“Stone Cold” Steve Austin admits he went into WWE’s new series Unreal expecting the worst, but the talent featured on the show ultimately changed his opinion.

Speaking with Zack Heydorn of Sports Illustrated’s The Takedown, the WWE Hall of Famer explained that his old school upbringing in the wrestling business initially made him skeptical about the concept.

“I thought I was going to hate it,” Austin said. “When you come from the era that I came from, especially if you were in a Bill Watts territory, it was kayfabe. You didn’t smarten up anybody. If you smartened up anybody, you’re going to get fired. If you get in a fight with some guy at a bar and he kicks your a–, you’re going to get fired, because you got to protect the business. So, I thought I was going to hate it from that standpoint. They give away a lot of information, but that’s what it’s for, right?”

Despite those concerns, Austin admitted the wrestlers themselves won him over as he watched the show.

“The talent is so likable,” Austin said. “Whether they’re heels or babyfaces, the talent shines so much. You end up liking it just because the talent is so likable. The old school part of me says, ‘hey, man, you can’t give away too much,’ and I think it’s a good show because of the freaking talent on there.”

Austin also reflected on how a behind the scenes show like Unreal might have affected his own legendary character during the height of the Attitude Era. He noted that part of what made the Stone Cold persona work was the illusion that the character and the real person were one and the same.

“When I was doing my thing, you really thought I was that guy,” Austin said. “I wasn’t back there just doing interviews, laughing, and joking because I got a sense of humor. Back then, you didn’t think I had a sense of humor. You believed that I was an a– whipping machine. Now, if you saw me back there just laughing and joking with everybody, you might have a different perspective of Stone Cold the character.”

Austin is set to appear during WrestleMania weekend at the WWE World interactive fan experience this April. He is also scheduled to appear on Busted Open Radio this Monday.

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