10 HUGE WWE SmackDown Season Premiere Predictions You Need To Know

4. The (Latest) Return Of The Rattlesnake

The Rock Randy Orton
WWE.com

Stone Cold Steve Austin's been a revelation in his most recent returns to television, joining in on the fun with Seth Rollins, Braun Strowman and AJ Styles on Raw whilst toasting countless old colleagues on the red brand's 'Reunion' special weeks earlier.

It's skimmed some of the specialness from this SmackDown return, though WWE have given him the honour of his own graphic rather than bunching him alongside some of the other legends he was kept separate from during the aforementioned flagship special.

Ultimately, Austin's so g*ddamn amazing and just looking, talking and acting like a pro wrestler, that whatever he offers is good for the broadcast, Fox, and the fans.

He could verbally put over 'The Man' Becky Lynch or Kevin Owens as his spiritual successors, or even put over a star by taking a beating. It seems sensible for him to toast the future rather than pontificate on the past, not least with SmackDown needing a great number.

Team Hogan for his official return it is, then.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett