Another WrestleMania has come and gone. Wrestling fans call it the “Showcase of the Immortals,” a spectacle, and the biggest event of the year for the business, but it’s often a night of equal parts triumph and disappointment. Whether we ask a fan who only tunes in for the big four pay-per-views, or those who watch faithfully each week, everyone has their opinions on which matches are guaranteed to be exciting and what will absolutely be duds. Many legends have come back for one last moment of glory on the grandest stage, but there is always hesitation, questions about whether or not they can still create the same magic in the ring and prove the doubters wrong. Of all of these, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin may be the greatest jewel in the WWE’s crown, and he has finally returned to claim his throne.
Austin is one of wrestling’s greatest entertainers, but his career was not as long as he would have liked. The former WCW and ECW wrestler debuted as The Ringmaster in 1996 and had his last match against The Rock at WrestleMania 19 in 2003, even though he would go on to appear on the product several times over the years, he was never a contestant in actual matches. There were many hardships along the way, but his incredible journey began in Dallas, where it would also reignite once more, allowing him to be “The Texas Rattlesnake” for real again.
It didn’t seem like that leading up to the event though. As Kevin Owens made his bids on RAW to rile “Stone Cold” up, insulting his home state, everything felt worrisome and uncertain. What would this segment even be? It was billed as another episode of the Kevin Owens Show, and likely going to end in a brawl, a few stunners, and the typical beer-drenched “Stone Cold” celebration fans had grown used to over the years. Sure, there were rumors that it might result in a match, or even that Austin had a ring on his property to train for the big event, but most fans were still doubtful. As Owen’s spent each Monday running his mouth and defending the opportunity he created for the WrestleMania 38 segment, Austin’s only response was in a short video, not the kind of retort we were used to from the old Austin. It all seemed like nothing to get too excited about.
In my mind, and probably many others, he couldn’t possibly return as a wrestler after all this time. Why risk damaging the legacy as so many legends had before? Austin had nothing to prove and even less to gain, right? Did we want to see our hero get beat down, struggle in the ring, or take bumps that would leave us cringing for him? This comes one night after the WWE Universe finally let The Undertaker rest in peace, as we watched the Phenom break character in a ceremony to celebrate another Attitude Era icon who had given so much. It felt like one last sign that this couldn’t possibly be a good idea.
Then, we find out that their segment is closing out the first night. I couldn’t believe that they were going to let what would likely be a thirty-second squash match once the first punch was thrown be the final thing people remembered for the first part of the show. After the performance that Bianca Belair and Becky Lynch put on, I couldn’t imagine why this would go last, but here we were.
The Texas Rattlesnake arriving to #WrestleMania in style! @steveaustinBSR pic.twitter.com/dT1wpUeUI6
— WWE (@WWE) April 3, 2022
Every doubt in my mind was stacked, fueling the dread of seeing one of the greatest flounder in a poorly written segment or horribly executed match. I wasn’t looking forward to reading all the hot takes about part-timers and Hall of Famers clogging up the company’s big shows again. Flashes of The Rock and Hulk Hogan guest-starring in previous years played in my mind as my friends and I waited for the glass to shatter, while “KO” insulted the hometown hero. Even the beginning of the segment felt off, no ATV or even a cooler of beer at least? That was soon rectified though, like it had been a while and Steve himself had to remember what it was like to be “Stone Cold.” We were quietly nervous, however, Austin was in the mindset again as soon as he sat down, talking trash, working the crowd, up until Owens reveals his sinister ploy. This wasn’t just a segment to sling insults at the way Texans dress, but a desire for a bigger WrestleMania moment — a match.
After Kevin says he’s looking for a fight, a no holds barred match in fact, Austin asks the crowd, but we all knew the answer. The comfortable-looking office chairs were unceremoniously discarded, an official was summoned, and suddenly the bell rang. As one of my friends put it, everything from that moment on was almost surreal, as we all marked out for the Battle of the Stunners.
Things started slow, but that was just Austin having a little fun, proving that his knees still worked. Soon, they were on the outside, brawling near the barricades and Austin was taking real bumps. He and Owens did more than I ever thought they could do in 2022, with tables, chairs, suplexes on the concrete, riding up the ramp on the ATV, brawling through the crowd as well as on the stage, all while trading blows and saving the finishers for the big spot. Even Jim Ross would have to call this one a slobberknocker.
That was for Texas, @FightOwensFight!@steveaustinBSR #WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/c0nozK69Wb
— WWE (@WWE) April 3, 2022
Reality sank back in during the post-match celebration, as Austin drank beer, delivered another stunner to Owens and one to Byron Saxton, just to finish the gimmick right. He even made time to share a cold one with his brother, who I thought was about to receive a finisher too, but that moment was for him, not us. The fans who had sat through night one were sent home happy. The outing had already been enjoyable, but this part was pure elation, even if it had been driven by nostalgia and cheap pops of dopamine. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin had come, he stunned, and the “Bionic Redneck” still had the fire inside of him. He made the show memorable.
They even had “Stone Cold” come back on night two and hand out a few more stunners. It was great seeing Austin laugh after watching his boss, Vince McMahon, butcher a spot, beating out his wife Linda and Donald Trump for the worst sold stunner now. Austin also got Pat McAfee, but that man won for best floor beer. It was all fun, just under being too much, embracing the entertainment part of the WWE’s product.
Sure, Austin had a few signs of aging as he was a little stiff on a couple of moves, but he still looked fantastic and showed that he hadn’t lost touch with that side of himself. I do wonder how he’ll be feeling after the weekend, if his back and knees held up, how his body took to bumping again, and in the long run, if this was really the last time. We often hear, “never say never” when it comes to the wrestling business, but Austin hadn’t main-evented a WrestleMania since 2001 and I had doubted he could do it again. I’m glad he believed more than I did. I wanted to see this legend prove me wrong and create another stunning moment in his awesome career, and he went above and beyond.
