When I was a kid and a teenager I absolutely loved pro wrestling. These days I barely even look at it and when I do I don't really even know who most of the people are. It seems as though they can't manage to create any new talent and the really big stars tend to be the aging superstars from yesteryear. This can be a bit of a letdown because a lot of these guys, try as they may, aren't really in great shape anymore. No matter how many steroids you do eventually your body is going to go the route of aging, and this gets to be a bit embarrassing for the stars themselves. This was particularly evident in some of my favorite wrestlers of all time like Ric Flair, The Undertaker, and Chris Jericho. You can basically insert the name of any of them though. When people get older, they get a gut, their once ripped chest muscles turn into saggy gross man boobs, and no matter how much spray tan they get they look like an old man wearing tight pants.
WWE's ratings are sliding badly according to some reports and a lot of this has to do with their being an overall dwindling interest in the sport as well as AEW being a real competitor for viewership. WrestleMania is coming up and ticket sales have been lagging so now there are rumors that one of the most popular wrestlers of all time is going to lace up his boots (and knee braces) and return to the ring.
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I don't think there is anyone out there that ever disliked Stone Cold. His "Texas Rattlesnake" persona was just loved by everyone and it didn't really seem to matter if he was playing a babyface or a heel, the crowd went wild for him. His gimmick of not giving a damn about the establishment either way and how he went after the McMahon ownership with a sense of disrespect was just amazing to see.
I haven't seen what Steve Austin looks like these days but I am willing to bet that there is a better than average chance that he, like basically everyone else that retires for a decade, has lost a lot of his physique. The good news for him is that he would frequently wrestle with a shirt on, so it will be easier for him to conceal his drooping chest if need be.
At the moment it is just a rumor but in the wrestling world rumors are often rooted in intentionally "leaked" information for promotional reasons and I think that this would be a very wise move for them if they want to regain some traction and ticket sales for live events.
The sad news is that their new talent doesn't seem to be getting the same attention that the aging superstars do and try as they may to get the crowd to love new talent, the crowd just doesn't seem to like most of the new superstars.
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I suppose he is looking better than most for his age
This addition of Steve Austin to WrestleMania will be like putting a band-aid on a cut jugular though, it will only help them for a little while. Steve probably doesn't have much interest in sticking around for very long because he is no spring chicken at 57 years of age and he also has a ton of chronic injuries including knees that are fucked and a broken neck. There are few wrestlers that have sustained as many in-ring injuries as Stone Cold, so this appearance of his might be a one off.
I do admit that I would be very interested in seeing it though, I hope he can still perform!