SUMMARY
- WWE is looking to have Stone Cold Steve Austin's appearance at WrestleMania 40.
- As per latest reports, the company has already reached out to The Texas Rattlesnake.
WWE is just over a week away from organizing WrestleMania 40, and with the PLE being the biggest event of the year, the company is doing its best to make it memorable. Even though the match card for The Show of Shows in Philadelphia is already fascinating, the Triple H-led promotion is potentially looking to add Stone Cold Steve Austin to it.
There have been long-time rumors that the organization is interested in calling back The Texas Rattlesnake for an appearance at The Showcase of the Immortals. But as per the latest reports, the promotion has already reached out to the veteran to be involved in this year’s WrestleMania show in some capacity.
WHAT!!! pic.twitter.com/e2eOFYbq2K
— Wrestling News (@WrestlingNewsCo) March 27, 2024
The emergence of this report has left a part of the WWE Universe extremely excited, as they look forward to the potential return of the legend. But others aren’t that happy with this decision by the company. So, let’s take a look at three reasons why bringing back Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania 40 could be a big mistake for the promotion.
WrestleMania XL card already has massive star power
Everyone knows that WWE has a habit of giving surprises every year at The Show of Shows, and this year it could be Stone Cold Steve Austin. But quite frankly, an appearance by the veteran isn’t really necessary for this year’s edition, as the WrestleMania XL card already has massive star power to attract the fans.
With Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns and the addition of Dwayne Johnson and Seth Rollins to the storyline, the main events for both nights are set beautifully. In addition to the tag team match on Night 1 of WrestleMania 40, Drew McIntyre and Seth’s World Heavyweight title match has also generated a lot of hype for the show.
With CM Punk set to be on the commentary team for the bout between The Visionary and Drew, fans are really excited. Except for this, the triple-threat for the United States title, Gunther’s Intercontinental Championship match against Sami Zayn, AJ Styles vs. LA Knight, and Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso are some of the other matches announced for The Grandest Stage of Them All.
An old newspaper like advertisement for match card of WWE WrestleMania XL.
WWE have used this for WrestleMania instead of the random green layouts they are using.#WrestleMania
(via wwgfx) pic.twitter.com/yz0WqB5UEd
— Wrestle Tracker (@wrestletracker1) March 21, 2024
Moreover, the undisputed tag titles are set to be defended in a 6-team ladder match, which is surely going to be memorable. On the women’s side, Becky Lynch vs. Rhea Ripley and Bayley vs. Iyo Sky are the two matches that have been confirmed, as the champions from both RAW and Friday Night SmackDown are set to defend their titles at The Showcase of the Immortals.
Looking at the card, it’s evident that the event has enough star power to make this year’s WrestleMania one of the best in the event’s history. Additionally, a few matches may still get added to the show, so it’s safe to say that bringing back Stone Cold Steve Austin might be a big mistake by the Stamford-based promotion.
Stone Cold Steve Austin’s appearance might take away all the limelight
It’s possible that despite the kind of names that are already set to be at WrestleMania 40, WWE might still decide to bring back Stone Cold. But a major reason why it could turn out to be a bad decision is that Stone Cold Steve Austin’s appearance might take away all the limelight from the other segments and matches on the show.
A return by The Texas Rattlesnake might be too big of an appearance, and it could eventually end up decreasing the hype from other parts of the PLE. In fact, it’s also possible that his return at this year’s WrestleMania may take expectations way too high, and fans end up referring to the overall show as a disappointment.
If WWE has all this in mind, they might decide to keep his return for Night 2 of The Show of Shows so that the first night of the show goes extremely well. But such a plan can end up making the second night of WrestleMania XL a failure. If that ends up being the case, the main event between The Tribal Chief and The American Nightmare may also be heavily affected.
To stay away from any such consequences, the Triple H-led promotion should probably stay away from the idea of bringing back the 59-year-old pro wrestling legend. But if they still do so, and bring back The Ringmaster for the show in Philadelphia, it could potentially become one of the biggest booking mistakes in their history.
Stone Cold Steve Austin has already made a return at WrestleMania 38
If WWE goes ahead with their plans of bringing back the 6-foot-2 pro wrestling icon at WrestleMania 40 and neither of the two scenarios takes place, it may still end up being a mistake. The reason being that the audience may not give The Texas Rattlesnake that big of a pop, as Stone Cold Steve Austin has already made a return at WrestleMania 38.
On the 2022 edition of The Show of Shows, Stone Cold was present on both nights of the show and even defeated Kevin Owens in a great match. In fact, on Night 2 of the PLE, he has an interaction with Vince McMahon, which brought back a lot of memories for fans who’ve watched their feuds in the Attitude Era.
This happened after Mr. McMahon defeated Pat McAfee in their match, as Steve Austin made an appearance to give Austin Theory a Stunner. After this, he started drinking beer with Vince before also hitting him with his iconic move. In fact, he even hit a Stone Cold Stunner to McAfee, which showcased the kind of character he portrayed in his career.
As it’s been just two years since the legendary in-ring performer made a spectacular return to WWE, it would be unnecessary to rush his next appearance to be at WrestleMania XL. If the Triple H-led promotion still has him make an appearance at this year’s edition of The Showcase of the Immortals, it might be a big mistake by the organization that has the chance to make this year’s WrestleMania the greatest of all time.