When WWE Legend Stone Cold refused to work with top AEW star
WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin has gone toe-to-toe with some of the best in the industry. However, back in 1997, the veteran outright refused to work with Jeff Jarrett.
During the late 90s, Stone Cold was arguably the biggest name in pro wrestling and WWE, alongside the likes of Triple H and The Rock. However, Jeff Jarrett was a third-generation wrestler and quite accomplished in his own right at the time.
During an interview with the now-defunct Get in the Ring radio back in 1998, the WWE legend explained why he didn't want to get into a feud with Double J.
"Jarrett wasn’t physical enough — he didn’t hit the ropes hard enough. And it wasn’t a case of me being able to bring him up, more a case of him bringing me down because of how hot I was. He can’t hit the ropes hard enough to bust an egg; I had a violent, physical work style. I mean, Jesus, you want to work with me, bring it!"
Austin also recalled the night former WWE Head Writer Vince Russo pitched the feud to him:
"I said, ‘I told you son of b****es that I never wanted to work with the guy. And now you’re gonna make me come here and play the bad guy?"
1/5/98: Stone Cold gonna Stone Cold.
Austin stuns the new NWA North American Champion Jeff Jarrett and then mocks his strut. https://t.co/dB9nGBRosN
In an interview for the 2005 Mysteries of Wrestling: Solved book, Jeff Jarrett addressed the WWE veteran's claims.
"Steve Austin has drawn a ton of money but threw a phony punch. This business is all about perception, so I really don’t understand that one, to this day. There’s a lot of things that you can pinpoint in Jeff Jarrett. But his in-ring work? I’ve never heard that. This statement about hitting the ropes confuses me more than him, not wanting to work with me." [H/T: ProWrestling Stories]
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Is there still beef between the WWE Hall of Famers today?
During Jeff Jarrett's 2022 appearance on The Broken Skull Sessions, the two WWE veterans reminisced about their early years together and how things have changed since then.
"I’ve known you almost as long as I’ve been in wrestling," Austin said. "But over the years, there has been perceived heat between myself and yourself.”
Jarrett then added, recalling how often the perceived heat between the two of them gets brought up.
"[People] latched onto the story and it kept growing and kept growing,” Jarrett added. “I can’t tell you how many interviews I’ve done and [interviewers] said, ‘Man, Stone Cold hates your stinking guts. Why?’ I’m like, ‘Hate my guts?! That’s pushing it a little.’" [H/T: ProWrestling Stories]
Stone Cold then cleared the air and seemed to put the issue to rest. Taking into consideration how both men laughed the situation off in the end, it seems like it could have either been a work or that they've since ironed out the issues they once had.