Steve Austin Left Everyone in the WWE Worried After Sharing a Wholesome Moment With ’The Biggest Star in the World ‘ in 1998

Two decades have passed since Stone Cold Steve Austin bid adieu to pro-wrestling, after being hit by a life-threatening injury in 1997. Yet, he continues to be one of the most recognized wrestlers on the planet. This is due to his exploits in the WWE in the mid and late 90s. The Texas Rattlesnake was the company’s top guy in the Attitude Era and enjoyed a golden run during the period.

Austin gave WWE a massive boost in its rating war against WCW, but according to WWE legend Bruce Prichard, one of Austin’s brightest moments outside of pro wrestling left the promotion worried in 1998.

How did Garth Brooks pose a threat to the WWE?

Popular country singer Garth Brooks rose to fame during the same time Austin was making waves in the pro-wrestling world. The two met in 1998 during the Billboard Music Awards. The WWE Hall of Famer was one of the presenters in the show and presented Brooks with the Country Artists of the Year award.

The award night clashed with the broadcast of the December 7 episode of Monday Night RAW. Prichard recalled the incident on his Something To Wrestle With Bruce Prichard show in 2018. He said, “Now it’s a pain in the a** because we’re losing Steve for all.”

The 60-year-old said that the WWE roster would have loved to be present at the show, but instead, they had to wrestle. “Now, our top guy is presenting this, probably the second biggest award on the entire show, to the biggest star in the world at the time, Garth Brooks. It was his hottest. And we’re like now f**k, Steve’s gotta go do this damn, damn award show,” he said.

Prichard added that it was a “big f**king deal”. The sentiment is understandable since the year was 1998 before the WWE blew up to become the juggernaut it has currently. Now, spotting a WWE star at big-budget movie sets has become a common sight, but it wasn’t the same in the 90s.

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Meanwhile, another WWE Hall of Famer rued a missed opportunity for Austin, despite the latter’s several accomplishments in pro-wrestling.

Jim Ross points at a missed chance for Stone Cold Steve Austin

Legendary wrestling commentator, Jim Ross will be completing 50 years in the industry soon. He has been privy to the rise and fall of many wrestling superstars, including The Texas Rattlesnake. Ross was a member of the WCW, where Austin started out his career. There, as a young wrestler, he formed a short-lived tag team with Brian Pillman.

According to Ross, The Hollywood Blondes- a tag team comprising Austin and Pillman- was magic. Unfortunately, the duo parted ways after nine months as a tag team, during which they captured the titles once.

Ross recently spoke about the missed opportunity on his Grilling JR podcast. Pillman later joined the WWE, where Austin was already a top guy and instead of joining forces with his old pal, feuded with him. However, he passed away in 1997, leaving Austin and several others in shock.

The following year, Austin presented the award to Brooks, admittedly leaving Prichard with a ‘pain in the a**’. So, what are your thoughts on Prichard’s admission? Let us know in the comments.

Watch This Story: Despite a Stellar Career, WWE Legend Rues a Missed Opportunity for Stone Cold Steve Austin in Pro Wrestling: “Had Things Worked Out Differently”