Steve Austin interview in WWE Magazine...

[DC]

In your opinion, what is it that makes a WrestleMania rivalry truly legendary? To me, what matters most is the strength of the two guys in the feud and how much one guy is loved and how much the other guy is hated. The more important you are, and the more people love or hate you, the bigger the feud. I also think the style of wrestling comes into play. Whether a guy’s a great technician or a brawler, those are elements that bring something interesting to the match. While we’re on the subject of great WrestleMania rivalries, your Submission Match against Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13, in which you passed out in the Sharpshooter, was a defining moment in your career. Where do you rank that match? I first found out about that match when I was at home in San Antonio with an injured knee. I was watching Raw, and a commercial came on for WrestleMania 13. I heard Vince saying that the main event would be Undertaker vs. Sycho Sid, and the second main event would be Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart, and then the kicker came…in a Submission Match! I literally flew off my couch thinking, “I’m not a submission wrestler!” But it all came together that night; at the end of the match, the fans started chanting “Austin, Austin.” I tell people that that was probably the most important match of my career. All matches are important, but that one was pivotal for me, and it set the standard for many things to come. For all the feuding, you and Mr. McMahon never met at WrestleMania. Do you regret never getting the chance to battle The Chairman on the Greatest Stage of Them All? I can’t say that I regret it. But it would have been nice to face off against Vince at WrestleMania, just because that’s our Super Bowl, and that was our bread and butter - Austin vs. McMahon. I think you could have easily put us in a match at WrestleMania, but for some reason we always did other things. I don’t regret it, though. We did so much, and we did it so well. Vince is one of the few people that I felt truly matched my beliefs and my intensity. We understand each other on many levels. There are very few people who I’ve thought really had the same intensity, conviction, delivery or gut instincts that I do. I’m not speaking disparagingly about anybody; that’s just the way I feel when it comes to what "Stone Cold" Steve Austin brought to the ring every night. What about you and The Rock? What did you two have that made your WrestleMania matches so special? Our rivalry was all about high expectations - his expectations for himself, and my expectations for me. He expected he would steal the show, I expected I would steal the show, and we brought out the best in each other. We were alike in a few respects, but total opposites in others, and that’s what made the chemistry work. There was always electricity in the air whenever "Stone Cold" and The Rock faced off, especially at WrestleMania. We both knew we were going to put everything on the line and make sure the crowd went home saying, “Man! The Rock and "Stone Cold" stole the show!” Which WrestleMania match waged between you and The Rock stands out as a favorite? That’s an easy one: WrestleMania X-Seven in Houston. I grew up 100 miles from Houston, down Highway 59 South; it was right in my backyard. And my alliance with Vince at the end was a real shocker. Looking back, it wasn’t the best thing we ever did. But the whole match up until that point was easily one of the greatest contests I’ve ever been a part of, and the best WrestleMania battle The Rock and I ever fought, bar none. 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! The Rock won the last bout you two contested, leaving the final count between you two at 2-1. Are you aching for another shot at him? No - that was my last match, and I’m not looking for a rematch. I don’t think 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’m very happy and satisfied with the memories I created in the ring, and I don’t want to try to recreate them. And I definitely do not have any interest in delivering anything that would be second-best to what I’ve done before. Speaking of dream matches ... let’s settle this once and for all. What are the chances of us ever seeing Austin vs. Hogan? 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 give him credit for having such a wonderful career. He did, and so did I. When I got hot in WWE, it was like nothing anybody had ever seen. But then there was nowhere else for me to go, so I decided to move down the road. I don’t care to wrestle Hulk Hogan. I don’t think it would live up to fans’ expectations.

Credit: WWE.COM

[the HiTman]

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