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Steve Austin, WWE Estrangement, WM 2016 and the CM Punk factor

Anyone think that the way that the WWE drove CM Punk out of the company might be one of the main factors for why Austin is not too thrilled with potentially coming back to the company in an expanded role? Let alone at WM 2016?

Given the constant on/off rumors that the WWE wanted to run Punk/Austin as a WM type match, do you think that the WWE driving Punk away, effectively killing any hope of such a match, might be why Austin doesn't want to commit to next year's Wrestlemania?
 
Even with Cena effectively doing his usual "tacit heel" posturing during the match to compensate for a crowd that is sick of him, there is no real appeal for seeing Cena vs Austin, on a creative level. Punk at least could make for a decent match plus the fact that the build-up could be a thousand times more interesting for someone like Austin, in terms of promo work (you'd never get a storyline as ready made like with Punk with Cena with Austin involved).


​I don't think the two things are particularly connected specifically, but there does seem to be more of a "take this offer and shove it" attitude from longtime guys the more we go along here lately.  I'm pretty sure if Austin had any interest in returning, the Cena match would be enough to get him, even if the Punk match was his #1 choice.  I just don't see 50 year old Austin suddenly deciding to return after more than a decade gone and with millions in the bank.  ​


Comments

  1. Enough with Austin coming back already. He's 50 years old, it's been TWELVE years since he worked a match. It's not happening.

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  2. Belee_Matt!_INDEED!!!April 19, 2015 at 6:15 PM

    These emails are getting worse and worse.

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  3. Austin has said a bunch of times he would love to face Cena if he came back for a match. So no, Punk has absolutely zero to do with anything.

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  4. Amen. Enough about Punk. Just reading a title that says "CM Punk factor" is annoying.

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  5. The more I listen to Austin on his podcast, the more I come away with what basically boils down to 3 points when it comes to One More Match:

    1) It has to be the right opponent. Austin has to see some kind of reason for facing whoever he did. I don't think he'd ever just come back to face say the Miz, or Cody Rhodes. It'd either have to be a legit dream match, or some young guy he really felt strongly about putting over. And Austin is so much a mark for The Business that I have no doubt he'd come back to do a job if he felt that's what was right.

    2) The match would have to be all-out, balls-to-the-wall good. He'd have to be able to perform, as well as his opponent. It's why we'll never see him in a match against Hogan, because he knows Hogan can't work anymore. Whoever it was, though, Austin would probably be more concerned about his own ability to perform.

    3) Upon locking down #1 & #2, you then better back a dumptruck full of money to his house, because as much as Austin loves The Business, he is all about business. He's not gonna do it as a favor to Vince to help fill a stadium.

    So with Punk out of the picture... I don't know if there's anyone he feels a need to come back to face. He might like to face Cena, but would he do it just because Vince offered enough money? I don't know.

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  6. I agree with everyone who says this email is terrible. Punk quitting the WWE over a year ago has nothing to do with Austin and his problems with the WWE.

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  7. Totally. I think whatever "bad blood" there exists is more on WWE's part than Austin's.

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  8. Sometimes I think Scott trolls us with this emails.

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  9. Is there any indication at all that Austin cares what about CM Punk?

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  10. Belee_Matt!_INDEED!!!April 19, 2015 at 6:39 PM

    None.

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  11. I may have been the only one to never crave a Punk v. Austin match. Then again, I also don't ever expect Austin to wrestle again. His "never say never" is part of his carny schtick. As long as people think their is a slim chance of him returning, they'll keep emailing Scott and fantasy booking on message boards.

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  12. I don't even know why people would WANT to see Austin in a match again.

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  13. With CM Punk out of the equation, I figured the next go-to match would be Austin vs Orton as they could add the whole Rattlesnake vs Viper gimmick to it. I just think doing a Austin vs Cena match would be weird, like HHH vs Sting weird in terms of dream matches.

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  14. For real. Austin isn't stupid. He saw Bret Hart return to "wrestle" after about ten years off, and it didn't exactly help his legacy.

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  15. What was the deal with this Punk guy?

    That was a meme that lasted only one day here a couple days ago at the BOD. I think it had some legs to it. But it didnt get over.

    Roman Reigns sucks.

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  16. Anyone on here already hypothesize that this could be an angle setting up for Jericho vs Austin, Lord of the Podcast match?


    Maybe just me?

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  17. I'm a fan of both guys, but I never cared to see it either.

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  18. CM Punk would have been an awesome Vince approved G rated straight edge corporate champ against a bad mouthed M rated beer swilling Austin if he were around in 1998-1999. I fully believe CM Punk was in the wrong era.

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  19. But Punk would have never got a shot in the steroid era. His WWE timing was perfect.

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  20. Mic Foley did ok for himself. If CM Punk were 15 years old and peaked in the attitude era, I think he would have done ok for himself. He could have even got heat by making innuendos of other wrestlers with needle marks in their arms.

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  21. I think it's mostly #3. Give him a ridiculous amount of $$$ is the only way I think he risks another match.

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  22. I think even though the steroid trials were sometime ago, it's not something Vince would ever want mentioned as an angle.

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  23. I know it wasnt popular, but I do miss the QOTD. Ill never get tired of talking about HHH burying people or talking about how petty the WWE is. It's better than what we get now which is these abortion of emails Scott trolls us with.

    And you can tell it's a troll because Sporting News doesnt get questions these bad. Unless scott gets inspired by Bischoff's book "controversy creates cash" and picks out these emails accordingly.

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  24. I don't think it's a troll at all. You see serious posts like these all the time depending on what forums you go to.

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  25. Miscarriage, incest, spousel abuse, I wouldn't be too sure about that.

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  26. Dream matches are only dream matches if guys had similar career paths or gimmicks because there's an instant story there. You can't really put two big names together that have had nothing to do with each other and expect it to draw. It's why fans were clamoring more to see Sting vs Undertaker than Sting vs HHH.

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  27. Also CM Punk has brought up other wrestlers drug abuse before, for example, the awesome Jeff hardy feud.

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  28. Oh my god this guy was actually serious?

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  29. I didn't really understand why this specific match was so natural for so many people. If it's just because one guy drinks beer and the other guy doesn't, then that's a weak premise.

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  30. For what happens when you keep wrestling past the point where one should physically call it a day see Flair, Ric or Hogan, Hulk, or any of the 80s and 90s stars who bust their butts for a few dollars on the independent circuit. Austin has no reason to ever wrestle again and no amount of money is going to get him to do it.

    Shawn Michaels will never wrestle again either. Not going to happen so let's move on.

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  31. If Austin really wanted to wrestle Punk -- or anyone for that matter -- he would of, but since he didn't really want to, he didn't.

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  32. The real crime is Austin not being involved in a creative capacity. I love the knowledge he drops in his podcast and he seems to somewhat miss not being around it; although, he doesn't miss it enough to want to deal with the McMahon's crap. I can completely understand his viewpoint.

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  33. ROCK-em SOCK-em Robot!!!!April 19, 2015 at 7:27 PM

    The. Match. Is. Not. Happening.

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  34. I doubt it. Punk is too, well, punk to be a good corporate champ. His look, actions, promos, everything.

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  35. Cena and The Rock say hello.

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  36. I wouldn't mind seeing it. Austin vs Zach Ryder id want to see. But a 50 year old guy who hasn't wrestled in over a decade versus Orton has the chance to be the slowest wrestling match ever. Like in that episode of Family Guy where Herbert fought that Nazi puppeteer.

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  37. Look, I get the appeal of a Punk/Austin match. The straight edge angle. Austin being Punk's guy. But let's get real, Austin/Cena would be THE money match. The present face of the company (which Punk never was) versus the old one. The clean cut, PG(sometimes G)-rated, virtuous Superman vs the foul-mouthed, DTA, rule-breaking Batman.


    Cena/Austin equals more buys than Punk/Austin, always has.

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  38. When Punk first won the title and was part of Teddy Long screwing Taker (2009?), I thought there was great potential for Punk to be the "corporate champ" against his will.

    Vince sets things up in Punk's favor, coerces Long into doing the same, positions Batista as Punk's muscle, all the while Punk begrudgingly goes along with it because, well, he's the champ and making champ money. Eventually, Vince pushes Punk too far, Punk rebels, Punk becomes a main-event face without having to deviate from being a sneering egotistical jerk.

    I really, REALLY think it could have been great. But, oh well, he did pretty well for himself.

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  39. You just gave me the image of Punk walking down with the Corporation (shane, vince, stooges, bossman, shamrock) wearing this 5000 dollar suit. I know you meant in real life but seeing that in the attitude era would be awesome.

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  40. To be fair, there's a difference between saying that one wrestler does drugs, and that all of them do drugs.

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  41. According to Dougie, Austin is poor.

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  42. That was part of it, sure, but I think most of it had to do with their similarities - in-ring ability, mic skills, angry "my way or the highway" personaes, etc. They were just two sides of the same coin, incredibly intense and stubborn.

    And it's not like we didn't get tiny hints two or three times, whether a backstage segment or Punk wearing an Austin shirt while delivering the "pipebomb".

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  43. Anything is possible in the World Wrestling Federation!

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  44. That's the world russling federation...

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  45. I think Austin said if he came back it would be for a Punk match, so it's more it's the one match he's shown interest in.

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  46. Hahahahaha Lita's unborn baby died, they're having fun Maggle!

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  47. I gotta disagree. I hate Punk, but Punk/Austin was the moneymaker.

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  48. Yeah, but understand that Austin has the freedom to drop brilliant bits of booking wisdom at his leisure right now.

    That's not to say that, idea-for-idea, he couldn't outperform the current creative team (at least partially), but he's also not responsible for coming up with ideas every week for 15 people.

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  49. That made sense as Cena has been in movies and music videos as is a mainstream star, of course not at the level of The Rock but there are similiarities between Cena and Rock.

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  50. Austin is more like BASF. He doesn't book a lot of things you watch, but he can make a lot of things that are booked better. having him serve in a contributor role would probably make the best use of him.

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  51. Cena vs Orton,one more timeApril 19, 2015 at 8:23 PM

    Shhh, let him dream.

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  52. That I will agree with, but he seems to be the kind of guy who doesn't NEED control, yet at the same time, would take offense if his suggestions weren't utilized, if that makes sense.

    Not as much of a hardass as Punk, but no pushover.

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  53. Austin isn't doing one more match.

    Let it go, everyone.

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  54. 98% of the emails Scott posts are the worst questions ever asked, in any subject, of any era.

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  55. Completely off topic but only people who write emails like this guy think Raw was better in 97 than 98. Thanks.

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  56. Ya know, if Cena spent the next 6-8 months planting subtle seeds and taking small jabs at Austin, that could be a money match.


    But there's just no way I see it happening. But then again, I didn't think we'd ever see Rock back in a WWE ring in 2011.

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  57. Austin's broke and needs the money, he's got alimony to like seven wives and has about five kids to pay child support to.

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  58. Fat, Ugly Inner-City SweathogApril 19, 2015 at 9:15 PM

    I feel like if Austin was wanting to come back for "dream matches" or big money main events, he would have by now. Seriously, he could have worked one match a year and drawn huge with Goldberg, Hogan, Michaels, Cena, Batista, Orton, Punk, etc. He just hasn't done it and more power to him.

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  59. Fat, Ugly Inner-City SweathogApril 19, 2015 at 9:15 PM

    Who are we to doubt Douglas?

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  60. We're talking about Austin, not Flair.

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  61. We did that already with Rock/Cena and we know how well THAT ended up going in the end.....

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  62. Podcast on a Pole match?

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  63. So are we officially underway with the post-Wrestlemania doldrums season where bored fans and dirtsheets speculate over nothing?


    I guess this Austin stuff is better than "STING HAS A WWE CONTRACT BUT MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE PICKED UP HIS PEN TO SIGN IT YET".


    Or "BREAKING NEWS: Blurry candid picture taken with a potato of Undertaker in some random public place in Texas. May or may not wrestle at WM next year."

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  64. Can't say I want to see Austin return to a WWE ring. I don't want to see a crippled version of him parodying himself especially in this era where he couldn't get away with half of the stuff he used to do.

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  65. I don't know. Sting did a headlock and dropkick and a 'you still got it' chant broke out. He could probably hobble his way through a goofy match.

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  66. The Austin/Punk stuff was always Punk's fanboys trumpeting it, not Austin himself. Yet somehow it for twisted kno "Austin really wants to work with Punk".

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  67. None of which he actually stood trial for in real life.

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  68. "I just don't see 50 year old Austin suddenly deciding to return after more than a decade gone and with millions in the bank. ​"

    But according to Dougie, Austin doesn't have enough money to be anywhere near comfortable...

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  69. We're talking about Dougie saying Austin doesn't have any money

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  70. A step further. Punk lifted the whole "cog in the machine" bit from Austin.

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  71. TIL Dougie is Austin's accountant.

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  72. Austin's consultant role should simply be 'VP Of Common Sense.' He can be the one with enough clout to shoot down the inanity and nonsensical stuff we saw on RAW every week.

    "Why are these two midcarders fighting each other week after week? Let's get a damn gimmick of a storyline in there."
    "Let's have Cole only mention the network 50 times instead of 100."
    "Wait, this match between two big stars is only two minutes long? With Big Show going over? HELL NO."

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  73. Subtle seeds? I don't think Cena is capable of subtle.

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  74. As much as I got tired of seeing Austin stun everyone in creation in 2003, I'd sure love to see him hobble his way through one more match in 2016 for one more Stone Cold Stunner.

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  75. My wife made a crochet throw with the initials "W.W.D.D." -- "What Would Dougie Do?"

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  76. Ask Hulk Hogan how quickly millions can vanish. And Austin probably has 1/25 of the money The Rock does, and he keeps coming back. It's not the only factor. I am sure this summer and fall will be filled with private meeting and olive branches from Vince and HHH. I could be very wrong but I still see at least some Austin involvement at WM 32.

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  77. Austin involvement? Sure.

    Austin having a match? No way.

    Rock comes back because he sees it as extended movie promotion. As long as he pops in it ensures WWE fans will be interested in his movies.

    I am sure Austin has the pre-nip with his current wife that Hogan didn't have with Linda

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  78. BREAKING NEWS: Daniel Bryan may have lost feeling in his arm, or he may not have.

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  79. Cena is the "Gotham" of the WWE.

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  80. So...intelligent and reasonable people?

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  81. Yeah I think liking 97 over 98 is just a nerd fan thing and a revisionist sort of look back on wrestling then. That's all. And the email was not reasonable or intelligent.

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  82. Obviously I'm in the minority amongst wrestling nerds but 98 was def better. And 97 Nitro was so much better than 97 Raw it's not even funny. So I guess 97 nitro was the greatest year ever in wrestling history based on what people are upvoting.

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  83. I missed that part.

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  84. Rock's also in much better health, I would presume, than Austin, as Rock never had the same wear and tear. I can't see Steve coming back to take multiple Attitude Adjustments.

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  85. Yup. And Rock is also 8 years younger

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  86. Steves 7 years younger than bret and didn't have a stroke I think steve could do it but it has to be his way he would have to get in ring shape and be on the road and to have it stop after one big match is hard

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  87. Bret didn't have a broken neck, tons of knee problems, and a steady and popular podcast.

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  88. to be fair, the WWE/THQ teased/played off it with their WWE13 sitdown interview they did with Jim Ross.

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  89. Cena is this generations' Rock just as Punk was this generations' Austin.

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  90. Steves in good shape he said he's pain free and I think I remember hearing he could go full time for a year or two. It's up to steve though. And wwe pg isn't the right place for him

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