“Keep Your Petty Vindictiveness”: Vince McMahon and Jim Ross Accused of Slandering Stone Cold Steve Austin After He Quit WWE

The list of legendary WWE megastars who changed the course of the business over the years will remain incomplete without the mention of Stone Cold Steve Austin. Hulk Hogan, John Cena, and The Rock might be some high-profile names who brought considerable spotlight to the mix, but the magic Stone Cold Steve Austin used to produce with his marquee skill and magnetic aura will still remain unmatched.

The once-in-a-lifetime star clearly nailed his no-nonsense attitude and no compromising nature with some good beer in his hand. Besides amassing an impressive career, he never deprived the WWE Universe of some occasional tidbits. One of those included his frequent disagreement with WWE Boss Vince McMahon. McMahon even blasted him after he turned down fighting Brock Lesnar back in 2002 and eventually walked away from WWE. This didn’t sit down well with McMahon and Jim Ross.

Wrestling journalist publicly called out Vince McMahon, and Jim Ross for lambasting Stone Cold Steve Austin

WWE planned a bout between Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Brock Lesnar in a King of the Ring tournament match on Raw. However, it didn’t end up happening as Austin wasn’t ready to lose to Lesnar that night.  Apparently, Austin wanted to job to Lesnar on a bigger stage and not just a random RAW without any proper build-up.

Despite not voicing his problems right away, Austin failed to show up at the last minute. He swiftly boarded a flight and went home. The infamous incident caused a lot of stir in WWE Universe, including The Rock cutting a fiery promo aimed at it. Of course, McMahon and other WWE insiders, too, had a lot of repressive anger over the issue.

The decision even prompted Austin to give up on his WWE run. Years later, an old video of Vince and JR calling Austin a coward for taking his ball and going home resurfaced on the internet that had veteran journalist Dave Meltzer up in his arms.

Read more: After Steve Austin Went Vocal About His Royalty Issues, Vince McMahon Broke a Major Tradition For The Texas Rattlesnake: “That Became The Austin Deal”

Meltzer didn’t shy away to call the WWE’s current executive chairman and Ross to brutally criticize their go-to guy. He wrote, ‘‘What an incredible lack of foresight. Man, I told everyone, wrote it. Keep your petty vindictiveness private and don’t ruin the rep of a guy you will need to draw for you later.”

Austin probably didn’t deserve the amount of wrath he received after refusing to lose to ‘The Beast Incarnate’, given that he has his reason.

Stone Cold Steve Austin’s disapproval of his advertised raw match with Lesnar was nothing personal

Years later, Austin made it clear why he snubbed Lesnar. The 58-year-old revealed in a bombshell confession that he had no issue losing to Lesnar, but how the entire bout was built was unimpressive to him. He was just being protective of himself in the face of falling victim to a poorly booked match that would barely make any sense.

However, after walking out of the WWE arena back then, Austin made a triumphant return to the promotion for one last hurrah during WrestleMania 38 and took down Kevin Owens in a stout showdown.

Currently, speculations run high regarding LA Knight getting Stone Cold Steve Austin out of retirement for a match on the upcoming SummerSlam.

Considering the current physical condition and shape of the megastar, it doesn’t seem impossible at all as long as Austin himself is up for it.

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What’s your take on Meltzer blasting Vince McMahon for slandering Stone Cold Steve Austin? Let us know in the comments