Jim Ross has addressed the possibility of Steve Austin working with a WWE legend in 1998 and how it would not have happened due to Austin holding a grudge.
Following his victory at WrestleMania 14 to win the World Championship and officially begin The Austin Era, The Texas Rattlesnake faced Mick Foley many times in 1998 with Foley portraying both Dude Love and Mankind in that time period.
Discussing Austin and Foley on the Grilling JR podcast, Ross first noted that despite the fact that Foley was known for his high-impact bumps and extreme style, The Hardcore Legend was a safe worker. When co-host Conrad Thompson brought up whether it could have been possible to run back the Austin and Owen Hart rivalry at that point, Ross noted that there was still animosity at that point in time:
“I don’t think Steve was extremely pleased with that opportunity. I think he held a grudge against Owen because Owen was careless on that Piledriver and Austin paid the price for that for the rest of his career. I’m not sure Austin would have ever wanted at that time [to work with Owen Hart]. Maybe later on it would have been a different ballgame, but at that time Owen was not welcome into the Austin world.”
At SummerSlam 1997, Austin suffered a severe neck injury due to the aforementioned piledriver from Hart.
Steve Austin Shares Health Update
With Austin announced to be in Las Vegas over WrestleMania weekend, there is heavy speculation that the Hall of Famer will make an appearance at the event. However, ahead of the show, Steve Austin provided a fresh health update as he had recently undergone major surgery.
Also on the show, Ross recalled another WWE star that Steve Austin did not want to work with.
H/t to Sportskeeda.