After last night’s Raw, an edition that aired on the Sci-Fi network because of the coverage of the Olympics on USA, Stone Cold was trending on Twitter, with the rumor mill suggesting that the WWE Hall of Famer was pitched the idea of possibly doing a comeback match in his home state of Texas at Wrestlemania. To add some fuel to the fire, Kevin Owens, who just recently inked a new contract with the company, made some remarks about Texas during a promo on the show.
Steve Austin retired from the ring 19 years ago, but could his home state be enough to bring him back to the ring for another send off?
Let’s hope not, mostly because Steve Austin is one of the very few guys that stepped away from the ring while he could still go and considering that he had a tremendous match with The Rock at WM 19 to finish his career, why take away from that conclusion? Stone Cold is the biggest star in the history of the business and drew more money, as well as sold more merchandise during an abbreviated career than most other major stars generated in a few decades. In many ways, Austin’s decision to hang it up in 2003 protected his legacy because the fans never saw a decline in his performances. The allure of one more match or one more big payday often taints a previous retirement and becomes rather forgettable in the grand scheme of things. Does anyone really want to consider that train wreck of a tag match in Saudi Arabia as Shawn Micheals’ final performance? Kane’s mask fell off, Shawn ate the floor on a moonsault, and Triple H torn his pectoral muscle, which required surgery during the debacle. Does anyone want to remember Ric Flair’s almost embarrassing TNA run after he was given the greatest retirement of all time in the WWE?
At 57, Steve Austin is still in great shape, but the odds of him returning to the ring are slim. He doesn’t need the money and nothing outside of financial gain, what can really be added to his legacy at this point? He’s already the biggest box office draw in the history of the sport, what else is there to really accomplish? Furthermore, over the years, you’ve read that Austin occasionally declined guest appearances because he doesn’t want to be there without something meaningful to do on the shows. Again, what can really be added to his legacy in 2022? Sure, the armchair bookers might point to the Brock Lesnar match that was scheduled to happen before Austin infamously walked out of the company in 2002, and the story for an angle is there, but would the in-ring performance be at least on par with what Austin did when he was nearly twenty years younger? If not, is it worth it to take away from a match that saw him finish his career with a stellar performance? Furthermore, it’s not as though Austin is going to take German suplexes from Brock so how exactly what a potential Brock/Austin match live up to the hype?
Right now, all of this is rumor and speculation, and while I don’t think Steve Austin will lace up the boots again, it’s always a given that he will make a cameo appearance in his home state, which is the more realistic option anyway.
The pairing of Austin and Kevin Owens, which looks to be the direction the angle is going, will be a very good combination that will hopefully get more press for Owens. Perhaps it was because his contract status was up in the air until he recently signed a new multi-year deal, but within the past year or so, I would say that Owens was very underutilized. Owens doesn’t look like Lex Luger, but he has the in-ring ability and the charisma to be a major star for the company. It’s very disappointed that at various points in his WWE tenure, he seemed to get lost in the shuffle or regulated to a secondary role, but make no mistake about it, he has the skills to be a top guy.
Just for the sake of discussion, Austin vs. Owens would probably be the most realistic possibility for a Stone Cold return because as mentioned, Austin isn’t going to get dropped on his head by Lesnar. Don’t get me wrong, the Austin/Owens promos to build up the match would be great television, particularly because of Owens’ ability as a heel and the fact that Austin is the most over baby face of the modern era. Owens would bounce around the ring to make Austin look great and it would probably be a fun brawl.
But would Austin vs. Owens in 2022 have the sizzle or the level of performance of Austin vs. The Rock in 2003?
If not then there’s no reason to book the match. Some on social media have cited the reports about the pitch to Austin as an indication that the company is scrambling to see more tickets for the two-night event, but I would take that with a grain of salt. In truth, the brand of Wrestlemania is the main selling point of the show, and while there are positives and negatives to that business philosophy, the bottom line is, the vast majority of the tickets sold for the show are purchased before the card is even confirmed. As mentioned, it’s more or less a given that Stone Cold will be at the event, and all things considered a confrontation with Owens can accomplish the goal of a WM moment in Texas without any of the risks of an actual match. Stone Cold can hit the stunner on Owens, drink beers, and the audience is happy to see him at the event. Sometimes the simplest solution is the answer and as long as Stone Cold stuns the heel and celebrates then it’s mission accomplished without any risk of tainting the legendary final match with The Rock at Wrestlemania several years ago.
What do you think? Comment below with your thoughts, opinions, feedback and anything else that was raised.
Until next week
-Jim LaMotta
E mail [email protected] | You can follow me on Twitter @jimlamotta
