The Bottom Line: Why I Decided To Write About Steve Austin

A Guest Post From Author Zack Heydorn

This summer Hybrid Shoot will publish Zack Heydorn’s debut book Stunning: The Wrestling Artistry of Steve Austin. It is available for pre-sale right now at Indiegogo.

The art behind the professional wrestling business has always interested me greatly. The idea that two entities in the middle of a wrestling ring with nothing but themselves are somehow able to turn an audience of thousands into frothing at the mouth maniacs is fascinating. I mean, how does that happen? The “how” was something that I always remember looking for.

The art of wrestling can mean many different things to many different people. To some it’s the moves. It’s the fluidity and connectivity of a match because of the crisp and pinpoint execution of the nuts and bolts around holds and spots. To others, it’s the story. Good guys and bad guys going at it for supremacy.  

For me, the art of wrestling always revolved around the reaction – around the frothing at the mouth maniacs in the crowd. When that reaction is there, whatever is happening in the ring – moves, story, promos, or even a fake Miz stuntman bumping like a blithering idiot – is working. Pulling the desired reaction out of the audience is premiere wrestling artistry in my eyes.

So, when the opportunity came up to write a book with Hybrid Shoot, that concept immediately popped into my brain. “The world must know about the artistic mastery that takes place within the squared circle,” I declared. Then a hard slice of reality hit me like a stiff Steve Austin right hook to the face. Nobody wants to read a 10,000 page book by you, Zack. To tell the full story of the art of wrestling, it would take a lot of pages. Lots. And really, that would be an endless endeavor because wrestling is always changing. Each weekend, someone in a ring somewhere is doing something new to pull a reaction from their audience.

It was Jonathan Snowden who focused the vision I had for the book into something more manageable and more enjoyable for you guys. “How about we pick one wrestler and look at their body of work as an artist in the ring?” Ding, ding, ding! That was the secret sauce and I knew instantly who I’d pick.

Steve Austin.

An easy choice. I watched Austin’s entire career and he’s the biggest star attraction that professional wrestling has ever had, but it was a third factor that confirmed my pick. He’s simply the greatest wrestling artist ever when it comes to serving my definition of wrestling art. Nobody manipulated an audience as efficiently or as passionately as he did. The Stone Cold pops are the loudest in history. What made that happen? How did it work? Did Austin always have a piece of his material and strategy as a performer rooted in developing a relationship with the crowd? That was the mission. Explore the art of wrestling through the career of Steve Austin. 

The book starts in his first year as a professional wrestler in the USWA and ends with his return match against Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 38. In between, exploration and discovery occurred. We found answers, too.

There are elements of Austin’s game early in his career that set the table for everything that is to come later as Stone Cold. It’s simple now that I’ve seen it, but Austin regularly got strong reactions from his audience because he cared about them. He remembered they were there and made sure his work played to them. Always. Whether it was “Stunning” Steve, Hollywood Blondes Austin, or Stone Cold, there was always a concerted effort to check-in with and then adapt to what the audience tossed his way. That’s art.

For this project, I was lucky enough to watch hundreds of Austin matches and countless other promos, backstage segments, and other Austin-like shenanigans throughout his run in the pro wrestling business. I’ll never watch pro wrestling the same way again.

No matter what he was doing, whether it was a hold, a move, or a promo, the audience was the focus for Austin. Sometimes it was a small glance their way and other times it was grandiose middle fingers at them, but he was there and they were connected. I look for that now. Some are better than others, but it matters a lot and makes the business very fun to follow.

If you’re a diehard pro wrestling fan, after reading, you’ll have a new outlook and appreciation for one of the biggest stars the business has ever seen. You’ll also have an in-depth look at the second to second happenings of matches and promos and how those specific happenings and artistic choices by Austin helped tell the stories of matches you’ve come to love. If you’re a casual wrestling fan, you’ll have a new perspective on the business – another angle to look at things from and a unique way to appreciate your favorite wrestlers from here on out.

You’ll enjoy this journey. I certainly did. And that’s the bottom line.