Arn Anderson on Steve Austin Peeing On Him Angle
In a recent edition of ARN, Arn Anderson discussed the 2002 angle where Steve Austin urinated on him, Vince McMahon holding a grudge against him, and much more. You can read his comments below.
Arn Anderson on the 2002 angle where Steve Austin urinated on him and Vince McMahon holding a grudge against him: “Two people that were heavily involved in it were Jack Lanza, who was like the backstage producer, and Austin himself. They both told me that they went to Vince individually and collectively and said ‘This guy is really highly respected in the business with the boys and the audience as well. This is really demeaning. Can’t we do something else?’ Both got turned down, flatly. Do I suspect foul play and a reason in his mind to be doing it? Yes. Will it be very easy for his case to be ‘Well, we don’t want to do it to Ric.’ It’s the same thing if you went out and put Austin over and got him ready for Ric for the next big pay-per-view. You put him over clean in the middle. Same concept, but it’s just a different way to go about it. It could be punishment for leaving the way I did in 1989. He waits a long time…. when he feels betrayed or feels like you’ve wronged him – we were the very first guys to turn our notice in during that era. I know he didn’t like it and you couple that with some other things, but do I think it’s a possibility? Yep. I know that he waits a very, very long time if he feels like you’ve screwed him. I could possibly see that. It was just so degrading and demeaning if you looked at it on the outside in.”
On his first thought when he was pitched the angle: “You know what the first thing that popped in my head when they told me ‘We want Austin to pee all over you?’ My wife and kids. They’re picture popped up right in my head, but that’s the reason I did it and did it smiling. They’re the ones I’m responsible for. People may think that’s not true, but everything I’ve done in this business, every sacrifice I’ve made…….I went ahead and did whatever was requested to take care of my family. That’s my first responsibility on this earth, and hopefully I will be able to see it through and make sure that I keep taking care of them a while. But I honestly believe that could’ve happened because it was just so personal.”
On whether Vince enjoys humiliating talent: “Anything he comes up with that is his idea he wants to do for whatever reason, you can say no – find other employment. If you don’t say yes and do it with a smile, you may do it but do it with your teeth gritted – he’s gonna know that. It’s like you didn’t even do it at all. Punishment is gonna be the same. He wants blind obedience in all of his requests. He doesn’t want you to have your own opinion unless it runs parallel to his. So, there was not a big argument. I know Jack and Austin went individually and went collectively and just said it’s one of those that goes over the line. I think there were more people hurt and more people pissed off about it than I was because hey, it’s the wrestling business. Sometimes it’s very degrading, but I think the audience is smart enough to know he didn’t really pee on me, although it looked the part. The people who know me know that I’ve always just went along to get along, and that was just another case of it. Anybody that doesn’t call me a team player or that I’m selfish may want to look at that as an example of what kind of businessman I am.”