How to Maximize 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin's Appearance at WWE WrestleMania 32

What WWE Superstar Stone Cold Steve Austin does at WrestleMania 32 on April 3needs to leave an impact on the company well past the actual marquee pay-per-view. WWE should do its best to harness Stone Cold's star power to bolster its future.

Have him endorse an emerging star, or stand alongside a future cornerstone in celebration. Just don't have what he offers WrestleMania be purely focused on stirring up nostalgia.

Many of WWE's active stars will be in recovery as the year's biggest event unfolds. To counteract the loss of John Cena and Seth Rollins, WWE is poised to welcome both The Rock and Austin, the biggest names from the company's hottest period.

The Rock announced he would be in Arlington, Texas, for WrestleMania, via Instagram:

And now it looks as if his greatest rival will join him. Austin told Jim Ross on The Ross Report podcast that he is "99 percent" sure he will be a part of WrestleMania.

About what exactly he will do that night, Austin said, "Whether we do something in the ring, or if I'm part of the show—it remains to be seen."

Before fans read that first option and start envisioning a comeback match, they should realize he probably didn't mean wrestling but rather managing or refereeing.

Just a few months ago, The Texas Rattlesnake slammed the door shut on a potential in-ring return. On The Steve Austin Show, Stone Cold said (h/t Wrestle Zone), "I'm not willing to do anything that my heart's not set on. I love my fans, I love the WWE fans, I love wrestling fans, I love wrestling. I just don't need to wrestle anymore."

So with a number of potential dream matches off the table, exactly what does WWE do with him?

Jonathan Bachman/Associated Press

It has to be more forward-focused than his WrestleMania XXX cameo. While it was a great moment when Stone Cold, Hulk Hogan and The Rock all convened in the ring, no current star benefited from it. This time around, the smart move is to have Stone Cold share the spotlight with someone from this generation.

In Stripes

The lasting image of WrestleMania XIV is Mike Tyson raising Austin's hand in victory—the world title resting on Stone Cold's shoulder, a fallen Shawn Michaels out cold at their feet.

That was a key launching point for Austin and the Attitude Era as a whole. WWE wisely hitched Tyson to Austin, crafting a moment that solidified the new champ as the It guy.

WWE should seek to do something similar with Austin playing the Tyson role this time.

Perhaps Austin serves as the special guest referee in a bout between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Getting to that point would take some creative storytelling as Triple H would certainly not be happy with that scenario.

Maybe Reigns earns the right to choose a referee in a match leading up to WrestleMania. Maybe there's a situation where both Vince McMahon and Austin are officials in the bout and Stone Cold ends up stunning McMahon to aid Reigns to a win.

Austin then hands Reigns the world title and raises his hands as confetti falls on them both.

This way, WWE can have a megastar endorse a man who could potentially be one himself. WWE tried that with The Rock and Reigns at Royal Rumble 2015, but the mishandling of Daniel Bryan's role in the story led to that blowing up in everyone's face.

Right that wrong. Redo it with Austin lending his cred to Reigns.

WWE firmly moves into the Reigns era, going this route.

In the Corner

Dean Ambrose evokes comparisons to a slew of legends. One can't help but think of Brian Pillman and Roddy Piper when he brings his special brand of chaos to the ring. There is also a touch of Austin to his persona as well.

Ambrose is a take-no-prisoners anti-hero who lives by his own moral code.

Playing on that parallel is wise. Having Austin endorse and then manage The Lunatic Fringe would be a huge boost for him.

Whether Ambrose is headed for a showdown with The Authority or Chris Jericho, having Austin stand in his corner adds depth to the match.

This way, Austin and Ambrose can share the stage en route to WrestleMania. Stone Cold can try to motivate his new ally and talk up how dangerous he is.

At WrestleMania time, Austin can lay out Ambrose's enemy in a memorable moment. After Ambrose claims victory, WWE can then have him and Austin celebrate together with a couple of cold ones.

Like with Reigns, Austin could put his stamp of approval on someone set to lead WWE into the future.

In Trouble

Should WWE instead decide to have Austin assist a heel in rising up the ranks, it would replace celebration with destruction. Austin isn't in any condition to take any major bumps, but he can still be an effective victim.

Start out by announcing that Austin will be the host of WrestleMania 32.

He can open the show with a promo, talk up the bouts and make appearances throughout the night. Then, when he is set to introduce the next match, Bray Wyatt or Kevin Owens could step up to him with bad intentions.

Credit: WWE.com

Wyatt could put Stone Cold down with a sleeper hold and gloat over his unmoving body. Owens could deck the Hall of Famer and assault him with a series of stomps. It doesn't need to be a crash through a table; Austin taking any kind of punishment would be a resume-builder for an emerging heel.

So even if Wyatt or Owens were to lose their WrestleMania 32 bout, their face would be everywhere the next day, with headlines reading that they left Stone Cold out cold.

That's an act the heels can brag about for a long time to come. It's a way to have Austin's name benefit a current grappler.

That should be WWE's goal regardless of how it utilizes Austin at WrestleMania 32. Let Austin's star power draw folks in, and then let it be the fuel for a present-day star's flight to the top.