WWE News: Jon Moxley reveals why his Steve Austin interview was so awkward

What's the story?

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin interviewed Jon Moxley, formerly known as Dean Ambrose, on a WWE Network show in August 2016.

Speaking to PW Torch’s Wade Keller, Moxley said he “mentally shut down” during the interview and explained why his conversation with the WWE Hall of Famer was so awkward.

In case you didn't know…

Between 2014 and 2016, Steve Austin interviewed 12 WWE personalities on The Stone Cold Podcast on the WWE Network.

His final interview came in August 2016 when he was joined by Dean Ambrose – the WWE champion at the time – to discuss his career and all things WWE.

The hour-long conversation began with a brief chat about music before Austin asked the former Shield member to talk about his upbringing – something that he seemed hesitant to discuss.

From then on, Ambrose gave several short answers to questions and Austin seemed to be frustrated by his interviewee’s refusal to cooperate.

Austin even accused Ambrose of “resting on his laurels” as WWE champion, and parts of the interview came across as borderline cringe-worthy.

The awkwardness of the podcast was highlighted during an edited one-minute YouTube video, which has since amassed 1.5 million views:

The heart of the matter

Addressing his awkwardness throughout the interview, Jon Moxley said he had already told the producer that he did not want to talk about his childhood, which is why his tone suddenly changed two minutes into the podcast.

Moxley told Wade Keller:

“Within five seconds, I’m getting these ****ing questions, I don’t remember what they were, and he said something that ****** me off and I just ****ing mentally shut down, and I love Steve. If that had have been a regular interview, I’d have hung up on them, but I was like, ‘I ****ing love Steve.’”

He added that he could not say the things he truly wanted to say about WWE during the interview because he was speaking to Austin on a WWE Network show, so he gave "auto-pilot answers" as if he was speaking to somebody during a phone interview.

What's next?

Jon Moxley is set to face Juice Robinson for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship on June 5, while Joey Janela has been announced as his first AEW opponent at the Fyter Fest event on June 29.

As for Steve Austin, he recently announced that his ‘Steve Austin Show’ podcast will return on June 18 after a six-month hiatus, and Moxley mentioned to Wade Keller that he would be happy to be a guest on the show.