About Stone Cold...

[Batsu]

You know, I was thinking about something, while watching some WWE DVDs this past weekend....

...during the "Attitude" era...did any of you feel that Austin was "HHH"-ing his way around while on top of WWE?

Don't get me wrong. Austin is one of my favorite wrestlers (heck, I proudly own a "What?" shirt), though his stock plummeted to me when he pulled a disappearing act after Wrestlemania X8, and it was cemented that he lost the top spot when he got the boot from WWE later on that year, with a handful of aborted angles in his wake.

I feel that in some ways, Austin got booked into a corner...at which it was difficult to move the Stone Cold persona along with the times. His inability to wrestle full matches also hurt him.

But when he was able to wrestle, there were some periods that struck me as quite HHH-ish, and even Hogan-ish at times.

For example, a lot of "insider" fans turned a blind eye to his refusal to work a project with Jeff Jarrett, though some didn't like the fact that in a match that was definitely supposed to go to HHH, the belt was dropped to Mick Foley (who then dropped it to HHH the next day on RAW). That added an edge to the persona of HHH and upped his "net" rep for those "in the know".

This could have been a booking issue, but the time when Austin dropped the belt to Kane in that First Blood match, only to win it back the next night on RAW seems kind of fishy now that I look at it again. This might have had a blind eye turned as well.

The real bad stuff came out around the time he got the boot from WWE in '02, though....with his dismay of being booked to work a match with Scott Hall at WMX8 and subsequent no-showing, and other downward spirals. I understand he might have been really burned out...but sometimes, I just dunno.

What do you think? Victim of a popularity push, or bonafide HHH-ing?

[Wildcat789]

I think that the WWE was just plain overworking Austin. At one certain point in his career, I think that he just lost the passion for the business. Without that desire to entertain the fans, it's not HHH-ing, its Lesnar-ing.

[Batsu]

I think that the WWE was just plain overworking Austin. At one certain point in his career, I think that he just lost the passion for the business. Without that desire to entertain the fans, it's not HHH-ing, its Lesnar-ing.

That is true.

I mean, he was way, way, way at the top...and really, when you're there, you run out of options.

This probably won't happen with The Rock, I believe, since he has lots of "approved" time off.

[ColdwaVer]

Well, a certain amount of use of one's backstage stroke is acceptable from a guy like Austin, or even HHH. The difference is that Austin never used his influence to the point where the entire product just stank because of it. The only time I feel that Austin was ever a detriment to the product overall was his heel turn in '01, because of his endlessly going over anyone who got in his way, worthy or not. In a few months he managed to go over Undertaker, Kane, Jericho, Angle, and RVD in main events, and pretty much went over the entire Alliance during the Invasion. Whether or not this is his fault, I have no idea, though he did drop the belt to Jericho, passing up the "first ever undisputed champion" claim. So I don't know. Austin is certainly nowhere near HHH's level of backstage strokery, and in the end I guess it depends on exactly where you draw the line to decide whether or not Stone Cold has ever gone too far over it.

[Batsu]

Well, a certain amount of use of one's backstage stroke is acceptable from a guy like Austin, or even HHH. The difference is that Austin never used his influence to the point where the entire product just stank because of it. The only time I feel that Austin was ever a detriment to the product overall was his heel turn in '01, because of his endlessly going over anyone who got in his way, worthy or not. In a few months he managed to go over Undertaker, Kane, Jericho, Angle, and RVD in main events, and pretty much went over the entire Alliance during the Invasion. Whether or not this is his fault, I have no idea, though he did drop the belt to Jericho, passing up the "first ever undisputed champion" claim. So I don't know. Austin is certainly nowhere near HHH's level of backstage strokery, and in the end I guess it depends on exactly where you draw the line to decide whether or not Stone Cold has ever gone too far over it.

Yeah...the whole "Alliance" go-over was pretty weak. I know Austin was supposed to be the top heel but they went overboard with trying to get the fans to boo him.

[James Steele]

I don't think Austin was at the point in his career that he wouldn't have been booed. Even though "What?" made me consider 1st Degree Murder.


He was "too over" to be a heel. Even though the WrestleMania X-Seven handshake is IMO one of the single most amazing moments in the HISTORY of the business, Smark or Mark alike!

[V]

so what you're saying is....

austin slept with stephanie?!?!?!

ooooh that crazy austin, what a P.I.M.P.

>.>

<.<

[Deceit]

I agree with pretty much everything said here.

Austin was definitely overworked.