All language subtitles for EP-07 - Stone Cold Steve Austin Last Match

♪

- There is no one

that has ever laced their boots,

any more intense,

any more with the will to win,

than Stone Cold Steve Austin.

[crowd chants "Austin"]

- I'd run myself into the
ground.

I wasn't in a great place
and it was time to ride off

the sunset, and I did.

- To be at your prime and at
the top of your game,

and then have to walk away.

Had to have been very difficult
for him to cope with.

- I did not handle life after
wrestling well at all.

I always said I would never
come back.

But, then I also said if the
stars ever aligned perfectly.

that I would,

- After 19 years,
Stone Cold Steve Austin,

He is back.

- When you haven't done this
for any period of time, and

all of a sudden you find
yourself back going in the ring

that doubt is crippling.

- I'm always concerned about
his health.

- Anything can happen out
there.

- Your body needs to be
grinded to be ready.

- I think some people are still
on the fence as to what it

was going to be.

I didn't know mechanically
what I could do.

- People didn't know what to
expect.

- It's a hell of a gamble.

You don't know what you
have.

Although I'll go into this
with a clear head,

- I don't have that momentum
confidence.

When that glass breaks,
I'm Stone Cold.

I fear nothing, and I'm ready
for everything.

Come here buddy.

Here's ol Rebel about
28 years old.

He's got some arthritis.

He's got some back problems.

So he's retired.

So he's living a good life
and just hanging out,

eating in the pasture.

Every now and I'll come out
here and drink a beer with him

Man, the grind of the road
is behind me.

It's been behind me for a
long time since

I walked away in 2003.

And coming out here to the
middle of nowhere in Nevada.

Just a peaceful surroundings.

It's an absolute Paradise.

Now, all these years removed,
my normal routine is

getting up about 5 or 6 in
the morning,

having a few cups of coffee.

It takes about an hour
to wake up.

All right.

Good morning.

All right.

See the things about chickens is

you start walking around
in the coop,

there's a lot of chicken
[bleep] in there.

Come on, y'all come
on out.

Here you go.
Here you go.

Normally when I'm coming out
here, I'm just walking around

drinking coffee.

My wife will usually feed the

chickens and horses and all
that stuff, and I kind of

watch her do that so-

The hard work out here is
really done by my wife.

[chuckles]

That's the truth

Got three eggs.

What a super score.

Farm fresh eggs.

Start selling these at the
grocery store.

It's a complete difference
from what I was used

to on the road.

That-that's a grind that you put
yourself through,

and it's an absolute blast.

My career wasn't the
longest, but God dang man,

it was a rocket ride from hell.

But kind of started getting
frazzled at a physical level

and somewhat of a mental
level as well.

I was rolling pretty hard in
those days

and that started to take its
toll.

The lifestyle that I was living

and the environment that I
was putting myself in

wasn't helping my physical
status.

You kind of start putting two
and two together and you think,

"hey, man, I might
have worn my welcome out of

what my body is willing to
put up with."

You never think about.

"Hey, man, this is the end."

All of a sudden, the end
just kind of starts showing

itself or presenting itself
in these small things that

start happening, and then
you kind of start putting two

and two together, and you
think at some point in time

you need to address the
situation and decide,

you know, if you're going to
stay in and continue the

risk, or are you going to
get the [bleep] out.

And for me, it was time to
get out.

- When it comes to walking
away.

When it's not on your own
term,

it's not what you want.

It's not the ideal.

We'd rather be able to write
our own ending.

- Leading up to
WrestleMania 19,

I had made the decision that
that was going to be my last

match, just based on how I
was feeling, how I was living.

I felt like [bleep].

This is going to be my last
match and that's it.

So going into that match,
I was just thinking,

"hey, everything's cool, it's my
last match,

I'm ride off in the sunset.

But before that I was at the gym
with Kevin Nash,

and we were on the
recumbent bikes doing cardio,

and my nervous system was
really jacked up and I didn't

know what was going on.

My feet were really shaking
and trembling badly.

I walked back to my hotel
room and I was on like floor 24.

It was way up there.

And I'm the only person in
the elevator, put 24.

I go up and as I'm about to
step off the elevator,

my heart starts beating.

I timed it, it was like 180
beats a minute,

and man, I think I'm
going to die.

I'm thinking, "Man, [bleep],
dude, this-

You're getting called this-

this is when you're going to
leave the Earth."

And all of a sudden the
doors open,

and there was Liz Difabio

WWE employee coming
down the hall.

And I looked at her
and I knew Liz, and I said,

"Liz, I'm in trouble."

Liz calls 911, two ambulances
show up.

They're running all kinds of
tests on me.

At the time, I was drinking,
you know, one, two, three

bottles of wine a night.

I drank two pots of coffee

When I woke up in the
morning, I'd drink three rip

fuels or whatever they call
it before you go to the gym.

I was consuming so much
caffeine and so much alcohol

and so little water that was
basically dehydrated and my

nervous system was on the
edge, so it just freaked out.

And so it turns out, as I'm
laying there in a hospital

bed, you know, the doctor
comes by the next morning and

I think he put four liters
of fluid in me.

I was really dehydrated.

And he never cleared me to
go to the ring uh and work,

but they cleared me to get me
out of the hospital.

And even though I just spent
the night in the hospital

when that glass broke,
that was go mode.

[glass breaking]

[crowd cheering]

And you know what?

If I went out there and
ripped it up with the Rock.

We had a great match, great.

If I end up, and then I died
in the ring.

Well, [bleep] it,
I died in the best place

I ever could have been.

- Here we go.

- Either way, you know,
the job is goin' to get done.

- You're seeing one
hell of a match-

between two of the greatest that
have ever been in the ring.

Oh, the Stunner.

The Stunner.

- Oh my-

- And so three Rock Bottoms.

And when that third count
went down,

I just felt like

[whoosh]

A peacefulness washed
over me

because at that moment,

the pressure was gone.

I wasn't put myself at risk.

I wasn't going to live on
the road anymore.

Life was going to change and
it was probably

going to be a lot easier.

The stress was off.

There was relaxation.

I didn't kick the bucket.

And I can go home.

- To be at your prime and at
the top of your game,

and then have to walk away.

Had to have been very difficult
for him to cope with.

- Anytime you put your heart
and soul into something for a

long period of time, it's
hard to walk away from it.

- Coming out of that spotlight
and going home,

it's a tough transition.

It's a lot harder than
you think it is

and a lot of guys will self
destruct.

- Retiring at 38 was very hard
to process.

I did not handle life after
wrestling well at all.

I didn't have a plan.

Just drank a lot.

I did a lot of hunting and
fishing.

When you're used to being in
front of people every night,

and you used to being on the
road,

on one hand I thought, "Oh man,
this is a great relaxation

because it's over, the pressure
is over."

But you miss the
people, you miss the boys,

you miss the adrenaline.

I can't say that in any way,
shape or form

has anything I've done since

taken the place or filled the
void,

that leaving professional
wrestling held for me.

And I'd say it took
me a couple of years to come

to grips with it and to
really, honestly, you know,

get my feet back under me,

and start moving forward as
a human being.

I was at the house in LA and
Vince McMahon called me.

I didn't know what he was
calling for and he said,

"Hey man, we'd like to put you
in the Hall of Fame.

What do you think?"

Ain't like, he's asking me the
question if I want to go in

the Hall of Fame.

like a God damn, I said,
"Yeah, [bleep], I'll be there."

[glass breaking]

[Stone Cold Steve Austin's
music]

- Going into the Hall of Fame
that night,

from an emotional standpoint,
extreme gratitude,

just because and through all the

things that I had done in my
career man, first and foremost,

I worked my ass off to try to,

you know, learn how to
entertain people.

And through all the
highs and lows,

and struggles and good times
and bad times,

my fan base has always stuck
with me.

Thank you so much.

I want to thank you so much for
always sticking with me.

It has been my pleasure and a
privilege

to make my living in a squared
circle, 20 feet by 20 feet.

- There's not too many things,

you know in this life that
I'm good at,

and it's just uh

[crowd chants "One more match"]

- Yeah, I don't know about that.

I always said I would never
come back-

And that's the bottom line.

'cause Stone Cold said so.

But then I also said.

If the stars ever aligned
perfectly,

that I would.

As far as WrestleMania 38
goes,

the first reach out to me

It was a really weird
thing because Vince McMahon

and Kevin Dunn wanted to
come down and say hi to me,

and I told my wife, Kristen,
I'm like, "Man, these [bleep],

they don't come down and say hi
to anybody."

So anyway, they come over to-to
this place right here.

And my wife cooks steaks and me
and Vince have a drink.

Vince goes, "What do you think
about, you know,

having one more match?"

And I shot him down.

I don't know, 4 or 5 times.

- It's a funny thing, because I
think Steve has been talked

to many times before about
doing things.

I think his name comes up,
you know, probably yearly,

and there's a question asked
about,

"Hey, you want to do something
at mania?"

- I never really wanted to
wrestle again.

I've walked away.
I'm done.

Vince was resolute on me being a
part of that show.

And finally, after about the
third, fourth or even fifth try,

they go, "You started in Dallas,
you end in Dallas.

One last can of whoop ass."

- The new find of Chris Adams
and the USWA wrestling school.

- Steve Williams.

- My career as a professional
wrestler began

in the Dallas Sportatorium.

No one in my family could
understand what

I saw in it or why I liked it.

My younger brother Kevin,
who has been my biggest

supporter from my family,
has followed my career ever

since I started and one of my
first matches in Dallas, Texas.

He was there.

- He told me he's going to try
it out, and I figured that'd

be great, you know, you got
the size, you got the build,

you know, I support him whatever
he wanted to do.

- I always said if the stars
ever aligned perfectly in the

sky, then I would have
another match.

And the caveat being it was
in Dallas, Texas.

It was where I started and
it'd be great to finish there.

It was with Kevin Owens,
who I knew was a great

guy and a great worker and a
great talker.

- You know, it sounds so corny
to say, but I was really the

biggest Stone Cold fan.

There's pictures of me when
I was a kid.

Head to toe in Stone Cold
gear all the time.

Austin hat, Austin shirt,
Everything.

Floor to ceiling, Stone Cold
Steve Austin posters,

and just uh,
just the biggest fan.

In 2005, Sami and I were doing a
lot of independent work.

- We are young independent
wrestlers and now we're

starting to break out into
the US.

We're starting to fly.

We're doing these flights on
zero sleep and sometimes two-

It's even happened with
three connections.

You know, whatever we got to do.

- We were in the middle of one
of those travel days,

and we're about to board our
third flight,

really dead tired.

And I just remember walking
toward the water fountain,

and I just looked to my left and
my first thought is,

"Oh, that guy looks like
Steve Austin.

Oh, that-that is Steve
Austin."

- I'm on the ground sleeping,
and I'm so-so out of it.

and I get woken up
in a panic by Kevin.

He goes, "Dude come on,
we got to go.

We got to go, right now,
We got to go."

And I'm so in
a haze that for some reason,

I'm under the understanding
that he's gotten into some

kind of altercation, and now
he needs me for backup.

We're about to go have a
fistfight.

- As we're walking towards
Austin, he goes,

"Who are we fighting?"

Like "What?"

- He thought I was asking him
to come fight some guys,

which, to his credit, he was
coming.

He was. "Okay. We're going to
fight guys in an airport.

That's a good plan."

But then I'm like, "We're going
to see Stone Cold Steve Austin."

Sami looks up, sees him and
goes, that's not-

"Oh [bleep], it is."

So we approached him-

- I remember Kevin Owens coming
up to me,

and Sami Zayn was there as well,

and Kevin started, you know,
running off at the mouth and

"Nice to meet me. He'd been a
long time fan of mine."

- We told we were independent
wrestlers.

And then he started talking to
us about wrestling.

Just what we're doing.

How things were going.

- Probably ended up talking to
him for a good ten minutes

And then it was time to board.

They called first class,

which obviously he was on,
and we weren't.

right before he boarded, like,
"Hey, before you go,

I just if you have one piece of
advice for us, what is it?"

- And I said, "Kid, you just
need to learn how to run your

mouth. You need to learn how
to talk."

- I took that advice to heart.

It's an understatement when
I say that advice probably

helped get me where I am
today, for sure.

I never would have imagined
that I'd work with Steve

because he retired 19 years
ago.

Honestly, I really thought,
something's going to change.

It's too good to be true.

But then, no, I went out on
TV and got to call him out.

I want to have the biggest,
most stupendous

KO show in history.

- The KO show is Kevin Owens
personal platform within WWE,

which nine times out of ten
ends with both Kevin and his

guest in some sort of
physicality.

- And you know, I've been
thinking about who my guests

could be, and I have the
perfect guest in mind.

Man, the goosebumps I had when
I said Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Like, I'll never forget that.

Stone Cold Steve Austin

[crowd cheers]

- The reaction, it was just so
unbelievable.

- Here we go.

In three.

- When I cut that promo in the
desert, I was just thinking,

"Been a long
time since I cut a promo.

What level of Stone Cold am I?"

- Stone Cold Steve Austin just
cut a promo,

and I thought maybe we should
watch it together.

- Kevin Owens, I want to
Thank you.

I want to thank you for
waking something up deep

inside me that I've kept
buried for 19 years.

- Stone Cold Steve Austin.

- You are one dumb son of a
bitch.

Whether you want to call
this a KO show, a match,

a fight, a brawl, whatever.

- Did you hear him say match?

- I will guarantee you this.

Stone Cold Steve Austin is
going to open up one last can

of whoop ass on you,
on you Kevin Owens.

And that's the bottom line,
'cause Stone Cold said so.

- Oh my God.

- It's funny because I talked
to Steve on the phone.

I talked to Steve face to face,
but that wasn't-

that was Stone Cold.

Like that promo was Stone Cold
and I saw it.

- The Nevada desert is kind of
my refuge.

I come out here to relax.

There's a lot to think about.

I never thought I'd get back in
the ring again in my life.

And so I come out here and
just cruise around in the buggy.

Sometimes I ride fast as hell.

Sometimes I just cruise.

It just gives me a chance to
relax my brain and not think

about it, because sometimes
I just need to separate

things and just chill for a
minute.

So it's very important for
me to come out here and

maintain my sanity.

But then going into AT&T
Stadium with 80,000 people

and trying to focus on doing
what I need to do with KO

put on a show, you know, that's
the-

I live for that moment just as
well.

I'll micromanage and micro
process everything

leading into that because I'll
be wanting to meet expectations,

not want to let anybody down,

because I know when they said,
hey, Stone Cold and KO

are going to do something.

I know a lot of people bought
some tickets to see that,

so I want to make sure that we
don't disappoint them.

But sometimes it's hard to
remove your mind

from dwelling on that.

- Not sure if you've heard,
but WrestleMania

is back in Texas.

- 150,000 fans pouring into
AT&T Stadium

over the next few days to attend
the WWE's marquee event.

- Saturday night sees the big
return of Stone Cold Steve

Austin to the ring, 19 years
after losing his last

WrestleMania match.

- Man, there's a lot to think
about.

I started my wrestling
career here in Dallas, Texas

back in 1989.

Well, when I agreed to be
part of WrestleMania 38,

I was just agreeing to be a part
of WrestleMania.

I didn't care where on the
card they put me.

I was just happy to be
there.

Vince called me and says,

"How do you feel about closing
the show-

on Saturday night?"

Pretty good, yeah.

So for me to be, 57

and being a main event at
WrestleMania were Kevin Owens.

There's a lot going on.

When you hear that you're going
to be the main event,

rather than just somewhere
part of the card, it changes

everything as far as
expectations.

So, you know, even though
it's not billed as a match

now because it is a main
event, at least in my head,

you know, there are expectations
that need to be met.

A couple of days before
WrestleMania, we go down to

Billy Bob's, which is great
honky tonk in Texas,

and we're going to release
Broken Skull American Lager,

which we just come out with.

The thing that I did take to
heart was the enthusiastic

response in which people
showed up to that event

and were ready to see it.

- Oh hell yeah.

- Hell yeah.

- There's the man right there.

- There he is.
Look at that shirt.

- Yes, sir.

- Has to be the best shirt I
got.

- Good luck tomorrow.

- Choose when you would like to
walk out, sir.

- I think now's a good time

- Here he comes, here he comes,
here he comes, light him up.

- Made me feel good and made me
feel confident.

- It was like God dang, man,
how long can I be gone?

You know, these people will
never forget about me.

If you don't know, uh
I'll tell you.

I'm involved
in WrestleMania 38 this year.

[crowd cheers]

Thank you again to everybody who
showed support and love.

What you people did for me

was give me a way to make
a living.

And if you had fun watching me.

I had twice as much fun doing
that [bleep] with you guys.

[crowd cheers]

- Are you ready for
WrestleMania 38?

Give me a hell yeah.

[crowd "Hell yeah"]

- I think everybody wanted to
see Steve back in a ring, but

he still didn't quite know
what you were going to get.

And I remember talking to
Kevin, who's a very good

friend of mine, and Kevin
didn't quite know

what he was going to get.

- My friends texted me like,
"What are you guys doing?"

I was like, "I don't know."

They were like, "well, it has to
be a match

if you're the main event,"

I'm like,"I don't know.
I don't know."

- It was never being promoted as
Steve Austin's last match.

It was more about he's going to
appear.

- Whether it was a
conversation, a appearance,

just the glass break in
general, I think is what a

lot of us were just hoping
for.

So we're pumped up about it

We hope there's a match.

- Thank you sir.

I've been in a few police
escorts in my day, but

WrestleMania in Seattle,
Washington all those years

ago was a pretty somber
experience because I'd just

come out of hospital, so it
was nothing like this.

It's pretty badass.

It's pretty chill, and it's
pretty special.

It's a strange weekend because
when I got here a few days early

just trying to acclimate,

I was kind of all over the
place, a little bit emotional

just as far as being
appreciative of being here.

There's no emotion today as far
as all that sentimental stuff.

- It's business at hand, and the
business at hand

is to go out there and
do the best I can to

entertain those people who
came to see, you know,

WrestleMania, the other WWE
superstars,

and specifically Stone Cold.

So it's laser focused time
right now.

If you'd have told me 19
years ago when I walked away,

"Hey, you know what?
When 38 comes around in Dallas,

Texas, all the stars are
going to align and you're

going to end up headlining
one night at WrestleMania."

You know, I would have said,
"You're full of [bleep]."

So it's a pressure situation
because you're going on last,

but man, if I don't go out
there and have fun,

I'm letting myself down and I'm
letting the people down.

When you go back into that
kind of setting,

it's an alpha state, and if you
ain't alpha, you're beta.

And I don't believe in being
beta.

What's happening, guys?

- No, no, no.

- Hey, we got some beers for
you too, man.

- If y'all don't drink a beer
with me after this [bleep]

is over, I'm calling you.

- What'd you think this is for?

All right, bet.

- This is why I got it right
here.

This is why I got it.

- Wait, which night?
Tonight?

- Bet.

[Background chatter]

- How are you feeling man?

You good?

- Yeah.

- Oh, I'm so excited
for you tonight.

- Hey sir.

It is an honor to meet you in
person, man.

- About time we finally met,

- I know, I can't wait to watch
you do your thing tonight.

This place is going to
[bleep] explode.

- Well, you know, we hope so

- Man.

- We hope so, I've been gone a
long time so,

you kind a wonder, you know if
you still got that connection?

- Man, I-I

Just seems like everything
passed by so fast.

- I-I, I swear to you I said
that earlier today.

It's just [bleep] flown by.

- There was a time where I
never looked at the end.

- Yeah.

I never thought, you know,
I just thought

I'd [bleep] do this forever.

- To have crossed paths with
all the people that I have

and done business with, all
the people that I have,

and to kind of transcend the
business

only because of the business,
especially,

particularly WWE and Vince.

And it really means a lot to
me.

And just the fact that I'm
from Texas.

I played football down the
road.

I started here in Dallas.

The chance to perform in
this building is really

important to me because I
played the Garden, I played

all of the great buildings, and
this is one of the Mac Daddy's

You can't pass up the house that
Jerry built.

You just can't.

This is home
of the Dallas Cowboys.

That's a global brand.

When you walk into a
building like this and your

head is on, right, the way I
look at it,

Jerry Jones built it,

but while I'm out here, when
that glass breaks, I own it.

- After 19 years away from the
ring.

Stone Cold Steve Austin, he
is back.

- When you calculate the time
off, age, the biggest thing

that we have, and the thing
that we rely on the most is

our timing and our fluidity
and all of that.

And when you're not in the
ring week after week after

week, it becomes difficult
to have that.

- Ready?

- As ready as I can be.

on short notice.

- You got this.

- Good to see you.

- It's just so hard for a guy
like Stone Cold Steve Austin

to come back and perform at
that level with not having

his body being grinded on
for 19 years.

- Before the big night.

- Well, he's never going to
hurt his legacy.

I'm always concerned about
his health.

- Thanks man.

For short notice, I sure tried.

- You [bleep] did it.

- Thank you.

- When you have done this for
any period of time.

Significant period of time,
and all of a sudden you find

yourself back going in the
ring.

That doubt is crippling.

- How long do I have?

- The sooner I have them
it would be better

just so I know what I'm
actually wearing.

- You know, can I do this?

Can I be what I was before?

Will they remember?
Will they care?

Vince had even had
conversations with Steve

right up until the day of
Like, "Look, if you get out

there and you're just
feeling a Stunner and that's

it, you know, that's it.

If you feel like you want to
do more, take it bit by bit,

and when you're ready to
say, that's enough,

that's enough."

- I know for all of us, when
you come back,

it's the most intimidating,
scariest thing that goes on in

our life is can I still do it?

It's the hardest thing in the
world to get over

because you don't know.

- Wrestling is very specific.

I hadn't done any kind of
work that was wrestling

related, so I didn't know
mechanically what I could do.

- You know Triple H would tell
me time and time again,

even up to that moment,
literally, Steve won't know what

he wants to do until he gets out
there.

- Even the fans in the arena
were not of the impression

this is going to be a match.

It was just going to be a
talking segment that would

likely end in a few Stunners
and some Steve-Weisers maybe.

- It's a hell of a gamble.

You don't know what you
have.

He could've got out there and
done one Stunner and been

like, "Forget that, I'm not
doing anything else."

And that would have been a
very quick main event.

- I will.

- I was kind of just winding
down from my own high of my

own match, and I heard Kevin
Owens go out,

and then I ran out to the side
stage,

and I was still in my
gear,

and I got my camera out because
I didn't want to miss

a moment of it.

- Sometimes, you know, if
there's a comeback or

something when you watch it,
there can be that debate of,

I wish maybe I didn't watch
that.

You know, I would rather have
kept the memory the way it was.

And you always run that
risk, right?

And I know for Steve it
would be the same.

You don't want to embarrass
yourself.

You want to go out there and do
right by the WWE universe,

and our fans do right by
yourself and your legacy.

You don't want to let
anybody down.

- You-you feel.

You feel a lot of things back
here?

Although I'll go into this
with a with a clear head

and a good space.

I don't have that-that momentum
confidence.

So hopefully when that glass
breaks, you know, my process is

Whatever that crowd gives
me,

I'm going to know where I'm at.

And is this going to make me,
you know,

want to run through a
brick wall?

Yeah, I'm a bad [bleep] again.
Here we go.

[Stone Cold Steve Austin's
music]

[crowd cheers]

- Man, once a glass broke and
the-the place went nuts.

[crowd cheers]

[crowd cheers]

- The coolest thing about that
was Becky, and these newer

generation people wanted to
be out in the crowd, actually

feel what the Stone Cold pop
was like.

- I mean, I'm a bit envious.

I wish I was kind of in that
spot just to be

a part of that energy.

It was pretty
rad.

It was pretty great.
Everyone was into it.

- You just you live and die by
that.

You're just thinking,
"God damn [bleep].

Thank you.
Thank you for remembering.

It's been damn near 20 years
and you still give a [bleep]."

[crowd cheers]

- Oh ho.

Here we go.

- And then it's like, you know,
[bleep] yeah, man.

Let's go [bleep] do this.

[crowd cheers]

[crowd chants "Austin"]

- Stone Cold taking part in
the KO show

in and of itself was a massive
event.

It definitely fit at
WrestleMania, but there had

been a lot of wishful
thinking.

It had seemed so impossible.

Of course, Stone Cold's
in-ring days were done.

No way that was going to
happen.

- I don't want to talk.

I'm looking for a fight.

[crowd cheers]

Once I said "I'm looking for a
fight."

The like just the buzz that
grew.

- If you will, Stone Cold Steve
Austin to compete in a match

tonight against this sack of
[bleep].

Give me a hell yeah.

[crowd "Hell yeah."]

- I didn't even know it was
going to be a match.

He's going to be on Kevin Owens
show.

I figured he's going to come
out,

talk smack back and forth.

I figured he'd put a Stunner on
Kevin Owens, that'd be it.

- I thought it was just
going to be a build up and

then they're just going to
like, tease you.

And so the fact that it turned
into an actual match too.

And it was just so much
fun because the whole stadium

was just edge of their
seats, or standing up,

or leaning on the railing in
front of them.

- I think it's actually going to
happen.

19 years in the making.

[bell ringing]

- There's the bell.
Here we go.

Austin and Owens teeing off.

- They have a full badass
match.

- Owens sent over the top to
the outside.

- He was going to put in that
work.

And that is exactly what he
did.

- Look at the fire in the eyes
of Steve Austin.

- I couldn't believe some of
the stuff that he was doing.

- When I landed on my back,
that concrete.

[chuckles]

It was a- it was a hell of a
thud.

[crowd groaning]

- Oh.

[clapping]

- What a [bleep] animal.

- I wouldn't do that.

Me today, an active
performer, you know, who's

relatively healthy.

There's no chance.

- That is it.
Austin's not getting up.

I don't care if you're the
toughest S.O.B. on the planet.

[yelling]

- God, it was just so much fun.

- Look at Stone Cold.
Still fighting.

Still swinging.
Still fired up.

- Oh.

- Keving Owens laid out on our
commentary table.

- The pressure wasn't on him
like it was back in the day.

So he was just going out
there having a good time and,

you know, taking his bows
and accepting his roses.

And I thought it was really
cool.

- Austin looking to return the
favor.

- Think with what Steve did in
this business, I don't think

he could ever do anything to
tarnish his legacy.

They have so much respect
for him.

I think he made such an
imprint.

On whose Stone Cold Steve
Austin was.

That they're just happy to
see him again.

- I mean, again, they're beating
the tar out of each other.

- Owens is going to do it?

- He didn't just show up and
hit a Stunner and drink a beer.

He put on a clinic,
and if that was the last time

we ever see him, it would be
a hell of a way to go out.

- Stunner.

Stunner.

- Three.

[bell ringing]

- It was awesome. I can poke no
holes in that match.

It was brilliant.

Had the fans on their feet.

It was just awesome.

- I imagine there was a part of
him.

That was like "That was the
one that I needed

and I can now, you know

[click]

Shut that suitcase.

Put it in the attic and be
done with it."

- Just so much fun as a fan to
be able to witness

that one more time.

- Kevin, my brother, he was
sitting right next to

George Kittle the tight end for
the San Francisco 49ers.

So I gave him a signal to
come on in .

And the security guard
let him in.

- Stone Cold sharing a moment
and a cold one with his brother

deep in the heart of Texas.

- I think that was just his
payback to me for supporting

him all those years, and
then wind up in

Dallas Cowboys Stadium.

- I wanted to share a moment in
the ring with my brother

because he had supported me
so much.

He was a number one guy in
the family that supported me,

so I appreciated it.

He's signing an autographs in
the parking lot,

trying to get to his car after
the show.

Made a star out of him that
night.

[clapping]

- For me to be at the
age I'm at

to come out here and headline a
WrestleMania in Dallas, Texas,

where I started
where I stopped

just means the world to me.

I had a [bleep] blast.

[fireworks]

- Night one of WrestleMania is
in the books.

[crowd cheers]

- 70,000 plus once again here at
AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas.

We are still recovering from
a stupendous night one.

- So I'm in my car uh-

I'm going to WrestleMania on
Sunday night.

And the plan was, let's just
sit there and low key,

drink whiskey and coke and watch
the guys and gals work.

- If not we'll take it, but.

- Guys you do a picture real
quick?

- Best of luck to you.

- Appreciate that.

- Look this way.

- Can we get a picture real
quick?

- Yeah.

- You're good.
No, no, you're good.

That way.

- Hi, ya doing, man?

- How you doing kid?

- Are you kidding me?

I'm incredible now.
You were incredible last night.

Like that was the loudest a
stadium of been in a while.

That was awesome.

I mean, I'm used to being on
the field for it, so, like,

that was loud.

You couldn't hear yourself talk.

It was-it was incredible.

- Did you see those two
long range catches?

- Oh my gosh.

I literally I gave you
a shout today on the show.

I said best hands in the NFL
right here.

This guy right here.
I mean-

- Couple fo those could've
gotten away.

And those two I'm proud of
'cause I knew you was out there.

- Oh I was watching, I know I
was I sat next

to your brother the whole
time.

- Someone says, hey, Vince
wants to talk to you.

Sure enough, I go to his
dressing room and he goes,

"God dang, that was great
last night.

He goes, "What did you think
about the four Wheeler?"

I said, "Oh, the four Wheeler
was great."

"You want it?

I said, "Yeah,."

Great, it's yours."

So Vince gives me a four
Wheeler right after I walk

into the room, and then he
goes, "Hey, listen, what if

you went out there and I
know you did what you did

last night, and you can sit
here and you can enjoy what

happened last night, but I
really think it'd be great if

when I go out there with
Austin Theory.

- Theory, the embodiment
of the entitled era.

- "If you go out there, it'd be
great.

- A sniveling, cowardly punk.

Because I understand if you
don't want to do this"

And I told him, I said, "Hey,
man, you're the coach.

If you want me to work, I'll
work."

And so that's what I did.

- Pat McAfee is about to step
into this ring at

WrestleMania and face Austin
Theory.

- Not long before the match,
Bruce Prichard comes up to me

and he says, "All right,
after the match, glass breakS,

Steve comes out."
I'm like,

"I'm drink-so tonight I'm
hammering beers with

Steve Austin?"

[Stone Cold Steve Austin's
music]

[crowd cheers]

- Oh my God.

The Texas Rattlesnake.

I did not expect this.

I feel like it's 1999 all
over again.

[crowd cheers]

Oh Theory went after Austin.

- Oh ho, big mistake.

- And Stone Cold unloading on
Theory.

- You're like, okay, when's it
coming?

Like, you just know it's
coming.

- Austin stuns Austin.

- I thought we were going to
have a good time.

I thought we were going to shake
hands, maybe, you know,

shake hands, keep it moving.

- Here we go.

Now it's time to celebrate.

McAfee's wanted to drink
beer with Stone Cold forever.

- Instead I get the old kick
to the gut.

Stunner.

- Oh no.

- And then Pat McAfee.

[laughing]

Pat McAfee takes a freaking
epic Stunner.

He just kind of timbered
back.

- And then I get beer dumped on
me.

And then as I'm laying on
the ground dumping a

Steve-Weiser into my mouth
afterwards,

my brain is also thinking like,

"You live the dumbest life of
all time.

How the hell did you end up
here?

We will never find out that
answer.

Let's just try to enjoy this
all."

- Great athletic ability.

I thought all you did was
kick a [bleep] a ball.

- That's all I do, man

- Nah dude, amazing.

Great composure out
there.

- Thank you, I appreciate you.

- That was a perfect place ,

and a perfect way to end his
career.

And yet he will continue to be
a force in WWE

and in popular culture for
as long as he wants

to be a force.

- You know, at the end of the
day, it was a very special

weekend for Stone Cold Steve
Austin.

[laughing]

- Yeah, uh

- If that's how Stone Cold
Steve Austin,

the Cowboy rides away.

That's an unbelievable ride
off into the sunset.

To do that, to have
essentially a match at this

point, we're we've been told
that-that will never,

ever happen again.

That's an unbelievable send off.

- 19 years later, he's still
incredibly relevant.

You know, I can't think of
anybody that's had

that kind of impact.

- He's already a Hall of Famer.

He's already the greatest to
ever do it.

So to be able to close the book

on his terms with a final
performance like that is

really just a kind of a chef's
kiss with a cherry on top.

- Steve, to me, is the
biggest star

in tthe history of the business.

I wish him nothing but the
best and he deserves it.

- Hats off to the biggest box
office performer ever.

- It was a nice trip back in
time, and it was also a

moment for us all to say,
"Yeah, we were right."

Every time we said we wanted
Steve back.

We knew he still had it and
he'll have it forever.

- If I never get in a ring ever
again in my life, I'm 100%.

I've walked away.

I'm happy with what I did.

There's people who've done
more or lasted longer.

I had a pretty good run.

I'm pretty happy with it.

So I ain't got nothing to
prove to nobody.