10 Things We Learned From Stone Cold Steve Austin On Talk Is Jericho
3. Why Chris Benoit's Praise “Meant So Much”
WWE will never put over Austin's match with Chris Benoit from the 31 May 2001 episode of SmackDown. Bigging up Benoit's career just isn't company policy now, which is understandable, but Steve wanted to shine a light on the classic during his chat with Jericho.
He's damn proud of that match, and even prouder of Benoit's praise for him.
Backstage beforehand, Austin told Chris to ignore the ref's calls to finish. "Go home when I say", he reiterated, then told Benoit he'd take the heat if Vince was mad. Later, when they were done, Benoit looked Steve in the eye and said, "Thank you - you really got me over in that match". That meant everything to Austin.
He knew they'd smashed it, and was even happier when Benoit acknowledged his hard work. In 2004, when Benoit became World Champ, Austin took time out to phone McMahon and tell him that he should stick by Chris as champion. He was always a fan.