WWE had planned for Stone Cold Steve Austin to be at WrestleMania 31, according to a report at PWInsider. However, Austin has noted this week on his podcast that he will be watching Sunday's show from his ranch. Apparently this news has caught WWE off guard, as he was due to arrive this week and plans had been in place for him. It has became a hot topic backstage amongst WWE staff. It could be a case of miscommunication, on the other hand maybe it is some sort of dispute. Austin has previously said he will only appear for WWE if the creative is right. Last year, at WrestleMania 30, he agreed to the angle with Hulk Hogan and The Rock. It was an obviously great segment putting together WWE's holy trinity, so of course Austin was happy to be a part of it. This year, perhaps WWE's plans were uninspiring. Austin doesn't really need to work for money, so the creative really has to be spot on for him to consider anything. Money is of course still a factor as well, as he's not going to undervalue himself either. Obviously this news casts fresh doubt on any potential Austin role at WrestleMania 32. There had been talk of him coming back to set the WWE attendance record at the 100,000 capacity Cowboys Stadium. It is Austin's home state of Texas and he's in decent enough shape to do one last match. However, with recent talk of The Rock Vs Brock Lesnar at next year's show, perhaps Austin has decided not to come back. Lesnar was the match that Austin was perhaps eyeing. By all accounts from Dave Meltzer, WWE are going toward Brock Vs Rock next year.
