Steve Austin’s appearance at Wrestlemania 41 wasn’t perfect.
While Austin played a small role in Sunday’s presentation, serving as the star who announced the attendance figure for the show, many will instead remember how he got his way to the ring.
“Stone Cold” entered on an ATV, driving down the Wrestlemania ramp and taking a couple of laps around the ring. However, the aggressive handling of the four-wheeler he rode became a little too much for the “Texas Rattlesnake,” as he accidentally went full throttle into the ringside barricade.
The error somewhat overshadowed his attendance announcement and caused him to speak to a fan who seemed shaken up by the incident afterward.
Austin explained on a recent Ariel Helwani Show appearance that the handling on the ATV was “a different throttle setup than what I’m normally used to,” causing the crash.
It’s not a moment he’s proud of.
“I was embarrassed about it,” he said this week. “I think everybody’s okay, but you go out there on the biggest night in wrestling and end like that, it’s not the greatest night at the office. You go out there and you want to give people the best show that you can. When you fall short of that, it’s not great.”
After the incident, everything else went as planned. Austin announced a Sunday attendance figure of 63,226, a combined two-night total of 124,693, then celebrated by crushing some beers.
Later in the interview, Austin was asked his thoughts on the upcoming “WWE Unreal” documentary, which showcases behind-the-scenes writers’ room footage. He said he’s a little more “old school” than others when it comes to whether or not those types of details should be shown to the public: “I’m a big magic fan, but if Harry Houdini is still around, I don’t want him to tell me how he does it.”
Austin’s full appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show can be viewed here.
