WWE In 1997 | Wrestling Timelines

11. August 18 | Fruit Basket

Steve Austin Fruit
WWE

Jim Ross interviews Steve Austin from a hotel room in Philadelphia. Austin is set to see a specialist about his neck. Ross wants his thoughts. 

This is a masterful verbal performance. Austin is intense and pissed off enough at the best of times; here, he harnesses his searing fury at Owen’s recklessness and his under-threat career to tear JR a new one. Nobody else mastered and disappeared into their character more than Stone Cold Steve Austin. He instantly senses that the backdrop is all wrong. He’s staying in a room you can describe as pretty - there’s a nice bouquet of flowers and a fruit basket on the table behind him - and he says before anything else “This ain’t a hotel room I would stay at”. He throws the fruit at JR, then throws the basket away, before telling Ross to ask the damn questions because he’s getting tired of him. It looks like Austin wants to kill Ross then and there. The intensity of his unblinking stare is terrifying. He tells Ross that he doesn’t care what any doctors might tell him; he’ll kick the sh*t out of Owen Hart with his last step. He tells Ross not to wipe his nose or smile before instructing him to get the hell out. 

Austin is completely het up and hellbent on revenge, but what’s weird is that he’s so hot that this obvious vengeance storyline feels like an obligation before he does something of real importance. 

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick (Creative Writing BA Hons) is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over a decade of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential UK institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!