Folks, let me tell you, this year’s WrestleMania 40 was like a big family reunion, but with more spandex and fewer potato salads. The main event on night two was packed with more stars than you can shake a stick at, including a surprise twist—The Undertaker showing up when nobody quite expected him to.
Now, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter has spilled the beans, and it turns out, ol’ Taker wasn’t the first choice for that cameo. Nope, it was supposed to be “Stone Cold” Steve Austin rattling skulls and cracking beers. But, as fate would have it, Steve and WWE couldn’t see eye to eye on the moolah, leading to a bit of a Texas-sized standoff.
Rumor had it that WWE was trying to round up both Austin and Hulk Hogan for the big show. There was even a teaser with John Cena and Austin’s mugs plastered on a WWE truck, making fans think we were in for a treat with both legends at Mania. Cena showed up alright, but Austin? Not so much.
Instead, who do we get in the squared circle? The Undertaker, taking a stroll down the ramp to chokeslam The Rock right in the middle of the fireworks between Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns. Talk about a plot twist! And let’s not forget the family affair with Seth Rollins, the Usos, and Solo Sikoa all jumping into the fray. By the end, Cody Rhodes was the man standing tall, ending Reigns’ reign after a whopping 1,316 days.
Last we saw Austin getting his hands dirty was back at WrestleMania 38, tossing Kevin Owens around in a No Holds Barred match that reminded us just how much we missed the sound of that glass shattering.
So there you have it, a WrestleMania moment that could’ve been a bit more ‘Austin 3:16’ ended up being all about the ‘Deadman’. Just goes to show, in the WWE, expect the unexpected and then some.