"Hell no" - Jim Ross reveals which WWE Superstar Steve Austin did not want to face
Jim Ross has revealed that Steve Austin would not have liked the idea of facing Chyna in a WWE Championship match.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Chyna regularly competed in matches against male Superstars in WWE. In the build-up to SummerSlam 1999, she briefly became the number one contender for Steve Austin’s WWE Championship. However, the storyline took a twist and Mankind ended up taking her spot.
Speaking on his Grilling JR podcast, Ross recalled to host Conrad Thompson that Steve Austin was aware of Chyna before she even joined WWE. Although they got along behind the scenes, The Texas Rattlesnake seemingly had no interest in sharing the ring with her.
“No, Conrad, I do not [think Steve Austin wanted to face her],” Ross said. “Not no - hell no. Steve was in that original trio of guys [with Shawn Michaels and Triple H] that sat there and talked to Chyna way back in the day when we began this story. I don’t think they ever had a cross word but Steve is old school enough that he’s not gonna do that.”
Steve Austin lost the WWE Championship against Mankind in a Triple Threat match at SummerSlam 1999. The other Superstar in the match, Triple H, was accompanied by Chyna.
Please credit Grilling JR and give a H/T to SK Wrestling for the transcription if you use these quotes.
Steve Austin and Chyna’s history
While the Steve Austin vs. Chyna SummerSlam match never took place, the two Superstars did cross paths on two occasions in televised WWE matches.
The Corporation (Chyna, Kane, Ken Shamrock, Test, The Big Bossman & Vince McMahon) defeated Steve Austin on RAW in February 1999. Chyna & Triple H also fought to a no contest against Steve Austin & Jim Ross on RAW in October 1999.