Stone Cold Steve Austin refused a deal to face the Rock at WrestleMania XL – because he didn’t want to share the spotlight.
That is the view from former WWE head writer Vince Russo, who discussed The Texas Rattlesnake’s surprising absence from the show.
Night two of WrestleMania 40 was one of the most action-packed in history, with Cody Rhodes finally becoming Undisputed Universal WWE Champion.
A frenzied finish to Sunday’s main event saw the American Nightmare overcome Roman Reigns with the help of some returning legends.
Reigns, who already had Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson in his corner, ultimately had to compete against The Undertaker and John Cena.
Cena’s return was expected, with the company’s former franchise player involved in the Rock’s last full-length WWE programme through WrestleMania’s 28 and 29.
However, Taker’s cameo came somewhat as a surprise, with fans expecting the People’s Champion’s other great rival to debut instead.
Stone Cold remains one of the biggest names in the wrestling business and, alongside the Rock, was the poster boy for WWE’s most profitable era – the Attitude Era.
Injuries forced Steve Austin to cut his storied career short with an epic 2003 showdown with the Fast and Furious actor.
Incredibly, after two decades away from the in-ring spotlight, the Hall of Famer mounted a WWE comeback for WrestleMania 38 in 2022.
His health and performance wowed fans and only fuelled reports the 59-year-old would be making another return for ‘Mania 40.
Austin himself dropped several teases of an appearance as well, sharing a video of a basket of beer being left on his ranch.
But The Undertaker’s iconic gong chimed in Sunday’s clash instead, with Russo now sharing why a deal for Stone Cold fell through.
Speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling’s Legion of RAW, Russo alleged: “There was a reason why the glass didn’t break [on Sunday] night.
Someone showed up to stone cold Steve Austin’s ranch and left him a basket of beer ……
— The Wrestle Plug (@wrestleplug_) April 2, 2024pic.twitter.com/9kHjnBpZrF
“There was a reason why Austin wasn’t on that show. I knew Steve pretty well and I’m gonna tell you why Austin was not on that show.
“You know why? He didn’t wanna be one of several. Austin is probably the one guy who is more protective of his character than anybody.
“There’s no doubt that they called Austin for this. Bro, the story was Rock and Austin, not Rock and Taker.
“But Austin is not gonna be one of several. If it’s just him, you got a shot at him doing it.”