Tuesday, August 31, 2010

JR Reflects on RAW 900th Episode & RAW (Austin) Memories

Source: JR's Blog


The guttural, intense heat generated with the Austin-McMahon rivalry. It made stars of both Stone Cold, the anti hero, Mr. McMahon, the antagonist, and helped make RAW the Monday night TV destination for millions. For my money, RAW never had a better rivalry than Austin-McMahon.



I remember some great comedy...Rock 'n Sock...Austin/Angle/McMahon...DX...among others...and I remember the head shakers. I'm not casting stones as I uttered my share of head shakers on Monday nights, too.


I miss JR on RAW. How about you?

Video: RAW 900th Episode CM Punk Segment, Mentions Austin, The Rock & Others

This was the highlight of last night RAW 900th episode show that aired last night. They showed a few good clips of Austin, but this segment with CM Punk was epic!

Monday, August 30, 2010

RAW's 900th Episode Special + Twitter Trend



Tonight is WWE's RAW 900th Episode Celebration! Below are some details of the show + other information & features. And a new Twitter trend I want to start...


It’s the longest-running weekly episodic television series in U.S. history. It has brought iconic Superstars such as Bret "Hit Man" Hart, Shawn Michaels, “Stone Cold" Steve Austin, The Rock and John Cena into millions of homes each week. And on Aug. 30, 2010, it celebrates an unprecedented sports-entertainment milestone – its historic 900th episode.

Now airing in more than 145 countries and reaching half a billion households worldwide, few would imagine that Monday Night Raw came from humble beginnings, emanating from a small New York City theater when it debuted on Jan. 11, 1993. But through its explosive combination of high-octane action, memorable matches, shocking moments and sensational Superstars, Raw has remained Monday night’s most exciting show throughout its 17-and-a-half year history.

To help offer some perspective on how much ground Raw has covered, WWE.com offers up the following (semi) scientifically-calculated facts and figures regarding what 900 episodes works out to. Drag your mouse over the image below to find out all the numbers, and be sure to tune in to the monumental 900th episode of Raw – featuring Superstars from both Raw and SmackDown – on Monday, Aug. 30, at 9/8 CT.


Check out some memorable RAW moments in photos featuring Austin - Part 1 & Part 2






Back on March 15, 2010, Austin was special guest host for the Vince McMahon/Bret Hart Wrestlemania 26 contract signing. In case you missed it, go to WWE.com for more details, or check out the video re-cap that is here on the website.


WWEShop.com also has some great RAW DVD's, including their newest RAW DVD, "RAW: The Beginning - The Best of Seasons 1 & 2.


Relive the first two years of Raw with this 4-DVD set packed with more than 11 hours of matches and highlights featuring Bret "Hit Man" Hart, The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels and more!



Expect to see some great & memorable Austin moments tonight. I am sure Austin will NOT be making an appearance. He's currently headed to Texas, unless it's a pre-recorded message (which I doubt). He Tweeted last week to a fan on Twitter that he will not be there.

What are you favorite Austin RAW moments? Let's start a Twitter trend: #SteveAustinRAWMoments (other hashtags: #SteveAustinWeb #RAW #RAW900 #WWE)

Sunday, August 29, 2010

The Expendables - Box Office Results for 8/27-8/29

The #1 badass action film in the land, got it's ass kicked this weekend at the box office.

In it's first week's release, "The Last Exorcism" came in at #1 with $23.5 million. With "Takers" coming in at #2 with $19.5 million in it's first opening week.

"The Expendables" is still in the top coming in at #3 with $9.2 million with a gross total of $81.7 million.

Last week, "The Expendables" were #1 in it's 2nd week earning $16.5 million with a gross total of $64.8 million. Leading the way from "Vampires Suck" & "Eat.Pray.Love"

Who cares if it landed at #3. It's still badass! And that's the bottom line.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

WWE Classics on Demand TV Update

For previews & videos, visit the official WWE Classics on Demand website.

Shorties Section - Wild Texans
n this month's Shorties section, we head down to Texas for matches featuring top Superstars and Legends from the Lone Star State including Eddie Guerrero, Dusty Rhodes, Terry Funk, Dick Murdoch, Stan Hansen, Stone Cold Steve Austin and others.

TV Classics
The Monday Night War continues with classic Raw and Nitro episodes from 4/13/98.


*If you do not have WWE Classics on Demand, contact your local cable providers.*

WWE Toys: Hall of Fame Series & Event

Source: WWE Newsletter & K-Mart.com



WWE Special Delivery: Hall of Fame Series Collector Event!
On Saturday, August 28 at 11AM at your local K-Mart

The event will feature the launch of the Limited Edition WWE® Legends Hall of Fame Series figure assortment, which is only available at Kmart. Packed with some of your all-time favorites, the assortment includes:

* Stone Cold Steve Austin
* Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat
* "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes
* Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka
* Sgt. Slaughter
* Terry Funk



Click here for info on autograph sessions with Sgt. Slaughter & Dust Rhodes (scroll to the bottom).

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Steve Austin InterviewMagazine.com Article

Back in Action
By Alexander Howard
Source: InterviewMagazine.com

"Working with [director] Sly Stallone was one of the best experiences of my life," says Steve Austin, one of the starts of The Expendables, and who most will remember for his sneering caricature as a celebrity of the professional wrestling ring. When he's not mocking you, you know something significant has happened "It was very competitive among the guys; really brutal and really realistic."

At the movie's meaty center is Steve Austin as the down and dirty bodyguard appropriately dubbed Paine. Austin clinches the climax of the movie with two sequences with Stallone and his UFC counterpart Randy Couture. "The first time around [with Stallone], there was too much finesse, so we just decided to make it brutal." But brutality has its costs, and when butting heads with this particular director, the cost can be high: "I must have had a goose egg on my forehead and ended up giving Sly a few stitches. He was cool about it and only told me to bring it even harder!" For the rest of film, Austin gets certifiably ruthless with Stallone and his crew of mercenaries (including Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, and Randy Couture). But there is more to the 6'2, 250-lb former WWE superstar than meets the eye.

For instance, few would imagine that the teenager who would become one of the most recognizable faces in entertainment planned on becoming... an insurance salesman. "Well, my father was an in-surance man," Austin emphasizes with a South Texan drawl. "So I went to junior college on my football scholarship and studied accounting—although I grew tired of that pretty quick and switched my major to P.E." Austin burned out and left college with just 17 hours left on his degree, and wound up working his way to a top-pay forklift job as a dock worker. "The bosses at the company I was working for wanted me to become a terminal manager, but I knew it wasn't really for me. And then one night, this commercial came across the TV for a professional wrestling school, so I enrolled and got the shit kicked out of me , day one." Though he wasn't exactly following in his father's footsteps, Austin's parents supported him through the early days.

The way to the top was (unsurprisingly) tough: "Monday night was Memphis," Austin rattles off matter-of-factly about his early days on the local Tennessee circuit. "Tuesday was Louisville, Wednesday was Indiana, spot show on Thursday, and then we'd drive through the night to Dallas for Friday just to come back Saturday to film Memphis TV and do Nashville that same night." After years of working the same rooms, week-in and week-out, and living off uncooked potatoes, Austin eventually became a national superstar in the WWE. Still then, there was more to fight: "At one of the few matches my mom came to see, I was wrestling with a Staph infection that had taken hold in my right elbow, and I had to do a Pay-Per-View event later that week. Seeing me so sick wasn't a great memory for her." The cumulative effects of a long, injury-filled career eventually brought Austin out of the ring and into acting, where he's been happy to tap into his slightly less brutal side.

So what exactly makes Steve Austin tick? He's still an animal in peak physical condition, but his favorite days now are spent motoring around his Texas ranch with his chocolate lab Hershey. Bud Light is still his favorite beer (Austin was renown for his tendencies to drench himself and his vanquished opponents in the suds after a match), but now he favors the subtle complexities of a Cliff Lede cabernet. "I guess I was born with the drive," he says. "I just always wanted to be successful at what I did, and at whatever you want to do, you have to bust your ass and do it a hundred percent." Even if you think pro wrestling is fake, his success is pretty real.

Video: Mick Foley Mentions Austin in New MTV News Interview

Mick Foley recently conducted an interview with MTV News talking about wrestling and "working stiff" (throwing real punches and kicks in a "staged" event). Below is an excerpt from the article:


But Foley said that there was one guy who was especially aggressive. "Stone Cold [Steve Austin] in his prime was no day at the park when he was firing up for his big comeback," Foley said of the star of "The Expendables" and, like Foley, a former multi-time WWE Champion. "The crowd would be so enthusiastic and he would feed off that enthusiasm. Everyone would benefit except me. But the truth is, among all the wrestling opponents that Steve had, we'd all commiserate and say 'But we can't say anything — he's Stone Cold!'"


For more, you can read the entire article at the link provided above, or watch the video below:

Photos: Steve Austin at the Premiere of "The Last Exorcism"

Monday, August 23, 2010

Video: Raw 900th Episode Celebration

WWE RAW is having it's 900th episode celebration one week from Monday. Austin is featured in the clip below:

Audio: Wrestling Observer Radio - Interview With Steve Austin

Source: F4WOnline.com

♪ Go to the website or click here for a pop-up player.


Wrestling Observer Radio with Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez returns with the biggest guest in show history, STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN! In this hour-plus interview we'll discuss his entire career, including memories of breaking into the business, training and learning to work, World Class, Skandar Akbar, his WCW run, Brian Pillman, becoming Stone Cole Steve Austin, memories of the 90s, his match with HBK at WrestleMania, Mike Tyson, his heel turn and final match with Rock, the Expendables, and so much more. An awesome show with Steve, so check it out!

Website Announcement - 08/23/10

Hey guys, a real quick announcement:


Okay, I gotta get back into "school-mode" again (sucks)!

I will be starting my last semester of college tomorrow (Yay! Graduating in December). I will be taking 5 classes (2 science, 2 writing, and a computer class!) + working, and they both will require a great deal of my time. I will not be updating as fast as I usually update, so updates will be a little late...

On the layout, you will have to wait until September to see the website at it's best. Sorry for the inconvenience.

You can still contact me through Twitter and of course through my e-mail (continue to send in news, photos, questions, comments, & any other submission that you have).

I will respond as soon as I can.


Thank you for understanding & thank you guys for your support. It is GREATLY appreciated!

Love, Peace, & 3:16
- Joyce

Sunday, August 22, 2010

The Expendables - Box Office Results for 8/20-8/22

This week at the box office there was a bidding war for the #1 spot this weekend between "The Expendables" & "Vampires Suck".

At Week 2, since the nationwide release of the film on August 13, "THE EXPENDABLES" still reigns as #1 at the box office. This week they earned an estimated $16,500,000 more earning a gross total of $64,890,000 from last weeks weekend/opening estimated gross of $35,030,000.

"Vampires Suck" came in at an estimated $12,200,000 with a gross total of $18,563,902 with "Eat.Pray.Love" coming in at #3 with $12,000,000 and a gross total of $47,102,916.

Let's continue to keep The Expendables #1!

"Hunt To Kill" Film Advertisement

Source: DVDActive.com

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Photos: Magazine Scans

Here are a few magazine scans from "Fighting Spirit Magazine" in the UK on "The Expendables" & a scan on "The Stranger". Thanks to Wrestle-Galleries.info for the scans!!!

Friday, August 20, 2010

New Austin Film Update

Austin tweeted tonight that he will be filming a new movie in mid-September. Here's what he tweeted:


I will be shooting a movie in mid september in Vancouver...action packed S.W.A.T. team shoot em up...


Austin just finished wrapping up an all new episode of "Chuck" that airs in October.

He has another film called "The Boxer & The Kid" coming out soon. "The Expendables" is now in theaters (and is still #1 at the box office!), and his film, "Hunt To Kill" is due out on DVD & BluRay on November 9, in the US & October 25 in the UK.

Austin is most definitely on a roll with his film career!!!

Thursday, August 19, 2010

The Expendables Body Count Poster

Found this interesting compiled list from Collider.com.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Video: Interview with Melissa Hernandez

Video: Stone Cold" Steve Austin Presenting at CAC

Source: BostonWrestling.com

JR Blogs: Fans on Wins/Losses, Mentions Austin

JR recently blogged about wrestling fans putting too much emphasis on win/loss records. Here's what he had to say:


Some pro wrestling fans put too much emphasis on win/loss records and not enough on the overall performance of a bout. Steve Austin didn't win too many bouts when he first arrived in WWE and his career seemed to work out pretty well. I even remember 'losing streaks' of guys like Barry Horowitz and Mike Boyette back in the day helping make both wrestlers more relevant.

Nicole Richie Blogs About Steve Austin

Today Nicole Richie made a blog post about Austin with a photo attached:


Don’t eff with me, look who’s got my back for life! Stone Cold Steve Austin! We are a dangerous duo.




The photo was taken on the set of "Chuck" recently while the two were filming for the October episode.

The Expendables Sold to SPIKE TV

Source: HollywoordReporter.com

Lionsgate has sold Sylvester Stallone's "The Expendables" to Spike TV after last week's $34.8 million theatrical opening.

Spike TV, which earlier picked up "Kick Ass," will air its latest movie purchase in April 2013.

Besides Stallone, "The Expendables" stars Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Eric Roberts, Randy Couture, Steve Austin, David Zayas, Terry Crews and Mickey Rourke.

"We're committed to monetizing our strong slate of films in all distribution platforms, and Spike has proven to be a perfect partner for our action thrillers," said Lionsgate Television Group president Kevin Beggs

The deal was hammered out by Rand Stoll, Lionsgate's executive vp of TV sales, and John Griffin, Spike TV's senior vp of programming.

"The Expendables" is produced by Avi Lerner, John Thompson and Kevin King Templeton.

Monday, August 16, 2010

Steve Austin FHM.com Interview

Source FHM.com
By Laurence Moz (09 August 2010)

1. How was it working on The Stranger?

It was an interesting film to make just because it had more character research more so than physicality and fight choreography, and that was one of the reasons I wanted to do the project. It was just on of the ways to show a different side of myself and it was interesting as The Stranger doesn’t have background to base the character on, because he was in various amnesiatic states. So it was an interesting challenge, I’m happy with the way the movie turned out and you know again it was just a way of showing a different side of myself. But I’m not going to put myself at Leonardo Di Caprio's level.

2. Would you rather do 'deeper' movies, rather than plain action?

After just seeing The Expendables, at the LA premiere, it just makes me clamour more towards action movies, but you know what I just like to do any kind of movies that I have fun making. My core audience expects action, but I’d like to do something in the humour comedy vein, like a buddy action cop movie or something like that, I don’t see myself in too many chick flicks or rom-coms. However, I wouldn’t be opposed to doing one if it came down the pipe.

3. Did you get to meet much of The Expendables cast?

I met all the guys, and you know it was a lot of fun, and I grew up watching Sylvester Stallone movies so when I got the chance to go meet with Sly it was a meeting that lasted about 30-40 minutes and I was talking to the guy like I’d known him my whole life. It was a small part, he offered and I accepted and in the movie Eric Roberts is my boss and I’m a bodyguard to him.

It was so fun working with Eric, because he’s a world-class actor. The guy kinda took me under his wing and got to ask him a million questions every single day and to this day we’re still trading calls. The guy has helped me out a whole lot and I'd sit there and talk to Mickey Rourke, all the guys. I’m a big UFC fan and Randy Couture’s career and I get a fight scene with him, he’s got a good career.

4. Did you meet Arnie?

I met Arnold in the ring, way back in the day, when they first shot their scenes, I think that was in LA somewhere and they were the only guys on the set when that happened because the movie was already finished and man that might be the best scene in the movie. They trade some great barbs back and forth. To see those three action movie heros in a scene together, it was pretty electric for me because they’re like my top three guys.

5. Is there a big difference between working as a Wrestler and working on action movies?

The difference is remembering all the technical choreography. People think wrestling is all choreographed, I didn’t choreograph my matches you might have five things you know are going to happen in a match but you create the rest in the ring and that’s what the top people do and that’s what I did.

Even if I didn’t even meet the guy I could go out there and have a match if he was experienced hand in the ring, it’s like dancing. Some people think that sounds funny but that’s really what pro-wrestling is about. In the ring you’re listening to 18-20,000 people a night, well back in the day anyway. So you use that energy and you use that crowd noise to influence the decisions you make in the ring.

In acting there might be a hundred people there, what with the crew and then lights, cameras, action and you’re hitting marks, it’s a totally different ball game. It’s a different kind of focus. It’s very challenging, I haven’t mastered it yet, It’ll be a long time before I even come close to mastering it if I even ever get that close to it.

As Stone Cold Steve Austin, I think I had a PHD, I was damn good at that other job and if I can get that same kind of laser focus in to some of the characters that I play, in front of the movie camera or TV camera, them I’m gonna be okay, but I’m still yet to reach that comfort zone as of yet. That 100% zone I had as Stone Cold.

If I hadn’t of got dropped on my head and got injured like I did, I’d still be in the ring. My first love in life was to be a pro wrestler, at first I got into movies to keep me from being bored. I was retired for three or four years and I didn’t want to go back to driving a forklift, which is what I was doing before I got into wrestling. But I’ll never forget my wrestling fans because they’re the ones that put me on the map.

6. What do you think of the current state of Wrestling at the moment?

The talent in the wrestling ring is fine the problem is getting a place for them to learn, theres no more territories for them to learn and really get their chops up before they reach the big time because they start off in the big time. I started off in Dallas Texas and when I moved to Tennessee and then I was working every single night, then to WCW working every single night, I’d worked for several years before I hit the big time in WWE.

By the time I got to WWE, I was an absolute working machine in the ring, I was a mechanic. I wasn’t a star, but I had chops, I had a great routine, I was a great wrestler and there’s no place for that to happen these days. But that being said they’ve got some great people teaching those kids, over there in Florida and Lance Storm has a great school in Canada but there’s not any places to get real real experience before they hit the big time.

So that part of the business has changed and it’s a PG flavoured business. I don’t run a billion dollar company, but I helped build one as Stone Cold and adult wrestling is my flavour, that’s what I like, that’s what I grew up watching. These days it seems they’re trying to entertain a little bit of everybody with a lot of things. Bottom line is you’ve got a wrestling on the marquee so you’ve got to stick with wrestling.

7. Do you think there will there ever be another golden generation? Like the likes of The Rock, HHH, The Undertaker, Kurt Angle, Mick Foley and yourself?

We hope that it will be as good as it was. But don’t get me wrong those guys like John Cena are doing a great job. But when you’re talking about a locker room with the depth that we had and the different diverse gimmicks and characters that were walking around and didn’t look like everyone was coming out of the same gym or tattoo shop. I’m not running these guys down today I’d love to see business today go back to the way it was.

8. What is your opinion of British wrestling?

In my opinion all British Wrestlers all come from the same mold. They have a good wrestling background and they’re usually pretty good tumblers Steve Regal is one of my good buddies, I loved his work. I loved Davey Boy Smith and Dynamite Kid.

England has turned out some hellacious wrestlers and it’s a great breeding ground for talent and there’s a couple of guys on the scene at the moment with the great British accent busting chops. It would be great see if they could get a league going over there and make some money.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Video Update: Austin on Jay Leno

Hunt To Kill DVD/BluRay Release Dates

Hunt To Kill starring Steve Austin, Eric Roberts, and Gary Daniels will be released on DVD & BluRay on November 9, 2010.

The film will also be available on DVD & BluRay in the UK on October 25, 2010.

You can pre-order now for both regions.

The Expendables - Box Office Results for 8/13-8/15

The Expendables (which was released nationwide on August 13) became #1 at the box office this weekend grossing at a $35,030,000, with Eat, Pay, Love trailing behind.

I saw this movie on Saturday, and it was awesome!!! Go out & see it!!! You will not be disappointed!

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Video: Austin on Jay Leno (8/13/2010)

*I apologize to those who can't view it via Hulu. I will try and find better quality video as soon as it is available.*




Friday, August 13, 2010

Video: Expendables Red Carpet - Las Vegas

TV Reminder: Austin on Jay Leno

Austin will be a guest on tonight's Jay Leno show. On NBC at 11:35 PM+EST / 10:35 PM+Central / 7:35 PM+PST.

THE EXPENDABLES - NOW IN THEATERS



For those of you living in the USA & Canada, today is your lucky day!

The most anticipated action movie of the summer is officially in theaters!!!
See Sly, Statham, Li, Lundgrin, Couture, Willis, Crews, Rourke, Schwarzenegger, and of course Austin, and all of your favorite action stars in one kick ass film! This film is guaranteed to blow up the box office! And that's the bottom line...

Go show your support for Austin and see The Expendables!!!

For more theater release dates in your country, click here for a list.
If you see the movie, please be sure to send in your thoughts and reviews to the website. :)

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Video: The Expendables Premiere in Las Vegas Interview

Photos: The Expendables Premiere in Las Vegas

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

USAToday.com Steve Austin Article

Source: USAToday.com
By Brian Truitt, USA TODAY

Steve Austin is quite the character — and has been a number of them over the years.

His antiheroic "Stone Cold" pro wrestling persona was a hit with fans in the late 1990s. That led to him playing mean hombres in action movies such as The Expendables, in theaters Friday.

But off screen, Austin's personality is more laugh-out-loud than rough-and-tumble, says the 45-year-old grappler-turned-thespian. "Believe me, if we hung around all day, you'd laugh your (butt) off. I believe in my comedic timing more than I do in my tough-guy abilities, trust me."

He's bad-guy bodyguard Dan Paine in The Expendables, a thorn in the side of the heroes of director, writer and star Sylvester Stallone's action film. For a guy who tussled with "The Rock" way before he was Hollywood's Dwayne Johnson, having a face-to-face with the likes of Stallone was a dream come true.

"I'd never met Sly in my life, but I'm a huge fan, and I've seen probably every movie he's done and grew up watching him," Austin says.

"It was an easy meeting — it was like I've known the guy for 10 years. He offered me the job on the spot, and I accepted it on the spot."

Stallone sustained a hairline fracture in his neck while filming a sequence with Austin, and he made sure to bring that up during the Expendables panel at Comic-Con last month.

"I love this guy," Stallone says. "He broke my neck. He snapped it, (but) it was my fault. I now have this little thing with three screws. People say, 'Don't get screwed,' and I'm like, 'I already have. Three times.' "

And Austin and co-star Eric Roberts bonded the first day on set in Rio de Janeiro when they had to jump through a large fireball. "For two heterosexual men, we all but held hands all day every day," Roberts reports.

A native Texan, Austin wrestled professionally for 15 years, living out of a suitcase and seeing the world one packed arena at a time. He reached the top of that food chain with his foul-mouthed, middle-finger-flipping "Stone Cold" character. He retired in 2004 when wrestling started to take too much of a toll on his body.

"And I did nothing for three to four years. I just hunted and fished a lot," says Austin, who owns a 2,100-acre ranch 90 miles south of San Antonio. "Then I said: 'You know what? I'm bored, and I'm way too young to not be productive.' "

Austin had enjoyed guest-starring with Don Johnson on Nash Bridges back in its late-'90s heyday. So he decided to move to Los Angeles with his three dogs, Hershey, Shona and Brio, to give acting a shot.

Roberts, whom Austin considers a mentor and friend, says the burly actor will do well in show business because he's witty.

"You never think that by looking at him because he looks like a monster, actually," Roberts says. "But he's not. He's a total sweetie-pie. I just love him like I love family."

Austin is starting to work out his acting muscles more these days. He's filming the family drama The Boxer and the Kid, about a former pugilist who takes a bullied kid under his wing, and he returns this week to the set of NBC's Chuck to film scenes for an episode to air Oct. 4. He is looking to do a Western soon, too; he's a longtime fan of John Wayne and Clint Eastwood.

He also yearns to do a comedy because, at his core, he's a funny guy. This is a man who, after all, hit his boss in the head with a bedpan in his wrestling days.

"I don't really care what I do. As long as I'm happy doing it and I'm making good stuff people want to see, I'm cool."

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Audio Interview & Article: Austin Praises new PG Era

The UK Sun
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
By Rob McNichol




♪ Audio
Click here or here for the MP3. Download it through iTunes here.




WRESTLING legend Steve Austin has said that the WWE were RIGHT to turn their back on the Attitude Era he ushered in.

As he pursues a film career with new movie The Stranger, Stone Cold believes that a John Cena-led PG-rated WWE is the best direction the company could follow in 2010.

In an exclusive interview, Austin told SunSport: "You will hear wrestling fans all over the world groan when they hear me say this but I think WWE are doing the right thing.

"Cena is leading the way now. It is a PG flavoured WWE theme and I think it's great for the longevity and the growth of their product in today's world."

Stone Cold's profanity-laced promos and rugged style epitomised the edgy 'Attitude' which WWE embodied from 1998-2001.

Others such as D-Generation X followed suit, but Austin was the originator and biggest star of arguably the most popular period in the long history of wrestling.

Recalling that period, Austin told us: "I remember one time Vince came up to me, I was flipping the middle fingers and all that.

"Vince said 'Steve, we were wondering if you could come up with a different hand signal than the middle fingers. Something that everyone watching could do.'

"I guess it's not so politically correct for a six-year-old kid to throw up the middle finger.

"I said 'No. I'm going to be who and what I am.' And Vince kind of said 'OK' — or at least the ratings and the merch sales said 'OK'. So that's the direction we went with the WWE, and everybody

else followed suit.

"I was definitely the leader of that 'Attitude' revolution movement, and everybody else said: 'Oh, look what Austin's doing. We need to go down that road too.'

"I'm not taking credit for everybody's act, because we had a lot of great talent back then, guys that came up in my wake.

"But did I lead the way? Yes sir, I did."

Many critics say that WWE's new PG direction — with a ban on blood, extreme violence and nudity — has caused them to lose fans to grittier productions such as UFC.

However while Austin believes that wrestling can learn from mixed martials arts, he insists that we should remember who influenced MMA in the first place.

"Wrestling already did this years ago," he stressed. "Real promos geared towards guys with championship matches and involving gold belts, and then a personal angle.

"Nothing crazy, just a personal angle. And the interest was keen, because it was based on a shoot.

"What UFC are doing is what pro wrestling used to do in a simulated variation. It used to be a serious product, with serious shoot-style interviews, working interviews geared to make money,

not all written and handed out to these guys to be memorised.

"UFC interviews are based on a shoot and they are non-scripted. Those guys out there are trying to sell tickets for a fight and they talk accordingly. It's a serious product that's in the ring

"Wrestling is supposed to be that serious product in the ring as well. That's not to say that you can't laugh, smile and have some humour in there, but you don't want to do slapstick Three

Stooges comedy while you're trying to draw main event money at a big PPV."

Stone Cold's latest appearance in WWE came shortly before WrestleMania, as a Guest Host, setting the scene for Bret Hart's Mania reappearance with Vince McMahon.

Austin and Hart had some of the greatest matches of all time, and his time working with the Hitman is a pleasant memory which he fondly recalls.

He enthused: "Bret's a guy that I have respected from a long time before I met him, and after I met him and after I worked with him, the total trust and respect we always had in the ring for each

other was a big reason for the chemistry and camaraderie. I love Bret Hart.

"I hope he's at peace with himself — he's having fun and he looks like he's feeling good. I'm glad to see Bret Hart out there still. In my mind he's one of the best of all time, and he's a true

legend."

Austin also told us that he still keeps an eye on the current wrestling scene. He watched TNA Impact last week and said he enjoyed seeing some of his old ECW cohorts back together.

And in the company which he labels his 'lifeline', WWE, he singles out an unexpected name as one to watch for the future.

"I kind of favour a guy named Husky Harris in NXT right now just because he breaks the mould," Austin revealed.

"He doesn't look like he just came from a gym or a tattoo shop. It's nice to see a different body structure over there, finally, and I'm hoping that guy has a great career, takes care of himself and

continues to learn the business.

"He's a second generation guy, and could be a stand out in the ring."

With his wrestling days behind him, Austin is now successfully pursuing a career in the movies.

He is just about hit UK screens playing a bad guy in The Expendables, alongside action heroes including Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham.

And he also has a new edgy thriller, The Stranger, out on DVD.

In the flick, he plays a man with no name, no memory and nothing to lose, fighting off assailants while seeking his identity.

Austin added: "It's an interesting story and a story that required a little more acting chops and physicality. It looked like a challenging role so I took it on.

"Basically, it's a story about an FBI undercover agent who infiltrates the Russian Mob, and through the course of the movie a dramatic event happens in his life and he pretty much loses his

memory so he goes through these various states of amnesia.

"I did some research. I researched amnesia and stuff like that. Normally, I try to create characters that are grounded, their traits and characteristics. It's hard to create a grounded character who

really doesn't remember who he is.

"It was very challenging for me to film. It gave me a chance to show a little bit of a different side of me that just fighting and killing people. That was one of the interesting things to me about

this project."

He continued: "If it's a good story and a good script then I'm pretty cool with it. I would love to try something in the humour or comedy vein. Or drama.

"But I'm still working and trying to be as good an actor as I can be. I really don't worry about being stereotyped in just action movies.

"That's a big part of my core demographic from my wrestling days."

That Austin recalls his roots and does not shy away from his involvement in sports entertainment is pleasing for wrestling fans — and proof you can be successful in another industry, but still

be proud of what you achieved between the ropes.

It certainly means a lot to him too.

Austin concluded: "When you see how you influenced and impacted people, walking on the street or on my Twitter account, I'll get messages from people I helped out, as they were able to live

vicariously through Stone Cold or the strength of Stone Cold, and it helped them through their personal problems.

"They grew up with that guy. It's meant a whole lot to me.

"I'm not a wrestler any more, but I'm so proud of my wrestling career, and I have such fond memories of it and I'll always love the business.

"If it wasn't for that wrestling career I wouldn't be where I'm at today."

Video: The Expendables Junket Interview with Lundgren & Austin Part I & II

Part 1


Part 2

BodyBuilding.com Steve Austin Interview

Steve Austin describes Sylvester Stallone as a director and working with the stunt team on The Expendables.

Monday, August 9, 2010

The Stranger DVD Giveaway (UK)




Stone Cold Steve Austin’s The Stranger is released today (8th August) and Anchor Bay have been kind enough to give us 3 copies of the DVD to give away. The Stranger also stars Erica Cerra, Adam Beach, Ron Lea, Viv Leacock and is directed by Robert Lieberman.

To be in with a chance of winning The Stranger on DVD, answer to the following question using the form:
What is the name of Steve Austin’s character in The Expendables?

Go here to enter into the contest.

Friday, August 6, 2010

Austin Guilty Over Sly's Neck Break?

Source: The Press Association



Steve Austin feels understandably guilty about breaking Sylvester Stallone's neck.

The Rocky star was left with a hairline fracture in his neck after a fight scene with the former wrestler for their new film, The Expendables.

"I've told him I was sorry a hundred times already. I don't know if he's forgiven me or not," Steve admitted at the Hollywood premiere of the movie.

"I didn't want to hurt anybody but I ended up breaking Sly's neck in a fight scene, I never knew I'd broken his neck until a few months later when he had it fixed," he explained.

He added: "I don't know if he drinks beer - the guy's a fitness fanatic - but I'll sure buy him a beer if he wants one!"

Steve told reporters how he had quickly felt at ease with the Rambo star.

"I'd never met Sly before, but it was like talking to an old friend. We had a lot of common ground," he said.

He explained: "When he got behind the camera that was the cool thing for me, that's when you get to see the artistic Sly which I never knew existed."

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Steve Austin USAWeekend.com Interview

Sure, he beat up people for 15 years as a professional wrestler — and starting this weekend, he can be seen throwing down with Sylvester Stallone in The Expendables —but Steve Austin is a caring kind of guy who loves his dogs, a pair of labs named Hershey and Shona. And he felt bad he couldn’t take them along with him when he filmed The Expendables in the sightseeing-friendly locations of Rio de Janeiro and New Orleans.

"Hershey didn’t get a chance to come. I’m telling you, the next time I go to Louisiana to shoot a movie, I’m taking her," says the man formerly known as "Stone Cold." He may not be showing up weekly on TV as a World Wrestling Entertainment superstar, but Austin is staying busy with his acting — he’s currently filming the drama The Boxer and the Kid, as well as stopping by the set of NBC’s Chuck to shoot an episode next week — and entertaining thousands of his fans via his lively Twitter feed.

We caught up with Austin to talk about The Expendables as well as how he’s doing in his second career:

The Expendables took you to some interesting places. Do you still enjoy traveling in your post-wrestling career?

The traveling these days, it is what it is to get to a job. Back in the day, when I wrestled professionally for 15 years, my life was on the road and I lived out of a suitcase. Even when I came home, I would open my suitcase, lay it on the floor and would basically live out of that and wear the same stuff over and over again. I’d wash it and put it back there because there was never any sense in unpacking. You always were on the road. Now, I don’t go on vacation to any crazy destination. I want to go to South Texas to my ranch. I don’t really look forward to traveling anymore just for pleasure. As long as it’s for business, I’m cool with doing it because it goes with the territory. But I don’t travel for leisure at all, just because I spent my life doing that.

You've got an intense fight scene with Sly in The Expendables. Do you ever read the script of an action movie, see some sequence and go, "Whoa, not doing that…"?

No, not really. I’m not extremely dialogue-heavy in this movie by any stretch. Eric Roberts is my boss in the movie — I’m like his right-hand guy and intimidation factor. I knew exactly what this part was going into it, and Sly beefed it up a little bit. I knew exactly what I was getting myself into. At the end of the day, I wanted to make a movie with Sly and the other guys as well, and we had a great time. It was a great opportunity for me to make a movie with a guy that I always looked up to.

That must be cool as an actor - and a dude - to be in such company alongside Jason Statham, Jet Li and Dolph Lundgren, among others in the male-heavy cast.

It is. I come from the world of pro wrestling and that’s behind me now. That’s the biggest body of my work and what I’m known for right now. In that job and what I chose to do, I was at the highest of the food chain that you could get. But now, to try to start over and turn into the best actor as I can get; to hang out and watch Sly the way he conducted his business, from the fact that he wrote this movie, he directed it, he’s starring in it with all the other guys who are in there; and being able to sit there and talk shop with Mickey Rourke for 45 minutes, it was just a lot of fun. This is the kind of experience that a guy like me would kill to be a part of.

Since you started, what part of your acting has improved the most?

It’s just being able to be settled in and not nervous. I’m starting to really get a sense of what it takes to prepare for a role. I’m starting now to really relax a little bit more in dialogue scenes in some of the independent movies I’ve done. I’ve got a long ways to go, but I’ve always been a big believer that on-the-job training and experience and repetition are the key things to get better in anything you do. To me, it’s hanging out and working with people who are better than you and more experienced than you. Every one of my scenes was with Eric Roberts. We became great friends, we still trade phone calls to this day, and as far as just hanging out with a guy and asking a bunch of acting questions, Eric Roberts is pretty damn high up there on my list. The fact that he was so cool to me and took me under his wing was absolutely wonderful.

Was that ever intimidating for you, to start a whole new career after reaching the pinnacle of your previous profession?

No, I didn’t get nervous or put pressure on myself because if it didn’t work out, it didn’t work out. I’d just move on to the next thing and go do something else. I wanted something that was going to be as challenging to me mentally and physically, and acting is. It’s a tremendous challenge, I’m learning every day, and that’s what I enjoy about it. It’s just like everything I’ve always done: I’m going to go out there and try my best and do the best I could. Whatever the best I can do is the best I can do. When I was doing high school athletics and everything, my parents never pushed me like crazy. They just supported me. I believe in anything you do, you just do the best you can, and if you’re not going to do the best you can, don’t do it.

It also seems like you're having a lot of fun.

I am. In the wrestling business, for years it was a fun life, but in the ring you didn’t know you could have fun. And then after you’re experienced enough, you can have fun. That’s one of the keys to loosening up and being a better actor is having fun with it. Being serious at the same time, but as I learn more, about how to be comfortable being another character. I was really successful at being Stone Cold. I’m not trying to be that in every part I have.

You Twitter a lot. How much have you embraced technology? Do you have the latest iPhone, a computer, etc.?

I don’t have the big computer setup, but I’ve got everything at my ranch and in my place in LA. I don’t have the latest, greatest iPhone – I’ve got the next one down. I’m doing a lot better than I was. [Laughs] I’m starting to pick up on things. Everybody’s doing it, so you might as well get in the game at some point.

Interacting with fans, does that hone your comedy a bit?

When I started doing the Twitter thing, man, I was so anti-technology, but I’ve learned to embrace the Twitter thing. I would get on there and just make these ludicrous workouts and they would turn into one story after the other about me fighting sharks and whatnot. And people would think that I was drunk or whatever, which I was not. Tweeting out the most ludicrous things and the funny stuff I like to say are just ways for me to entertain myself and a way for me to stay in touch with my core fan base. When you leave the machine of what is the WWE, you have no way to reach out and talk to those people and communicate with them. Believe me, with my largest body of work coming from the world of professional wrestling, I know why I’ve gotten the roles that I’ve gotten. It’s not because I’m Marlon Brando. I do think I am bringing something to the screen now and learning to bring more, but I love my pro wrestling fans and I always want to stay in touch with them. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t have been anybody or had a career.

Video Haul: The Expendables LA Premiere: Austin Interview, Arrival






Video: Austin on the Red Carpet - The Expendables Premiere in LA

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

JR Blog's - August 3, 2010

Source: JR'sBBQ.com


Steve Austin called me yesterday and he's been hitting the promotional trail hard working on 'The Expendables' which has its Hollywood premier tonight and opens in theaters August 13 which is Summer Slam weekend. Steve just finished yet another movie in Vancouver and is weighing several options on other films that are being pitched to him. Steve is such a devout wrestling fan that I honestly feel like that if he wasn't' loaded with projects and commitments that he would love to attend the NWA Legends Fanfest in Charlotte if only as a fan. You can follow Steve on Twitter @steveaustinBSR.

UK "The Stranger" Trailer

Video Haul - August 4, 2010

Exclusive! The Expendables Trailer featuring Austin


The Expendables Exclusive Clip in HD

Trailer Park Movies | MySpace Video


LA Premiere: Talking About Stallone (Austin starts at 1:00)


Fan Video

Austin Arrives


Austin Greets Eric Roberts

Photos: The Expendables LA Premiere