolling pretty hard in those days,
03:44and that started to take its toll,
03:46the lifestyle that I was living
03:48and the environment that I was putting myself in
03:50wasn't helping my physical status.
03:53You kind of start putting two and two together,
03:55and you think,
03:56hey, man, I might have worn my welcome out
03:58of what my body's willing to put up with.
04:01You never think about,
04:02you know, hey, man, this is the end.
04:04All of a sudden,
04:05the end just kind of starts showing itself
04:07or presenting itself in these small things that start happening,
04:10and then you kind of start putting two and two together,
04:13and you think at some point in time,
04:14you need to address the situation
04:16and decide, you know,
04:18if you're going to stay in and continue the risk
04:20or you're going to get the f*** out.
04:21And for me, it was time to get out.
04:25When it comes to walking away,
04:27when it's not on your own terms,
04:28that's not what you want.
04:31It's not the ideal.
04:32We'd rather be able to write our own ending.
04:36Leading up to WrestleMania 19,
04:38I had made the decision that that was going to be my last match
04:41just based on how I was feeling,
04:42how I was living.
04:43I felt like,
04:45this is going to be my last match,
04:47and that's it.
04:48So going into that match,
04:49I was just thinking,
04:50hey, everything's cool.
04:51It's my last match.
04:52I'm right off of the sunset.
04:54But before that,
04:55I was at the gym with Kevin Nash,
04:57and we were on the recumbent bikes doing cardio,
05:00and my nervousness was really jacked up,
05:02and I didn't know what was going on.
05:03My feet were really shaking and trembling badly.
05:07I walked back to my hotel room,
05:09and I was on like floor 24.
05:11It was way up there,
05:12and I'm the only person in the elevator.
05:14But 24, I go up.
05:16As I'm about to step off the elevator,
05:19my heart starts beating.
05:21I timed it.
05:22It was like 180 beats a minute.
05:24And man, I think I'm going to die.
05:26I'm thinking, man,
05:27dude, you're getting called.
05:29This is when you're going to leave the earth.
05:32And all of a sudden,
05:33the doors opened,
05:35and there was Liz DeFabio,
05:36WWE employee,
05:37coming down the hall.
05:38And I looked at her,
05:39and I knew Liz.
05:40I said, Liz, I'm in trouble.
05:42Liz calls 911.
05:44Two ambulances show up.
05:46They're running all kinds of tests on me.
05:49At the time,
05:50I was drinking, you know,
05:51one, two, three bottles of wine a night.
05:53I drank two pots of coffee
05:54when I woke up in the morning.
05:55I drank three RIP fuels,
05:58or whatever they call it,
05:59before you go to the gym.
06:00I was consuming so much caffeine
06:02and so much alcohol
06:03and so little water
06:04that I was basically dehydrated,
06:06and my nervous system was on the edge.
06:08So it just freaked out.
06:11And so it turns out,
06:12as I'm laying there in the hospital bed,
06:14you know,
06:15the doctor comes by the next morning,
06:16and I think he put four liters of fluid in me.
06:18I was really dehydrated.
06:19And he never cleared me to go to the ring
06:22and work,
06:23but they cleared me to get me out of the hospital.
06:27And even though I just spent the night in the hospital,
06:29when that glass broke,
06:30that was gumbo.
06:40And you know what?
06:41If I went out there and ripped it up
06:44with the Rock,
06:45and we had a great match,
06:46great.
06:47If I end up,
06:48and then I died in the ring,
06:49well,
06:50I died in the best place
06:51that I ever could have been.
06:52Here we go!
06:53Either way,
06:54you know,
06:55the job was going to get done.
06:56You're seeing one hell of a match
06:58between two of the greatest
06:59that have ever been in the ring.
07:01Oh, that's down there!
07:02That's down there!
07:03Oh my!
07:04And so,
07:05three Rock bottoms.
07:11And when that third count went down,
07:14I just felt like...
07:21The peacefulness washed over me
07:23because at that moment,
07:26the pressure was gone.
07:29I wasn't putting myself in risk.
07:31I wasn't going to live on the road anymore.
07:33Life was going to change,
07:35and it was probably going to be a lot easier.
07:38The stress was off.
07:39There was relaxation.
07:41I didn't kick the bucket.
07:44And I could go home.
07:51To be at your prime
07:52and at the top of your game
07:54and then have to walk away
07:55had to have been very difficult
07:56for him to cope with.
08:00Anytime you put your heart and soul
08:01in something for a long period of time,
08:02it's hard to walk away from it.
08:06Coming out of that spotlight
08:07and going home
08:08is a tough transition.
08:09It's a lot harder
08:10than you think it is.
08:12A lot of guys
08:13will self-destruct.
08:19Retiring at 38
08:20was very hard to process.
08:22I did not handle life
08:23after wrestling well at all.
08:25I didn't have a plan.
08:28I just drank a lot.
08:29I did a lot of hunting and fishing.
08:32When you're used to being
08:33in front of people every night
08:34and used to being on the road,
08:35on one hand,
08:36I thought,
08:37this is a great relaxation
08:38because it's over.
08:39The pressure's over.
08:40But you miss the people.
08:41You miss the boys.
08:43You miss the adrenaline.
08:45I can't say that
08:46in any way, shape, or form
08:47has anything I've done since
08:49taken a place
08:50or filled the void
08:51that leaving professional wrestling
08:53held for me.
08:55And I'd say it took me
08:56a couple of years
08:57to come to grips with it
08:59to really honestly
09:00get my feet back under me
09:03and start moving forward
09:04as a human being.
09:08I was at the house in L.A.
09:09and Vince McMahon called me.
09:11And I didn't know
09:12what he was calling for.
09:13And he said,
09:14hey man,
09:15we'd like to put you
09:16in the Hall of Fame.
09:17What do you think?
09:18And I asked him a question
09:19if I wanted to go
09:20in the Hall of Fame.
09:21Like, yeah,
09:22I said, yeah,
09:23I'll be there.
09:29Going into the Hall of Fame
09:30that night,
09:31from an emotional standpoint,
09:32extreme gratitude,
09:34just because
09:35and through all the things
09:36that I've done
09:37in my career, man,
09:38first and foremost,
09:39I worked my ass off
09:40to try to, you know,
09:41learn how to entertain people.
09:45And through all the highs
09:46and lows and struggles
09:47and good times
09:48and bad times,
09:49my fan base
09:50has always stuck with me.
09:53Thank you so much.
09:56I want to thank you so much
09:57for always sticking with me.
10:00It has been my pleasure
10:01and a privilege
10:02to make my living
10:04in a squared circle
10:0520 feet by 20 feet.
10:08There's not too many things,
10:10you know, in this life
10:11that I'm good at.
10:12And it just, uh...
10:24I always said
10:25I would never come back.
10:27And that's the bottom line
10:29because Stone Cold said so.
10:32But then I also said
10:35if the stars ever aligned perfectly,
10:38that I would.
10:46As far as WrestleMania 38 goes,
10:48the first reach out to me,
10:50it was a really weird thing
10:51because the office
10:52wanted to send a couple
10:53head honchos down,
10:54say hi to me.
10:55And I told my wife, Chris,
10:56and I'm like,
10:58man, these motherfuckers
10:59they don't come down
11:00and say hi to anybody.
11:01So anyway,
11:03they come over
11:04to this place right here.
11:06And my wife cooks steaks
11:08and we had a couple drinks.
11:11They go,
11:12what do you think about,
11:13you know, having one more match?
11:15And I shot down,
11:17I don't know,
11:18four or five times.
11:20It's a funny thing
11:21because I think Steve
11:22has been talked to many times
11:24before about doing things.
11:26I think his name comes up
11:27probably yearly.
11:28And there's a question asked,
11:29well, hey,
11:30you want to do something
11:31at Mania?
11:33I never really wanted
11:34to wrestle again.
11:36I've walked away,
11:37I'm done.
11:39The company was resolute
11:40on me being a part of that show.
11:42And finally,
11:43after about the third,
11:44fourth,
11:45or even fifth try,
11:47they go,
11:48you started in Dallas,
11:49you end in Dallas,
11:50one last can of whoop-ass.
11:52News behind if Chris Adams
11:53and the USWA Wrestling Federation
11:55and Chris Adams
11:56and the USWA Wrestling School,
11:58Steve Williams.
12:01My career as a professional wrestler
12:02began in the Dallas Supportatorium.
12:06No one in my family
12:07could understand
12:08what I saw in it
12:09or why I liked it.
12:11My younger brother, Kevin,
12:12who's been my biggest supporter
12:13from my family,
12:14has followed my career
12:15ever since I started.
12:17And one of my first matches
12:18in Dallas, Texas,
12:19he was there.
12:21He told me he was going
12:22to try it out.
12:23And I figured that'd be great.
12:24You know, you got the guys,
12:25you got the build.
12:26I supported him
12:27whatever he wanted to do.
12:29I always said,
12:30if the stars ever line
12:31perfectly in the sky,
12:32then I would have another match.
12:34And the caveat being,
12:36it was in Dallas, Texas.
12:37It was where I started.
12:38It'd be great to finish there.
12:40It was with Kevin Owens,
12:41who I knew
12:42was a great guy
12:43and a great worker
12:44and a great talker.
12:48You know, it sounds so corny
12:49to say,
12:50but I was really
12:51the biggest Stone Cold fan.
12:52There's pictures of me
12:53foot-to-toe
12:54in Stone Cold gear
12:55all the time.
12:56Austin hat,
12:57Austin shirt, everything.
12:58Florida ceilings,
12:59Stone Cold Steve Austin posters.
13:00And just,
13:01I was just the biggest fan.
13:05In 2005,
13:06Sammy and I
13:07were doing a lot
13:08of independent work.
13:09We are young,
13:10independent wrestlers.
13:11And now we're starting
13:12to break out
13:13into the U.S.
13:14And we're starting to fly.
13:17We're doing these flights
13:18on zero sleep
13:19and sometimes two.
13:20It's even happened
13:21with three connections.
13:23We were in the middle
13:24of one of those travel days
13:25and we're about to board
13:26our third flight.
13:27We're really dead tired.
13:28And I just remember
13:29walking toward
13:30the water fountain
13:31and I just look
13:32to my left
13:33and my first thought
13:34is,
13:35oh, that guy
13:36looks like Steve Austin.
13:38Oh, that is Steve Austin.
13:39I'm on the ground
13:40sleeping
13:41and I'm so,
13:42so out of it.
13:43And I get woken up
13:44in a panic
13:45by Kevin.
13:46He goes,
13:47dude, come on,
13:48we gotta go,
13:49we gotta go.
13:50Right now,
13:51I'm so in a haze
13:52that for some reason
13:53I'm under the understanding
13:54that he's gotten
13:55into some kind
13:56of altercation
13:57and now he needs me
13:58for backup.
13:59We're about to go
14:00have a fist fight.
14:01And as we're walking
14:02toward Austin,
14:03he goes,
14:04who are we fighting?
14:05I'm like, what?
14:06He thought I was asking
14:07him to come fight some guys.
14:08Which, to his credit,
14:09he was coming.
14:10He was like, okay,
14:11we're gonna fight guys
14:12in an airport.
14:13That's a good plan.
14:14But then I'm like,
14:15I'm gonna see
14:16Stone Cold Steve Austin.
14:17Sammy looks up,
14:18sees him,
14:19he goes,
14:20what?
14:21So we approached him.
14:22I remember Kevin Owens
14:23coming up to me
14:24and Sammy Zing
14:25was there as well
14:26and Kevin started
14:27running off with a mouth
14:28and said,
14:29nice to meet me.
14:30He'd been a longtime
14:31fan of mine.
14:32We told him we're
14:33independent wrestlers
14:34and then he started
14:35talking to us
14:36about wrestling,
14:37just what we're doing,
14:38how things are going.
14:39We probably ended up
14:40talking to him
14:41for a good 10 minutes
14:42and then it was time
14:43to board.
14:44They called first class,
14:45which obviously he was on
14:46and we weren't.
14:47Right before he boarded,
14:48I was like, hey,
14:50and I said, kid,
14:51you just need to learn
14:52how to run your mouth.
14:53You need to learn
14:54how to talk.
14:55I took that advice to heart.
14:56It's an understatement
14:57when I say that advice
14:58probably helped get me
14:59where I am today,
15:00for sure.
15:01I never would have imagined
15:02that I'd work with Steve
15:03because he retired
15:0419 years ago.
15:09Honestly,
15:10I really thought
15:11something's gonna change.
15:12It's too good to be true.
15:14But then, no,
15:15I went out on TV
15:16and got to call him out.
15:17I want to have
15:19the biggest,
15:20most stupendous
15:22KO show
15:23in history.
15:24The KO show
15:25is Kevin Owens'
15:26personal platform
15:27within WWE,
15:29which nine times out of ten
15:30ends with both Kevin
15:31and his guest
15:32in some sort of physicality.
15:34And, you know,
15:35I've been thinking about
15:36who my guest could be
15:37and I have
15:38the perfect guest in mind.
15:41Man, the goosebumps I had
15:42when I said
15:43Stone Cold Steve Austin,
15:44like, I'll never forget that.
15:46Stone Cold
15:47Steve
15:48Austin!
15:53The reaction
15:54is just so unbelievable.
15:57Here we go.
15:59And three.
16:06When I cut that promo
16:07on the desert,
16:08I was just thinking,
16:09been a long time
16:10since I cut a promo.
16:11What level of
16:12Stone Cold am I?
16:14Stone Cold Steve Austin
16:15just cut a promo.
16:17And I thought maybe
16:18we should watch it together.
16:22Kevin Owens,
16:23I want to thank you.
16:25I want to thank you
16:26for waking something up
16:27deep inside me
16:28that I've kept buried
16:29for 19 years.
16:31Stone Cold Steve Austin.
16:33You are one dumb
16:34son of a bitch.
16:37Whether you want to call this
16:38a KO show,
16:39a match,
16:40a fight,
16:41a brawl,
16:42whatever.
16:43Did you hear him say match?
16:44I will guarantee you this.
16:45Stone Cold Steve Austin
16:46is going to open up
16:47one last can of whoop-ass
16:49on you, Kevin Owens.
16:51And that's the bottom line
16:53because Stone Cold said so.
16:56Oh.
16:57My.
16:58God.
17:00It's funny because
17:01I talked to Steve on the phone.
17:02I talked to Steve face-to-face.
17:04But that was Stone Cold.
17:06That promo was Stone Cold.
17:07And I saw it.
17:13The Nevada desert
17:14is kind of my refuge.
17:15I come out here to relax.
17:16There's a lot to think about.
17:18I never thought I'd get back
17:19in the ring again in my life.
17:20And so I come out here
17:21and just cruise around in a buggy.
17:25Sometimes I'll ride fast as hell.
17:26Sometimes I'll just cruise.
17:27It just gives me a chance
17:28to relax my brain
17:29and not think about it.
17:31Because sometimes I just need
17:32to separate things
17:33and just chill for a minute.
17:35So it's very important
17:36for me to come out here
17:37and maintain my sanity.
17:40But then going into
17:41AT&T Stadium
17:42with 80,000 people
17:43and trying to focus on
17:44doing what I need to do with KO
17:45and put on a show.
17:47I live for that moment
17:48just as well.
17:50I'll micromanage
17:51and microprocess
17:52everything leading into that.
17:54Because I'll be wanting
17:55to meet expectations.
17:57Not want to let anybody down.
17:59Because I know when they said,
18:00hey, Stone Cold and KO
18:01are going to do something,
18:02I know a lot of people
18:03bought some tickets to see that.
18:04So I want to make sure
18:05that we don't disappoint them.
18:06But sometimes it's hard
18:07to remove your mind
18:08from dwelling on that.
18:15Not sure if you've heard,
18:16but WrestleMania
18:18is back in Texas.
18:20150,000 fans
18:21will be pouring into
18:22AT&T Stadium
18:23over the next few days
18:24to attend the WWE's
18:25marquee event.
18:26Saturday night
18:27sees the big return
18:28of Stone Cold Steve Austin
18:29to the ring.
18:3019 years after losing
18:31his last WrestleMania match.
18:37Man, there's a lot
18:38to think about.
18:39I started my wrestling career
18:40here in Dallas, Texas
18:41back in 1989.
18:44When I agreed to be
18:45part of WrestleMania 38,
18:47I was just agreeing to be
18:48a part of WrestleMania.
18:49I didn't care where
18:50on the card they put me.
18:51I was just happy to be there.
18:53Vince called me and says,
18:54how do you feel about
18:55closing the show?
19:05On Saturday night.
19:09Pretty good.
19:10Yeah.
19:11So for me to be
19:1357,
19:14and being a main event
19:15at WrestleMania
19:16with Kevin Owens,
19:18there's a lot going on.
19:22When you hear that you're
19:23going to be the main event
19:24rather than just somewhere
19:25part of the card,
19:26it changes everything
19:27as far as expectations.
19:29So, you know,
19:30even though it's not
19:31billed as a match,
19:32now because it is
19:33a main event,
19:34at least in my head,
19:35you know,
19:36there are expectations
19:37that need to be met.
19:43A couple of days
19:44before WrestleMania,
19:45we go down to Billy Bob's,
19:46which is great honky-tonk
19:47in Texas.
19:49And we're going to release
19:50Broker's Gold American Lager,
19:52which we just come out with.
19:54The thing that I did
19:55take to heart was
19:56the enthusiastic response
19:59in which people showed up
20:00to that event
20:01and were ready to see it.
20:13How do you choose
20:14when you like to walk out, sir?
20:15Right now's a good time.
20:16Here he comes!
20:17Here he comes!
20:18Here he comes!
20:19Slide him out!
20:21It made me feel good
20:22and made me feel confident.
20:23It was like,
20:24God dang, man,
20:25how long can I be gone?
20:27You know,
20:28these people will never
20:29forget about me.
20:30If you don't know,
20:32I'll tell you,
20:33I'm involved in
20:34WrestleMania 38 this year.
20:36Thank you.
20:41Thank you again
20:42to everybody who showed
20:43support and love
20:44for what you people did for me.
20:46You gave me a way
20:47to make a living.
20:48And if you had fun
20:49watching me,
20:50I had twice as much fun
20:52doing that s***
20:53with you guys.
20:56If you're ready
20:57for WrestleMania 38,
20:58give me a hell yeah!
21:02I think everybody
21:03wanted to see Steve
21:04back in the ring,
21:05but he still didn't quite know
21:06what you were gonna get.
21:07I remember talking to Kevin,
21:08who's a very good friend of mine,
21:10and Kevin didn't quite know
21:11what he was gonna get.
21:12My friends texted me like,
21:13what are you guys doing?
21:14I said, I don't know.
21:15They were like,
21:16well, it has to be a match
21:17if you're the main event.
21:18I'm like, I don't know.
21:19I don't know.
21:20It was never being promoted
21:21as Steve Austin's last match.
21:23It was more about
21:24he's gonna appear.
21:25Whether it was a conversation,
21:26a appearance,
21:27just the glass break in general,
21:29I think,
21:30is what a lot of us
21:31were just hoping for.
21:32So we were pumped up about it.
21:34But we hope there's a match.
21:39Thank you, sir.
21:50I've been in a few
21:51police escorts in my day,
21:52but WrestleMania
21:53and Seattle, Washington,
21:54all those years ago
21:55was a pretty somber experience
21:57because I'd just come out
21:58of the hospital.
21:59So it was nothing like this.
22:00It was pretty badass.
22:01It was pretty chill.
22:02It was pretty special.
22:06It's a strange weekend
22:07because when I got here
22:08a few days early
22:09just trying to acclimate,
22:11I was kind of all over the place.
22:13A little bit emotional
22:14just as far as being appreciative
22:15of being here.
22:17There's no emotion today
22:18as far as all that
22:20sentimental stuff.
22:21It's business at hand.
22:22And the business at hand
22:24is to go out there
22:25and do the best I can
22:27to entertain those people
22:28who came to see
22:30WrestleMania,
22:31the other WWE superstars,
22:33and specifically Stone Cold.
22:35So it's laser-focused time
22:36right now.
22:38You'd have told me
22:3919 years ago
22:40when I walked away,
22:41hey, you know what?
22:42When 38 comes around
22:43in Dallas, Texas,
22:44all the stars are going to line
22:45and you're going to end up
22:46headlining one night
22:47of WrestleMania.
22:48I would have said
22:49you're full of s***.
22:50So it's a pressure situation
22:53because you're going on last.
22:55But, man,
22:56if I don't go out there
22:57and have fun,
22:58I'm letting myself down
22:59and I'm letting the people down.
23:02When you go back
23:03into that kind of setting,
23:05it's an alpha state.
23:07And if you ain't alpha,
23:09you're better.
23:11And I don't believe
23:12in being better.
23:19What's up, you guys?
23:22Hey, we got some beers
23:23for you, too, man.
23:24If y'all don't drink a beer
23:25with me after this bulls***
23:26is over, I'm calling you.
23:27What do you think
23:28this is for?
23:29I bet.
23:30This is why I got it,
23:31right here.
23:32This is why I got it.
23:33Wait, what's tonight?
23:34It's a night, man.
23:38How you feeling, man?
23:40Good.
23:41Yeah.
23:42Oh, I'm so excited
23:44for you tonight.
23:46Sir,
23:47it is an honor
23:48to meet you in person, man.
23:49About time we finally met.
23:50I know.
23:51I can't wait to watch you
23:52do your thing tonight.
23:53This place is going to
23:54f***ing explode.
23:55Well, you know,
23:56we hope so.
23:57We hope so.
23:58I've been gone a long time,
23:59and you know,
24:00I wonder if you still
24:01got that connection.
24:02Man,
24:05it just seems like
24:06everything passed by so fast.
24:10I said that earlier today.
24:12It's just f***ing flown by.
24:14There was a time
24:15where I never looked
24:16at the end.
24:17I just thought,
24:18f*** this forever.
24:19I agree.
24:21I've crossed paths
24:22with all the people
24:23that I have,
24:24and done business
24:25with all the people
24:26that I have,
24:27and to kind of
24:28only because of
24:29the business,
24:30especially, particularly
24:31WWE events,
24:32it really means
24:33a lot to me.
24:36And just the fact
24:37that I'm from Texas,
24:38I played football
24:39down the road,
24:40I started here in Dallas.
24:41The chance to perform
24:42in this building
24:43is really important to me
24:44because I played
24:45the Garden,
24:46I played all
24:47the great buildings,
24:48and this is one
24:49of the Mac Daddy's.
24:52You can't pass up
24:53the House of Jerry building.
24:55You just can't.
24:56This is home
24:57of the Dallas Cowboys.
24:58That's a global brand.
25:00When you walk
25:01into a building like this
25:02and your head is on right,
25:03the way I look at it,
25:04Jerry Jones built it.
25:06But while I'm out here
25:07when that glass breaks,
25:08I own it.
25:11After 19 years
25:12away from the ring,
25:13Stone Cold
25:14Steve Austin,
25:15he is back!
25:19When you calculate
25:20the time off,
25:21age,
25:22the biggest thing
25:23that we have
25:24and the thing
25:25that we rely on
25:26is our training
25:27and our fluidity
25:28and all of that.
25:29And when you're not in
25:30the ring
25:31week after week
25:32after week,
25:33it becomes difficult
25:34to have that.
25:35Ready?
25:36I'm about ready
25:37as I can be
25:38on short notice.
25:41It's just so hard
25:42for a guy like
25:43Stone Cold Steve Austin
25:44to come back
25:45and perform
25:46at that level
25:47with not having
25:48his body
25:49being grinded on
25:50for 19 years.
25:52Before the big day.
25:54Well, he's definitely
25:55I'm always concerned
25:56about his health.
25:58You look great, man.
25:59Thanks, man.
26:00It was short notice,
26:01but I've been trying.
26:02You did it.
26:03Thank you.
26:04When you have done
26:05this for any period
26:06of time,
26:07a significant period
26:08of time,
26:09and all of a sudden
26:10you find yourself
26:11back on in the ring,
26:12that doubt is
26:14crippling.
26:16How long do I have?
26:17The sooner I have them,
26:18the better,
26:19just so I know
26:20what I'm actually wearing.
26:23You know,
26:24can I do this?
26:25Can I be what I was before?
26:26Will they remember?
26:27Will they care?
26:29Vince had even had
26:30conversations with Steve
26:31right up until day of.
26:32Like, look,
26:33you get out there
26:34and you're just feeling
26:35a stunner and that's it.
26:36You know, that's it.
26:37If you feel like
26:38you want to do more,
26:39take it bit by bit.
26:40When you're ready to
26:41say that's enough,
26:42that's enough.
26:44I know for all of us,
26:45when you come back,
26:47it's the most
26:48intimidating,
26:49scariest thing
26:50that goes on in our life
26:51is can I still
26:52do it?
26:54It's the hardest thing
26:55in the world to get over
26:56because you don't know.
26:58Wrestling is very specific.
27:00I hadn't done
27:01any kind of work
27:02that was wrestling related,
27:04so I didn't know
27:05mechanically what I could do.
27:07You know, Triple H
27:08would tell me
27:09time and time again,
27:10even up to that moment,
27:11literally,
27:12Steve won't know
27:13what he wants to do
27:14until he gets out there.
27:15Even the fans in the arena
27:16were not of the impression
27:17this is going to be a match.
27:19It was just going to be
27:20a talking segment
27:21that would likely end
27:22in a few stunners
27:23and Steve Weiser's name.
27:25It's a hell of a gamble.
27:26You don't know what you have.
27:27He could have got out there
27:29and done one stunner
27:30and been like,
27:31look at that,
27:32I'm not doing anything else
27:33and that would have been
27:34a very quick main event.
27:35Kevin, this is history.
27:36Enjoy it.
27:41I was kind of just
27:42winding down
27:43from my own high
27:44of my own match
27:46and I heard Kevin Owens
27:47go out
27:50and then I ran out
27:51to the side stage
27:52and I was still in my gear
27:54and I got my camera out
27:55because I didn't want
27:56to miss a moment of it.
27:58Sometimes,
27:59you know,
28:00if there's a comeback
28:01or something,
28:02when you watch it,
28:03there can be that debate of
28:04I wish maybe I didn't
28:05watch that.
28:06You know,
28:07I would rather have
28:08kept the memory
28:09the way it was
28:10and you always run
28:11that risk, right?
28:12And I know for Steve,
28:13it would be the same.
28:14You don't want to
28:15embarrass yourself.
28:16You want to go out there
28:17and do right by
28:18the WWE Universe
28:19and the fans.
28:20Do right by yourself
28:21and your legacy.
28:22You don't want to
28:23let anybody down.
28:24You feel,
28:25you feel a lot of things
28:26back here.
28:30Although I'm going
28:31with a clear head
28:32and a good space,
28:33I don't have that
28:34momentum confidence.
28:37So hopefully
28:38when that glass breaks,
28:39you know,
28:40my process is
28:43whatever that crowd
28:44gives me,
28:45I'm going to know
28:46where I'm at.
28:48This is going to make me,
28:49you know,
28:50want to run through
28:51a brick wall.
28:58Yeah,
28:59I'm a bad motherf***er
29:00again.
29:01Here we go.
29:12Man,
29:13once the glass broke
29:14and the place went nuts.
29:18Don't do it.
29:19Now,
29:20that opportunity
29:21is what you get here.
29:33The coolest thing
29:34about that was
29:36Becky
29:37and these newer
29:38generation people
29:39wanting to be out
29:40in the crowd
29:41and actually feel
29:42what the Stone Cold
29:43pop was like.
29:45I mean,
29:46I wish I was kind of in that spot just to be a part of that energy. It was pretty rad
29:50It's pretty great. Everyone was into it
29:53You just you live and die by that
29:55You're just thinking God
29:58Thank you. Thank you for remembering. It's been damn near 20 years and you still give
30:10And then it's like, you know, yeah, man, let's go do this
30:16I
30:30Stone-cold taking part in the chaos show in and of itself was a massive event
30:34It's definitely fit at WrestleMania, but there had been a lot of wishful thinking and it seems so impossible
30:40Poor stone-colds in ring days were done. No way that was gonna happen. I don't want to talk
30:46I'm looking for a fight
30:51Once I said I'm looking for a fight, they're like just a buzz that grew
30:54If you won't stone-cold Steve Austin to compete the match tonight against his second
31:04I didn't even know it was gonna be a match. He's gonna be on the Kevin Owens show
31:07I figured he's gonna come out talks back and forth. I figured he'd put stone-cold Kevin Owens. That'd be it
31:13I thought it was just gonna be a build-up and then they're just gonna like tease you and
31:16So the fact that it turned into an actual match too and it was just so much fun
31:20There's a whole stadium was just edge of their seats are standing up leaning on the railing in front of them
31:25I think it's actually gonna happen
31:2819 years in the making
31:36They have a fool
31:38Badass match Oh and sent over the top to the outside
31:42He was going to put in that work and that is exactly what he did
31:48Look at the fire in the eyes of Steve Austin. I
31:53Couldn't believe some stuff that he was doing
31:57When I landed on my back on that concrete
32:01It was a it was a hell of a cut
32:09I
32:17Wouldn't do that me today an active performer, you know, who's relatively healthy. There's no chance
32:24That is it Austin's not getting up I don't care if you're the toughest so be on the planet
32:33Tom it was just so much fun
32:47The pressure wasn't on him
32:49Like it was back in the day, so he was just going out there having a good time and you know taking his bowels
32:58Accepting his roses and I thought it was really cool
33:06I think with what Steve did in this business. I don't think he could ever go anything to tarnish his legacy
33:10They have so much respect for him. I think he'd made such an imprint
33:16on his stone cold Steve Austin was
33:18That they're just happy to see him again
33:24I mean again, they're beating the car out of each other
33:36He didn't just show up and hit a stunner and drink a beer he put on a clinic and
33:43If that was the last time we ever see him it would be a hell of a way to go out
34:00It was awesome I can poke no holes in that much it was brilliant had the fans on their feet it was just awesome
34:09I
34:11Imagine there was a part of him that was like that was the one that I needed I can now you know
34:17Shut that suitcase put it in the attic and be done with it
34:21It's just so much fun as a fan to be able to witness that one more time
34:25Kevin my brother he was sitting right next to George Kittle tied into the San Francisco 49ers
34:31So I gave him a signal to come on in and the security guard let him in
34:36So cold sharing a moment in a cold one with his brother deep in the heart of, Texas I
34:43Think that was just his payback to me or support him all those years and then wind up in Dallas Cowboy Stadium
34:50I wanted to share a moment in the ring with my brother because he supported me so much
34:54He was the number one guy in the family that supported me. So I appreciated it
34:58He signed an autographs in the parking lot trying to get to his car after the show made a star out of him that night
35:05I
35:15May be a day job Matt come out here and headline a WrestleMania in Dallas, Texas where I started where I stopped
35:23Just means the world to me. I had a blast
35:29Night one of WrestleMania is in the books
35:36You
35:4170,000 plus once again here at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas. We are still recovering from a stupendous night one
35:52So I'm in my car
35:55I'm going to WrestleMania on Sunday night and the plan was it's just sit there and low-key
36:01Drink whiskey and coke and watch the guys and gals work
36:06Now we'll take
36:17Are you kidding me? I'm incredible now you're incredible last night
36:21That was the loudest of stadium. I've been in a while. That was awesome
36:25I mean, I'm used to get on the field for it. So like that was loud. You couldn't hear yourself talk
36:29It was it was incredible. You see those two long-range catches. Oh my god
36:34Today on the show I said best hands the NFL right here. Yeah, this guy right here
36:37I mean, it's a couple of those could be out of way those two. I'm proud of you. Oh, I was watching
36:42I know I said it's your brother the whole time
36:45Someone says ain't this wants to talk to you sure enough. I go to his dressing room. He goes god dang. That was great last night
36:54What'd you think about the fall winner? I said all the four when it was great you want it
36:58I said, yeah, it's yours
37:00So this gives me a four-wheeler right after I walk into the room and then he goes, hey listen
37:04What if you went out there?
37:05I know you did what you did last night and you can sit here and you can enjoy what happened last night
37:09But I really think it'd be great if when I go out there with Austin Theory Theory
37:15The embodiment of the entitled era if you go out there, it'd be great a sniveling cowardly punk
37:23Because I understand if you don't want to do this
37:25And I told him I said hey man, you're the coach if you want me to work
37:28I work and so that's what I did
37:31Pat McAfee is about to step into this ring at WrestleMania and face Austin Theory
37:37Not long before the match Bruce Prichard comes up to me and he says all right after the match
37:44Last break Steve comes out. I'm like
37:47I'm drinking so tonight. I'm hammering beers with Steve Austin
37:59I did not expect this
38:04I feel like it's 1999 all over again
38:20You're like, okay, what's it coming like you just know it's coming
38:28Austin
38:35I thought we're gonna have a good time talking shake hands. Maybe no shake hands. Keep it moving. There we go
38:40Now it's time to celebrate
38:42McAfee's wanted a drink beer with stone cold
38:45forever
38:51Instead I get the old kick to the gut
38:54stunner
38:57And then Pat McAfee
39:00Pat McAfee takes a friggin epic stunner
39:04We just kind of tempered back
39:10And then I get beer dumped on me
39:13and then
39:14As I'm laying on the ground
39:17Dumping a Steve Weiser into my mouth afterwards. My brain is also thinking like you live the dumbest life of all time
39:23How the hell did you end up here?
39:26We will never find out that answer. Let's just try to enjoy this all
39:40That was a perfect place
39:42In a perfect way to end his career and yet he will continue to be a force
39:49In WWE and in popular culture for as long as he wants to be a force
39:54You know at the end of the day it was a very special weekend for stone-cold Steve Austin
40:00Is there a chance that you have one more match?
40:07That's how stone-cold Steve Austin the cowboy rides away
40:11That's an unbelievable ride off into the sunset to do that to have
40:16Essentially a match at this point where we've been told that you that will never ever happen again
40:23That's an unbelievable send-off
40:2619 years later. He's still incredibly relevant. I can't think of anybody that's had that kind of impact
40:33He's already a Hall of Fame. He's already the greatest ever do it
40:36so to be able to close the book on his terms with a final performance like that is really just a
40:43Kind of a chef's kiss a little cherry on top
40:46Steve to me is biggest star in history of business. I wish him nothing but the best and he deserves it
40:53Hats off to the biggest box-office performer ever
40:59It was a nice trip back in time and it was also a moment for us all to say yeah
41:03We were right every time we said we wanted Steve back
41:07We knew he still had it. They'll have it forever
41:13If I never get in the ring ever again in my life, I'm 100%
41:18I've walked away
41:19I'm happy what I did
41:21There's people have done more last longer. I had a pretty good run. I'm pretty happy with it. So I ain't got nothing to prove nobody