Stone Cold Steve Austin is one of the most iconic wrestlers of all time. During my childhood, the Texas Rattlesnake was a household name, gracing our televisions on most weeks as we tuned into the Attitude Era ofWWE. But for almost two decades now, he hasn’t had much to do with wrestling due to the consequences of ageing and a number of terrible injuries. But it doesn’t make him any less iconic thanks to guest appearances, rare one-off matches, and a podcast that continues to feature a number of high-profile guests across the industry.
He also loves his cats, and spends most of his time tending to his feline friends on his ranch and posting social media updates for all of us to enjoy. I first noticed his love for his farm cats during WrestleMania 40, when he didn’t appear in the main event to confront The Rock while he tried to prevent Cody Rhodes from beating Roman Reigns. Instead, that role was given to the Undertaker, who at the time many believed was an odd fit for that kind of cameo. Stone Cold and The Rock are lifelong rivals, and the latter putting a stop to the People’s Champion that night would have been poetry in motion. But he decided to hang out with his cats.
I love this so much, and how it adorably subverts the tough persona of Stone Cold into what is a loving man who is embracing growing older with grace and looking after a bunch of cute cats. I would do anything to spend a day on his ranch and meet the rascals, and spend time talking with Stone Cold about precisely what he values in life, and why looking after animals like this is so rewarding.
Two of his cats in particular have caught the world’s attention. There’s Pancho, who Austin has recently crowned his personal World Champion, and Macho, otherwise known as the World Champ. Part of me doubts they will be wrestling anytime soon, but given Austin’s background, it was expected that he’d roll the profession into his feline’s backstory sooner or later. They seem to live in some sort of homemade barn where they are free to explore during the day, before both cats are taken to a smaller room to relax, play with toys, and eat their food.In a recent postwe see Austin putting them to bed and praising them like a doting father.
Speaking of fathers, he also posted on Father’s Day when he dropped by the Broken Skull ranch to check up on Pancho and Macho who also happened to get him a nice cold bucket full of ice and Stone Cold Steve Austin licensed beer. How thoughtful, I didn’t know cats could make their own alcohol at such a young age. Everything really is different over in the States. He’s aware of how popular the cats are too, saying he doesn’t want to become an account purely dedicated to Macho and Pancho, but also knows what the people want.
If I end up in a terrible accident and reincarnation really ends up being a thing, I want to wake up in my next life as a cat chilling out on a ranch somewhere with Stone Cold Steve Austin. Just picture the vibes, and how cool it would be to wake up every morning to a tough Texan feeding you a treat and settling down for a well deserved brewski. Macho and Pancho, we salute you.
