Fantasy Booking 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin at WWE WrestleMania 41

It is WrestleMania season in WWE and with that comes renewed hopes that the glass will shatter at some point during the broadcast and ol' "Stone Cold" Steve Austin will stomp his way to the ring before opening up a big can of whoop-ass on whoever stands in his way.

Those hopes were only heightened when The Texas Rattlesnake was announced as a special guest at The World, WWE's interactive fan experience in Las Vegas, then doubled-down on when he was announced as one-half of the first ever individual match induction into the WWE Hall of Fame.

What would a Stone Cold appearance at WrestleMania 41 look like at this point?

Let's take a look with a little old-fashioned fantasy booking.

A Friendly Warning

At Elimination Chamber, John Cena stunned the wrestling world by betraying his fans and Undisputed WWE champion Cody Rhodes by selling his soul to The Rock in pursuit of his record 17th world title.

It is not the first time a wildly popular, era-defining pro wrestling icon has turned his back on the audience and made a deal with the devil in the name of winning championship gold.

Austin did it back in 2001 at WrestleMania X-Seven, ironically enough, during a match with The Rock.

After returning from a neck injury that threatened his career and winning the Royal Rumble, Austin warned Rock on the go-home edition of Raw that he needed to beat him. "I need it more than anything you could ever imagine." Unbeknownst to The Great One and millions of Stone Cold fans, it was an indicator that the Showcase of the Immortals would go off the air with Austin shaking hands with the megalomaniacal Mr. McMahon.

Having lived through it and knowing what it did for and meant to his career, Austin is exactly the right person to give Cena some advice.

A well-timed social media post, with or without video, that warns Cena about the downfalls of selling one's soul for a title that they are more than equipped enough to win on their own, would be the perfect first step. Release it either on the April 7 or 14 episode of Raw, and have Cena make an offhand remark about "washed-up legends telling him what to do."

Austin should not appear on programming before WrestleMania, outside of the Hall of Fame ceremony, as it would ruin the pop that the shattering of the glass would elicit come show time.

A bit of Austin advice makes sense within the context of the story because he has been in Cena's shoes, done what he has, and managed to turn things around before fans became bitter toward him.

If it does not work, which it should not from a narrative standpoint, there is option two.

Making the Save

Last year, we witnessed The Rock physically interject himself in the main event in an attempt to keep the Undisputed WWE Championship away from Cody Rhodes. He failed, thanks to well-timed interference from The Undertaker, but that will not stop him from trying again.

The Final Boss has made it clear he wants the title. He has Cena's soul and to complete the package, he needs to take the gold that has eluded him. If that means getting involved to ensure that Cena leaves with a historic 17th title, he will.

Austin has made it clear already that he will be there for Rhodes if he needs a hand, telling Unlikely with Adrian Hernandez, "If he [Cody Rhodes] needs another hand, I’ll be there," (h/t Daily DDT for the transcription).

Was that a not-so-subtle hint? Maybe, but Austin hitting the ring, dropping The Rock with a Stone Cold Stunner to take him and, possibly, Travis Scott out of the equation to set up a finale in which the best man wins is the best use of the Hall of Famer.

If The American Nightmare picks up the win, having video and photos of him celebrating alongside Austin one year after being hoisted up on the shadows of his fellow Superstars as the face of this new era of WWE is about as great a follow-up as there is.

That is, if the plan is not for Cena to enjoy a triumphant night in Sin City.