“Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s rise in WWE may have taken a very different direction if Vince McMahon‘s original plan had gone ahead, according to former creative director David Sahadi.
Speaking on Busted Open Radio, David Sahadi revealed that Vince McMahon once proposed abandoning Steve Austin’s emerging “Stone Cold” persona in favour of a return to a character closer to The Ringmaster during a meeting at Titan Towers.
Sahadi said the discussion took place as Austin was gaining momentum with fans, who were responding to his anti-authority character.
“Stone Cold is starting to come on the ascension, and the fans are cheering him,” Sahadi said. “Vince said, ‘Give the fans the finger, they’ll hate you.’ And no, they gave the finger back… It’s like their way of saying, ‘We love this guy.’”
According to Sahadi, McMahon’s suggestion of going back to The Ringmaster character was met with silence in the room.
“I said nothing because I was in shock,” he said. “Nobody spoke. It was just silence. And people are thinking, ‘This is a really bad idea.’”
Who Did David Sahadi Say Pushed Back On Vince McMahon’s Idea?
David Sahadi credited Kevin Dunn with pushing back against the idea, recalling that Dunn encouraged Vince McMahon to follow the audience reaction rather than change direction.
“Vince, the crowd is loving this. Let’s just let the crowd take us where they want us to go. Let’s not try to force something on them,” Sahadi recalled Dunn saying.
Sahadi noted that the meeting occurred around the same time as the development of Austin’s “Austin 3:16” moment, which would go on to define his character and the Attitude Era.
“That Stone Cold character nearly was killed before it reached its apex,” Sahadi said.
