WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin recently spoke with Scott Fishman of TV Insider to promote his “Broken Skull Challenge” show, WWE Royal Rumble and more. Below are some interview highlights:
On Sunday’s WWE Royal Rumble match:
“It will be interesting to see what they do with [Bill] Goldberg and Brock [Lesnar]. You are expecting they are meeting at WrestleMania for another match, but they do have to do epically well in this because of the physicality of both guys. They just brought Undertaker back. He has to be a force in there. Braun Strowman is a physical guy in there. He has to be strong and eliminate a decent amount of guys, but is he ready for a main event slot at WrestleMania? I don’t know. There are so many things to consider when I look at this; I’m not even going to try and book it. I’m just looking forward to watching it.
“…They are relying on the established stars to help out with their experience. I think it’s more than nostalgia. There are these guys who have been there, done it over and over. People still want to see them, but the fact they are this veteran presence and super well-known. Most of that roster is not over to the degree a lot of the current guys are. So blend them in there and let those young guys get the rub, do well, because they are the future. The nostalgic guys bring that older and hardcore fanbase because most of those guys were from the ‘Attitude Era.’ They are drawing any way they can to sell tickets and put asses in those seats.”
On The Undertaker:
“I mean, how much left does The Undertaker got? He is a friend of mine. I don’t have his phone number or his email address. When we see each other we do catch up, though. The career that guy has at being almost 7 feet tall. The bigger you are in the business the more toll I think it takes on the body. You observe bumps differently. That guy has been through some wars. We used to always kid each other with who is going to last the longest. I got out in 2003, and that was 14 years ago, and this S.O.B. is still going. It’s been an unbelievable ride and an incredible career. He is a badass. There is only one guy who could have pulled that gimmick off the way he is doing it, and his name is Mark Calaway.”