I went out today and couldnt find this magazine. On all the magazine racks I've looked they still have the Big Show Raw magazine up. It's been killing me all afternoon.
I can't wait for Austin. No matter what you think about the guy, he is money. Look at how the ratings have gone up on RAW since Bischoff made his "invitation". They didn't draw a 4.1 this week because of their latest Steiner/HHH battle. They drew a 4.1 because they teased the casual fan with a possible Austin appearance.
(edited by mountinman44 on 31.1.03 1605) Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- 2002 NFL Champions... feels good, doesn't it?
"The NFL should permanently move the Super Bowl here." -- Al Michaels, ABC Sports, during the Super Bowl
As I said in another thread earlier this week, but I think it should be stated yet again: The great thing about the IWC is that we are to cheap to actually buy the magazine. God bless the net.
Bringing the French along in a war is like bringing an accordion along when you go hunting. All it provides is useless noise.
I have a big problem with the way the business is being run right now, because it's not a wrestling show anymore. That's what, to my thinking, is one of the big things wrong with the business. There are no issues that are larger than life that people have just got to see. I don't know. I think they should do away with all the prefab backstage stuff, and let guys go back to relearning what this business is all about. Put that product in the ring and tell the writers, "You want to lay out some shit? Use Jim Ross, lay out the format of the show -- here's your matches and a couple of promo segments." But have guys go out there and say, "Okay, Booker T, you're going to battle Kurt Angle tonight. Terri Runnels is going to interview you, and then Kurt is going to have an in-ring promo." And that's it. Let them fucking go. Man, that's what the business is about! Ric Flair and those guys in the NWA or World Class Championship Wrestling -- They didn't tell them what to do. You knew your program. That's how you get depth in this business. That's how you get your scholarship. You're put in a situation, and you're forced to respond. You can't have some 25-year-old guy hand you a bunch of fucking words and draw money that way. The only way you're gonna put any feeling back in the business is to [put it] back into the wrestlers' hands, because that's where it's supposed to be.
Austin is complaining about it not being a wrestling show anymore? Excuse me, but wasn't Austin a large part in making WWF/WWE more about entertainment and "performance" instead of a "competition". He was the centerpiece of WWF Attitude and in this paragraph he seems to resent it. I don't understand.
"I am many things Kal-El, but here I am god." -Darkseid
Originally posted by tomvejadaI was looking for that magazine, too and couldn't find it.
I agree with mostley everyone here and looking forward to Austin's return.
I'm actually surprised that the replies in this thread have all been positive. I've seen a lot of "good riddance" business from those people who are obsessed with the pushing of new stars.
Whether you love him or hate him - you have to admit that Austin will create new interest in the product. And really, that's something we can use.
I still think the way he walked out was wrong, but its not as if Brock Lesnar or some newbie was fed up and left - Austin has broken his neck (literally) for the WWE, so I'll believe him that he'd only leave if things were in really dire shape. The man has paid his dues, and even if I don't agree with his walkout, I'll respect him.
Thanks for posting that. It was a good read. I must say, I agree with most of what Austin had to say. I do think it was a stupid business move to try to just throw Austin vs. Brock Lesnar out there, with absolutely no buildup. It was also a stupid idea to do it so early in the Brock buildup. However, Austin probably could have handled the situation better than just leaving the building but, like Austin said, that's what he did and he can't change it now, right or wrong.
I also agree with Austin about the writers needing to give more of the creative power for the wrestling characters back to the respective wrestlers that portray those characters. That would go a lot farther toward adding more heart and feeling to the product than trying to drag 100% kayfabe back out of mothballs.
Of course, there is also the big pink elephant of the other, more personal problems that Austin never touched on (not that I blame him for staying away from it)in this article. And before anyone tells me it's none of my business, it was national news so I know about it whether it's my business or not and it will be on my mind when Austin comes back. A guy, especially a guy as big as Austin, beating on a woman is a pretty big deal to me. Hopefully, it was a one time thing for Austin that he will never do again and hopefully the thought of what he did will be short lived and fade rather quickly also. Lord knows, the show has greater potential with Austin around. Maybe being back in the WWE will help Austin as much as it helps the WWE.
(I type slow, so excuse me if someone else beats me to this but...)
I dont think that's what Austin meant by "It's not a wrestling show anymore". I'm sure he's all for the Attitude/entertainment stuff. What I DONT think he likes is all the pre-written, pre-fabricated stuff.
In the "older" days of wrestling, everything was a lot more spontaneous and off the cuff. Like he said in the interview (and many others have said in the past), in years before, the writers/bookers would tell you to cut a promo and ask you to hit on a few key points. Everything else, you came up with by yourself and how you made those key points was all up to you. Nowadays with a lot of the WWE writers being former sitcom/soap opera writers, their promo instructions arent nearly as loose as they were before. I wouldnt be suprised if they have wrestlers walking around with pre-written scripts trying to memorize "lines" before their promos.
Anywho, I put a lot of words in SCSA's mouth, but thats how I interpreted it all. So, yeah.
Interesting (or maybe not) how absolutely none of what happened was Austin's fault. Good to see that he's always in the right, I'm sure that explains why he deserves to be in every single main event.
Good heartfelt article with a lot of good points. I too HATE that soap opera writers script all the promos now- it makes them so cookie cutter it is pathetic. A great novelist would struggle with coming up with 2 shows worth of good, believable dialogue a week. That has to stop.
"But I wasn't in Vince's ear. His ear was somewhere else."
No, I do not think he meant HHH. But what did he mean by that?
I agree with what some of what he says, except his attack on Hogan. Yes Hogan was a manipulator but Hogan was the ONLY one of those three Austin ever heard anything bad about? That's obviously bullshit and it's not coincidence that he's attacking the only person who can lay a claim to being a bigger name than he is.
His rationalization that he doesn't have to do anything if it doesn't work for him or make sense is stupid. Because he legally can't. It's called a contract. You can't just not honor it because you "drew more money than anyone in the history of the business". That's just retarded. He broke the law.
Also, yes, he is paranoid. Rock didn't put him down on the "takes his ball" promo he only said that anyone who doesn't want to be here should "get the F out". Since Austin was already the F out, obviously Rock was talking to anyone else who didn't feel a compulsion to do business. So it wasn't directed at Austin. He didn't say Stone Cold is a rudy-poo candyass for walking out. He simply said if you don't want to be in the company, don't be. Only a paranoid person would take comments not directed at them, and think they were directed at them.
Everything else he said, I agree with.
"Whatever I just posted above is what your mother said in bed last night."
Originally posted by The 5th HorsemanOf course, there is also the big pink elephant of the other, more personal problems that Austin never touched on (not that I blame him for staying away from it)in this article. And before anyone tells me it's none of my business, it was national news so I know about it whether it's my business or not and it will be on my mind when Austin comes back. A guy, especially a guy as big as Austin, beating on a woman is a pretty big deal to me. Hopefully, it was a one time thing for Austin that he will never do again and hopefully the thought of what he did will be short lived and fade rather quickly also. Lord knows, the show has greater potential with Austin around. Maybe being back in the WWE will help Austin as much as it helps the WWE.
Actually, there was another sub-section in the magazine where he talks about that - although he pretty much glosses over most of it but (suprise!) none of it was his fault anyway. Oh, and Internet fans are stupid. That was about the long and short of it.
"Your enemy is not surrounding your country. Your enemy is ruling your country." "President" George W. Bush - Is he talking to Iraq or us?
Good read. He did say that he's stubborn and that's his biggest fault. He said he made his choice to walk out and right or wrong, he was going to live with the consequences of his actions.
To me the time apart is what Austin and Vince needed. Austin needed to cool off, heal, and rediscover his love of wrestling. Vince needed to be reminded just what Steve Austin meant and means to his company.
"I told Vince, "I ain't the guy you're going to build your future on. I've been here, I've done it. I just turned 38, but I can help some of these new guys that you want to hang the company on develop into the next big Superstars." "
We're going to find out if he really means that. And if he is willing to do that, hopefully Vince finally shows the faith in someone to give them that big push.
Originally posted by The 5th HorsemanOf course, there is also the big pink elephant of the other, more personal problems that Austin never touched on (not that I blame him for staying away from it)in this article. And before anyone tells me it's none of my business, it was national news so I know about it whether it's my business or not and it will be on my mind when Austin comes back. A guy, especially a guy as big as Austin, beating on a woman is a pretty big deal to me. Hopefully, it was a one time thing for Austin that he will never do again and hopefully the thought of what he did will be short lived and fade rather quickly also. Lord knows, the show has greater potential with Austin around. Maybe being back in the WWE will help Austin as much as it helps the WWE.
Yeah, there were two other little sub-sections of the main article, one talking about his workouts and the other where Austin "talks" about the "issues" with Debra. It was pretty much fluff, which is why I didn't take the time to type it out. He says it was "blown way out of proportion", that he and Debra are "too much alike" and he "still very much loves her". He tried to file for divorce before, ripped up the papers, but ultimately re-filed and now they live "on seperate residences". He then goes on a rant against the IWC. Not a whole lot there.
Screw austin! I know this was probably his real opinion, but i think his excuse for leaving is total and absolute crap. So what if they were "giving away" brock v. austin without a lot of hype? Kurt Angle wrestled The Rock TWICE while kurt was being built up, with NO pre-show hype (i have been watching a kurt angle tape i got from this awesome tapes site, it has every kurt angle apperance in wwe ever on it). Austin is a great performer, but his reasoning is weaker than even i expected. This is a terrible reason to leave, it was totally dishonorable and pathetic- he will come back and will be entertaining, but he will still keep his little delusion that he actually had a "legit" reason to leave, which he didnt. Kurt angle fought john cena on his first night, and made him look like a superstar. the rock fought kurt angle when he was still nothing- thats what top level performers DO. You think Kurt thought they were "sticking it to him" when they told him to face cena and make him look good? HELL NO. There are two ways to go about having an up and coming rookie and a big superstar co-exist. 1. have then face each other normally. 2. keep them apart until the big payoff match at a pay per view. They obviously wanted to keep Brock and Kurt apart- that was their big long term payoff plan, they had other plans for austin, and the fact that he took his ball and went home is was total. thats my take.
edit: also, i saw nothing about his excuse for beating his wife in this article. I guess thats part of what he means when he says "he looks someone right in the eye" when he has a problem with them. he looks em right in the eye, and if they are a woman, he hits them. If i am wrong about this, i apologize, but if he actually did beat her, he is and always will be a load of trash in my book.
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