10 Potential WWE WrestleMania 31 Opponents For Stone Cold Steve Austin
8. The Rock
I'm of the firm belief that part-time or one-off wrestlers coming back to work big matches should be competing with full-time talent. Not only do younger guys get at least something of a rub from working with the "special attraction" superstars, but when neither of the participants in a main WrestleMania match are going to be on Raw regularly afterwards, it sort of cheapens the whole thing, draining some of the impact. All of that goes out the window when it comes to the potential of another Austin-Rock match. Stone Cold Steve Austin versus The Rock was the most epic in-ring feud of the Attitude Era. No matter who was the face or who was the heel, the two had an undeniable chemistry, their larger-than-life personas drawing in millions (and millions) of fans. They clashed at WrestleMania XV, with Austin defeating The Rock to win the WWE Championship. They fought at WrestleMania XVII, with Austin turning heel, aligning with Vince McMahon, and once again defeating The Rock to win the WWE Championship. Their last match -- and Austin's last match, period -- was at WrestleMania XIX, where The Rock finally beat his archnemesis. One last battle between the two most recognizable wrestlers this side of Hulk Hogan would be the perfect ending to their careers. It may not be as pretty as it was a decade and a half ago, but would that matter? Even the winner seems unimportant -- just so long as Austin and The Rock hug afterwards and down a couple of beers.
Scott Fried is a Slammy Award-winning* writer living and working in New York City. He has been following/writing about professional wrestling for many years and is a graduate of Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/scottfried.
*Best Crowd of the Year, 2013