Heading into Wrestlemania 40, rumors were rife that Stone Cold Steve Austin could possibly be seen in a special role. Going by the latest reports, WWE did plan for him to appear in the main event segment to rekindle his chemistry with The Rock but monetary reasons were revealed that the confrontation never turned into a reality.
The main event of WrestleMania 40 Sunday headlined by Roman Reigns was majorly helmed to be one of the best main events in the history of the WWE premium live event. There was a great story-telling in the ring with the Undisputed WWE Championship being defended in The ‘Bloodline Rules’ match with Cody Rhodes being the challenger.
After the dust settled following multiple returns in the match, it was the American Nightmare who got to finish his story by dethroning The Tribal Chief as the champion. After The Bloodline members interfered on several occasions, it was the likes of The Undertaker and John Cena who made the save on behalf of the new champion.
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According to reports from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Austin was originally slated to fill the spot occupied by The Undertaker. This would have caused a surreal moment for hardcore WWE fans but negotiations fell through between the two parties due to financial reasons which ruled out seeing an even bigger iconic moment at Wrestlemania 40,
“Undertaker’s gong hit and he chokeslammed and took out Rock. Austin was the person originally earmarked for that spot, but in the end they couldn’t reach a financial agreement and Undertaker was put in his place.”
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It’s been noted that despite Austin’s absence, hopes are strong that The Texas Rattlesnake may make a return to WrestleMania in the future. As for WrestleMania 40, financial constraints prevented him from making a return, which further left the fans to wonder what the moment could have been.
With the help from Stone Cold Steve Austin, Cody Rhodes was supposed to get a thrilling winning moment and the theory arrived after Austin posted a video to reveal that someone left him a basket of beers. Fans have speculated that Cody would leave him with those beers and request his help against The Bloodline at Wrestlemania 40. The assumed storyline ultimately never reached the culmination.
