WrestleMania 38 was full of surprises, and one of the biggest ones was the return of Stone Cold Steve Austin. After a hiatus of 19 years, Austin returned to WWE at the event and defeated Kevin Owens in a memorable match. However, behind the scenes, there was a lot of preparation that went into making Austin’s return a success.
McMahon’s Methodical Approach
Vince McMahon is known for being very particular about his wrestlers’ pushes and angles, and Austin’s return was no exception. According to reports, McMahon flew himself and Drew Gulak to Austin’s ranch in Texas to prepare for WrestleMania. Gulak ran drills with Austin, and they effectively had a long match at the ranch.
Working with Gulak and McMahon
Gulak, who is known as a technical wrestler, also worked with McMahon to prepare for his impromptu match against Pat McAfee at WrestleMania. McMahon knew he was planning to wrestle himself, despite knowing he sucked, and ended up having one of the worst matches and Stunner sells of all time after.
Meanwhile, Austin also worked with McMahon and Austin Theory on Night 2 of WrestleMania 38. In a surprise appearance, Austin hit Theory with a Stunner, then shared beers with McMahon. However, he ended the segment with a sloppy Stunner to McMahon thanks to the Chairman, then celebrated with Pat McAfee before also hitting him with a Stunner.
Stone Cold’s Future Plans
Although Stone Cold has been rumored for WrestleMania 39 after his successful return in 2022, he stated earlier this month that WWE has not contacted him about appearing. He confirmed in a recent interview that his days inside the ring are over, and he doesn’t wish to wrestle again.
Austin Theory’s Future Push
Another surprise from WrestleMania 38 was the impressive push of WWE United States Champion Austin Theory. Despite being a jobber in NXT, Theory had big plans for him when he was drafted to Monday Night RAW. He was portrayed as the protégé of Vince McMahon and was pushed as a potential main event star.
Theory achieved a lot in WWE in a short amount of time, including winning the WWE United States Championship and the Money in the Bank contract. However, McMahon’s retirement from WWE raised concerns about Theory’s future push under the new Head of Creative, Triple H.
Theory faced criticism and fears of being buried after failing to cash in his Money in the Bank contract on United States Champion Seth Rollins. However, Theory bounced back after a gimmick change and won the United States Title at WWE Survivor Series, showing that WWE has big plans for him.
In an interview with Chris Van Vliet, Theory confidently promised to appear on RAW after WrestleMania as the WWE United States Champion despite doubters and critics.
In conclusion, from Steve Austin’s return at WrestleMania 38 to McMahon’s methodical approach to preparing him for the event, it’s clear that there is always more going on behind the scenes than meets the eye. Meanwhile, fans will be eagerly waiting to see if Austin Theory can live up to his potential as a top star in WWE.
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