Dylan jackson
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin wrestled for the first time in 19 years at WrestleMania 38, defeating Kevin Owens in the main event of WWE’s 2022 showcase. It was a surreal moment for Owens, a longtime fan who was a teenager when Austin retired after losing to The Rock at WrestleMania 19.
Although it marked the only time Austin and Owens fought each other, their first meeting actually predates Owens’ WWE career.
Owens and fellow WWE superstar Sami Zayn are longtime friends who have plied their trade in the independent professional wrestling scene. A particularly long travel day in their early years put them on a flight with a bona fide legend.
“We were about to board our third flight. We were really tired,” Owens said in a teaser for A&E’s upcoming “Biography: WWE Legends” about Austin’s final match, premiering May 19. I looked to my left and my first thought was, ‘Oh, that guy looks like Steve Austin, wait, that one. It is Steve Austin.
A giddy Owens rushed over to inform Zayn of his discovery. Zayn woke up in a daze, not knowing why Owens was rushing them.
“I’m on the floor sleeping,” Zayn said. “I’m so out of it and I’m woken up in a panic by Kevin. He says, ‘Man, come on! We have to go! Right now! We have to go!’ I’m so confused that for some reason I understand that he got into some kind of fight and needs me for support. I thought we were about to fight.
“As we walk toward Austin, [Zayn] says, ‘Who are we fighting?'” Owens recalled. “I said, ‘What?!’ He thought I was asking him to fight some guys. To his credit, he was coming… I said, ‘No, let’s go see Steve Austin.’ Sami looks up and sees him and says, ‘That’s not Steve A… Oh shit, it is!’ So we approached him.”
Austin would be forgiven for not remembering one of his countless exchanges with fans and wrestling hopefuls, but his memory is clear when he checks Owens’ story: “I remember Kevin Owens coming up to him and Sami Zayn was there too . talking about how nice it was to meet me. He was a longtime fan of mine.”
“We probably ended up talking to him for a good 10 minutes,” Owens said. “It was time to board. They called first class, which obviously he was in and we weren’t. Just before he boarded, I said, ‘Hey, before you go, if you have any advice for us, what this is it?'”
Austin gave simple but crucial advice that reshaped Owens’ approach to professional wrestling. Owens doesn’t have a bombastic mic presence like The Rock or Ric Flair. His charisma, instead, is exercised through wit, comedic timing, improvised small talk, and an aggressive, mean spirited streak. Honing these skills was emphasized by the WWE Hall of Famer.
“I said, ‘Boy, you need to learn how to talk,’” Austin recalled. “Learn to speak.”
“I took that advice to heart,” Owens said. “It’s an understatement when I say the advice probably helped me get to where I am today. Absolutely.”
It’s remarkable how much Owens and Austin’s careers have intertwined since that chance meeting. Owens had not yet debuted in WWE and Austin’s in-ring career was over. Fast forward to the present, Owens has adopted the anti-authority persona that he defined as “Stone Cold” in the Attitude Era.
Every Owens match is a tribute to Austin, from subtle personality traits to the legendary Stunner finishing move that Austin gifted Owens.
