8 Things We Learned From Steve Austin On Stephanie McMahon's WWE Show
Seeing top WWE stars mark out for 'Stone Cold' will always be fun, but...no Vince McMahon?
If anyone had 'Stephanie McMahon dropping some of WWE's most engaging content' on their 2025 predictions lists, then take a bow. Her new Stephanie's Places show on ESPN is a weekly treat. Think of it like a wrestling cupcake; it's well-presented, goes down well and gives just enough that you want another helping. That's perhaps the biggest compliment one could pay McMahon. She's a great host.
Thus far, she's chatted with CM Punk about his WWE comeback, Cody Rhodes about growing up in the business and Rhea Ripley about betting on herself by moving away from home to chase her wrestling dreams. Now, on the latest episode, Steph sits down with a bonafide legend: 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin. Think you've heard every story Austin has to tell? Think again.
The WWE Hall Of Famer drops some excellent knowledge on Stephanie's Places. Here, he discusses everything from a chance first meeting with Steph and how he really felt during one of the company's most iconic angles, to what it's been like transitioning away from the weekly spotlight and then returning for one sharp burst at WrestleMania 38 in 2022.
It's rather interesting that the McMahon family name is plastered all over this show, but only really Stephanie's. ESPN decided against gushing with praise for Vince despite his landmark heel work that helped establish the 'Stone Cold' character as a renegade babyface. The sensitive subject matter of Vince's departure from WWE and ongoing lawsuit means that was probably for the best, but man - it stood out as a gaping hole in the Austin story.
Here's everything learned from a quick sit-down with a true icon of the biz.
8. When He First Met Stephanie McMahon
A lot of WWE-produced content fudges with timelines to suit the story being told. On this occasion, Austin claims he was only just in the door when he was tasked with filming an Olympic Games-style vignette for SummerSlam 1996. Obviously, that's not true. Steve signed on with the promotion at the tail end of 1995, so he'd been on the books for approx eight months by the time he was playing shot put for the federation cameras.
It's probably all a blur to Austin though, and that's all semantics anyway. The real meat of his SummerSlam '96 story is meeting a young Stephanie McMahon for the very first time. The WWF said they'd have an intern pick Steve up from his hotel so he could head to the shoot. A 17 year old Steph was the chaperone tasked with making sure Austin got to and from the set that day.
This tale might've been told in other interviews previously, but it's still interesting to know that McMahon was already doing important grunt work for the company when she was fresh out of school. She was being tested by her parents to see if she could handle responsibility. It's also hardly like Austin was one of the fed's top stars at the time, so they were going relatively easy on her.
Steve and Stephanie hit it off straight away, and Austin noticed that she had a fabulous laugh which filled the car. On Stephanie's Places, ol' 'Stone Cold' still seemed to get a kick out of hearing McMahon laugh at his corny jokes or one-liners. They've got a quasi-father and daughter dynamic going on as friends.
That's fun.