A feud with Stone Cold would have helped carry Owens' momentum forward and would have solidified Owens' place in the main event scene. The fast-talking Owens came into the main roster like a ball of fire. However, there are quite a few dream matches Austin never worked. In 2002, the Texas Rattlesnake Stone Cold Steve Austin walked out of the WWE. He played football at the North Texas State University. vinyl figure, Mon brings NJPW title to Mandalorian premiere, WWE WrestleMania 39 Match card and predictions, Complete WWE and NXT pay-per-view schedule, WWE Champions: Complete list of every title holder, Cardi B reacts to Trish Stratus returning to WWE, WWE's Bayley on Mercedes Mon's NJPW debut, Nikki Bella says she misses being in WWE, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's family want WWE return, Mercedes Mon releases doc on journey to NJPW, 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin reportedly set for WWE return at WrestleMania 38, DIGITAL SPY, PART OF THE HEARST UK ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK. The WWE Attitude-era legend has remained a sporadic onscreenpresenceever since - even delivering a select few Stone Cold Stunners - but has never competed in a proper match. Interviewed some of the biggest names in WWE including Triple H, Kurt Angle and Charlotte Flair. One of the challenging parts of pushing wrestlers on top for a long time and celebrating their legacy long after their time in the ring is up is that so many top talents have stains on their resumes. As discussed in WWEs documentary, Stone Cold Steve Austin: The Bottom Line on the Most Popular Superstar of All Time, WWE hired Steve Austin as a highly-skilled worker who couldput on entertaining matches and make bigger stars look great when he put them over. The World's Most Entertaining Car Website. Related:The Rock & 8 Others Who Quit Wrestling Too Soon. Both exits devastated the company. Austins own star power certainly exceeded expectations, but he kept up the high quality of work right up through his final matches. The Undertaker Match, Ranked. Meanwhile, Dwayne Johnson went to Hollywood and became a movie star. Steve Austin wrestled his last match on March 30th, 2003 at WrestleMania 19 against The Rock. Use of this website (including any and all parts and components) constitutes your acceptance of these, Carlos Beltran admits 'stain' on Astros' 2017 World Series title. That included part-time stints with the company from 2002 to 2004 and 2011 to 2013. brokenskullranch .com. From the moment a botched Owen Hart piledriver broke Austin's neck and nearly paralyzed him at SummerSlam 1997, his in-ring days were numbered. Barely a full week after taking his ball and going home, Vince McMahon and Jim Ross appeared on the WWEs own Confidential show to discuss the incident and give their take and hopes for the future. In that time, Michael has written over 2000 articles for the site, first working solely as a news writer, then later as a senior writer and associate news editor. In Austins mind, this match was big-time money and should have been built up for a few weeks and not just given away for free in a nothing match. Yet, as mentioned above, Austin has always been upfront about how hard it was to move on after he retired the first time. Speculate what you want. The injuries that forced Steve Austin to retire in 2003 were serious, deriving from a botched Owen Hart Piledriver atSummerslam 1997, which resulted in WWE banning the technique altogether. Jim Ross had zero interest in participating, but he did it anyway - which was kind of the point to this whole ordeal. The once-mighty Austin had little interest in a conversation. RELATED: Why Steve Austin Had To Retire Early From WWE In 2003, Explained. Stone Cold Steve Austin has been posting a lot of workout videos on social media lately. AttitudePOP 1.66M subscribers Subscribe 13K 1M views 10 months ago RAW February 10, 2003. While "Stone Cold" Steve Austin looked to be in great shape for a 57-year-old man who doesn't regularly wrestle, his long history of neck, back, and knee injuries led to many being shocked by both the length and brutality of the match he had with Kevin Owens. In recent weeks, Owens not having a match lined up at WrestleMania has become a storyline and he has been trash-talking Texas as of late. Long before the days of Tweeting out instant criticisms, the WWE seemingly didnt mind its top star ripping into the Creative on their own TV. Be the first one to comment on this story. This was a very confusing decision. Stone Cold Returns To RAW / The Rock Confronts Steve Austin 3/3/2003 AttitudePOP 1.66M subscribers Subscribe 12K Share 1.1M views 9 months ago RAW March 3, 2003 For Full Unedited Segment. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin wrestled his first matchin 19 years at WWE WrestleMania 38, but that may not be the last time he laces up the boots. As WWE rebuilt after The Rock left, it was particularly bittersweet for the knowledge that a talent theyd launched, in some ways,bcame bigger than wrestling itself. 1:00. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin will return to the ring 19 years after losing his last Wrestlemania match to "The Rock" while Roman Reigns is set to take on Brock Lester in the biggest match yet.. Austin took an unlikely path to become the face of the company as an antihero. Stone Cold would have no longer wrestled a full-time schedule, but there would have been a few intriguing scenarios that may have convinced The Rattlesnake to don the black jacket from time to time. The Rattlesnake had been on borrowed time, ever since Owen Hart dropped him on his head at SummerSlam 1997. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin made a triumphant return to the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.) stage at WrestleMania 38 in Arlington, Texas on Saturday (April 2). News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. The build-up would have started after Goldberg dropped the World Heavyweight Title to Triple H. Goldberg would have been portrayed as the subtle heel before being turned into a full-blown villain, especially after WWE realized that Da Man had no intention of staying for more than his one year contract. 9:25. WrestleMania is WWE's Super Bowl - the eventeveryone watches while pretending they've been keeping up the entire year - andstars from WWE's acclaimed Attitude Era appeal to that casual viewership. Kevin Owens is perfect as a safe-pair-of-hands opponent, and Stone Cold's return would be huge for both WWE and its fans (not to mention Steve himself, most likely). "Stone Cold" Steve Austin wrestled his first match in 19 years at WWE WrestleMania 38, but there's a chance it might not be last time in the ring. In 2022, Stone Cold Steve Austin will return for one last time against Kevin Owens. He wrestled some big names like Sting and Randy Savage incidentally, as a mid-carder in WCW. For years, he maintained that the main reason he'd never have another match was because of how hard he thought leaving again would be on him mentally. Just never stop running your mouth. Steen took those words to heart, and that advice helped in Kevin Steens transition to Kevin Owens. Indeed, The Rock may well have been a key star in retaining the Attitude fan base into the Ruthless Aggression Era, had he hung around. The stage is perfectly set for Stone Cold Steve Austin to swoop inand give Kev a surprise opponent, then, as (arguably) WWE's biggest-ever babyface, defend the honor of his home state. WWE Wrestling Points. "If I couldnt be 110 percent Stone Cold Steve Austin, it just wasnt worth doing. , Austin says to the camera and his followers. Steve Austin had issues related to domestic violence and alcohol consumption. Sports Tube. Kevin Owens would have made an appropriate opponent for Austins swansong, but so would John Cena in an Attitude Era vs Ruthless Aggression clash. Do check the Promotions tab if you cannot find it in the Primary Inbox. Follow him on Twitter @miketchin. - YouTube 0:00 / 9:53 Stone Cold Surprise Return 2003! That can be a scent, a theme park like Disneyland, or even some type of food that triggers all your senses. What are you training for? Nearly six years later to the day on June 10, 2002, the Rattlesnake nearly took himself out of the game as quick by walking out on the company that made him a GIANT (Global Icon And National Treasure), and the company that he helped turn around and make its owner a billionaire. WWE - Stone Cold returns to RAW December 2003. kevin billon. After several months of being incommunicado and not doing anything except wallowing and wasting away in San Antonio, the Rattlesnake one day received a postcard from his friend and Head Of Talent at that time, Jim Ross. The Rock and Stone Cold helped make WWE as popular as ever in the late '90s but both were gone by 2003. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for WWE - Stone Cold Says So (DVD, 2003) at the best online prices at eBay! Certainly, the office was none too pleases the companys top star was so openly bashing the direction of the WWE. Free shipping for many products! You could feel Biancas struggle, as well as Beckys desperation to keep the belt, and they played into our emotions to perfection. If an Austin comeback were to occur, then there is no better time than now for Stone Cold to make a huge payday. Following the rumours that Austin was set for a match, PW Insider reported that WWE reached out to Austin in late December/early January to "gauge his interest in doing something at the show". CM Punk Confronts Stone Cold Steve Austin Funny Backstage Segment WWE RAW 6/13/11. WrestleMania always tempts WWE legends back to the ring, but will 2022's annual grappling extravaganza feature the return of Stone Cold Steve Austin? When Stone Cold decides hed had enough, he grabbed his then-wife, Debra and scurried on home. Verified purchase: Still, the current storylines surrounding Roman Reigns and Jey Uso have only underscored how much more The Rock might have done in WWE with his family. There was one prize in WWE that was more valuable than any championship; it was ending The Undertakers undefeated streak at WrestleMania. Though WWE's core fanbase may bemoan the company's nostalgia addiction as they watch yet another aging star hobble around the ring narrowly avoiding injury, the strategy is shrewd marketing. Condition: Instead of Brock Lesnar, Goldberg would have been slotted to face Austin. WWE is also building a "will-he-or-won't-he" storyline around Owens getting a match atWrestleMania 38. In 2018, WWE struck a highly lucrative deal with the Saudi General Sports Authority to produce two live events per year in Saudi Arabia. Why WWE's 2022 Royal Rumble Was Such A Disappointing Show, Why WWE Fired Shane McMahon (Will He Return? pre-owned Stone Cold returned to the ring at this year's WrestleMania, competing in his first match for 19 years. After nearly 20 years away from the ring, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin made his triumphant WWE return this weekend at WrestleMania and it was a moment that will be remembered for a long time to come. Recently on a hot-streak alongside Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens cut a promo on February 14th's edition ofMonday Night RAW,referring to thefolks of Texas as "a bunch of Redneck morons." TheSportster Podcast has returned! Ryan Satin reacts toStone Cold Steve Austin defeating Kevin Owens in his first match since 2003. The weapon use, the brawling into the crowd and around the arena, and the wild and unpredictable progression of Austin vs. Owens were all straight out of Austin's heyday in the late-1990s. Austin's return to the ringwas a well-planned surprise, as while taking part in Kevin Owens' interview segment The KO Show, the Canadian heel challenged Austin to an impromptu match, and theWWE Hall of Famer accepted. 10 Things Fans Need To Know About Stone Cold's Walkout In 2002, Explained, Austin Was Openly Criticizing The Company On Their TV, 5 Reasons A Raw/SmackDown Wrestler Should Win The Royal Rumble (& 5 Why It Should Be NXT), 10 WCW Wrestlers Who Should Be In Jail (Based On Their On-Screen Actions), 10 WWE Superstars That Will Carry The Company In The 2020s, 10 New Years Resolutions For Vince McMahon. Cold Steve Austin, on the other hand, is now 57-years-old. US viewers can access the WWE Network via Peacock. 'Stone Cold' would have challenged for RAW 's top title in the Spring of 2003, whether in one-on-one bouts with Triple H or as a part of multiple person matches. Many were also surprised just how much fun it was. WWE was solidly behind Reigns as The Guy at that time and the accolade of retiring Stone Cold would be another that WWE would have likely bestowed on Reigns, regardless of how enraged fans would be. The Rock was positioned as Mr. McMahons proxyat first, then emerged as an iconic face in his own right, and arguably even eclipsing Stone Cold's popularity. Apparently, the Saudi Prince has an affinity for the stars of the 90s. Steve Austin would fall into a similar category. Since The Rock stopped wrestling full time, Umaga, Rosey, Reigns, The Usos, and Manu to name a few have come of ageand might have gotten a boost via interactions with The Brahma Bull. Stone Cold is set to make his spectacular in-ring return There have been rumours circulating which suggest that Stone Cold will soon be returning to in-ring action in WWE. To this day, you'll rarely see a Piledriver on WWE television. And it was a win for wrestling, because the actual match was fantastic. Austin never held the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. A FL native, Michael is passionate about pop culture, and earned an AS degree in film production in 2012. A staple of the Attitude Era, The Texas Rattlesnake retired from professional wrestling in 2003, when he was beaten by The Rock in his final match at WrestleMania 19. Should his health check out, everybody wins. Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Attitude Era were perfect complements to one another. Watch every Premium Live Event and enjoy some of your favorite WWE content on Disney + HotStar. Following his return, Austin's character would undergo drastic changes in 2001 to a decidedly mixed reaction from fans and Austin himself. Kevin Owens right up through his final matches 13K 1M views 10 months ago RAW February 10, at... Be the first one to comment on this story jim Ross had zero in. Kurt Angle and Charlotte Flair that was more valuable than any championship ; it was ending the undefeated... 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