Stone Cold Steve Austin has weighed in on Vince McMahon’s absence from WWE, offering a candid reflection on the major changes within the company and his own past conversations with the former chairman. During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, the WWE Hall of Famer addressed McMahon's exit and WWE’s new chapter under TKO ownership.

When asked if he ever thought he would see the day McMahon would not be affiliated with WWE while still alive, Austin admitted the shift felt strange, at least at first.

“It seems weird, but I mean, only for a minute, because, you know, when they sold the company to TKO or whatever the deal is, you know, it was like, okay, it was kind of like the end of an era, and now that we’ve taken a breath, okay, we digested that the era’s over, and it is what it is,” Austin said.

Austin went on to recall a conversation from years ago, where he questioned McMahon’s decision to take WWE public. He admitted he never quite understood the move.

“So I remember talking to Vince 100 years ago when he wanted to take the company public. And I told him, I said, dude… I said, why do you want to go public? He goes, Steve, [to] be more legitimate. I was like, man, what the hell? be more legitimate? He owned the whole damn thing, you know, it was worth a shit ton of money, you know, how much do you want? So I never understood to begin with, you know.”

Despite not always seeing eye to eye, Austin expressed appreciation for his time with WWE and his working relationship with McMahon.

“And I love working with Vince… and I’ve had a tremendous time working with WWE, and we haven’t always seen eye to eye on everything, but, you know, and I gave him all my blood, sweat and tears, and they gave me a bunch of opportunities to go out there… We had a great time together.”

As WWE moves into a new era, Austin acknowledged the change and the momentum that continues to build.

“But you know that era is gone and a new one has… begun, and it’s taken off, and it’s seemed like it’s going good.”

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