10 Wrestlers Most Likely To Be Steve Austin's WWE WrestleMania 39 Opponent

4. Austin Theory

Steve Austin John Cena
WWE

Last year, Austin defeated an established upper midcard heel who, despite being an incredible talent, has reached his ceiling in WWE.

Theory is different, in that WWE sees him as a tippy-top headliner. Under Vince McMahon, they saw him as the future face of the company, and while he has fared far worse under Triple H, it was Triple H who first pushed him in WWE. They still rate him very highly, it's just not his time yet - and besides, you're not really the next face of WWE if they don't monumentally botch you first. The Rock, Steve Austin, John Cena, Roman Reigns: they never get it right first time. Incompetent creative is a rite of passage.

Also: WWE is a different company operating in defiance of old values. Losing a massive match is less important than being in the match itself to a new generation of fans, and for now, losing to Steve Austin would act as an ironic hint that, actually, they rate Theory and want to put him in the most featured position of the year.

Then again, if there's one job Austin is going to do...

Probability: 70%

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!