Steve Austin on WWE Unreal: ‘I thought I was going to hate it’

Would you be surprised to learn that Stone Cold Steve Austin enjoys WWE Unreal? You wouldn’t be alone—Austin was surprised himself. 

Austin talked about the show in an interview with Zack Heydorn at The Takedown On Sports Illustrated. In particular, Austin expected he would not like Unreal because a product like that would not have been allowed when he broke in. 

“I thought I was going to hate it,” he said. “When you come from the era that I came from, especially if you were in a Bill Watts territory, it was kayfabe. You didn’t smarten up anybody. If you smartened up anybody, you’re going to get fired. If you get in a fight with some guy at a bar and he kicks your a–, you’re going to get fired, because you got to protect the business. So, I thought I was going to hate it from that standpoint. They give away a lot of information, but that’s what it’s for, right?”

To Austin’s surprise, the personalities highlighted on Unreal were so captivating he found himself drawn into the show.

“The talent is so likable,” he said. “Whether they’re heels or babyfaces, the talent shines so much. You end up liking it just because the talent is so likable. The old school part of me says, ‘hey, man, you can’t give away too much,’ and I think it’s a good show because of the freaking talent on there.”

Austin is not sure, however, if Unreal would have helped his career. 

“When I was doing my thing, you really thought I was that guy,” Austin said. “I wasn’t back there just doing interviews, laughing, and joking because I got a sense of humor. Back then, you didn’t think I had a sense of humor. You believed that I was an a– whipping machine … Now, if you saw me back there just laughing and joking with everybody, you might have a different perspective of Stone Cold the character.”

Austin is scheduled to take part in the WWE World interactive fan experience over WrestleMania weekend in April. Tickets are available here.