"Not quite as iconic" - WWE legend compares Brock Lesnar and Steve Austin's epic moments (Exclusive)

Brian James has given his thoughts on whether Brock Lesnar’s tractor spots at WWE SummerSlam 2022 were as good as Steve Austin’s beer truck segment.

Lesnar used a tractor as a weapon against Roman Reigns, including one moment when he elevated the ring to send his opponent flying. The incident drew comparisons to the memorable RAW moment when Austin gave The Corporation a beer bath after driving a beer truck to the ring.

James, also known as Road Dogg, was part of the WWE roster when Austin’s beer truck segment took place in 1999. Speaking on Sportskeeda’s “The Wrestling Outlaws” show, he claimed Lesnar’s tractor spots were not on the same level as The Texas Rattlesnake’s iconic moment.

“I don’t think it’s even close,” James said. “It also just happened like a week ago, so I just don’t think it’s there yet. Was it cool? Was it Cowboy Brock in Nashville, who had wore his cowboy hat? Heck yeah. If he could have done some cool thing on a four-wheeler, he’d have done that too. But this was the next best thing.” [5:06-5:26]

In 2001, Kurt Angle recreated Austin’s beer truck moment when he sprayed The Alliance with milk on RAW.

James believes Angle’s Milk-O-Mania segment was also better than anything Brock Lesnar did using a tractor at SummerSlam.

“He had talked about hunting and the whole thing [in] his promos building up to it,” James continued. “So, I thought it was a nice touch. It’s just not quite as iconic as the beer truck. Not even as iconic as the milk truck, really.” [5:26-5:38]

Watch the video above to hear Road Dogg and Vince Russo’s thoughts on whether AEW is legitimate competition for WWE.

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Vince Russo explains the difference between Brock Lesnar and Steve Austin’s moments

In the late 1990s, Steve Austin became wrestling’s biggest name thanks to his anti-authority character and rivalry with then-WWE Chairman Vince McMahon.

Russo, WWE’s head writer at the time, explained that Austin’s beer truck moment made more sense from a storyline perspective than Brock Lesnar’s tractor stunt.

“They’re always gonna compare it to the original, and that’s unfortunate. I love it, it’s creative and it’s different, but I think the difference with Steve was every week he was getting over Vince in a creative way… filling up his convertible with cement. It was always like, ‘What is he gonna do next?’” [5:43-6:11]

Lesnar’s real-life personality has become part of his on-screen character over the last year, hence why he drove a tractor at SummerSlam.

Although WWE has referenced The Beast Incarnate’s farming lifestyle on television, Russo believes more could have been done ahead of his SummerSlam moment.

“I just wish from a writing perspective, if they knew they were gonna do this, they should have built up to it a little bit more,” Russo added. “Maybe Brock was the hunter during a couple of episodes. I think that’s what really got the beer truck over, like, ‘What is this lunatic gonna do next?’” [6:11-6:32]

Reigns defeated Lesnar in a Last Man Standing match to retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. The Tribal Chief’s next title defense will take place against Drew McIntyre at Clash at the Castle on September 3.

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Did you enjoy Brock Lesnar’s tractor segments? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.

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