These guys are good.
At this point, what more can you say about the reigning WWE Champion CM Punk and Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin? The rumors of a possible match-up between these two are once again making the rounds among fans and the two men have yet to physically cross paths.
Ah, the power of the promo.
Truth be told, Punk has yet to actually cut a full-on anti Austin promo. He’s really had no reason to thus far, as Austin has had about as much presence on WWE TV lately as Alex Riley.
Cheap shot, I know. Hang in there, Alex.
But that has not stopped Punk from mentioning Stone Cold several times recently, most notably during his spot with Jim Ross on Raw a few weeks ago. Though unprovoked in his verbal attacking of the Texas Rattlesnake, WWE’s biggest heel has spoken very openly about his disdain for the former face of the company.
This is likely due to the champ’s constant need for respect and his paranoia in believing that everyone he comes into contact with—from the commentators to the fans to the other talent—do not appreciate or recognize his greatness.
And that assortment of non-believers include WWE Legends, most notably ol’ Stone Cold himself.
Now that Austin has responded online, the fires of debate have been stoked even more and the buzz is currently at a fever pitch. The question is, will this actually lead to a WrestleMania showdown? A battle of two Superstars from two different generations, for one time only?
Man, this is starting to sound familiar.
WWE struck gold with John Cena versus the Rock at WrestleMania 28. A match booked a year in advance is unheard of, especially in WWE, but the gamble paid off as the bout helped Mania do big business. Will the same be said of CM Punk versus Steve Austin?
You better believe it.
If this match happens, it will be huge. Punk has really never been hotter than he is right now and Austin has not worked a match since 2003 when he faced Rocky at WrestleMania 19. The demand for Austin to return, to give fans the proverbial “one more match,” has been brewing for years and now it seems as though the time could not be better for it to happen.
However, Austin is still recovering from knee surgery and with his commitments outside of WWE, the issue could be time, as he may not be able to give what would be necessary to properly build the match.
And then there’s the question of whether or not he would even be serious about it.
For fans it seems like such an easy notion. Just put on the black vest, bad attitude, get in the ring and make it happen. Simple, right?
But let’s not forget that Austin quit for a reason back in 2003. The time had come for him to seriously begin taking care of his body and getting dropped flat on his back around 300 days a year was not the best way to do that.
Then comes the part that we as fans don’t like to think about too much, mostly because we do want this match to take place. The fact is, for guys like Austin and Punk, this little back and forth is just plain fun.
Keeping fans guessing, getting us talking, that has got the be the best part of this for Punk and Austin. Right now, it may not even matter to them if the match happens, the real fun lies in making WWE fans go crazy from speculation.
I believe at some point—back to when all of this began—there had to be a wink, a nod of the head, an innocent exchange between the two Superstars. Imagine Austin talking to Punk while on the WWE 13 promotional event, sparking the entire chain of events that have led us here.
“Start teasing it, kid. I’ll come back at you sometime. Let’s get ‘em talking, see what happens. We’ll go from there.”
Austin knows how to do business and how to work a crowd. Punk has come into his own and has the ability to do the same at a very high level. If they do meet, whether it’s at WrestleMania 29 or perhaps even 30, then it will be all the more important and all the more successful because they have planted the seeds of possibility in the minds of fans.
And it’s growing for us more and more every day.
No doubt about it. These guys are good.