Hot Takes: Why Stone Cold at WrestleMania Will Be Great and Why It'll Disappoint

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin making his stunning, never-thought-it-would-happen return to WWE at WrestleMania never figured to be a polarizing event. 

But it's a lock given how WWE and/or Austin dragged feet on the whole thing.

WWE made it blatantly clear for weeks Austin would show up at WrestleMania 38 in Arlington, Texas, at AT&T Stadium on April 2-3 by bringing out Kevin Owens to talk trash about the state of Texas itself. Add in the fact he uses the Stone Cold stunner and yeah, it was obvious. 

Austin, though, didn't show up on any WWE programming and then broke his silence with a mini-promo in the middle of said state: 

What Austin and Owens will do, whether it's just chat or actually have a match, remains a mystery. F4WOnline’s Bryan Alvarez (h/t Randall Ortman, Cageside Seats) made it sound like this is a last-second agreement for Austin. 

Given the lack of build, the last-second nature and the fact Stone Cold is coming back, the whole thing could be great, disappointing, or some hodgepodge of the two. 

Why It Will Disappoint

Let's start with Austin himself. He's 57 years old and hasn't wrestled since 2003, when he lost to The Rock at WrestleMania XIX. There are questions about his health that chased other returning-from-retirement legends like Edge, and it's also fair to wonder whether he's in good enough shape for a match. 

Legacy and perspective are a part of this, too. Fans who care even a slight bit about storytelling have to be miffed, right? Austin spent nearly two decades away and this is what causes him to get back in the ring? Someone dissing the state of Texas? 

Not...any other viable reason that fans have fantasy booked? Not dream, generational feuds like one briefly teased with CM Punk years ago? It's just Kevin Owens firing off some tweets?

Big comebacks and unretirements haven't been kind to guys like Undertaker (especially the Saudi Arabia shows), Shawn Michaels and Goldberg lately. Austin choosing this point as the right time could leave some fans with a sour taste. It's also hard to blame a portion of fans that felt like the above promo was just read off a teleprompter. 

The whole thing could also just be sloppy, if not for Austin's fitness for bumps in the ring, then for the apparent cobbled-together nature of the whole thing. Everyone has known for years that this Mania is in Texas and circled it as a potential Austin return point, just like they have WrestleMania 39 in California for The Rock.

So why does this feel slapped together at the last second? Is there a strong chance the actual segment/match itself feels the same way? 

In the end, this screams modern WWE, not the carefully-constructed stories and feuds of a bygone era. A month before Mania, hardly any of the top stars had major feuds and most of the card itself was a big unknown. Celebrities have feuds and spots, but big names like Seth Rollins keep twisting in the wind. 

The moment, whatever it is, could be fun, but its greater fit in current WWE trends might stick out more than expected. 

Why It Will Be Great

First off, glass shattering in Texas. 

Second, it bears repeating: Stone Cold is coming back.

Austin could walk down in jeans, deliver a few stunners, flip some middle fingers and drain some beers and that live audience is going to leave feeling like it got its money's worth. 

Actually, we've seen this before: 

That was great, and this version of it in 2022 would be pretty great, too. 

Not everything has to tell some super-complicated story or have long-term implications for everyone involved. Owens isn't going to be damaged by getting whipped around by Austin a few times. He's a made man, a modern legend on a brand-new extension who can turn around and do pretty much whatever he wants in WWE. 

There's also the potential for a nice surprise from WWE, too. They've been good with their backs against the wall in the past, and the rushed nature of this could always produce a gem. 

Consider, for example, the two get in a war of words on night one of Mania. They agree to escalate the next night. Austin isn't going to do much of a bump-fest of a match in the ring, but what about a street fight that largely stays upright and uses weapons and/or interferences? 

Just spitballing, of course, but saving this and making it something special isn't all that complicated. Austin opens a can, then opens more beer cans, everyone goes home happy. 

Austin being at Mania will be great largely because it's happening at all. He's still the same old character, a better promo than most of the current roster and maybe, just maybe, the flirtation with a full return can lead to something more. 

And if not, the one-off from one of the greatest of all time works, too.