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Through The Ropes
This time, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin merely stuck the figurative mid-dle finger in Vince McMahon’s face. And yet, this gesture had some real animosity behind it. The scene was not a wrestling ring, but the negotiating table. Austin and World Wrestling Entertainment could not agree on a contract extension, so the "Sheriff" has left Dodge City. The big issues in the negotiations involved the usage of the name "Stone Cold" and the percentage of money Austin would have to kick back to WWE for outside projects. Whether it’s John Bradshaw Lay-field’s book on financial independence or Torrie Wilson’s photo spread in Playboy, McMahon is enjoying a piece of that income. It’s specifically written into most WWE contracts, and it makes sense because it’s the exposure of being a WWE superstar that allows these extra money-making opportunities to happen. But Austin, in this case, probably feels that he has dropped enough cash in McMahon’s pocket. At this point in his career, Austin contends that it’s real nickel-and-dimin’ for Vince to want, just for example, $500 for each of Austin’s $4,000 autograph appearances. If that wasn’t enough to cause some hard feelings, WWE and Austin went to war over usage of the name Stone Cold. In the past, wrestlers like Bret "The Hitman" Hart and Hulk Hogan have acquired the rights to their names, allowing them to use those monikers independent of the WWE brand. But as it stands now, if you catch a public appearance with Steve Austin, it will probably be just like that on the billboard. "Stone Cold" is still the intellectual property of WWE. But Austin might have a case in court because it was actually his ex-wife who came up with that name while the two were talking many years ago. McMahon is playing hardball on this one; normally, a vet like Austin gets treated with kid gloves when inking a new deal. Vince must still be ticked that Austin walked out on the company before instead of jobbing to Brock Lesnar. When Austin breached his contract, ratings were on the downside and the creative department was doing awful. Although Austin didn’t think that Les-nar had earned the stripes to get a win over him, McMahon figured that after all the money he put in Austin’s pockets over the years, Stone Cold would graciously do something he didn’t want to do. Wrong! There’s still too much bad blood for McMahon to bestow upon Austin the WWE Lifetime Achievement Award. No, not induction into the company’s cheesy hall of fame. The best thing McMahon can do for a grappler is free him from having to share outside funds, or better yet, release his character licensing rights. If Hart earned this, then Austin earned it 12 times over. McMahon is probably wrong for being so tough in contract negotiations, but Austin was wrong by not jobbing to Lesnar. Two wrongs in this case make a right (hook). But the hardheadedness that makes Austin and McMahon butt heads so often will also bring them back together, in due time. Whether in the ring or the conference room, it is a relationship built on grudging re-spect. They’ve never met anyone more stubborn than the other. You can contact Josh Stewart at throughtheropes1@cs.com.
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