During an interview with ESPN First Take, Steve Austin gave his thoughts on the current WWE product:
“Today is a different era. It’s a more athletic product. The guys and girls are better athletes than we were. But going back to the names you mentioned were the exact same names that I grew up on, big NWA fan, Mid-South, Power Pro from Bill Watts, from where I broke in, World Class Championship Wrestling, and into the Attitude Era, my peak, I just think the business was a lot more protected back then. And you didn’t have to be — we really pushed the envelope creatively as far as the Attitude Era goes. It was just a grittier product, which is kind of what I thrive on.”
“But all resect to all the men and women of WWE for working through this pandemic and working without crowds because when you watch the football games being played with no crowd or at 25 percent capacity of crowds, those crowds affect your performance, and especially in the ring, in professional wrestling because that’s how you get your feedback, as far as your decision-making process. So, I miss the crowds, and it is a different product today, Stephen [A. Smith]. You’re spot on, and all the guys you mentioned were my heroes.”
(quotes courtesy of 411Mania.com)
