by Rick Gardner, Torch specialist

Despite attempts to create an industry-wide institution, the validity of the WWE's version of the Hall of Fame will be questioned for as long as names like Lou Thesz and Bruno Sammartino are absent. However, in recent years the prestige of the WWE Hall of Fame has grown to the point where an induction is the highest honor that WWE can bestow upon a retired wrestler.

While notable absentees and questionable alumni such as Pete Rose undermines the credibility of the WWE Hall of Fame, being inducted validates a wrestler's life work in much the same that a lifetime achievement award does for an actor.

It should come as no surprise then that Steve Austin is going to be the marquee name for the Hall of Fame ceremony on the night before Wrestlemania 25. Austin was the face of the last wrestling boom; a wrestler that achieved the same level of popularity that Hulk Hogan had a decade earlier.

In terms of drawing power, Steve Austin provided the star quality that the WWE is sorely lacking today. Because of the obvious money that any in ring appearance would generate, there continues to be much conjecture over whether Steve Austin has wrestled his last match.

Although Austin has well-documented health problems, mixed signals are coming from those in the industry regarding one last match. Jim Ross recently stated that Austin would not wrestle again, as he risks permanent paralysis, yet interviews with Ken Kennedy contradict this statement.

In the past week, Hulk Hogan has entered the fray, making his yearly move to be a part of WrestleMania by restating his ambition to be Austin's final opponent. Such a match would arguably be the biggest that the WWE could put on at this point, and would provide a huge payday for everyone involved. Added to which, every wrestler in America must desire a similar send-off to Ric Flair's last year.

Yet Steve Austin would be risking far too much by coming out of retirement. If one bump genuinely carries the risk of paralysis, then it isn't worth it. No amount of money should be worth risking ones health, particularly for someone does not need the money.

Added to which, a match with Hogan would be the antithesis of the sort of hard-working contest that Austin regularly produced during his career.

Steve Austin's last match was a fitting send-off in itself. With the backdrop of over fifty thousand fans, he fought one of his greatest rivals from his time in the WWE in what was an excellent match.

The Austin-Rock match at WrestleMania 19 was not quite as good their match two years earlier, but it certainly lived up to expectations and was a fantastic way to go out. Anything that doesn't match reach the same level of quality would be a disappointment to fans, as well as Austin himself.

As the weeks leading up to the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony progress, Steve Austin will undoubtedly be asked the same question many times: "when will you wrestle again?" Yet doing so carries not only health risks, it also carries the prospect of a disappointing match that does not live up to expectations.

The WWE Hall of Fame offers an opportunity for Steve Austin to bow out without risking his health, although whether that will satisfy the millions of fans who want to see him have one last match is another issue.

Steve Austin should stay strong, and content himself by looking back on a fantastic career rather than risk tarnishing it.

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