10 Times WWE Disrespected Stone Cold Steve Austin

5. Asking Him To Job To Announcer Jonathan Coachman In 2005

So Austin and WWE were hardly the best of friends in the mid-2000s. Still, when there was business to do and money to be made, they would inevitably kiss and make up. Austin returned to the company at WrestleMania 21 and made infrequent appearances on Raw and at ECW One Night Stand. Still, everyone was dying to see Austin back in a WWE ring. He hadn't wrestled in over two years when WWE advertised him for a match with Jonathan Coachman at Taboo Tuesday in October. The stipulation was that if Austin won Jim Ross would be reinstated as the lead Raw announcer (JR had been 'fired' in an angle to excuse him while he got colon surgery). Common sense would dictate that Austin, WWE's consummate hero, would win the match easily to reinstate Ross. After all, Coach was a non-wrestler and it would seriously damage Austin's credibility if he failed to win. WWE saw things differently (as they often do) and booked Austin to lose to Coachman. Austin withdrew from the match, with he and WWE claimed that he had suffered a back injury while training for the match. He was replaced by Batista (who won the match but did not reinstate Ross - the stip was dropped when Austin pulled out). It was incredibly disrespectful for WWE to ask Austin to job to Coachman, even if it was with help from outside interference or some other shenanigans. He deserved better for his first match in two and a half years.