I Listen So You Don't Have To: Steve Austin Show Ep. 151

Nash returns to the Austin podcast this week Photo Credit: WWE.com

If you're new, here's the rundown: I listen to a handful of wrestling podcasts each week. Too many, probably, though certainly not all of them. In the interest of saving you time — in case you have the restraint to skip certain episodes — the plan is to give the bare bones of a given show and let you decide if it’s worth investing the time to hear the whole thing. There are better wrestling podcasts out there, of course, but these are the ones in my regular rotation that I feel best fit the category of hit or miss. If I can save other folks some time, I'm happy to do so.

Show: Steve Austin Show
Episode: 151
Run Time: 1:20:42
Guest: Kevin Nash

Summary: Steve is still on location in rural Georgia. His brief opening monologue focuses on his current gym regimen, which is where the talk with Nash begins. They chat about working out, diet and shopping for paper products before moving on to a segment where Steve reads from the @UberFacts Twitter account and seeks Nash’s reaction. Then Steve drops his match of the week suggestion — now via the WWE Network instead of YouTube.

Quote of the week: Nash, on why marriages might fizzle after four years: “I guess because I met my wife before I got into the business… When you meet somebody now, they meet Stone Cold, they meet Big Sexy. They don’t meet us. It’s already a preconceived person that they’ve seen on television, that they’ve got some idea of. My wife fell in love with a muscle-headed bouncer in a strip joint, so she gets kudos for falling in love with the broke dude.”

Why you should listen: The first 40 minutes covers much of the same ground as the first half of Episode 150, but with the added benefit of a humorous guest — Nash and Austin do have great chemistry — and none of the language that colors the uncensored show. It’s not quite the same as listening in on a casual phone call, since Nash is always aware of when he’s performing, but it’s a lighthearted chat between old friends.

Why you should skip it: If you enjoyed Nash’s two-part interview with Austin from May 2013 (still available on iTunes), delete this file without a second thought. The only hint of talk about wrestling is when the guys discuss their current aches and pains, and even then the listener must provide the context that links the injuries to their storied careers. There is practically no insight whatsoever about anything, and you very likely will feel you wasted 80 minutes.

Final thoughts: If you’re choosing between this one and last Thursday’s show, choose this one. If you’re choosing between this and just about anything, up to and including oral surgery, you have better ways of spending your time.