9 Times WWE Booked Impromptu Matches At WrestleMania

1. Austin Unretires To KO Owens

If everyone sees a match coming a kilometer away, is it really an impromptu match?

That was the scene for the first night of WrestleMania 38, where Kevin Owens hosted the KO Show in the main event slot with his guest “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. Owens had spent weeks exchanging heated words with Austin, leading to the long-retired Hall-of-Famer to agree to appear on the talk show.

The two verbally sparred, with the war of words escalating until a challenge was thrown down and both agreed to an impromptu match, sending Dallas into a frenzy. After all, Austin had been retired for 19 (!) years and remained retired from in-ring competition.

Questions about whether Austin would just “play the hits” were answered moments into the match when he took a suplex on the stadium floor. The Rattlesnake and KO brawled around the arena and back into the ring, where Austin would hit a Stunner, which could be the best wrestling move ever, to pick up the win.

The build to a main event match masquerading as a talk show segment was simultaneously impressive and frustrating. Everyone had a strong feeling the match was inevitable on the night, but the announcement of a match might have built anticipation even more. Perhaps the reason for this was to avoid expectations that Austin might not have been able to meet.

Either way, Austin/Owens is the pinnacle of WrestleMania impromptu matches – a truly exhilarating surprise that delivered in the ring and sent fans home happy.