“I had to pull a plug on myself”: Stone Cold Steve Austin opens up to Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the ‘hard transition’ after wrestling 

Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently had Stone Cold Steve Austin on his NASCAR podcast, the Dale Jr. Download on Dirty Mo Media. The former WWE superstar told Dale Jr. how things were working out for him right after he quit professional wrestling.

A childhood hero for countless WWE fans, Stone Cold Steve Austin was forced to retire in 2003 due to a series of career-ending injuries, including a broken neck from a fight with Owen Hart during the 1997 SummerSlam. His last fight was with The Rock at WrestleMania 19.

However, Austin didn’t have an “exit strategy” at the time.

“Man, I had to pull the plug on myself,” Austin told Dale Earnhardt Jr. “When I got dropped on my head, I bruised my spinal cord, and there are a lot of neurological issues that I still deal with. It just got to a point where I was just running hard on a personal level, and then I was beat to shreds because I wasn't taking no time off.”

“Getting out of business was a hard transition for me,” he further added. “I see a lot of guys get strung out on pain pills, a lot of guys get in IRS trouble or whatever... I'm no smarter than a lot of the guys. When I got out, I didn't really have an exit strategy.”

Stone Cold Steve Austin isn’t the first WWE star that Dale Earnhardt Jr. had on his show. He had Cody Rhodes join him in an episode back in September 2023, during which the two discussed Rhodes’ return to the wrestling arena at WrestleMania 38.

In that episode, Rhodes revealed that his father had always been a die-hard fan of Dale Jr.’s dad, the legendary Dale Earnhardt Sr. He also spoke about how the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion’s untimely demise had left his old man devastated.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is one of the leading pioneers of NASCAR. His induction into the 2021 NASCAR Hall of Fame is a testimony to his contributions to the sport. The 51-year-old currently works as a commentator for Amazon Prime Video and TNT Sports.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. explains why NASCAR drivers retire earlier today than those in the past

Most NASCAR drivers these days retire in their late 40s. But there was a time when drivers used to compete even in their 50s. So what changed? Dale Earnhardt Jr. had an answer.

The two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series champion said that it’s the nature of the schedule that makes the drivers retire before their 50s.

“(Kyle ) Larson might go run dirt. Just say, ‘That was great. 20 years in the Cup Series. Awesome. I’m out.’ Chase Elliot, (Ryan) Blaney, (William) Byron, why do we feel like that they won’t race till they’re 45 or 50 years old? I just think it’s the demand of the season. How long they are,” Dale Jr. explained (37:16 onwards).

Dale Earnhardt Jr. himself retired in his early 40s back in 2017. However, from time to time, he has continued racing under the banner of JR Motorsports, a team he owns.