How WWE Missed an Opportunity to Establish CM Punk vs. Steve Austin Feud

Many fans want to see CM Punk face Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania XXIX. Who could blame them? Could any two wrestlers be any more different and similar at the same time?   

CM Punk is a straight edge Chicagoan. He doesn't smoke, drink or do drugs. Punk's "only addiction is competition." He has the Pepsi logo tattooed on his arm, "Drug Free" tattooed on his knuckles and "Straight Edge" tattooed across his stomach—all to represent his straight edge lifestyle.   

Steve Austin, on the other hand, is a notorious beer drinker and redneck. After matches, he would celebrate with a few beers. The words "Alcohol Fueled" could sometimes be seen on the back of his entrance vest.

Although they have differences in lifestyle, CM Punk and Stone Cold Steve Austin have many similarities.

Both CM Punk and Steve Austin worked their way up in the wrestling business from the bottom and have rebellious natures. Also, in the eyes of many fans, both men's careers skyrocketed after cutting now-legendary promos.

Austin's rise to superstardom began at the 1996 King of the Ring—where after defeating Jake "The Snake" Roberts and becoming King of the Ring—Austin cut the promo that gave birth to the "Austin 3:16" catchphrase. The promo not only elevated Austin's career to dramatic new heights, but it also helped kick off the Attitude Era.

CM Punk's rise to the top began at the very end of the June 27, 2011 episode of Monday Night Raw, where he audaciously voiced his frustrations with the WWE brass and landscape in a promo that shocked the world. Just as Austin's King Of The Ring promo elevated Austin's career and helped kick off the Attitude era, Punk's promo elevated Punk's career and helped kick off the unofficial "Reality" Era.

Ultimately, a feud and match between CM Punk and Stone Cold Steve Austin would undoubtedly be one of the most intriguing matches ever. Not only are the two men different yet similar, but also they have (on numerous occasions) expressed interest in facing each other if the right opportunity presented itself.

For example, look at this tweet (by Punk) and Austin's response:

"

‏@CMPunk: @steveaustinBSR 29, son.

@steveaustinBSR: @CMPunk Just worry about 28. If the stars all line up I always have a big can of Whoop A** ready to take to NYC. ‪#rogerthat‬

"

Sure, Austin later told The Sun that he thought maybe CM Punk isn't the right opponent and that Punk needs to increase his intensity, but you have to believe Austin would want to face Punk if the right opportunity presented itself. There is undoubtedly much mutual admiration and respect between the two wrestlers.  

There's just one problem: a great opportunity to establish a feud has likely passed.

In the buildup to CM Punk's WrestleMania 28 and Extreme Rules matches against Chris Jericho, Jericho incessantly taunted Punk with alcohol to the point that CM Punk began losing control of his emotions. For instance, during a Title match (on Raw) against Mark Henry, Punk was disqualified after losing control and hitting Henry with a TV monitor (after Jericho had taunted him on the Titan Tron before the match).

CM Punk even went on to warn Jericho that if he did not stop the taunting, his "dangerous side" would be unleashed. In a previous article, I predicted that what Punk meant by "dangerous side" is that he would lose complete control of his emotions and turn heel. I also predicted that Punk's post-WrestleMania feud with Jericho was nothing more than a stepping stone for a Punk vs. Austin feud.

Ultimately, I predicted that Chris Jericho's use of alcohol to taunt CM Punk would eventually drive Punk mad with uncontrollable anger. Anger at Jericho, anger at the world, anger at alcohol, anger at... Steve Austin. Anger at Steve Austin? Yes—for drinking beer on TV during his time at the top of the WWE mountain.

Instead of turning heel and dropping "pipe bombs" on Steve Austin for drinking beer (which could have led to Austin returning to confront Punk), CM Punk rose above Jericho's hate and is now as much a babyface as he's ever been.

Ultimately, a decent opportunity to start a CM Punk vs. Steve Austin feud was definitely missed. Hopefully, other opportunities present themselves.

The question remains: how can it be done? Does CM Punk need to turn heel in order to feud with Austin? 

Thanks for reading! Share your thoughts!