Steve Austin critiques Vince McMahon’s WWE in-ring ability
While speaking with The Takedown on SI for a 3:16 Day interview, Steve Austin looked back at his WWE feud with Vince McMahon while offering insight into what made their on-screen dynamic so effective.
The Austin-McMahon rivalry helped define the Attitude Era. It extended into the ring with them facing off against each other multiple times. While McMahon was inexperienced in that aspect of the business, Austin feels like he was able to adapt quickly despite his limitations.
“Vince started at the ground level and went all the way up. And so he’s seen a lot of pro wrestling matches and been a part of them and just as far as, you know, some input creatively or maybe from booking, but he didn’t have reps in the ring,” Austin said. “So, he’s green as hell. But for some reason that guy just had an innate ability to perform and he thrived on the reactions of the people and because he had such a vast knowledge of seeing some of the greatest heels, greatest babyfaces or workers in the business perform, I think he drew from that.”
Austin, while admitting that McMahon was “clumsy” and “not graceful” in the ring, said the chemistry between the two was so strong that it made up for any other issues.
“And certainly I think he put in some reps behind the scenes maybe with somebody there in Stamford, I don’t know,” Austin said. “But he was, he’s clumsy, you know, he’s not graceful. But you know me, I’m not necessarily the most graceful human being in the world either.
“But for some reason the chemistry between us was so strong that whatever obstacles were there — his greenness or whatever — he really spun up and learned the patience process, letting moments build, work the crowd, not pandering to the crowd. There’s a fine line there, but for some reason for or for a lot of reasons, that guy picked onto the business really quickly. And there was never any nervousness about working with him.”
McMahon has been out of WWE since resigning in January 2024 in the wake of the sexual abuse lawsuit filed against him by former company employee Janel Grant. That lawsuit remains ongoing.
Rosanne Raphael is a wrestling writer with over three and a half years of experience covering all things related to the industry. From a kindergarten teacher to PR Associate to turning her lifelong passion for the industry into a career, Rosanne is currently writing for F4W Online where she focuses on wrestling news, analysis, and storytelling.
Rosanne previously contributed to Sportskeeda as an Assistant Content Manager.
When not consumed by wrestling, Rosanne is a musician and an aspiring artist.