Former WWE announcer Jim Ross has recalled the time when he needed to make a compromise as Steve Austin refused to work with a fellow star, much to the annoyance of Vince McMahon.
Throughout his time in the company, Austin was not as receptive to working with everyone on the roster, most notably refusing to work with Jeff Jarrett following comments made by Double J as part of a work/shoot promo on Raw.
Another star who Austin was not open to working with was Marc Mero, allegedly due to Austin not liking the angle where Mero was powerbombed by Sable. However, while Austin did not want to face the former Intercontinental Champion, Ross stated that McMahon did want the match to ahead.
Recalling the issue on his Grilling JR podcast, Ross stated that to try and please both sides he put together a tag team match instead of the one on one match, which McMahon was not happy about:
“I remember Vince wanted Steve to work with Marc Mero. I don’t remember what town it was but it was in California. I ended up putting that match as a tag team match just to appease Austin, and Vince was not happy with that decision that I made. He wanted Austin to work with Marc Mero.”
Continuing, Ross recounted the conversation he had with McMahon and how it was easier to compromise than to force Austin to do the originally planned match:
“‘No-go, ain’t gonna happen,'” Ross said, recalling his conversation with McMahon. “‘Why’s it not gonna happen?’ ‘Austin doesn’t wanna work with Marc Mero.’ ‘Why?’ ‘I don’t know exactly why, Vince, and booking guys, but he just doesn’t wanna do it and he’s not gonna do it. So, if you wanna get the match in the ring and get the Austin rub, then we can do that. But if you have a problem with this scenario, then we have a bigger problem because he’s not gonna do it.'”
Steve Austin Would Not Have Been Open To Major Rematch
The biggest star in WWE in the late 90s and early 00s, Austin was regularly a part of the main event storyline and worked with the other top stars in the promotion. However, when it came to the possibility of a massive rematch, Jim Ross stated that it wouldn’t have happened due to Steve Austin’s grudge.
H/t to Sportskeeda.