Stone Cold Steve Austin Says WWE Is Too Micromanaged Now

Stone Cold Steve Austin isn’t holding back when it comes to what he sees as the biggest problem in today’s WWE.

The man who defined an entire generation of wrestling with beer baths, middle fingers, and off-the-cuff promos says the product just doesn’t feel the same anymore—and it’s not because of the talent. According to Austin, the soul of the show has been sanitized by corporate structure, micromanagement, and a system that favors control over creativity.

During a conversation on Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Dirty Mo Media, Austin peeled back the curtain on how WWE changed during his time away due to injury. The transition hit him hard when he returned from neck surgery in 2000 and was handed a promo script—something that would’ve been unthinkable during the Attitude Era.

“I just think that was still the last days of the Wild Wild West. And, you know, I love it—has something to do like, you know, introducing a restrictor plate. You know, guys starting to be a little bit more micromanaged, things had to get a little bit more of a friendly tone, a lot more corporate sponsors coming in.”

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Austin recalled the exact moment it all changed.

“I’ll never forget when I had to leave in 2000 to get my C3–4 fused up because I had some neck injuries. And when I came back, that’s kind of when every now and then they start handing you something like this. And this is what you were going to say.”

But scripted promos weren’t his style then, and they’re not his style now.

“If you’re going to talk some trash to me, I’m going to listen to you talk that trash, and I’m going to go out there and answer everything you just said. We’re tearing each other down, but we’re building each other up. We’re working together, right? We’re trying to sell tickets. That’s business.”

“I don’t work from memory. I work from what I feel in my heart, my gut, and then put it together with my brain.”

And then came the line that hit like a stunner.

“Now, it’s way more friendly. It’s micromanaged. Back then, we didn’t even rehearse. We just did it.”

Austin’s message is loud and clear: it’s not about nostalgia—it’s about authenticity. When you take away spontaneity, you lose what makes a character believable. It wasn’t just Stone Cold’s catchphrases that got over—it was the realness behind the delivery. That’s something he believes today’s superstars aren’t allowed to tap into.

He’s not slamming the current roster—he knows the talent is there. But in his eyes, they’re playing a game where the rules are too tight, the promos too polished, and the soul too scripted.

Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.