“Stone Cold” Steve Austin last wrestled in 2003, but he’s kept busy ever since. In the past few years, he’s been acting, hosting the Broken Skull Challenge and Redneck Island competition shows, and hosting his spectacularly popular podcast. And yet, people still won’t stop wishing he could come back to WWE on a more consistent basis beyond his semi-regular WrestleMania appearances.
On Lillian Garcia’s AfterBuzz TV show, Making Their Way to the Ring, Austin stressed his complete lack of desire to have a full-time gig anywhere.
“I don’t like to travel anymore, Lilian. It’s like when I was still in the WWE, and my days before that, because I give or take have been in the business thirteen or fourteen years until my neck crapped out and I got out of the business.
“I loved being on the road back in the day, you know? You’re a road warrior, you’re addicted to the road, then all of a sudden you’re out there and you’ve been on the road for ten, fourteen, whatever more days and you’re thinking, ‘God dang man, I really want to go home.’ And then you get home and you’re there for about a day and a half you’re like, ‘Man I’m ready to get back on the road.”
“So I mean it’s in your blood. But once you get out of the business — and it took me three years to get over getting out of the business, and I won’t tell that story, because I told that story so many times. But my point is, you know when you’re in the business of being on the road with the WWE you’re a road warrior and that’s what you do, that’s your life, and you love it, and I’m very passionate about the business. It’s what I wanted to do with my life, it’s the only thing I wanted to do. I didn’t want to come out here and get into acting, I did it because I had to get out of the business of pro-wrestling but my point is when you turn back into what I call civilian mode, you know, you kind of lose all that interest in traveling.”
I can only imagine how much of a bummer it must be to be one of the handful of professional wrestlers that has actually made a bunch of money and wants to not only be retired, but STAY retired, and just have people constantly ask you when you’re coming back, and why you can’t be around all the time. Let a guy be retired, people! Just listen to his podcast every week, or twice a week, or whatever. The guy’s around, just enjoy it. Swig of beer, or whatever.
You can watch the full episode of Garcia’s show below.
