I write a wrestling column every Monday and Friday for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. It can be found online at TribLIVE.com.
The latest column features some clips of a recent conversation I recorded with Stone cold Steve Austin. The full audio will be available on my radio show Tuesday.
LaBar: Tell me about “Steve Austin's Broken Skull Challenge” debuting on July 6 on CMT. It sounds like Redneck Cross-fit.
Austin: The idea of this show was born off of “Redneck Island.” That's a competition show but your voted off. There's a lot of drama. I love that show. While we're doing that, I was thinking to myself there's gotta be another show that's straight up competition. Just through all my athletic endeavors, whether it's football, baseball, track and field or the ranks of professional wrestling — I'm an extremely competitive person. I wanted to set the table for athletes to come to my ranch, compete against each other. No drama, well there's drama, there's some injury, there's some storylines, but it's all about the competition. Each week, eight athletes come to my place and at the end of the day one is left standing. That one person takes on my obstacle course which is called the “Skull Buster” the next day. When I designed the “Skull Buster” I designed it to whip a man's ass. You better be a bad ass to come to my ranch and beat my course.
LaBar: Anybody from WWE roster you think could handle this?
Austin: Boy, I tell you what Justin, that's a hell of a damn idea right there. One person comes to mind because of his background, Seth Rollins. Very athletic guy. Does some cross-fitting himself. I think his skills, size and strength would lend him to this. It's not all about agility, there's some head-to-head combat with other human beings. That's what makes the show unlike anything else on television, any other competition show. Seth Rollins might be able to do pretty well. You know what, season with WWE superstars on that thing would be highly entertaining.
LaBar: I agree with Seth Rollins. The guy I was thinking about was Cesaro.
Austin: You know what, you're right. I think Cesaro…it's a half-mile course, that guy is a physical specimen. To your point, yes, he'd be great as well.
LaBar: Just a few days ago was the 18-year anniversary of the Austin 3:16 speech. Does it feel like it was 18 years? And I guess a little thanks always has to go to Jake Roberts, who you were cutting the promo on and religion was such a big part of his deal because without him Austin 3:16 may have not been born.
Austin: I can't believe it's been 18 years. I had so many people send tweets to my Twitter account @SteveAustinBSR, reminding me it was the 18-year anniversary. It was a long time ago. I remember it like it was yesterday. Anytime I've ever talked about the birth of Austin 3:16, I've always given one of my favorites of all time, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, credit for that. Had it not been for Michael P.S. Hays telling me about the promo when I stepped out of the ambulance that would have never happened either, because I didn't know. It was just one thing after another that led me to Milwaukee, getting kicked in the mouth by Marc Mero, another thing that set the whole table for me. And let's go back to the (Madison Square) Garden where the Kliq hugged, because Triple H was going to be the guy who was going to win that event and they put the screws to him. When you look at all the things that had to line up for me to win that event and cut that promo, it was like it was pre-planned.
CLICK HERE for Austin on what the WWE Network needs to do different and his comment on it changing the finances of wrestling.
