Craig H Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 Austin vs Rollins is indeed the natural fit now. Rollins pissing his pants over hearing the glass break would be a classic moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raziel Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 I still don't know what the facination is in seeing the ending of The Wrestler played out for real with these old guys coming back again and again. We spend most of they year bitching that WWE doesn't make its own stars fast enough and doesn't build enough guys, then we get all nostaligic and hyped because another old guy says they might want a come back. We bitch every WrestleMania season that the card gets too stacked with Part Timers that take spots away from guys that need the build, then we get all dreamy because Austin hints he might come back, or that Hogan wants one more match? Did we already forget what Batista coming back almost did to Mania? 3 years of Mania Main Events being hogged by Cena and "Two matches a year" Rock? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dre013 Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 Yes the Rock ruined Wrestlemania, as did Taker coming back once a year. WWE and the buyrates disagree. No one else would draw (Cena excluded) for the big stadium experience they are looking for. Comparing Batista (not even the same conversation as Rock, Austin, Hogan, Taker) to any of these guys is ridiculous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GojiColin Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 I think Big Fresh has it right, teaming Austin with someone you want to push (Ambrose and/or Reigns) versus The Authority would be a great way to get Austin in a match. You'd basically be having your cake and eating it too as you could cover for any possible physical imitations Austin might have and give some people a rub in the process. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRV Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 If you lose to Austin, congratulations you lost to a 50 year old retired wrestler. If you beat him, congratulations you beat a 50 year old retired wrestler. The most I really ever want to see from Austin at this point is "Show up. Stunner a mid card comedy heel. Drink beer. Leave." The Expendables isn't exactly slapstick - I'm tryna say old action heroes are still action heroes to people, as long as their appearance is slickly produced. edit: Um wait also it's pro wrestling? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCM Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 Punk got lots of cheers against The Rock, and the mention of Rock's name draws as many boos as cheers these days. I think there's a larger % of WWE fans that don't give a shit about guys who were on top 15 years ago than people think. The AE worked because it was all new young and fresh acts. People were ready for something new and Vince gave it to them. With the fan reactions to Bryan, Wyatts/Shield, and Rollins/Ambrose, and the apathy shown to every Cena/Orton match it's clear what the audience is saying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 I think there's a big difference between Austin and Rock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raziel Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 Yeah, while his cardio isn't great, Rock can still work matches and bump, since his knees aren't artificial and his neck isn't made of glass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EN090 Posted October 6, 2014 Author Share Posted October 6, 2014 That's a pretty presumptive thing to say, given that no one has seen him in the ring yet. The closest we came was the thing with Alex Riley a few years back, and Austin looked like he hadn't missed a beat. The stuff he did with Riley would be what his matches would consist of. I heard these same arguments about HBK before he came back. "His back is made of glass, he won't be able to bump, blah, blah." You just don't know. I don't want to see him In a tag match and I don't think he would be coming back if he couldn't work singles. They need to go the once In a lifetime route which is Cena vs. Austin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bink_winkleman Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 This is hilarious watching people talk about Austin like he's just some old Attitude Era guy. This is Stone Cold Steve Austin, the guy who had, taking time into account, the best run in the history of the WWE. You don't "move on" from that. No new guy is going to get that big. That's not a knock on the current roster, it's just the way things are. It's the way things were before Austin, and it's the way things are after. It's ridiculous to think that there's a guy who's going to get that over in the WWE today. He's also still in pretty convincing shape. I can't think of a match I'd want to see him in post-Punk, but the utter silliness of comparing it to an ECW Reunion or thinking that he's not going to be a massive draw is stunningly--no pun intended--ignorant and out of touch. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonL21 Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 Austin also got in the ring during the Tough Enough season he hosted a couple years ago with the short guy who was clearly the best one and who got the loudest cheers during that finale on Raw. I forgot his name and can't find the clip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 Austin could be a great poor man's Lawler. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyJ Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 Bringing Stone Cold back for Mania makes all the sense in the world from a financial perspective. WWE fans are accustomed to special attractions at Mania. With no Rock and maybe no Taker, what is going to draw the casual viewer in? If you think it's the ascension of Dean Ambrose, you've spent way too much time on this message board. Austin is a smart worker. I wouldn't be worried about him embarrassing himself or the fans being underwhelmed. As for who he will face, I have no idea. There is no obvious matchup. I don't see Stone Cold v. Punk unless the last 9 months have been an elaborate work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MADCAP Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 Still don't understand why people are hung up on the "part-time" thing. You guys that hate part-timers would've shit your pants if you were in the Mid-South when Bill Watts came back for the "Last Stampede"... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EN090 Posted October 6, 2014 Author Share Posted October 6, 2014 Its part of the idiotic IWC wrestling handbook. Don't feature part timers or workers from other promotions, even if they'll make you a bunch of money. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mco543 Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 Unless they're Japanese? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EN090 Posted October 6, 2014 Author Share Posted October 6, 2014 Bingo. And its not like featuring Austin in a match will somehow derail Rollins, Ambrose, or Reigns. Even though I think Reigns and his power ranger outfit suck. But that's neither her nor there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drshowtime Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 It's not inherently bad, but it's bad when it deprives guys of an opportunity and they are supposed to be the guys you want to make money in the very near future. Now all of it is follow up as opposed it one single moment but remember how hot Morrison was in 2010/2011 and then he got a 5 minute 6 man tag at the WM a few years ago? Even after that he still got great reactions but people didn't buy into him as much Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raziel Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 I'm just gonna take everyone that's super excited to see another old guy dragged out of mothballs, and save it for when you're all bitching and whining about WWE not able to make new guys. Or when someone trots out "Sting's too old to work a Mania Match" I know the Attitude Era is supposed to be super-important-legendary, but we're giving other promotions shit for living in the past, and every fucking year, WWE drags out past stars at the expense of their current stars. WrestleMania sells WrestleMania. Not dragging back out UnderTaker, Hogan, Rock, Austin, or any other past guys working a "dream match". The only thing its going to lead to is one of them ending up dead. Period. The only people that don't get that are WWE Investors and people that worship nostaliga trips. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 Austin's the one guy I'd trust more than anyone in a one off scenario. He's not doing it unless it's really good, and I mean that in every way, physically/work-wise/whatever. And as for making new stars, if they can't do it the other 364 days a year, then I'm fine with them putting it off one more day for Stone Cold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drshowtime Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 It also pretty much kills the idea of the old names bringing eyes to the new names when all of the new guys are shoehorned into a 50 man battle royal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyJ Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 Still don't understand why people are hung up on the "part-time" thing. You guys that hate part-timers would've shit your pants if you were in the Mid-South when Bill Watts came back for the "Last Stampede"... Wrestlemania needs to have special attractions. But a couple of years back it got out of hand to the point where it practically became Part-Time Mania.. Mania 29 is the crowning example with Rock, Brock, HHH (w/ Shawn) and Taker clogging up the top of the card. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSJ Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 Raziel403: You almost get it, but not quite... WrestleMania is a festive event, we're not just seeing furthering or blow offs of the current storylines, but a SPECTACLE. Undertaker working once a year is part of a spectacle, Sting working one match and retiring would be part of the spectacle, Austin coming back for one match would be spectacle and also pop the buys through the roof. Would it be meaningful in any other sense? Not at all. WrestleMania is a universe removed from the regular programming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCM Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 I think some here are seriously overestimating Austin's popularity in 2014. The Rock is one of the biggest names in Hollywood. In the year 2014 Steve Austin isn't on the same planet as The Rock when it comes to star power. How many people who enjoyed watching Austin 15 years ago would shell out 60 bucks to see him wrestle at 50? I think the only thing that makes sense is Austin/Cena because at least that keeps Cena from nuking another young star at Mania. I'd be ok with it if it was the only legends match, and the other top matches were all Brock and the younger guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EN090 Posted October 6, 2014 Author Share Posted October 6, 2014 Still don't get why an Austin comeback match prohibits other guys from being made. None of these guys are ready to be main draws anyway. If anything, having Austin on the card will bring more eyeballs to these new guys. And with WWE's medical testing being what it is today, no one'a going to die. If there's any concern, they won't clear him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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