The Rattlesnake is lacing up his boots for the last time. For the first time in 19 years, Stone Cold Steve Austin will hear glass shatter, walk out onto the entrance way to an ovation that would make Robert Plant jealous, and get his shtick to reverberate through a crowd like it was 1998 for an official match. Austin's advertisement as part of the first night of the festivities from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, home of the Dallas Cowboys, should turn out to be the first time since his loss to The Rock in 2003 that he has advertised. In his home state of Texas, the 57-year-old Austin would wrestle with Kevin Owens, as the Canadian has been on a rant. Austin is being advertised as a guest on theKO Show segment, which is more like Jerry Springer than a wrestling match.
During the showcase, it is likely that the Super Bowl will turn into a match. Austin's legendary status places him as one of only a few at absolute top-tier quality, and Vince McMahon knows Austin's ability to put butt in seats in Texas is unparalleled. McMahon and company have not had attendance restrictions for three years, since the first All Elite Wrestling show was held nearly two months before WrestleMania 35. AEW has a lot of steam as a promotion that hasn't existed in a long time.
It is a smart and desperate move for the WWE to bring in Austin for the event. Is McMahon confident enough to fill every seat in Jerry World? Austin is arguably even bigger than The Rock because he is a needle-mover unlike anyone else in company history. There is precedent for the Rattlesnake's services being wanted for previous Mania events in Texas. In 2016 was the most recent Mania to George Bush. Only one of the four full-timers who were beaten by Austin and Shawn Michaels is still employed by the company.
Austin drank beer and drove around the ring in an ATV after he was introduced as a member of the Hall of Fame. In 2001, he won the main event of Texas WrestleMania over The Rock, who was known for his heel turn, and then joined forces with McMahon to win the match with 16 steel chair shots to The People. The 1997 Royal Rumble victory at San Antonio's Alamodome is one of the most important events to Austin's career.
Austin's admiration for Owens as a performer goes back to his run as Ring of Honor's world champion in 2012-13. Austin said he liked his old-school style when he was with McMahon. Owens for Austin is the best option for putting on wrestling trunks for the first time since he was 38.
Over the years, we've seen the senior division go downhill. Triple H and Michaels are against Kane andUndertaker. It was gross. Goldberg vs. The Wrestler? Terrible. Getting Austin to work with a performer at his peak that wrestles hundreds of times a year is the perfect partner if he opens that door for what I am sure is a tremendous income. What amount of money is Austin going to make over the next month?
Wrestlers are likely to return to the ring with an open mind. The Super Bowl provided a lot of nostalgia. This should evoke the same excitement. He will stomp a mudhole and walk it dry, do his signature swing and miss clothesline, and the rest of his greatest hits. It will be a treat and a fix for the problems of having fresh content. Chris Jericho used a victory over The Rock and Austin to advertise his wins over The Rock and Austin during the same show in 2001.
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