Steve Austin On Paul Heyman Running Raw: "That Is The Right Guy For The Job"

– Steve Austin recently spoke to Sports Illustrated, discussing Paul Heyman running Raw and more. Highlights are below.

On Paul Heyman:

"That is the right guy for the job. Paul E. has a vision of what this business should be. He’s working under the watchful eye of Vince McMahon, but Vince is looking at so many big pictures while Paul is going to focus on this. Paul E. is really close to the pulse of the product. He understands where and why the business should be, and how it should feel. You should feel something when you watch that show. Paul E. is hungry to bring back this industry to its heyday. There is already more of a sense of urgency and importance of the world title."

On Emotion In Wrestling: 

"Emotion sells tickets and draws ratings. If you don’t care, then why watch? If you care, you’re invested in those characters. So slow it down a little bit. You can move as fast as you want in the ring, but to me, the business is built on characters, emotions, and depth. When you have great action on top of it, that’s even better. Right now, those guys and gals are operating at such a high speed and high level of athleticism. It can’t get any higher than it is right now, so they need to keep finding ways to make people care about them. That will elevate the business and make it resonate with the audience."

On Straight Up Steve Austin: 

"My mindset on an interview is just like I had when I was going into a match. A lot of people have this selfish approach to hog most of the match because they’re trying to get over, but my philosophy on going into a match was to have both people shine and both get over, which meant you were going to have a good match. That’s my mentality here, too. We’re out there filming all day long, and my goal is to go out there and shine up my guest. We settled into a groove with this show, and the more reps we’ve got, the better we’ve become. I’ve worked to make my guests shine and I had a whole lot of fun during that process. I’d love to continue to expand our horizons in season two. I cannot save the problems of the world, but I can put on a show that’s enjoyable within the time limit that we’re given."