He might be one of the most instantly recognizable names in the history of professional wrestling, half of one of the best wrestling matches ever put on (with Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13, if you’re wondering), and the foremost crush of The Good Place‘s Eleanor Shellstrop, but “Stone Cold” Steve Austin has made his recent money as an all-purpose charismatic host.
Whether as the face of the reality competition series Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Challenge or his successful podcast The Steve Austin Show, the Texas Rattlesnake has re-branded without really having to change much, now using his famous gifts for improvisational speaking to alternately inspire and shout at guests. Now, USA Network has announced that Austin will become a full-fledged talk show host, as the face of the upcoming series Straight Up Steve Austin.
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The series, picked up initially for seven episodes, will see Stone Cold adopt the Parts Unknown interview model as he goes on adventures with various celebrities and swaps life stories. (The first crop of guests will include athletes, artists, and comedians Rob Riggle and Gabriel Iglesias.) Straight Up Steve Austin will premiere on August 12th, and if nobody eats a Stone Cold Stunner at any point and flips over like a cartoon character the way The Rock used to do it, we won’t be mad, so much as disappointed.