I SAW HIM FIRST!!!

[Stotty]

Have you ever noticed how various wrestlers, particularly the older ones, look at a successful guy like Steve Austin and claim that they saw him first?

For example:

Mick Foley claims that he saw him at his first ever training session, and noticed potential there. I know he was better than most, but how much ccould he havve really seen in a guy that had never had a match?

Ric flair claims in his book that he was against the firing of austin because he had so much potential, and claims that when he had the book in wcw, he triedd to push him to the moon.

In the Jake Roberts DVD, Roberts claims he noticed it before anyone else.

Bret Hart says in his DVD that he handpicked Austin for the feud leading to WM13, because he saw the potential to draw serious money.

I've also heard the same things have apparently been said by Dusty Rhodes, Roddy Piper, Hogan, and Mcmahon himself.

So, my question is, was Austin really that good, or, hindsight being 20/20, are these guys just trying to take credit for seeing the biggest superstar in the industry before anyone else?

['Sweet n' Sour' A. A. Estrada]

Maybe a little from Column A and a little from Column B.

I could see Austin making some good impressions in his earlier days among fellow wrestlers.

[Ace Diamond]

rob1 said:

Have you ever noticed how various wrestlers, particularly the older ones, look at a successful guy like Stev Austiin and claim that they saw him first?

For example:

Mick Foley claims that he saw him at his first ever training session, and noticed potential there. I know he was better than most, but how much ccould he havve really seen in a guy that had never had a match?

Ric flair claims in his book that he was against the firing of austin because he had so much potential, and claims that when he had the book in wcw, he triedd to push him to the moon.

In the Jake Roberts DVD, Roberts claims he noticed it before anyone else.

Bret Hart says in his DVD that he handpicked Austin for the feud leading to WM13, because he saw the potential to draw serious money.

I've also heard the same things have apparently been said by Dusty Rhodes, Roddy Piper, Hogan, and Mcmahon himself.

So, my question is, was Austin really that good, or, hindsight being 20/20, are these guys just trying to take credit for seeing the biggest superstar in the industry before anyone else?

In the same book, Foley says he didn't see potential in The Rock, and that he was pretty wrong in hindsight, so I doubt he's making up his first impression of Steve Austin

[balmudo]

Well, Foley was wrestling in Texas around the same time as Austin when he began so I give him the advantage.

[THE Dinobot]

I wouldn't trust a single thing Flair ever spoke. If he believed in Austin so much, when he had the book, he wouldn't have broke up the Blonds.

['Sweet n' Sour' A. A. Estrada]

I tend to take Mick Foley's word at face value.

I trust Flair to an extent, because he doesn't strike me as an ass kisser, but he's not objective in the least - he has his opinion and he sticks to it.

I don't really trust anything Bret Hart says, as he seems to have too much love for himself to be objective.

[balmudo]

I do trust Bret here. He didn't say he had got him (Austin) signed or anything, he just wanted to wrestle with him.

[Funkyjumbo]

I give the credit to Pro Wrestling Illustrated who had Austin as its Rookie of the year in 1990.
He didn't debut in WCW until 1991!
Gentleman Chris Adams (R.I.P.) might also want to claim recognition for training him.

[Andrew is Good]

I think they all are kinda right.

I think the one who is most right is Jake Roberts. I always hear tell that he was the guy who felt that Austin had main event potential. I always remember hearing that for the longest time, even before Jake Roberts said it in his DVD, and I think Austin may've said that it was Jake Roberts who gave him his break.

Basically, they all saw potential, but it was Jake Roberts that got people to go with him and give him the break he needed.

[Stotty]

how much do you think Vince had to do with the success of Austin?

[Bub (BLM)]

Flair is out and out lying. On the Pillman DVD, Austin and Dusty Rhodes make it pretty damned obvious that Flair killed Austin's momentum in WCW on purpose.

[Stotty]

flair seems like such a politicer. if that's a word, which idont think it is

[Ace Diamond]

rob1 said:

flair seems like such a politicer. if that's a word, which idont think it is

I think it may be spelled politiker, though i still don't think it's a real word

[Cranjis McBasketball]

I think the word you're looking for is potlicker.

[Stotty]

politician? anyway, not the point of the thread

[The G.O.A.T.]

Its still a real word to me dammit!!!

[Jaffa is behind you.]

rob1 said:

how much do you think Vince had to do with the success of Austin?

the fued that basically fueled the attitiude era, which is why wrestling was sooooo great then, which initially made me a fan, and without my support, any given thing sucks. so i would say alot.
"post may contain a bit of falsness for humor purposes, e.i. that part about the world revolving around me, everyone knows it goes around the moon"

[krazysane]

i thought this was gunna be a chick fight over a guy

[dirtydickraines]

WHO ARE WE TO DOUBT RIC FLAIR!