Why WWE WrestleMania 38 Reeks Of Desperation

Stone Cold Steve Austin
WWE

Dusting off a long-retired wrestler and convincing them to have one more match on the biggest stage of them all is far from unprecedented. The Rock headlined WrestleManias 28 and 29 after being mostly out of the game since WM 20. Ricky Steamboat returned to the ring at WM 25. Batista showed up for one last match at WM 35.

But luring “Stone Cold” Steve Austin out of a 19-year retirement that has persisted despite the wishes of millions of fans and wrestlers up and down the card has to top the list. Austin last competed at WM 19, though he’s dished out plenty of Stunners in a WWE ring in the years since.

Despite his various appearances, whether as Raw sheriff, guest referee or whatever role they’ve carved out for him, Austin has resisted entreaties to actually wrestle again.

Now, however, it looks like WWE has indeed broken the glass, signalling an emergency, as they’re seemingly enlisting a Texas native to help sell a Mania taking place in Texas by competing against a guy in Kevin Owens who has been trashing Texas at every turn recently.

If pulling Austin out of a nearly two-decade retirement to wrestle in his home state isn’t a sign of desperation to move the needle, then surely the next item is…

CONT’D (5 of 7)

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Contributor
Contributor

Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.