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ASK THE SPECIALISTS ROUNDTABLE: Weekend Hypothetical Part 1 - if Stone Cold wrestled again, who should he face?

Jul 26, 2014 - 2:49:01 PM
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The "Ask the Specialists" Roundtable is the latest spin-off from the "Ask the Torch" feature. CSI led to CSI: New York and CSI: Miami, which is where you'll find the Specialists tackling a daily topic submitted by PWTorch readers to askpwtorch@gmail.com.

Ask the Specialists Roundtable #48

- Question from PWTorch reader Adam Aviles: If Steve Austin were to come back for one more match, who do you guys think he should face? Should he face a new guy or and old rival that he can trust in the ring? Maybe The Rock vs. Austin 4?

- "Mr. PPV" Nathan Kyght responds: Ah, the Austin question. Listening to his podcast, Austin seems to feel that he wouldn't be able to live up to what would certainly be staggering expectations, and he is most likely going to stay retired. In terms of a pure "what if" scenario, the Punk match would have been a lot of fun. In terms of current talent, I'd say John Cena. That's going to make a lot of people roll their eyes, but realistically, that match would be gigantic.

- "Common Fan" Jimmy Eaton (@TheCommonFan) responds: While Austin-Rock 4 would be a blast to the past for the nostalgic, I think a dream match makes more sense. And with someone like Hulk Hogan too beat up to compete, I would lean towards Punk. I know, he's "retired" and it's still unlikely he comes back any time soon. But, if anything could get him interested, I think that would be it. I'm not sure if anyone could not feel disappointed if it was anyone other than him. Of course putting over younger talent could never hurt either, especially a heel on the rise.

- "Falls Count Anywhere" Tony Donofrio (@TonyDonofrio) responds: For me, I think when Punk left WWE, the rest of the air left the balloon on any hope that Austin will ever work another match. I think that Steve Austin would love to work with Brock Lesnar also. However, Lesnar’s overly-physical style might not be in the best of Austin’s interests at this point in his life. Devil’s advocates will say that Lesnar was able to work that style with the Undertaker. To you, I’d point out that Taker ended up in the hospital, we may have now seen his last match, and that before that Taker didn’t have any known ailments that could end his career or put in him a wheelchair like has been documented with Austin in the past that lead to his early retirement.

As for older talent, as much as I love the Austin-Rock rivalry, I wouldn’t have much interest in Rock-Austin IV at WrestleMania or seeing him face off against an old rival like Triple H or Taker. Punk was the last big logical opponent for a comeback and I think that ship has sailed.

- "Collectibles" Michael Moore (@MMooreWriter) responds: Steve Austin isn't coming back, nor should he. There isn't a wrestler on the roster besides Cena who even feels worthy of an Austin comeback, and that ship has sailed. The one match that would've made sense was Austin vs. Punk, but even that was a long shot.

- "Mr. TV" Justin James (@Justin_M_James) responds: Back when the rumor was Austin vs. Punk, I thought the idea had some merit. With C.M. Punk seemingly out of the picture, I really don’t know. Just about everyone who was relevant when Austin was on top is now either retired, or should be retired. Rock is the only one that comes to mind as still being in decent physical shape with regards to appearance, and after his ab tear last year and his obvious inability to go a full match in terms of cardio, is he really in ring shape? And honestly, Rock has really worn out his welcome as far as I am concerned.

Austin vs. may pop a rating or a buyrate or Network subscriptions, but I don’t think it would be remembered as a good match. The only match-ups with Austin that make sense to me right now are with John Cena, and perhaps with Roman Reigns or Bray Wyatt to give them a big rub, or Daniel Bryan who can work around Austin’s limitations and be trusted to be safe.

- "Hits & Misses" Jon Mezzera responds: Here is another question about a wrestler who should never be wrestling. I don't think Austin should ever come back. It has been over ten years since his last match, his neck issues are too severe to put him at risk of more long term health problems, and I'm not even going to speculate on possible opponents for a match that should never happen. Ever!

- "Showstopper" Shawn Valentino responds: Thanks for your question, Adam. First of all, I hope that Steve Austin does not come to wrestle again. It has been over ten years, and he left on an excellent match against his top rival. If he does decide to return to the ring, I hope he does not fight The Rock again. I would rather have him face somebody new. Of course, unk comes to mind, and a program with Stone Cold may draw him back to WWE.

Another program that may be fun would be Bray Wyatt. They could have some incredible segments together. I think a heel Dean Ambrose would be fascinating against the Rattlesnake. I am sure that Austin would like to have a match against Brock Lesnar, and it would make for a cool dynamic with Paul Heyman. WWE may like him to do something with Roman Reigns, perhaps as a team, to help put him over. A fast "match" against someone like Miz is a possibility, but I doubt Austin would come back for that. I think Ambrose would be the most interesting choice, and it could help groom a new star.

***

[ FYI: The specialists consist of a mix of current PWTorch contributors providing their opinion on today's wrestling scene and modern wrestling history questions, including Shawn Valentino, Michael Moore, Ben Tucker, Jon Mezzera, Justin James, Brian Leahy, Jimmy Eaton, Nathan Kyght, Tony Donofrio, and Mike Roe. ]


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