Steve Austin talks about getting paired with Pillman, Vince, Not blaming Eric Bischoff for firing him

As noted earlier, with things being a little slower on the site during Christmas, Wrestling INC.’s Christian Miller and myself are using the downtime to catch up on recapping some highlights from recent podcasts. Here are some highlights from Steve Austin’s recent appearance on Chris Jericho‘s new podcast, Talk Is Jericho.

Being paired with Brian Pillman:

We were in Dothan, Alabama or Columbus, Georgia. It was one of those towns down there when we were based out of WCW where we did a lot of our television tapings. And, man, I was fixing to be put with Harley Race and have a run as United States Champion and I was really looking forward to that television taping because, man, when you get a chance to run with an eight time world champion, Harley Race as your manager, it’s going to be the push of a lifetime. Dusty’s booking at the time. Here comes Flyin’ Brian, who I just kind of knew casually because we were traveling down the same roads together being on the same cards. He comes up to me, Brian used to call everybody kid, hey, kid. That’s where I got it from. He goes, hey, kid. I need you to come here. I said, “what’s going on?” He said, “well, we need to come up with a finish for a tag team now.” I said, “what the f are you talking about, dude?” I said, “I’m fixing to go on a singles run with Harley Race. “He said, “nope. We’re a tag team. We have to think of a finishing move. Go talk to Dusty.”

So I went over and talked to Dusty. I said, “hey, Dusty what’s the deal? Brian says we’re a tag team now.” [imitating Dusty Rhodes] “Yeah, baby. We’re going to put you guys in a tag team.” Apparently we’re a tag team. So that’s when I went out there with those garbage blue and black trunks I had and Brian had those Cincinnati Bengals trunks and we were just kind of an interim tag team, seemingly to get guys over. And so, Brian and I were going to be at the same shows all the time, we started traveling together and many times Scotty the Body Raven would travel with us as well and we struck up a friendship. The chemistry was developed. Brian came up with the Hollywood Blonds name. We have to have gold chains. We have to have matching trunks. We have to have the vests. All Brian’s ideas. We just became like brothers going up and down the road.

When he got in the ring, I could damn near read his mind. When I was in the ring, he could read my mind, ya know? This was real tag team wrestling, Chris. Not this kind of stuff that you see some guys just get thrown in there and try and create a tag match. We were really a team. We cut off the ring and worked together. Feed bumps, use the referee in the right way, and so we knew what each other was trying to do. So I really, really enjoyed working with Flyin’ Brian and really enjoyed probably just the friendship I had with him more than anything.

The Hollywood Blondes being cut off so quickly:

It doesn’t make sense. There wasn’t any length [of top stars] in the singles division and we got over, ya know? A lot of people call the Hollywood Blondes, I don’t think we’re one of the greatest tag teams of all time, but there are some people who kind of consider us on that list. I think, had we stayed together two or three more years, yeah. We could definitely be on that list. We didn’t really have enough matches under us to do that.”

Getting fired from WCW by Eric Bischoff:

[How he was fired from WCW] It was a phone call, but the FedEx came the next day. It was basically exactly what Eric Bischoff said. “Steve, based upon the amount of days you’ve been incapacitated, and the amount of money we’re paying you, we’re going to go ahead and exercise our right to terminate the agreement.” So basically you’re telling me I’m fired, right? He said, “yeah, you’re fired.” So this was right when I had tore my triceps off my elbow and I was making my recovery. I was going to be a few more weeks. I had been out for several months. When you have a triceps detached it takes a while to grow back. So it was during that time, and prior to that I had had some knee issues. I had some messed up knees. Hey, man. I was a hard working guy and put it all on the line, but some debilitating injuries you just can’t make your shots.

So anyway, that was the way he broke down firing me. I think it had something to do with that, and him just not seeing a big future for a guy with thinning long blond hair called Stunning Steve Austin. Although, I was very angry when I got fired, because that was my job. I need my job to pay my bills. When I look back and look through Eric Bischoff’s eyes at where he was and my look, my character or lack of, and what I was presenting, I don’t blame him for making the decision that he made. I don’t at all.

Feuding and working with Vince McMahon:

Well, there would have been a Stone Cold Steve Austin [without Vince], there just wouldn’t have been that angle. So certainly that angle, but again, who knows if that angle would have crossed into pop culture or water cooler conversations through accounting firms. I mean, everybody was watching that stuff. People that didn’t watch wrestling watched it. Probably for sure wouldn’t have had that crossover. Stone Cold would have still had a great career, but make no mistake about it. Vince McMahon and Stone Cold Steve Austin, as far as feuding together, working together, was absolutely made for each other. I’ve always said, and all the cats I’ve ever worked with, Vince is a clumsy, clumsy guy, but he’s one of my favorite guys to work with because everything I put out from what I feel about the business, I get the exact same back [from him].