Stone Cold Steve Austin Reveals How His Agent Screwed Him Out Of A Deal For His Iconic Boots

Stone Cold Steve Austin sneaker stories

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WWE legend ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin was one of the Attitude Era’s biggest stars. He is a WWE Hall of Fame member, a 6-time WWF Champion and a 3-time Royal Rumble winner.

His list of wrestling accomplishments is a mile long so we won’t bother listing everything. But Steve Austin was a guest on the latest episode of Sneaker Shopping where he discussed his iconic look in the ring.

Stone Cold was known for his iconic black boots and later his Asics sneakers. Here he tells a story about his agent botching a deal with the company who made those boots. Austin also discusses the unexpected blowback he received after switching over to sneakers and how he was amazed by the ferocity of sneaker culture. The interview is below along with much of the conversation underneath the video:

Stone Cold Steve Austin Reveals Unexpected Blowback After Switching From Boots To Asics

Stone Cold Steve Austin: (1:45) “Hanging out with Bret Hart, y’know he was a guy that really helped put me on the map with the match at WrestleMania 13, all the feuding we did. And of course a close personal friend, Jim Ross. Obviously the way he’d call my matches… Great to spend time with those people and I was repping by wearing the greatest technology known to man at the time.”

Joe La Puma: (2:20) “We’re in a store like this and there’s vintage t-shirts in here (and) the Stone Cold brand. Is it crazy for you to see so many vintage t-shirts, and even some kids who many not have known the Attitude Era, they’re wearing the t-shirts. It reminds me a lot of Dennis Rodman. You see young kids who never saw him play with his face on the t-shirts. And the same thing for you.”

Stone Cold Steve Austin: (2:42) “Yeah, it’s pretty amazing. My niece is going to law school in New York City. She just passed the Bar (exam) and she was out getting coffee one day and they were at a vintage store. She came across a Stone Cold t-shirt and they (the store) wanted almost $300 for it. And the owner said if she could prove that I was her uncle she would give her a discount on it. So it is amazing to find these things still around. And I should’ve stocked up on those because it’s better than being invested in stocks right now.”

Joe La Puma: (3:15) “The Stone Cold branding, the face, the slogans, was everywhere during the Attitude Era. It’s different than now but did you ever get approached for a footwear deal? Was it like that back then?”

Stone Cold Steve Austin: “Well, not so much. But there was one company. Hi-Tecs. The Magnums that I was wearing (Magnum Stealth Force 8.0 Boot). And I was stomping mud holes in people and walking ’em dry. I can’t remember how I started wearing those things. Whether I bought them on my own or they sent them up to the office. But I tried them on and I was in love. I loved the way those boots felt and I still wear those today when I’m out riding side-by-sides or I’m going hunting. That’s what I wear.”

“Back in the day, they approached my agent and they approached me and said ‘hey, we’d like to have Steve as a brand ambassador and do a sponsorship with him.’ They had an amount of money, and my agent at the time… You always think your agent is smarter than you… And they said ‘Steve, I think this is a good deal but we ought to hold out and see if Nike comes at you instead.” I was like ‘okay, this is the agent’ and he’s supposed to be smarter than me. So we didn’t do the deal with Hi-Tec. Then as nothing happened with Nike I went back and I was like ‘when was Nike ever going to make a bada** boot made for a mad a** wrestler who is kicking the hell out of everybody on TV?’ They don’t and they didn’t, so my agent blew the deal and I’ll never forget that.”

Joe La Puma: (5:19) “Did you ever think of Asics or Brooks as a deal?”

Stone Cold Steve Austin:” Well, I kinda went off the Nikes and got into Asics and then segued into the Brooks. That’s pretty much what I wear exclusively now. The biggest thing I saw was people felt that I shouldn’t be wearing tennis shoes, that it didn’t fit the Stone Cold persona…. I didn’t get that on the fashion side. I got the Stone Cold purists used to seeing me in the black boots. So that was the feedback I got. But it was cool to see the people (saying) I stepped up my game a little bit. ”

Stone Cold On ‘The Shoe Game’

Stone Cold Steve Austin: (5:50) “I dig the Asics brand. We got back a long way. I’ve worn them for many years. I’ve still got a couple pairs of them as workout shoes. But I’ve moved onto the Brooks.”

“But I never knew… Because I’ve watched all your (Sneaker Shopping) episodes, but I never knew the shoe game… That people took it so seriously. And I like a good pair of kicks but it’s not the be-all-end-all for me.”

Sneaker culture in Wrestling and John Cena

Stone Cold Steve Austin: “I think the sneaker culture is cool in wrestling but for me, a traditional guy. Started off as a technical wrestler turned into a brawler… It wouldn’t affect my style.”

“Of course, (John) Cena comes first to my mind when I’m thinking about sneakers in the wrestling game. And he really went over the top with it. So many others have followed that suit and maybe some more before him.”

You can watch the full interview with Steve Austin here: