WWE.com: Austin Talks "Tough Enough"

Source: WWE.com

The announcement that “Stone Cold” Steve Austin would host WWE Tough Enough – premiering on USA Network April 4, the night after WrestleMania XXVII – elicited roars of excitement throughout the WWE Universe. It’s that kind of reaction which has the iconic six-time WWE Champion and WWE Hall of Famer relishing the idea of stepping into a new ring of WWE competition and picking up a WWE microphone once again. And the bottom line? As he told WWE.com’s Joey Styles, Austin’s young Tough Enough charges will listen to every word he says. If they don’t, The Texas Rattlesnake has no problem going “Austin 3:16” on anyone who doesn’t pull their weight on WWE’s new reality series.

WWE.com: Why did you decide to host Tough Enough?

AUSTIN: I was just excited about being a part of WWE again. I still watch WWE, and I’m excited to have input in making future stars in the business that I’ve loved since I was 7 years old.

WWE.com: What are you looking for from the Tough Enough contestants?

AUSTIN: The name of the show is Tough Enough, but along with being “tough enough” to take the bumps, bruises and travel, you’ve got to know how to wrestle, how to talk and how to be charismatic. That being said, this show will be “tough enough,” as the name implies, and it will be physical. I am looking extremely forward to putting these young men and women through their paces. I will make sure they’re busting their asses in the ring with the trainers, and with me.

WWE.com: Who trained you, and what part of your training do you want to pass along to the Tough Enough contestants?

AUSTIN: I broke in back in 1989. I was trained by “Gentleman” Chris Adams, and it was decent training. I learned the basics. I paid my dues. I want to see the contestants pay their dues.

WWE.com: How is becoming a WWE Superstar today different than becoming a WWE Superstar when you did it?

Austin:There are only a couple of guys left in WWE who were around from the days of the regional territories. I came up through those territories. Back then, you had to scratch, fight and claw your way into the business. Some of these contestants have paid their dues and just not gotten a break. Some are just green. Regardless, we’ve got some fun and cool competitions. This is going to be a true competition to make one of these kids earn a WWE contract.

WWE.com: What if one of the Tough Enough contestants disrespects you?

AUSTIN: I wouldn’t stand for that B.S. I paid my dues. I know more about WWE than anything else in my life. It’s just not gonna happen.

Steve Austin is Back! Steve Austin to Host WWE's "Tough Enough"

It was confirmed this afternoon by Entertainment Weekly (and counter-confirmed by WWE) that Steve Austin will indeed be the new host of WWE's reality show, "Tough Enough".



From ET

EW has learned exclusively Tough Enough, the back-from-the-dead WWE reality contest series, has its new host: Stone Cold Steve Austin. The show will premiere April 4, after Monday Night Raw.

Sigh. I was so hoping there’d be some way to get Al Snow back, but I guess I will just have to, er, toughen up. Steve Austin is one of the WWE’s crossover stars — even non-wrestling fans like me are pretty familiar with him, and he obviously has plenty of on-screen experience.

What I liked so much about Snow as the mentor, though, was his ability to turn off that in-ring persona and be a strict teacher, a focused father figure, and occasional goofball. I’m hoping Austin has that same knack, and isn’t just Stone Cold Steve Austin TM with his mentees; I hope sometimes he’s just a regular dude.

From WWE.com

USA Network and WWE announced that WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin will host USA Network’s upcoming reality series "WWE Tough Enough." The non-scripted series will premiere Monday, April 4 at 11/10 CT, immediately following USA’s ratings juggernaut WWE Monday Night Raw, and move to its regularly scheduled slot in primetime, Mondays at 8/7 CT, starting on April 11.

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin has captivated audiences around the world with his magnetic presence and bold, yet charming nature. Austin has done it all in sports-entertainment, winning 17 championships, including the WWE Championship six times. He has an immense and incredibly devoted fan base, and is considered one of the most popular WWE Superstars of all time. Austin was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009.

"I am very excited about the opportunity to work with my old friends at WWE on 'WWE Tough Enough.' Sports-entertainment has always been an important part of my life, and I look forward to finding the next generation of WWE Superstars," said Austin.

"Stone Cold" will share his intimate knowledge, experience and flair for the stage as one of the most popular figures in WWE history to a group of individuals looking for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become the next WWE Superstar or Diva. Austin will mentor the diverse group of men and women who will live, train, eat and sleep under one roof in a house in Simi Valley, Calif. Each week, the contestants will battle it out in a series of unique challenges designed to test for such characteristics as showmanship, creativity, athleticism and desire, just to name a few. Viewers will witness the trials and tribulations of what it takes to be one of the best in the world’s greatest sports-entertainment organization. The grand prize winner will be awarded a contract with WWE.

Since leaving the world of sports-entertainment, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin has made a name for himself in Hollywood, with roles in such blockbuster hits as The Expendables, staring Sylvester Stallone and The Longest Yard, starring Adam Sandler and Chris Rock. Other film credits include Damage, The Condemned and Hunt to Kill. In addition to film, Austin is a household name from his work on hit television shows such as NBC’s Chuck and CBS’ Nash Bridges.

Shed Media US, noted for its strong characters and memorable casting in the non-scripted arena, will produce "WWE Tough Enough." The company’s previous reality credits include The Real Housewives of New York City, Who Do You Think You Are and World's Strictest Parents. Producing for Shed Media US are Alex Demyanenko and Eric Van Wagenen.

The non-scripted premiere of the show will air April 4th at 11/10 PM CT right after Monday Night RAW (ironically, this is the same day he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame back in 2009 - AND just in time to ring in SAW.com's very own, "Stone Cold Appreciation Day"!!!) The regular scheduled time will be on Mondays at 8/7 CT, starting on April 11.

So, what do you guys think about Austin returning to the wrestling business and hosting the show?

WWE Too PG for Steve Austin?

Source: LFPress.com

Any thoughts of a WWE comeback by Stone Cold Steve Austin will have to be put on hold.

Austin is doing just fine on a movie career, with his latest, Hunt to Kill, out on direct-to-DVD and getting good reviews.

Plus the current WWE environment may not exactly be Austin's cup of tea.

"It's a PG business these days," says Austin, who shot down rumblings he would appear on RAW on Dec. 27. "And the Stone Cold character is close to being an R-rated act. I was edgy and I had a lot of fun doing it."

He says injuries played a big role in his early departure from wrestling.

"When I was in WWE, I had my neck fused and I could see the end. When I retired, I didn't do anything for four years. I just stayed in Texas and hunted and fished. One day I woke up and said to myself, 'Dude, it's time to do something.' So I moved to L.A. It wasn't my goal in life to be an actor.

"I had a delayed start. If I hadn't had so many injuries, I'd probably still be in wrestling.

"As for returning (to the ring), I'm not interested. I always say never say never, but the thing is, man, I'm pretty much done."

But now he's an actor and he's committed to getting better, just like he did as a wrestler when he rose up to become an icon. He's done movies like The Longest Yard, Damage and The Expendables. And he's got his sights set on doing plenty more.

"I was a great in-ring performer. I was one of the best ticket sellers in the business. So if I could duplicate that success ...

"I'm a tough critic on myself, but I'll tell you what, I watched (Hunt to Kill) three weeks ago and it's really good. "My skin is thick enough that along with the good things, I can take the bad, too.

"I'm still figuring things out, but I'm a little more relaxed and the experience factor is starting to kick in. I'm a sponge. After working with Sly (Sylvester Stallone) for three months on The Expendables, I learned a lot from him.

"I'd love to try a romantic comedy. Most days, I'm laughing my ass off, so a comedy would be good."

In Hunt to Kill, Austin plays U.S. Border Patrol agent Jim Rhodes, struggling to raise his rebellious daughter in the mountains of Montana. When a crew of trigger-happy fugitives take Rhodes and his daughter hostage, you can bet that Austin lays down a big can of whoopass.

Austin says he grew up loving action movies.

"Back in the day, it was Sly, Arnold (Schwarzenegger), Steve McQueen in Bullit. There was Cool Hand Luke, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. I remember watching Rocky and I ran home, got up the next day, drank some eggs and ran down the road."

JR Blog's About Austin Returning to the Ring

Source: JR's Blog

Saw where the UK Sun interviewed Steve Austin about another of Steve's movies being released eminently. Again, when Austin said "never say never" regarding him returning to the ring one can surmise that is true as long as Steve is healthy enough to want to train to get back into the ring but I would be shocked to see Steve ever want to wrestle anyone at anytime at any place in the future. Could it happen? Sure. Will it happen? Highly unlikely. Let the rumors begin and the speculation run wild, BROTHER! Steve is immersed in is movie career and to get back into the ring would take time away from that endeavor as Austin would never step back in the ring without several weeks or perhaps even months of preparation. Stone Cold has too much pride to ever step in the ring merely for a pay day and not to give his fans a helluva bout.

The Sun UK: Austin Teases Wrestling Comback

Source: TheSun.co.uk

WRESTLING legend Stone Cold Steve Austin has has refused to rule out returning to the ring for one final match.

The WWE icon may have become a major movie star with new flick Hunt To Kill out on DVD this month, but says he'll always be a grapple fan at heart.

And the star, who retired from the business in 2004, admits he can't stop watching his old friends in WWE and even rival firm TNA.

In an exclusive interview with SunSport, Steve confessed: "I just love pro wrestling.

"I watch all wrestling whenever I can, I watch WWE and I watch TNA. I've just always had that passion for the sport.

"That's what inspired me to enter the ring in the first place, I watched wrestling avidly as a kid and back then it was guys battering each other in smoke filled arenas and blood flowed freely.

"And that's why I still watch WWE and TNA all the time today, it's entertaining and takes me back."

In fact, it was talking about TNA that really got Steve thinking about an in-ring comeback.

Dixie Carter's company is home to many of his old friends from his stint in ECW as well as fellow legend Hulk Hogan, who he hasn't exactly seen eye-to-eye with in the past.

Speaking about the return of so many 1980s and 1990s stars, Steve told us: "We all have opinions on who should be on TV or not, but at the end of the day it's good to see the guys getting a payday and the respect they deserve.

"Those ECW guys who are in TNA today, many of them are old road buddies of mine and I have the utmost respect for them.

"To be honest it's great to see some guys still performing out there after the injuries they've had.

"I'm lucky, you know my neck is 100 per cent these days, I can do my own stunts and fight scenes where I can. I don't claim to be a tough guy, but I give it a go.

"My neck was fixed in 2000, I had to leave the ring because of the damage, but in my normal life and movies it's fine, although wrestling wise I'd be a total mess right now.

"You know I'm hearing Hulk is talking about getting back in the ring, even though his back is messed up.

"He was a big guy and all that wear and tear takes a toll on the back and the bigger the guy, the harder it is.

"But more power to him if he thinks he's fit to step in the ring. He's the immortal and only Hulkster, so ultimately he knows his body best. I respect whatever decision he makes.

"I never thought I'd say it, but when I'm asked about one more match these days I do tend to say 'never say never'.

"So don't rule it out."

Steve added: "I sometimes wish Hogan and I had a run. Imagine how good that could have been?

"Given the chance I'd have loved to have faced legends like Harley Race, Nick Bockwinkle and Andre the Giant.

"Those guys in their prime and me in mine would have been great."

Steve Austin's new film Hunt to Kill is released on DVD and Blu-Ray on October 11 by Anchor Bay Entertainment. The action packed film — his biggest solo project to date — sees him play a Montana Border Patrol Officer dealing with a dangerous gang of criminals and rebellious teenage daughter.

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.

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.

Audio Interview & Article: Austin Praises new PG Era

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

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

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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."

Austin On TNA Opposing WWE on Monday Nights, Says: "Just Brutal"

Source: PWTorch.com

WWE Hall of Famer "Stone Cold" Steve Austin called TNA's attempt to oppose WWE on Monday nights "just brutal" in an interview with IGN.com. Austin is promoting the release of his new movie, "The Stranger," out on DVD today.

Asked by Matt Fowler of IGN.com what he thought of TNA's brief run on Mondays, Austin replied, "Oh, that was brutal. Just brutal. I've always wished TNA all the luck in the world. I mean, they'll never be able to compete on a level platform with the WWE but I still just want the company to do well because I have a lot of friends over there."

Austin added that he believes TNA needs to find their niche as a different type of wrestling product compared to what WWE is offering.

"I think they need to differentiate the product even more from what the WWE is because they'll never be able to compete with that," Austin said. "But, that being said, they've got some interesting storylines and some interesting talent over there. It's an alternative."

Austin also tried to define his current working relationship with WWE two months removed from guest-hosting Raw. He said he doesn't catch the product as much as he would like to.

"Technically I'm still with the company. I'm totally independent but technically I'm still with the company and have a great relationship with them," Austin said. "I'm trying to focus on the things that I've got going (so) I really don't get to watch that much TV at all. ... I don't watch the WWE as much as I'd like to, but I don't really watch TV in general."

At the end of the interview, Austin is passionate and candid talking about wrestling from the 1980s that he grew up on, calling it "some good s---." He said he watches that on tape more than current wrestling on TV.

"These days, in my garage I have two cardio machines and a flat screen TV. I still watch wrestling. I love it. I'll always love it. I'm still hooked on it, I'm just not in it anymore," Austin said.

You can read the interview with IGN.com in the post below!

Sheamus Mentions Austin as One of the Greatest Wrestlers' of All Time In New UK Interview

Source: Sport.co.uk

Who’s the single greatest wrestler of all time?

(Pauses) There’s so many. (Sheamus briefly apologises for eating the ice from his Coca Cola.) It’s hard to single out just one. You’ve got ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin, the Rock, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Bret ‘the Hitman’ Hart, the Undertaker, Randy Savage – for me, those guys are some of the best. Andre the Giant for what he was – he was a huge star at the time. I can’t say that there’s one greatest superstar of all time but I can tell you that *I* will be the greatest superstar of all time!

You can read the rest of the interview by clicking the source link above.

Austin Talks of Coming Back to WWE to Face The Rock & Hogan

Source: WrestleHeat.com

In an interview with WWE Magazine’s special 2010 WrestleMania 26 Almanac, WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin says he still has no interest in fighting Hulk Hogan, despite WWE’s repeated attempts to make the match happen at the past few WrestleManias.

“After I retired, for two or three years, they asked me, ‘Do you want to wrestle Hogan this year? Do you want to wrestle Hogan? And the answer is: No, I don’t. “I don’t care to wrestleHulk Hogan. I don’t think it would live up to fans’s expectations.”

Austin says his match with Dwayne “The Rock” Dwayne Johnson at WrestleMania 19 in 2003 was his “retirement match.” Austin isn’t looking for one last rematch, because he doesn’t think it could be as good as their past classics.

“That was my last match, and I’m not looking for a re-match. I don’t it would be as good as what we’ve done before because we’ve both been out of the ring for some time. Could it be done? Of course. But there’s no use talking about it. … I definitely do not have any interest in delivering anything that would be second-best to what I’ve done before.”

When asked about his favorite WrestleMania match, Austin his WrestleMania 17 main event match against The Rock, but admits that turning heel and aligning himself with Mr. McMahon that night was a bad idea looking back.

“Looking back, it wasn’t the best thing we ever did,” Austin said. “Now, if I could go back, as soon as that match ended, when Vince walked up to me, I would have shaken his hand and said, ‘Watch the Stunner,’ and dropped him right there in the middle of the ring. That’s hindsight being 20/20!”

Dixie Carter on Rock and Austin Coming to TNA (old news!)

Source: WrestlingInc.com

Whether Rock, Steve Austin or Shane McMahon will ever be in TNA someday:

"There's nobody we won't go after. But they have to be right to come to the company. They have to be in it for the right reasons. They've got to fit in with what we're doing. If that's The Rock then fantastic. If it's RVD then fantastic. It doesn't matter. If somebody makes sense and has that work ethic and wants to embrace being a wrestler on a wrestling show and trying to do something different then we would love to have them. And, I promise you, we have many more exciting surprises to come."