Everyone knew going into WrestleMania XX that it was going to be Goldberg and Brock Lesnar's last night in the company. Goldberg's contract was up and Lesnar decided he'd had enough of pro-wrestling and wanted to give pro football a shot instead. What people didn't know, however, was that it would be Steve Austin's final appearance for some time, too. Austin was in hot demand in 2004 and there were many parties interested in utilising his services. There were sponsorship and movie deals on the table and Austin was keen to participate. He also wanted to maintain a working relationship with WWE. The company didn't see how they could possibly work with Austin while he was involved in other projects. So they let him go. Austin didn't appear on WWE TV again for another year, although he did make a couple of backstage visits. Their dispute forced the cancellation of the long-gestated 'Stone Cold Beer' project that he and the company were working on. WWE told Austin it was their way or the highway. Austin chose the highway. That WWE wouldn't acquiesce, even a little, for their biggest star, tells you an awful lot about how much control they need to have over their talent and, in the end, how little respect they have for them, too.
