The Steve Austin Show

[piranesi]

It's telling how much he uses the vague concept of "owing" to corner his workers.  They owe him.  They owe the fans.  They owe the boys.  The owe the business.  They owe themselves!  How is that last one even a thing?

 

And of course, as we heard from Punk...Vince owes you one!

[IHFP]

I think the brass ring comment was perfect.  The Millennial generation is afraid to take risks and afraid of failure.  He wants to see that competitive drive from everyone on the roster and he may not be seeing it backstage.

Just don't piss anyone off though.

[piranesi]

"grabbing The brass ring" only means something if Vince actually knows what it actually means...and I think it's a cover for the fact that he doesn't know until after it works...like, you tell someone "You gota grab that brass ring!" and they're like "You mean bump harder?...be funnier?....do something shocking and off script?  stick to the script?  sell more?  sell less?  More moves? Less moves?"

 

"Grab the ring."

 

"WHAT IS THE FUCKING RING?  IS it a work thing?  OR a talk thing? or a fucking haisrtyle thing?  Roids???IS THAT THE RING?  A SUPPOSITYORY OF STEROIDS UP THE RING OF MY ANUS????"

 

"You know!  Grab that brass ring and really step up!"

 

"OGGAAMIT  THE BRASS RING IS A FUCKING LITERARY METAPHOR THAT STANDS FOR SOMETHING THAT IS PURELY PSYCHOLOGICAL...IT WAS A FIXATION OF A MENTALLY DISTURBED TEENAGER WHO DIDN"T FUCKING ACTUALLY EVEN EXIST!!!!!!  TELL ME WAHT TO FUCKING  DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO"

 

"You know it's that "it" thing."

 

"OH FUCK YOU@!!!!"

 

"Good meeting.  Talk to Pat on the way out.  You're putting over Grumpy cat this week."

[The Nature Boy]

It was telling when Vince said that he does entertainment and that pro wrestling was what "his father did."

[sydneybrown]

 

I think the brass ring comment was perfect.  The Millennial generation is afraid to take risks and afraid of failure.  He wants to see that competitive drive from everyone on the roster and he may not be seeing it backstage.

Just don't piss anyone off though.

 

 

Yeah, you just stole my comment.  He goes from "you gotta prove yourself, step up, rise above everyone else" but hey...."don't make me mad."  What the FUCK kind of message is that?  Who in their right mind is going to risk their entire career (because ex wrestler isn't an awesome thing to stick on your resume) on the chance that the boss doesn't get what you're saying and then sends you to Superstar purgatory and then releases you to indy hell as a result?

 

I truly believe Vince respects Punk despite all of what he's done.  And the weird thing is that I think it literally takes people not giving a shit what Vince thinks before he actually starts to give a shit about them.

[piranesi]

It was telling when Vince said that he does entertainment and that pro wrestling was what "his father did."

 

"I'm Vince.  Mr McMahon is my dad...wait...shit."

[piranesi]

 

I truly believe Vince respects Punk despite all of what he's done.  And the weird thing is that I think it literally takes people not giving a shit what Vince thinks before he actually starts to give a shit about them.

 

 

The story about Shane asking for a raise and then going to get a job with some contractor was really telling there.  "I've never been so proud of him as when he left."

 

I think that goes for his workers too.  Until you leave him, there's a part of him that doesn't really respect you.  It's a weird trigger he has but it seems pretty consistent.

 

I'll give him one thing.  He doesn't hold his cards down.  He tells everyone exactly how to deal with him.  Jesus, every story he tells is like a parable on how to do business with him.

[The Nature Boy]

 

It was telling when Vince said that he does entertainment and that pro wrestling was what "his father did."

 

"I'm Vince.  Mr McMahon is my dad...wait...shit."

 

 

You know, if Vince just started randomly playing with change during his promos, it'd be the greatest thing ever. I want to see Mr. McMahon become Vince McMahon Sr. 

[Big Fresh]

I think the brass ring comment was perfect. The Millennial generation is afraid to take risks and afraid of failure. He wants to see that competitive drive from everyone on the roster and he may not be seeing it backstage.

Just don't piss anyone off though.

Yeah, you just stole my comment. He goes from "you gotta prove yourself, step up, rise above everyone else" but hey...."don't make me mad." What the FUCK kind of message is that? Who in their right mind is going to risk their entire career (because ex wrestler isn't an awesome thing to stick on your resume) on the chance that the boss doesn't get what you're saying and then sends you to Superstar purgatory and then releases you to indy hell as a result?

I truly believe Vince respects Punk despite all of what he's done. And the weird thing is that I think it literally takes people not giving a shit what Vince thinks before he actually starts to give a shit about them.

So Vince is all the girls I tried to date in high school?

[typls]

I loved the interview. One of the best I've ever seen. They should have Steve Austin do these shows after RAW or have them more often. Even taped interviews would be cool.

Wish there was more time but who knows maybe there will be a part 2.

[Greggulator]

I haven't seen this yet. I can't wait, though. Vince has forgotten more about wrestling and crowd psychology and the like than all of us combined. I've always wanted to hear an interview/etc. with him where he explains why certain things work or don't work and why certain stories and characters go in the directions he does. This may be the closest we get to that.

[evilwaldo]

I think what Vince respected about Punk was his ambition and there may be a lack of ambition among the current roster.

 

Another way to look at Cesaro is something from the Flyers and hockey.  They have a solid prospect from Europe named Robert Hagg.  Good dman in the AHL but when you talk to the scouts their opinion is all the same.  He could get called up and be an okay guy but there is another gear there.  We see that he has what it takes to get to the next level but if the light never goes on he will just be okay and not great.  The problem is they do not know if he wants to be great or just be happy with his spot and the opportunity given to him.  At some point he has to want it and desire it and they have not seen it from him so far.  It is something not just the team has said but his European coaches have said as well.

 

How bad do you want it?  Are you just happy to be here or do you aspire to something greater?

 

Cesaro needs to find that gear.  It is more than the crowd being behind him.  The crowd has to be invested in him and likewise he has to give them a reason to care about him.  

 

The swing is nice but in the end it is just a move.  If he rises up and becomes larger than life then it becomes something special.

 

It is like the People's Elbow.  Anyone can do an elbow but the way the Rock builds it up and does the move makes it special.  

 

Sandow is another example.  He went from being the stunt double to acting out Miz's reactions on the apron.  He took that role and pushed it up a level making his character and the team that much better.

[jstout]

Haven't heard the interview yet (want to), but this "grab the brass ring" stuff is KILLING me. 

 

Sandow is a GREAT example of being given an opportunity and running with it and getting way over in the process. He's grabbed the brass ring, of sorts.

 

But they've given Cesaro no ring to grab. He was in a great position to be over as a face if they turned him at that one time, and they didn't. He was in prime position to grab the ring and they snatched it away from him. So they put him with Heyman, they never get behind that, and totally fizzle their breakup. He could've grabbed the ring, but they snatched it away from him.

 

Basically, if someone doesn't have "it," it's the WWE's job to find "it" for them. They need to give the guy every chance to succeed instead of giving him no chances to succeed and then blaming it on him when he doesn't succeed. This isn't a shoot sport where you can play your way to a starting spot. That brass ring is there for anyone to grab - shoot sports tend to play the best players they can at each position. If you're the best at your position, you will start. Obviously, wrestling doesn't work that way.

 

It's like the WWE is a manager of a band, and is all pissy when the band is still playing third on the bill in 100-seat clubs despite the fact that the manager (who is making money off the band) is doing absolutely nothing to help out. If you want the band to succeed, help the band succeed.

[TheVileOne]

Poor Cesaro.  If you need more proof how out of touch McMahon is, his statements about Cesaro exemplify that.

[HumanChessgame]

"Reach for the brass ring!  Do something that makes you stand out!  Show some initiative!  Find something that makes the crowd pop!"

 

"....but don't step out of line, read and regurgitate whatever the writers give you, don't criticize the company and always be a team player!"

[TheVileOne]

I think what Vince respected about Punk was his ambition and there may be a lack of ambition among the current roster.

 

 

 

And yet he claims John Cena was the only guy who tried to grab the brass ring in recent years.  I know Punk is on the outs with the company, but if anyone tries to claim that Punk never tried to grab the brass ring and go for it is a fucking fool and a liar.  No matter what you think of Punk, he went for the brass ring, whatever the fuck that even means.

 

 

Another way to look at Cesaro is something from the Flyers and hockey.  They have a solid prospect from Europe named Robert Hagg.  Good dman in the AHL but when you talk to the scouts their opinion is all the same.  He could get called up and be an okay guy but there is another gear there.  We see that he has what it takes to get to the next level but if the light never goes on he will just be okay and not great.  The problem is they do not know if he wants to be great or just be happy with his spot and the opportunity given to him.  At some point he has to want it and desire it and they have not seen it from him so far.  It is something not just the team has said but his European coaches have said as well.

 

How bad do you want it?  Are you just happy to be here or do you aspire to something greater?

 

Cesaro needs to find that gear.  It is more than the crowd being behind him.  The crowd has to be invested in him and likewise he has to give them a reason to care about him.  

 

The swing is nice but in the end it is just a move.  If he rises up and becomes larger than life then it becomes something special.

 

It is like the People's Elbow.  Anyone can do an elbow but the way the Rock builds it up and does the move makes it special.  

 

Sandow is another example.  He went from being the stunt double to acting out Miz's reactions on the apron.  He took that role and pushed it up a level making his character and the team that much better.

 

 

Sandow is still some steps below where he was over a year ago when he had his Rhodes Scholar gimmick and was Mr. Money in the Bank and had his own style briefcase.  And then he was put through his paces and sent to jobber-ville before he eventually settled down as Miz's stunt double.  

 

I feel Cesaro was really getting over with that move and it became his thing.  They started calling him the King of Swing.  Not to mention, the Swiss Superman thing was getting over how he would have these sudden insane feats of strengths in matches.  People were responding to that.  

 

Can someone even tell me what Dolph Ziggler's character is?  All Ziggler really does is bump his ass off.  His obviously scripted promos are shit.  I am not sure how Ziggler really differs from Cesaro in this respect.  At least Cesaro has a more defined character that you can put a simple name on.

[Eivion]

Sandow is still some steps below where he was over a year ago when he had his Rhodes Scholar gimmick and was Mr. Money in the Bank and had his own style briefcase.  And then he was put through his paces and sent to jobber-ville before he eventually settled down as Miz's stunt double.

 

The problem with your argument is that Sandow wasn't remotely as over then as he is now.

[DreamBroken]

Loved this. So great to see Vince in that kind of setting. Especially being asked about all the various common topics from Cesaro and Punk to Savage in the HOF. Great great stuff. Definitely hope to see more of this kind of thing on the Network. This along with the documentary type deals they do every now and then are fantastic.

[Cobra Commander]

Re: Vince and his father. Vince's ode to Harlem/"My father was born in Harlem" comes to mind there.

 

 

Ya know what pairing has potential to be amazing if they were taped just talking? Vince and Ted Turner. Turner was expelled from Brown. Vince was court-martialed from prep school. Both went into their fathers businesses and ultimately moved in another direction in some way. Granted Turner had success outside of his niche that Vince has been trying to do for 20 years. Turner isn't known for TBS or WCW, but CNN or TNT. But the fall of WCW could vindicate Vince's desire to have lots of direct control too.

 

Granted Vince could want to spike the football while Turner has done so much in his life that he doesn't sweat losing one to Vince.

[piranesi]

 

Granted Vince could want to spike the football while Turner has done so much in his life that he doesn't sweat losing one to Vince.

 

 

 

He probably shouldn't bring up footballs, though.

[sydneybrown]

 

Sandow is still some steps below where he was over a year ago when he had his Rhodes Scholar gimmick and was Mr. Money in the Bank and had his own style briefcase.  And then he was put through his paces and sent to jobber-ville before he eventually settled down as Miz's stunt double.

 

The problem with your argument is that Sandow wasn't remotely as over then as he is now.

 

 

I love Sandow.  But he's just a better Alex Riley.  Once they split and he feuds with Miz, then what?

[SirSmUgly]

Vince doesn't get that guys can be physically charismatic and genuinely get over on work. Guys did that in WCW or JCP quite often, but that's not exactly Vince's idea of pro wrestling.

 

I care about what Cesaro is doing in the ring, but that just doesn't really matter to Vince. Silly over-acting like 2007-era HBK = genius physical in-ring emoting to Vince. 

 

Man, I appreciate Vince for being honest, but what he and I want to see in the ring are at cross-purposes, which explains why I spend most of my time on his network watching old stuff and not the current shows. 

[PetrolCB]

Great interview. Visually, it reminded me of an ESPN Radio-type setup. Which makes me wish WWEN would simulcast Austin's podcasts like the ESPN Radio shows are, and he could air a match or two and do a running commentary over it.

[DreamBroken]

 

 

Sandow is still some steps below where he was over a year ago when he had his Rhodes Scholar gimmick and was Mr. Money in the Bank and had his own style briefcase.  And then he was put through his paces and sent to jobber-ville before he eventually settled down as Miz's stunt double.

 

The problem with your argument is that Sandow wasn't remotely as over then as he is now.

 

 

I love Sandow.  But he's just a better Alex Riley.  Once they split and he feuds with Miz, then what?

 

 

Riley came to mind for me when they were talking about "damn that was a hell of a pop" moments. I think Riley had more star potential than Sandow personally, but they were doing fine with his push at the beginning. Turned on Miz, had him teaming alongside Cena & Orton in multi-man tags then pushed him towards the US title for a bit. Unfortunately that's as far as it went, but always someone I wish went further.

[Cobra Commander]

kinda amusing that there's a blanket statement of "millennials" when you consider guys like CM Punk (36), Daniel Bryan (33), Ziggler (34), Sandow (32), and Cesaro (33). None of those guys are really millennials. Same age range as Orton (34), Cena (37), Barrett (34) or Jack Swagger (32).

 

I just turned 29 and guys like Bray, Ambrose and Rollins are 27-28. Cody Rhodes/Roman Reigns are 29. Some people put some of the early 80s people in with Millennials. But to put in wrestling terms, if you couldn't vote before WCW went under, you're a millennial.

 

In a way, the WWE is a bit of a perfect utopia. It's like Pleasantville the movie. Things always wrap up in just the right way. Main events always start and end at just the right time. It's a tidy place (ever see One Hour Photo? it's like the store in that movie). There's not as much chaos and grit. It happens on occasion (Nexus debut). The place looks near the same in 2014 as 2009 as 2004 as even 1999 in some senses. Announcers in the same places. Ramp in the same place. Same layout and nothing really breaks that status quo.

 

I suspect if something challenges that status quo and changes the status quo, it'll help in the scheme of things. There's a lot of shitty concepts from the internet about heels that could get over and such. But there's gotta be something chaotic that still can be done. Like the start of the NWO in 1996, which, looking back on it, seemed like an armed militant group showing up to cause chaos and anarchy.

 

Not sure who the agents of chaos will be. Maybe some millennials can rise up and challenge the status quo of the WWE and the status quo of society. Millennials have kinda gotten screwed over consistently like Bret Hart in 1997. You check around and there's quite a few infamous figures born from 1983 to now. So if someone can harness that disillusionment into a workable gimmick. Someone should be mad as hell and find a way to make that into a "doing something" approach.

 

Maybe Vince's Cesaro takes can light a fire under Cesaro, for all we know. But lots of guys have failed for not knowing what to do to get over.

 

Random note: Listening to the interview at the moment (as a Millennial, I'm not as motivated or monetary to have the Network). Vince not being very social at political events is familiar to me. I've went to my share of events and fundraisers and only talked to a small share of people while eating free food.