WWE News: ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin Reveals Original Pitch For Recent ‘Monday Night Raw’ Appearance

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin made his return to WWE television on the March 16 episode of Monday Night Raw, where he cut a promo in front of an empty crowd inside the Performance Center. The Hall of Famer was originally set to appear in front of a live crowd in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but plans were changed as a result of the current coronavirus pandemic.

According to Austin, he pitched another idea than the one which took place on the episode. During an interview with ESPN, as quoted by Sportskeeda, Austin said that he wanted to have an interview segment with one of the commentators and discuss one of his most popular catchphrases.

“It was strange. To do something like that, I really kind of wanted to go down there and do a sit-down interview with Byron [Saxton] or Jerry Lawler and talk about what 3:16 meant to me.”

The “3:16” catchphrase helped launch Austin into the stratosphere during the Attitude Era, where he became the most popular star in the entire company. He initially mentioned it during a promo targeted toward Jake “The Snake” Roberts, in which he said, “Austin 3:16 says I just whooped your a**.”

At the time, it was an impromptu line, but it ended up developing a life of its own afterward.

Austin’s idea to discuss the significance of the catchphrase was ultimately turned down in the end, though his segment on the show was praised by the WWE Universe on social media. He did get to interact with Saxon in the end, as he hit him with a Stunner in the middle of the ring. Afterwards, he drank some beers with Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch.

During the interview, Austin also talked about how the WWE Universe and social media has kept the catchphrase alive throughout the years. March 16 is an unofficial holiday dedicated to the legendary performer, much in the same way May 4 is a celebration of Star Wars.

Perhaps Austin will have his pitch accepted at a later date, as he does feature on WWE television quite regularly these days. In addition to his sporadic weekly show and pay-per-view appearances, he also hosts the Broken Skull Sessions interview series on the WWE Network.

The interview series has seen him have tell-all conversations with The Undertaker, Goldberg, Kane, The Big Show, and Bret Hart, so far, and the interviews have led to some interesting and sometimes even controversial revelations about their wrestling careers.