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

2. Bray Wyatt

Steve Austin John Cena
WWE.com

Bray Wyatt's latest gimmick is of a real man locked in a battle with his own demons, the manifestation of which is Uncle Howdy: a grey-faced "unsavoury character" complete with '90s sound effects in his promos.

After initially promising to be a better human being, it appears now that Wyatt is succumbing to the temptation of evil or something. He's beginning to feel the anger boiling and doesn't know whether he wants to suppress it. The heel who wants to be a babyface deal is the real mask or something. You've been reliably informed that it's all very profound.

Stripped of its hammy subject matter, it's basic heel stuff. He feels he's in the right, but isn't, and casts others as the real villain. Were he programmed against Steve Austin, he could claim, to build their match, that Austin represents evil because he's swayed by money and his own sense of hubris. To right the wrong, Wyatt must destroy Austin or something.

Sounds good, until you realise that Bray Wyatt tends to spout a complete load of b*llocks most of the time, which would naturally cause Austin to say the word "What?" incessantly and with some justification.

"Why I'm just the ghost of the man who sold the world of course."

"What?"

"And if you're worried about the aftermath, just...don't take the mask off."

"What?"

"I'm just a servant now. I go where the circle takes me."

"What?"

And, since the "What?" bit is the worst part of Austin’s act, hopefully he works the next man on this list instead...

(Less facetiously: while this is obviously written from the perspective of somebody who simply isn't into Wyatt's act, can you really imagine the Austins, Lesnars and Romans of the world willing to put him over? Reigns (or influential people looking after him) was rumoured to have nixed a longer-term programme with the Fiend in 2020. It isn't just snarky internet writers who don't take the act seriously, you know.)

Probability: 15%

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!