“Stone Cold” Steve Austin has shared the one major thing he wishes he had done earlier in his WWE career, and why he now encourages young wrestlers to start thinking about it long before they retire.
Speaking on an episode of DJD Classics, Steve Austin reflected on how unprepared he was for life after the ring when he retired at the age of 38.
“When I got out, I didn’t really have an exit strategy, and for about three years, I drank, I hunted and I fished and did a lot of stupid stuff… I sidetracked myself three years of nothing… I could have planned it a lot better.”
Austin said the period left him realising that he should have begun preparing for his next chapter long before he stepped away from wrestling. Austin encouraged today’s WWE talent to make the most of their visibility and to quietly explore future opportunities, so long as their priorities remain with the company.
“Hey man… always keep your loyalty, and your main job is with WWE, but if you’ve got some feelers out there and you’re trying to network other things… based on the fact that you’ve got a high Q-rating or a lot of television exposure, and you can get you get your hands into different things, do it.”
When Did Steve Austin Retire From WWE?
Steve Austin retired from WWE after his WrestleMania 19 match with The Rock. He retired as he was suffering from his numerous knee injuries and was still experiencing complications relating to his spinal column injury he suffered during his SummerSlam 1997 match with Owen Hart, where a botched piledriver saw Owen drop Austin straight on top of his head.
Austin did return to the ring for one more match, 19 years after his 2003 retirement, wrestling Kevin Owens in a No Holds Barred match at WrestleMania 38.
