I Listen So You Don't Have To: Steve Austin Show Ep. 249

The former Kelly Kelly is on the latest Austin show 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: 249 (Aug. 25, 2015)
Run Time: 1:17:33
Guest: Barbie Blank (11:53)

Summary: Blank, known in WWE as Kelly Kelly, is currently featured on the E! show WAGS, or Wives and Girlfriends of Sports stars. She explains the show a bit, which is by necessity an explanation of her relationship with her fiancé. That leads to talk about life on the road, the show’s filming schedule and wardrobe and makeup obligations. Blank talks about life in the various places she calls homes and her continued friendships with wrestlers. After a break, Blank revisits her gymnastics background and how she got into WWE, the origin of Kelly Kelly, why she left, competition with other performers and favorite venues. They ended by talking about weddings.

Quote of the week:“I definitely miss performing, and I miss the wrestling part and just everything that comes with walking through that curtain and, you know, while you’re out there and going back through it. So I would say I miss all of that. I would definitely come back for maybe one more run, you never know. (I’m) still young, my body’s, you know, doing OK. You never know.”

Why you should listen: Perhaps you are curious about what has come of Kelly Kelly since the end of her WWE run. Or you want to hear from the source about what it is like to go from fitness model to WWE Diva. It’s actually nice to hear Blank still refer to the WWE and performers in the context of “we” and believably assert she was a fan before and after her time as a performer. Also, the reason she was named Kelly Kelly is absolutely the only reason any character should ever have that name and I am forever in love with that anecdote regardless of its veracity.

Why you should skip it: It would be rude to say Blank is as dull as her name (real or stage), because she does seem a genuinely nice person. But there’s really not much here about which to be excited. She answers all of Austin’s questions without being in any way revealing or insightful. Given his own experience with reality television, there was potential for some legitimately interesting conversation, but every exchange is eminently predictable.

Final thoughts: This was boring. I am willing to bet a case of barbecue sauce it’s a better podcast than whatever Jim Ross releases this week — at the very least, nothing contained herein is the least bit offensive — but this type of interview is the sort of thing that gave birth to ILSYDHT. There was potential for something great, but this was absolutely baseline. You have better ways to spend your time.