10 Expectations Vs. Reality For WWE WrestleMania 38

1. Steve Austin's Return

Steve Austin Expectation Reality
WWE

Expectation:

Come on. Kevin Owens did a funny Steve Austin cosplay on RAW last night, and he faked out the audience twice in what was a tremendous bit, but the whole thing started with Owens burying Texas out of nowhere and subsequently wearing a silly, over-sized hat. This is a regionalised house show angle building towards a talk show segment, only at WrestleMania, the likes of which Austin performed 17 years ago at 'Mania 21. It's not going to be very good, is it?

If he thought he could work a great match, there'd be a match graphic.

Reality:

This might end up being a dry run for a dry run - Austin is more likely to work Saudi Arabia than Extreme Rules, if in fact the Owens segment goes well - but it's going to rule.

Nobody does this for free, but Austin is a prideful performer; if he wasn't, he'd have taken the blood money years before now. Dave Meltzer has reported that the man is in phenomenal shape. Even if he can't possibly perform like he did in 1998, in 1998, he adapted to become a white-hot brawler and exploded an industry when he was thrashed. Owens and Austin are world-class talkers. They'll make you want to see the conflict before it's even good or not. Pitched somewhere between a match and an angle, it will be great: Austin was a genius at both.

It won't be amazing, and it's obviously a gigantic indictment of WWE's inability to create new stars, but they have an over-delivery up their sleeve. Think Sting in 2022, not Shawn Michaels in 2018.

Provided he's smart enough to mimic the Okada trunks reveal, this will be far better than a desperate, sad payday.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!