Bigger and more famous than CM Punk's walkout is Steve Austin's 2002 decision to "take his ball and go home." Austin was severely ticked off with WWE creative which had seen him placed in a meaningless Wrestlemania X8 match with Scott Hall. The Rattlesnake voiced this live on WWE's webcast Byte This in the Spring of 2002, stating "Bottom line is everything sucks. I'm not happy with the direction going for Stone Cold Steve Austin. I think it's piss poor." Austin also added, "the writing sucks. It can be a hell of a lot more creative." The final straw came when Austin was told in June that plans had him losing to Brock Lesnar on Raw in a match with no build up. Austin killed the idea, stating he wouldn't do it. He then took it upon himself to contact WWE's travel department to change his flights. Austin went home, no showing the Raw he was advertised for. WWE were furious. What followed was arguably the most severe smear campaign the WWF ever conducted. Even Austin's good buddy Jim Ross scolded The Rattlesnake's behaviour. Vince McMahon called him "the most demanding superstar I ever worked with", calling Austin selfish and unprofessional for letting the fans down. This also coincided with the WWF to WWE brand change, so WWE had Austin smeared in "Get The F Out" promos relating to the brand campaign. The Rock was then scripted to go on TV and talk about Austin "taking his ball and going home." Despite the bitter breakup, Austin was back with Vince less than a year later. Proof again that money and the limelight can often heal even the most severe creative frustrations ... as such I would likewise expect CM Punk back in WWE at some point in the future.
