JR On Arguing With Steve Austin & Vince McMahon Over WM17 Heel Turn

Jim Ross talked with Conrad Thompson about the Steve Austin/The Rock sit down interview right before WrestleMania 17, the heel turn itself, Austin regretting the turn just a few week later and much more during a Grilling JR Live show in Manchester. Subscribe to the channel for more clips of our live shows and interviews and don't forget to like and comment too!
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#JimRoss #WrestleMania #SteveAustin

[@InsideTheRopes]

Jim Ross talked with Conrad Thompson about the Steve Austin/The Rock sit down interview right before WrestleMania 17, the heel turn itself, Austin regretting the turn just a few week later and much more during a Grilling JR Live show in Manchester. (Before COVID) Subscribe to the channel for more clips of our live shows and interviews and don't forget to like and comment too!

[@erick_solar]

Where can I see it full?

[@billyridge7250]

"Before COVID" yep better get that caveat in their. Hahaha. 😬

[@ericpedone8544]

He’s so heavy

[@stansmith5610]

Just a few WEEKS* later.. not WEEK

[@jrl8017]

@Prestin Hurshberry ah your one of those people smh

[@MilMaska]

"That's the one thing people didn't want to see. Austin hugging Vince McMahon" - Jim Cornette

[@bendover3653]

I mean isn't that the whole point of a heel turn? Turning on the fans?

[@CaptainMorgan420]

@@TiberioTrip Your either/or situation makes 0 sense. There are unlimited ways to tell a story, not just 2. Doing something unpredictable for the sake of shock with no build up and no motive behind it is lazy storytelling just like being boring and predictable.

[@billyridge7250]

It was the drizzling shits, no one wanted, or needed to have Stone Cold go all Stooge Crony for Vince. Steve Austin was John Wayne.

[@billyridge7250]

@@TiberioTrip That has absolutely nothing to do with anything.

[@N4divers]

Exactly nobody cared for that. That was some bs. There's a difference between an effective Heel turn and a heel turn that makes people not want to watch

[@layiahali5265]

Even at his Old Age , I still enjoy listening to Jim Ross

[@Yusoo8]

Because he’s got stories for ages.

[@dangalvan2716]

He's such a legend

[@layiahali5265]

@Levi Ackerman gonna have to explain this? I thought I wouldn't have to, but.. When he was younger before his bells palsy took on heavily. He was more energetic, more emotions came out of him , basically he was one of the best storytellers in his prime ever. Now that his bells palsy took a toll on him and his age now. You can drastically see the difference . And hear it .

[@deykno87]

lol what his age got to do with listening to him…. It’s not like he’s not lucid or speech is slurred 🙄

[@derekgeldreich7760]

Been watching/listening to JR since NWA in the late 80s up to now. It feels right that I'm still watching and he's back doing what he does best 😊

[@KingsNerdCave]

One of the best eras started and ended with a man going from heel to face then face to heel.

[@isaihvega9928]

Helll yeahh. Steve Austin was the whole attitude era

[@jgeorge2693]

@@isaihvega9928 not quite the whole era. When he got hurt and missed most of 99-2000. The rock and triple H feud carried the company and they hit some ratings highs

[@nick56677]

The attitude era ended March 26, 2001 with the end of WCW.

[@nothing5283]

@@jgeorge2693 nah

[@Altolin]

@@jgeorge2693 Absolutely. The Rock was a major part of that era, even having a flagship show named after his catchphrase. Triple H, Foley, Undertaker, Kane and, later on, Y2J had major contributions too, not to mention the Mr Mcmahon character. The attitude era went beyond any one performer.

[@cobraalaniz149]

I was at Wrestlemania 17. I will NEVER forget that night.

[@jordand5616]

What was it like being in the Live crowd? I’ve heard that the turn didn’t even register to a lot of PPL in the crowd.

[@cobraalaniz149]

@@jordand5616 everything was good until we got that crap ending. The whole Arena filled up with booooooos

[@jordand5616]

@@cobraalaniz149 booos as in “go away heat” ? Not booos from a heel turn...

[@cobraalaniz149]

@@jordand5616 both after that horrible ending. 🤣

[@lg3385]

I have the DVD 📀. Still watch it from time to time

[@theoldbk5419]

“That’s about as stupid as that heel turn you did at wrestlemania 17” lmaooo JR will never let Steve live that down, neither will most attitude era fans!!🤣

[@InfiniCalendar]

“I know, god damn it.” :)

[@StraightEdgeKnight19]

A much better heel run in hindsight..

[@andrewsmith3257]

Funny thing is I liked Heel Austin. He was funny as hell and putting JR with Paul Heyman on commentary was the funniest thing I've ever seen in 25 years of watching wrestling

[@StraightEdgeKnight19]

@@andrewsmith3257 damn shame a lot of brain dead wrestling fans don’t see it that way. Yea Austin turning heel was a terrible decision business wise, but from an entertainment and character perspective? Austin did a stellar job of the material he was given.

[@bigolebot]

​@@StraightEdgeKnight19 no loooool

[@Robedpillow]

Austin is right when he said that he should've stunned vince after shaking his hand. If he had done that, the match would have been so much better than it was, even though it was still incredible as it was

[@andrebarnes6889]

It's interesting tho how would've rock fit in upon his return unless they pushed Hollywood rock earlier and thus longer which I think most would've loved

[@oooo1110]

People would have booed Austin regardless for cheating to beat the Rock who had him beat after the People's Elbow. There is at least that we've learnt when both babyfaces Rock would win a clean 1v1.

[@AkyovNorthWest]

@@oooo1110 the "cheating" was literally part of the heel turn lol

[@MathiasMaximus]

​@@oooo1110 Austin made a career off being a Babyface that used heel tactics. The fans always forgive him

[@Electrifying316HBK]

But then again you have to think about how incredible that moment was at the time. Austin shaking McMahon's hand is a sight no one ever expected to see and no one ever wanted to see. Which is exactly why it could have been the greatest heel turn in history if some things after it were done differently. In my opinion the moment itself is right up there with the Hogan heel turn. The problem isn't the moment itself, the problem was that the heel run simply didn't work. When you do Hollywood Hogan like heel turn then you better give a Hollywood Hogan like push to go along with it. If they really wanted Austin's heel turn to work then they should have given him like a year long title reign and then have some new big name ready to beat him at the following Wrestlemania.

[@hothotheat3000]

That main event felt like life or death to me at the time.

[@user-qx3eb2jx1p]

You're pathetic . Life or death in a Tv show.... get a grip of your life

[@Neil1977]

JR and Jerry Lawler best announce team ever.

[@Vandalia1998]

Heel Austin had some great moments in 2001 in my opinion

[@awesomejay528]

i agree with you

[@mattiice1399]

His matches with Undertaker,RVD, & Angle that year were epic.

[@StraightEdgeKnight19]

Yea, it’s a heel run that is much better in hindsight. At the time it was a terrible business decision, but now 2001 was honestly Austin’s best year in the company whether people like his heel run or not.

[@craigderby4416]

​@@StraightEdgeKnight19 98 was his best year, he's was on fire

[@StraightEdgeKnight19]

@@craigderby4416 most popular year? Yea, but in terms of in ring work? 2001 takes it and it ain’t even close.

[@_DropTheMike]

JR is one of my favorite human beings of all time man. I could listen to him talk wrestling stories every single day.

[@andrewmcintyre9279]

JR is just a legend

[@slavojdyrdek]

Simp

[@bloodysabbath1984]

Duhhhh

[@David98004]

@@slavojdyrdek Insecure people use Simp to belittle others what a mind set 😆🤣😂

[@jleos0095]

@@David98004 well said El Burito! 🌯

[@suchiuomizu]

@@David98004 It’s such a stupid word, its amazing they can use it without the self-embarrassment killing them.

[@bertmustin]

That match at WM was incredible. Maybe the best championship match in WWE history.

[@jordand5616]

One of the LAST Times the WWF TITLE meant something. The WWF TITLE back then wasn’t obviously a real title, what was REAL AF..... Was that TITLE meant you were #1 guy in the industry who makes the MOST $$$$. That’s what it’s ALL AB. $$$

[@Phillygoat1983]

Amen

[@bingbing2442]

@@jordand5616 u sound goofy

[@bingbing2442]

@@jordand5616 John cena?

[@luke8801]

@@jordand5616 now they’ve given it to Jinder fucking Mahal and the tag titles to the fucking B Team

[@corpyhogan4433]

It was definitely the wrong move. Austin was the ultimate babyface at that time, extremely over with the fans

[@troysmith5749]

i don't know, what proof do you have?

[@attiepollard7847]

Corpy. Vince was going to push for that no matter what the question is this this if you were in that meeting with both Jr Vince and The Rock how would you advise them to turn Austin Heel?

[@kenadams9376]

@@attiepollard7847 the answer is, you don't. Vince is crazy af 🤣 and Austin is just as crazy if he thought it was a good idea. Nothing they could've done would make sense with Austin turning.

[@GorditoCrunch343]

@@kenadams9376 Austin went with the old territory thinking of "the hotter the babyface, the hotter the heel" but he underestimated how over he was and didn't see that his character was the rare exception to that rule. People didn't see him as a face or heel, they saw him as a real badass. Once they broke that illusion, it was over.

[@SteelSpurs]

@@troysmith5749 I’m sorry, but what? He needs proof? The pops he was getting? The crowd subtly beginning to choose him over Rock in the lead up?

[@skylar5257]

Austin: I wanna try to change things up and be heel. Austin later: Yeah I hated that. Lol

[@fizzyfuzz5878]

The timing just was wrong. They were thinking more about that night and not the long term effects going forwards. With Rock in and out after that Austin could've really shined and cemented himself even more.

[@oooo1110]

I don't think so because if he got help from McMahon to beat Rock and win the title and then stun Mcmahon right after. People will boo him and won't feel right because he cheated to beat Rock.

[@Electrifying316HBK]

I always felt like they should have done that heel turn at Wrestlemania 19 (obviously first you have to convince Austin not to retire before Wrestlemania 20) and then have face Kurt Angle or Eddie Guerrero beat him(or really anyone they wanted to make the next face of the company). It really all comes down to the fact that it was the right idea, at the right place, at the wrong time.

[@insomniacbritgaming1632]

Creative were useless with the storyline... could've been amazing

[@StraightEdgeKnight19]

Cemented himself even more? He’s still regarded by many as the GOAT, and the face of the attitude era. Honestly his heel run has aged better overtime, especially on rewatch.

[@thegreatdel9679]

@@StraightEdgeKnight19I agree his Heel turn was much better than given credit but I’ll debate anyone that The Rock was definitely the GOAT of the attitude era.

[@moc9893]

God I'd love to be 12 again back in 01 what a great year

[@user-uw1hx9vv3w]

I was 4 🙈🙈

[@Barneyandbatman]

I was 1

[@keeponkeepinon1280]

Glad I was a 90s Kid for this era in wrestling! Don't even watch it anymore haven't for years but like to hear about behind the scenes from this magical time!

[@Tehutidg07]

I was 12 years old and this was my first wrestle mania at the end of the show I was beyond heart broken but I was conflicted because I just watched the most amazing wrestling show I've ever seen.

[@user-qx3eb2jx1p]

You weren't there. Stop lying.

[@mrng8795]

Just for the record ,The Quiet man was filmed in the village of Cong in Co. mayo Ireland 👍🏻

[@IAWIA5]

JR is a national treasure, man is just a walking legend 😂

[@theraVen27]

A GIANT. Global Icon And National Treasure

[@rzn2258]

And when he passes away.. no one will go to his funeral. Just like every other wrestling legend that has died before him. That's pretty f###ing sad.

[@Kalamouta]

Jim is a national treasure!!

[@scsaentrancepops]

I hope JR does a audiobook on the book like Austin and Mick did

[@christopherhamer9584]

It's been on audible for months now.

[@veniljackson47]

Greatest Wrestlemania of all time that card was stacked top to bottom

[@gavinculpepper9685]

Feels like most of the PPV cards were stacked back then

[@veniljackson47]

@@gavinculpepper9685 Real rap back then Sunday Night Heat was better then PPV's today back then every Raw and Smack Down was like a PPV my son is 12 and once I but him on the ol good stuff he only watches wrestling late 80's up to 2007 he can care less about the crap they put on today

[@bingbing2442]

@@veniljackson47 u sound goofy

[@veniljackson47]

@@bingbing2442 how old are you back then WWE had TLC, Championship PPV worthy matches on smack down and Raw damn near every night the top stars didn't work part time Rock, Austin, taker ect was all way there you always got to see the top stars perform whether promo or match you must be a young boul lol so you get pass junior lol

[@bingbing2442]

@@veniljackson47 lol it was only one tlc match on weekly tv. That I remember back in 2001 Christian and edge vs the Dudley boyz Hardy’s and Chris Jericho and beniot on smackdown but wwe product not the same but heat is nowhere near the ppv of today I know wwe not the same but don’t say heat is better than today ppv btw I started watch wrestling during the last straw of the attitude era 2002 start watching it so u know what are u talking about

[@DracRummins]

The best and worst things to happen to wrestling The Rock and Stone Cold, can’t be touched

[@randysnoman]

I feel that way about the Attitude Era as well.

[@damainmane4765]

Only die hard Austin fans talk about his heel turn in 01' as just this great and unique twist in Austins already groundbreaking career....But many pro wrestling fans at the time both WWE & non WWE knew the ramifications of that decision was going to be unreal not just for WWE but for the art of pro wrestling storytelling as a whole....As just a casual Austin fan I can see what (no pun intended) his character meant to alot of ppl....To them he was and still is the ultimate way of life....The pinnacle of the common man whose finally had enough of laws and the system telling him what he should be....He is Neo with a Budweiser....Simply put the Stone Cold character at heart is a "Man vs Machine" story personified.... The character was so BIG because metaphorically it was the answer in many ppls eyes to societies biggest and most ignored problem back then and unfortunately now which is Diversity....America (I guess) at the time was becoming a little more aware that reality was being sugar coated with commercials and advertisements painting what & how a sensible person should be or aspire to, knowing good and damn well thats not how America or life is really like....Vince as a person,didn't get that (I mean he did but he didn't lol)Meaning, yes he knows life in America isn't what they portray on television and no,he didn't know whether to expose that side of America on television or not....ECW and WCW got it before WWE but they never really had a spokesperson who could pioneer that big wave into a character.... WCW was the closest to acheiving this by having Hulk Hogan siding with The Outsiders forming the New World Order (nWo)....Having someone like Hogan turn heel worked out great because the cracks were showing the whole time with the man portraying the character but no one expected them to go completely ALL THE WAY with it...It was ballsy for everyone involved and deservingly respected for it 🌹🌹🌹However,with that said...nWo had 1 fatal problem and that was the man in charge himself (Hogan) not for his personal shenanigans backstage but because the faction itself had a leader....It wasn't a group of men who had a common belief but more of a group of men who wanted to takeover the system....Again,the idea worked great but with someone in charge there's always gonna be a system formed,and like every other system,theres always gonna be problems within the system.... Although ECW is credited as being the 1st company to introduce reality into wrestling there was little to no law in ECW therefore just making the product itself anti-establishment instead of focusing it into one person was gonna make ECW feel like a wasteland....This is why RVD is often looked at as the face of OG ECW because although everyone in ECW had rebel-like personas he was the only one who stood out as someone who didn't fit or belong in that territory...imo that was the entire joke of his whole character in ECW,everyone wanted blood and he just wanted to chill.... Now back to Austin🤣🤣🤣 The reason why Austins heel turn in 01' was more devastating to the world of wrestling than Austin fans like to admit or even acknowledge is that his character stood for the forefront of a new wave happening in pro wrestling....He also stood for as the final send-off to the idea that the old way ain't gonna work anymore (especially in the WWE at the time) No more colorful outfits,over-the-top personalities,corny props,fancy smoke,pretty fireworks and Saturday morning cartoon inspired bad guys....When that type of character broke into a family oriented,comic-book character inspired business like the WWE (WWF at the time) of course ppl are gonna recieve it as something more realistic or unscripted....At the time it was the last thing you'd expect to see in a WWE ring....A wrestler that dosen't care about anything or anyone but himself....The shock of having a wrestler like that in the WWE and the possibility of him actually being WWE champion was shakespeare in the form of wrestling....What Eric Bischoff and Paul Heyman did for WCW and ECW is what WWE did for Austin by making him the actual wave that hit pro wrestling.... So why was his heel run so bad in 2001?!!It wasn't.... For the fans of WWE & Stone Cold alone....We got to see him & HHH team upbeat up Lita and J.R.....funny segments with Kurt,Tajiri and as the leader of the Alliance,the "What?"chants were created,we got his "giii-tar" moments,hugging Vince an......huh?!! Yeah....That was the problem....After all that talk and hype about why he should be the #1 guy and saying Stone Cold Steve Austin IS BACK !! AND WANTS TO TAKE BACK THE WWF TITLE !!!....After doing the unthinkable and joining forces with the same man that hated everything about his character and wanted to make his life a living hell...They give us....this?!!! Not only did they abandon everything that the character stood for....But they then later dropped the revamped 3:16 2.0 Stone Cold from 2000 in exchange for a guitar stringing,hug giving,hard of hearing,mood swinging comedic act Stone Cold in later of that year...And for what?!! Just to join a piss poor representation of a WCW and ECW faction?!! Only to jump back on the WWE side in the end....To have Lackluster championship matches with wrestlers who although were good haven't had no real form of character development following his heel run nor no type of good buildup leading up to those matches when compared to his last big feud ??? J.R. hit the nail home when he said...."Who was gonna be goodguy C ???"A was gone and B was no longer a good guy.... As for the rest of the wrestling world,casual fans and the pro wrestling fans who didn't just like WWE and just thought Stone Cold was cool gimmick....They pretty much just left the wrestling business alone altogether or just became part time peepers to the product,the main reason they invested their time in WWE and the Stone Cold character was chucked out the window with that now infamous handshake at WM17....Good show or not,good match or not....the diamond formula of "fighting the system" was officially over in WWE when the forefront pioneer of that whole wave that hit the 90's sided with the system....He didn't lose his star power, he didn't lose his popularity,he didn't even lose his respect but he loss something much much more valuable to the Stone Cold character...He loss the identity..the myth..the core content..the idea of Stone Cold.... It wasn't as bad with Hogan because Hogan forced the system to bow to him...Hogan didn't side with Eric,Eric sided with Hogan and so everyone feared the nWo because they had Eric....WWE went wrong because now everyone feared Vince because he FINALLY HAD AUSTIN😈 Austin should had never cared about the system,thats why he regrets not giving Mcmahon a stunner after the handshake....That one decision would've justified and amplified his heel turn while maintaing the true core essence of Stone Cold "D.T.A....Don't trust anybody!!" Instead,we now have pointless heel turns and twists from babyface wrestlers involving bosses all throughout pro wrestling companies....And "What?"chants lol....Even tho I like them ,they sometimes become a little "nugget"🤏🏿 of a chant...sometimes lol

[@T2revell]

This man is arguably as important to the business as Vince himself.

[@scoobysnacks6548]

😂

[@chemonro]

man i love jr as much as anyone hes the goat commentator but you are off ya head . vkm is the wrestling business and he is the single most important figure in professional wrestling history

[@cutekanjii]

Yeah in his own mind he is! Way overrated announcer

[@cutekanjii]

@@chemonro mcmahon ruined the wrestling business he might have made the WWF/E a huge successfull company financialy thanks to tv and advertising but if there was no tv advertising he would be dead if he depended on drawing a crowd the old fashioned way. He might have grew his individual company but he kilked the business as a whole

[@moeski17]

@@cutekanjii exactly! he's probably only ever watched WWF/E

[@haz-dog4411]

I see inside ropes upload I think hell yeah!

[@davsavchav]

In my opinion, the Rock was in his best shape ever in 2001, better than when he came back to the WWE jacked up in 2011-13

[@christiansoldier77]

DavSav93 Rock had a soft body in 2001 so he wasnt in his best shape

[@greatestever0083]

2000 The Rock was in his best shape

[@PMKru]

97-98 Rock Was PRIME!!! Dude Was Big Ass Shit Like He Was Still A LB/DE. Athletic AF

[@stephenbetts6367]

@@PMKru Na Rock in 00- early 01 was Rock at his peak. 98 and especially 97 Rock still had some fat

[@shortyg1018]

Well yeah, he was making movies and Hollywood didn’t tolerate roids lol.

[@briangardner786]

Said genuinely: I hope Conrad drops some weight. Like the guy a lot and don't want him to drop dead of a heart attack

[@Njbear7453]

He’s CHOOSING to live like that and look like that, he makes enough $$ and can make a choice to change his lifestyle.

[@Njbear7453]

@Democrats are racist He can hire a personal chef to cook him Healthy meals make breakfast lunch and dinner.

[@papasmurf3569]

@Democrats are racist or he can just choose to eat healthier he may not be filthy rich but definitely wealthy enough to make a choice to eat better it’s obvious his money goes to a diff diet

[@papasmurf3569]

@Democrats are racist when you have a eating problem and have money to spend on food your going to gain some weight

[@papasmurf3569]

@Democrats are racist so for him it’s harder to just make a choice of eating less and exercising

[@Tehutidg07]

I was 12 years old and this was my first my first wrestle mania at the end of the show I was beyond heart broken but I was conflicted because I just watched the most amazing wrestling show I've ever seen.

[@mariod1547]

I was a huge Austin fan and Mark, actually cried at the age of 14 after seeing the heel turn lol. When he allied with Tripe H the following night that was the twisting of the knife in the back for me. I nearly quit watching but decided to still support him. Eventually he would do some of the most hilarious work he's ever done with Angle. Also don't think the "What!" movement would have arose without him being a heel. His alliance with Triple remains for me a sore spot though. Their rivalry was too intense and recent at the time for him to start a team up with him. That still baffles me.

[@orangemaniabrother2232]

The "what" thing is probably the worst thing to ever happen to wrestling, I wouldn't count that as a blessing

[@GoGetYourShinebox]

Yeah it’s as if they took a dump on the Austin vs Vince & Austin vs Triple H rivalries from 1998-2001. Those beefs were too intense to see them reversed

[@sohell1992]

@@orangemaniabrother2232 Agree 100%

[@theprepubescentgrandpa7999]

@@orangemaniabrother2232 Absolutely terrible shit. The "What" bullshit almost turned me off of wrestling forever.

[@theprepubescentgrandpa7999]

@Mario Walker904 disgustingly terrible.

[@BlindSideNZ]

I really enjoyed Austin’s heel turn. I loved the two man power trip with HHH. And I loved Kurt Angle going over on Austin to win the title.

[@leejee88]

i loved the two man power trip correct me if im wrong but im pretty sure austin himself admitted that his heel run was poor timing also the fact that he was marketed as a anti hero .so basically he was a heel and a face at the same time there was almost no need to do a heel run because in a way austin was always a bad guy

[@johnbasedow8973]

You just stated everything that ruined the era

[@BlindSideNZ]

@@johnbasedow8973 that is complete nonsense. Stop talking shit my bro.

[@specialagentorange4329]

Blonde side, you're wrong

[@joekurr6030]

God. Imagine being the only one in the room who can see the obvious flaw in a terrible plan, and then having to let the jackass who insisted on it beat the crap out of you as part of it.

[@00y93]

🤣

[@billywashere6965]

@Mr Glass Well said. Think about a lot of the swerves, double turns, and all other sorts of shenanigans that have happened in pro-wrestling that were iconic but just as well could have easily gone the other way. The Undertaker is a prime example of that. Kane is another. Rock & Sock Connection could have been an epic fail, but it wasn't, and it led to one of the highest Nielsen ratings in professional wrestling history. Sting coming back as an expy of The Crow could have been an epic fail given that it was a complete 180 from his surfer dude gimmick. It turned out to become one of the most iconic characters in all of professional wrestling. Turning Hogan heel (which is what I suspect Austin and Vince were aiming for) led to the formation of the nWo, which became one of the most notorious and if not biggest heel faction in all of professional wrestling. It, too, could have easily gone south. So yeah, in hindsight it's easy to see how and why it doesn't work, but when it was actually happening and during that specific vacuum, they probably thought they could reinvent the nWo or at least position Austin in that kind of way.

[@Redhotshawntexas]

@@billywashere6965 Rock and Sock didn’t get the highest rating. That goes to Austin and Taker for the title the night after KOTR 1999 for cable and Hogan vs Andre on Main Event in 1988

[@Redhotshawntexas]

@@billywashere6965 it doesn’t take a genius to see that turning your tip-top babyface and biggest merch-seller heel in his home state, aligning him with his two biggest enemies, removing his top babyface rival from TV, and not having any top contenders on the babyface side. The last thing anybody wanted to see was Austin joining McMahon. All throughout the build, the fans were booing Rock and cheering Austin, so it was clearly a stupid idea from any side you look at it.

[@discrij6073]

@@Redhotshawntexasexactly

[@MrAce-lm8es]

The next guys in line at the time to get pushed into the Stratosphere were "The Chrises", Benoit & Jericho, the future World Tag Team Champions of the World Wrestling Federation.

[@ManhuntvMurda]

Man I love Jim Ross! He's like the grandpa we never had growing up. You feel like you could just sit back, pop a top and listen to countless hours of war stories! Always loved this guy. ❤

[@Write-Stuff]

Conrad is the man, too. The things he's put together have been huge for us fans.

[@lyfzameme6822]

the best ring announcer of my time, made even the weak matches enjoyable

[@Dakatari]

It's was so unbelievable that Austin would align his self Vince especially after all Mr McMahon has put Austin through . It would've made since if he would've align with than turn on him all in the same night.

[@BradAaronTaylor]

In actuality, the turn would've worked beautifully if Rocky had stayed. The Two Man Power Trip & Vince vs Rock, overcoming the odds? It was great in 2000 with the McMahon-Helmsley faction, and it would've been even better here. Sadly, with Dwayne's absence and Trips' quad tear, it was done for. The invasion angle missteps just made things worse.

[@Speedyreedy1218]

The fact that two of HHH'S matches [No Way Out, Tag Title match on Raw, and WM17 v Undertaker] still made the top 10 in best matches of 2001 despite missing 10 months out the year really tells you how bad the Invasion was.

[@knightshousegames]

If I had to guess what Steve was thinking, to try to put any logic to why he thought this might work, I would guess he was thinking because he was in front of his home crowd at the biggest show, he thought doing the single most unthinkable thing imaginable would have made the response to such a betrayal that much more passionate, that much more personal. But he had been doing heel stuff as a babyface for years, he had become such an icon that no matter what he did, the crowd was gonna love him. That and I think it was just SO unthinkable that nobody bought it. The logic just wasn't there.

[@GorditoCrunch343]

The live crowd in Houston was popping for everything Austin did, even the heel tactics he pulled out. When McMahon showed up, they actually thought Vince turned face. That's how over Austin was.

[@justinholbrook4810]

Grew up listening to good ole JR calling matches and so glad I get to hear him calling matches again on AEW. The man is a legend and one of the very best to every do it along with Jerry Lawler and Micheal Cole.

[@kelseykjarsgaard5774]

This is probably reason they never turned cena heel and let him get stale

[@4zafinc]

Turning Cena was more difficult even without taking the Austin turn in consideration. He was the biggest idol that kids had and used to do record number of Make-A-Wish appearances. Shareholders/Board of Directors would probably grill Vince if he actually attempted it. They still did think about it during the Rock feud though. Cena said he even bought a few merches as tryout for heel turn. But in the end Vince dropped it

[@4zafinc]

@Holy Shareholders get themselves involved into everything. WWE starting to trade publicly in 99 was one of the major reasons PG came into being. Tons of examples of many wrestlers shoot interviews highlight this. For example Buh Buh Ray Dudley wanted to bring his Bully Ray character into WWE and Vince loved the idea, but knew shareholders would grill him if he bought in a bully gimmick while simultaneously running a Be A Star campaign. And I know exactly what I'm talking about. You on the other hand are welcome to sit your ignorant ass out of adult conversations next time unless you want to make yourself look foolish

[@kevinmiller2210]

Ive always said turning Cena would have been harder because the WWE is a publicly traded company now with shareholders and etc to please.

[@whylikepie15]

Exactly.... turning Cena heel would have lost revenue

[@therebel4332]

@@whylikepie15 Its not the lost revenue its the brainwashing character they don't want to lose. The worst thing a wrestling company can do is go public and go on the stock exchange.

[@diontaedaughtry974]

Great interview 👍👍

[@MonkeyBscts]

this has to be the longest amount of time Conrad has existed without ad revenue

[@KtownMisfit1975]

Thank you for everything JR, your the greatest!

[@ant0586]

It's funny looking back on how this whole thing came about but for Vince to say "We owe it to Steve to try" just smacked of complacency in the sense of WCW and ECW were his and they were so hot at the time. 2000 WWF was one of the greatest years that company ever had and Austin was missing most of that year, i think Vince didn't expect that Austin turning heel would start a decline that they never ever recovered from

[@DrAverage444]

I literally feel like I can never forget the sound of jr voice

[@davidruberto4118]

Conrad Thompson is much larger than I ever could’ve imagined given his voice.

[@djayforever]

If we could get this with jim and bryan That would be amazing‼️

[@essj3334]

The match between Austin and The Rock at WM17 was epic but Austin's heel turn was not great but his alliance with Triple H was bad ass and actually saved it. The rivalry they had vs Undertaker and Kane was good.

[@kevinpayton2664]

Also the feud with the Hardy Boys as well. The night on Raw when they pounded the Hardys and Lita after losing a six-person match. They really did a number on Lita.

[@LiLTailormade]

I was 15 yrs old @ the time and I will never forget this day when Austin turned. I LITERALLY had the same face as the black guy @ WM 30 when “The Streak” ended. I get shock value and everything but the build up to this match was almost once and a lifetime (only two other matches that come close to it is Warrior v Hogan & Bret v Shawn) because Austin and Rock were RED HOT individually leading up to WM 17 and it was hard to choose who you wanted to win even as a die hard Austin fan because b4 Austin came back that entire year Rock became bigger than wrestling and I had gotten used to him being a god of the wrestling world. So to end it like that was such a stain on the history books.......but in hindsight it’s still the greatest WM of all time!

[@TheeCoachg]

Imo it was the beginning of the end. I absolutely HATED the subsequent stuff he did with Kurt Angle even more than this heel turn. Austin just epitomized ADVERSITY at this point,no way we were gonna boo him in general but especially not his own ppl in TX. I agree with JR.

[@juanroman2036]

Thanks Jr the voice of the wwe for my generation

[@christianskelton8555]

5:40 “we’re not on live tv Einstein it’s taped it’s smack down” 🤣

[@kushsmoke273]

I loved his heel run, so much

[@cactusjack2264]

THEE greatest WrestleMania match of all time. That’s like the only match I’ve ever watched where I felt the energy through my TV screen 🔥🔥🔥

[@brandonblevins8343]

Not having a babyface ready to take Austin's place and HHH getting injured was probably the main reasons it fizzled out but the comedy stuff with Kurt was gold on tv though and it elevated Kurt as a top guy to chase for the title during the summer so it wasn't all bad

[@MrAce-lm8es]

JR. You are The GOAT!

[@Ghostbustnher]

I think the heel turn was good but when hunter got hurt it kinda screwed it all up

[@BeaMode1990]

Even Austin said he would have called an audible on the play & stunned Vince.

[@kweezy9517]

Crazy thet that happened!!

[@AngelFlores-bq4fd]

I was a young teen at the time when this happened and Austin was like a god to me. I had only been watching wrestling for a few years and didn't have the internet. It was basically nothing at the time anyway. There were always people even then that said that wrestling was fake and it would piss me off cus I didn't believe it...until Austin's heel turn. His character that had convinced me so strongly that wrestling was real is what convinced me that it must be fake because Austin would never side with his archenemy McMahon! I became disgusted by wrestling and felt "worked" like the mark I was so I quit watching for about a decade. Until, I started watching shoot interviews on KZbin and realized that wrestling was more real than I ever thought just in a different way. I've seen countless shoot interviews since then and did try watching WWE but it just was too shitty. I currently only watch AEW and it may sound cheesy but I know that I will always be a wrestling fan.

[@countryboyred]

Same. Even when I was young, I actually thought wrestling was way more fake than it is. I thought the ring was a trampoline and chairs were fake and stuff like that. It shocked me to learn years later the amount of hell these guys put their bodies through, and the sheer amount of stuff that ISN’T fake.

[@johnfeeney6930]

The Quite Man was filmed in Cong, County Mayo Ireland.

[@michaelb4538]

I loved Austin’s heel turn and how he made Vinces life miserable every time they were together and bringing kurt into the situation was hilarious.

[@ColdSid]

It was entertaining but it shouldn’t have happened at least not until invasion

[@mcevoyproduction1231]

John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara statue is in Mayo and Cong is the name of the place where you find the statue. Nice little place where they filmed the quiet man

[@billyridge7250]

Really is a great great film.

[@alanfitzpatrick177]

It's Cong not Kong

[@mcevoyproduction1231]

@@alanfitzpatrick177 ya that's right alan Cong 👍

[@stooby267]

Imo it's the greatest heel turn of all time. Nobody expected it, everyone was lost for words and it was one of the greatest heel runs of all time. Some amazing matches with Kurt Angle and with the rock away it gave loads of other talent the opportunity to shine. I loved it. It was a breath of fresh air. It failed in a business sense because butthurt Austin fans couldn't handle it but from a creative sense it was glorious

[@Thouxanbanpol0]

Fr

[@jayrizzle9226]

Dude I remember being an eleven year old kid and just despising stone cold for joining vince. It felt like one of my heros personally betrayed me lol. Wish wrestling could pull me in the way it did way back when. It used to have any kind of segment. Serious,funny, brutal, interviews, whatever, it was all always 🔥 back then.

[@andrewrogers5303]

I loved austins heel run

[@_Chris_D_3004]

I enjoyed the heel turn and then the run with Triple H, albeit cut short. He did get some heat in the month after Mania. Triple H going down really ruined the whole thing as they had to force the Invasion.

[@shortyg1018]

Yeah I don’t think they planned on the Invasion angle till late 2001 - early 2002.

[@danielrierson6683]

But they messed it up by having hogan turn face. Then Austin walked out and Nash tore his quad

[@dizzygunner]

there's one guy in the crowd who's laughing at the beginning of nearly every sentence lmao

[@JBL3891]

I believe (and I think it was confirmed by someone in WWE), that Triple H was supposed to be the #1 Babyface, with Austin turning against him and break up the Two Man Power Trip, but then Hunter got hurt in the Tag Title Match which destroyed all those plans. But I'm not 100% certain on that, however I still believe this was at least a rumor for quite some time.

[@Speedyreedy1218]

Rumor. No one is buying 99-01 HHH as a face. Fans dig his character. But they love him being the bad guy. He's who they love booing.

[@killerb255]

@@Speedyreedy1218HHH even returned as a face after his injury, but it didn’t last long, as like you said, nobody was buying face Hunter during that time.

[@Speedyreedy1218]

@killerb255 His 02 face turn lasted 7 ½ months. But it was ruined by month three because of...Hogan. So, he decided late summer to cut his losses and go back to what he does best. Being the top heel.

[@jeffy4368]

best part NO ONE SEEN IT COMING

[@sahpdude]

1:41 Michael Cole: OOOOHHH MYYYYYYY

[@KalvinEllis]

What made it even worse is they turned Austin heel right when The Rock left to shoot a movie. He had no top babyface on his level to feud with. Triple H was probably the only possible choice since he already beat Austin clean in that 3 stages of hell match the same year and had every right to become the next title contender, but he was smart enough to know that noone was going to cheer him as a face against Austin so he decided to team up with him instead, and then got hurt not too long afterwards. The decision was a disaster.

[@theironshiek]

I think for the sheer shock factor of seeing the two guys who had the biggest fued ever aligning on the biggest wrestlemania of all time in his home state was pretty cool but in reality it was maybe too soon for him as he was as over as before if not more. The craziest decision for me though was doing it knowing rocks going the next night which means they have lost the two top babyfaces (maybe of all time) in one night. Had rock been staying it could have worked better but austin not having a top face to work against really killed it

[@universe2823]

At least Vince took risks back then

[@nichhodge8503]

I only just found out the other day that Conrad Thompson is married to Megan Fliehr, Ric Flair’s daughter. I was listening to Eric Bischoff’s podcast 83 Weeks about the Ultimate Warrior and Eric said “I’ve never met a guy who lived his gimmick more than Warrior. Your father-in-law really lives his gimmick but Warrior lived his gimmick even more! There is no Jim Hellwig it was just Warrior”. So I Googled Conrad and saw his wife was Megan Fliehr so I knew then Ric Flair was his father-in-law. I forgot Ric has 2 daughters, I thought he had just Ashley (Charlotte Flair) and his 2 sons David and Reid (I was watching 24 on Ric Flair on WWE Network and saw that David is a lot more chubby than when he was in WCW and then the following day I saw an old picture of Ric Flair which I’d seen before of him as a wrestler before his plane crash when Flair was bigger than the Flair we know from the 80’s onwards. And David was a spitting image of his father in that old photo and the only difference is that David has dark hair)

[@bobbysmith600]

Dude on the left respect ya. But clicked to see ya jr talk thanks

[@TheToonMonkey]

"A good announcer just gets his ass out of the way" Conrad lifts mike. Timing is everything!

[@turtlesploodgegaming3123]

Dude. The Quiet Man is one of my favorites too. Eldorado, and the Cowboys . JR got some good taste. Lol

[@crylittlesister6377]

You know an idea is bad when a company man like JR argues about it

[@aliuniversal4100]

Guess thats why cena never turned heel

[@michaelrivera8360]

He wanted to turn heel but Vince seeing that the Austin heel run didn't help business at all he feared the same thing would happen with Cena.Realistically at that point who would you put in Cena's place.The answer people would say it's Punk but the truth is as Dave Meltzer would say and people would get annoyed at him,Cena was the bigger draw at the time and yeah Punk can claim that he was selling more merch than Cena at the time(it did happen but it was for like 3 months)cold hard facts indicated Cena was still more over than Punk(go watch the night Punk returned with the title and you can clearly hear Cena got a bigger reaction) in quarterly hour segments,merch and PPV buy rates because Punk was mostly over with hardcore wrestling fans.Because I was so surprised how little he drew for Money in the Bank 2011 and the next night on Raw did very low numbers at the time.So I really don't blame WWE for not turning Cena heel again.

[@mariod1547]

@@michaelrivera8360 Great points. I don't know enough about merch sales and discussions backstage. Why was did they finally pull the trigger with Reigns? It doesn't seem to me like there is anyone on his level in terms of being recognizable to a casual audience yet he is a heel now.

[@ryaneglinton8970]

Can't upset the stupid little kids... all that matters apparently. So sad in today's era.

[@hermonymusofsparta]

@@ryaneglinton8970 They're not stupid. Almost all wrestling fans start out as kids watching.

[@michaelrivera8360]

@@mariod1547 is because although Reigns was over he never was as over as Cena and Dave Meltzer said"If Reigns was truly was working as the top guy they would have pulled a Cena and never turned him heel again".

[@dmtmediabrothers]

You can listen to paul heyman, jr and jim cornnet for hours

[@Garrett7584]

That heel turn was amazing!! It's the greatest Wrestlemania Match of all. Nothing will top it. I like Stone Cold even more because of that move

[@Colgan1]

The voice of my childhood to my teens.

[@drdfilm]

I don't think Turning Stone Cold a heel was a bad idea. The way the transition started I felt was pretty good because it was so intense and caught everybody off guard. The issue in my opinion was during that heel turn, Stone Cold developed into a bit of a goofy comical more on the wimpish side type of character.

[@mattbad2594]

nailed it right there, Austin was a complete goof, they should of made him like the Ringmaster heel type instead of kissing ass to Vince, i think the best of Austin was from 96 -- 97 the no fucks given, before the beer swilling, that was the best Austin

[@leejee88]

yeah well its hard to do something different because austin was a anti hero so in a way he was a heel/face mix .

[@butchvito]

Go back and watch Austin's heel run from 2001. "Attitudepop" channel is great. The run was not as bad as people remember. He was still entertaining, and a way better heel compared to anyone in the last 20 years. You couldn't have Austin be a heel like he was in 1996 during 2001. His heel run in 1996 is what made the fans turn him babyface. He wasn't going to catch any heat with fans if they didn't make his heel character somewhat of a coward.

[@drdfilm]

@@butchvito you make a good point and I agree with you to an extent. There were aspects of Austin's heel run, that was pretty piercing in 2001 before he became wimpish. Like when he attacked Jim Ross, and almost destroyed Lita with multiple chair shots in a tag team match between him triple h and The Hardy boys. None of us have ever seen a guy wrestler attack and abuse and almost destroy a female the way he did Lita that night. He was pretty sadistic in the beginning. What made the fans get behind him in 1996 and 1997 wasn't so much that he was a bad heel, but he was a rebel and a mercenary. And his character identified with a lot of what the demographic of fans and people felt in society as a whole. Not to mention he was entertaining. His heel run wasn't that bad, but it certainly wasn't that good and I'm glad he did not end his career that way.

[@justina249]

Call a damn paramedic! I don't give a damn about thar man I just burned my mouth! 😭

[@LAMONTWILLIAMS21]

I love wrestling stories

[@ericgilbert56]

I was at that OKC Smackdown and it was a downer but it was my first time to see Steve and made the most of it.

[@davidsamuels4463]

Turning Austin heel was ridiculous.

[@OmegaRedFan]

You had to be there to appreciate it

[@MrTosser2011]

Love 2001 so many good matches so many good promos ❤️

[@galgor]

Which book are they talking about? My life in wrestling or Under the black hat?

[@iamcorinward]

Sloberknocker my life in pro.wrestling

[@allancove4483]

While the Austin vs Rock match was one for the ages at Wrestlemania 17, I just knew the Austin heel turn would flop. Easiest way I knew that, was because heel or babyface Austin like it or not, STILL was getting cheers from the fans. Maybe perhaps not as much as a heel character but you could still here em. IMO most fans are fickle in that they cheer in whatever direction the wind blows, meaning they'll cheer ya if you do something they like & boo ya if you do something they don't like. That to me is being very fickle as a fan. Myself, there was only one talent I ever really for a lack of a better word "cheered" & he wasn't even alone, it was a tag team & I would cheer them on no matter what they would do. Looking back, I'm glad I did because it proved that I was not only a true fan but I also proved I wasn't fickle like a lot of fans. I'm sure there are others but it's a good bet they'll never admit it, especially those who are fickle. lol But yeah, as soon as I heard fans still cheering Austin the "heel" I knew the role of him being heel wasn't gonna work. Ya might as well face it, Austin was in wrestling terms "over" & in his case he was "WAY OVER." And ain't nothing he would or could do that was ever gonna change that, even siding with Vince McMahon. It was like anything Austin would touch, turned to gold. He was truly one of a kind. Just saying.

[@BA_Pointer]

Jim Ross is a National Treasure 🪙🇺🇸

[@Phillygoat1983]

The build up was the best of all time period

[@IrishLoveSpud]

3:20 I’ll have you know JR it’s Cong in County Mayo!

[@emmanuelmoses7249]

J.r made a great point...They literally lost their two biggest babyfaces at the same time..Two of the greatest babyfaces ever , basically in their primes and you lose them on the same night, with no replacement

[@SFNDMK]

This!

[@JaeThaGemini]

JR has aged well! he looks younger now than he did when i was in Elementary school. ill be 30 next month lol

[@Njbear7453]

JR loves his football 🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈

[@Dan97LHS]

I really enjoy JR's commentary and his creative input. I often thought that Triple H could have helped pull off the double turn on the RAW after WMX7 and went to war all over again with Austin. They had just done about five/six months of heel Triple H and babyface Austin and they could have done a 180 and had them both on opposite sides again. The way they did it was impressive but having Austin turn and then having Rock leave, you really had no top babyface at the time outside of Kane or Taker. Jericho and Benoit were elevated to main event status but they could have turned Triple H the night after Mania and the feud could have continued but in a different light. It might have worked.

[@Speedyreedy1218]

No one is buying babyface HHH 1999-2001.

[@killerb255]

@@Speedyreedy1218They tried babyface HHH after he came back from his quad injury, but it didn’t last long.

[@johnbasedow8973]

If he woulda never gone heel. The attitude era woulda never ended