5 reasons why there will never be another Stone Cold Steve Austin
Depending on your age, the WWE will probably mean something particular to you that others do not share. When older fans complain that the youngsters do not appreciate what wrestling is anymore, it always sounds a little unfair. After all, it is not the fault of anyone as to what year they are born into.
Stone Cold Steve Austin is one of those rare examples of a superstar who can be appreciated by several different age groups and demographics. For many of us, all of WWE's current problems could be solved if we could just have somebody come along with the talent and X-factor of a Stone Cold once again.
So why does it seem more and more unlikely that this will happen in today's WWE? Here are five reasons why there will never be another Stone Cold Steve Austin:
#1 Vince is much less interested in controversy
In a recent interview with Austin, Vince McMahon stated that part of the reason why his company wasn't as popular as it once might have something to do with the fact that the current cohort of Superstars don't have the same motivation as the stars from the past.
What the Chairman failed to acknowledge was that this lack of motivation comes just as much from the management as it does the talent, perhaps more so. It is often said that the death of WCW was a fatal blow to the future success of pro-wrestling as a whole and in many ways, this rings true.
Without direct competition that could seriously jeopardise the fortunes of the McMahons, the WWE has slowly descended into a stale, sleeping giant.
One of the biggest side effects from this lack of competition is a sharp decline in the need to be controversial. When you are engaged in a head-on battle with a fierce opponent, you do everything you can do draw attention towards your product.
This is why Stone Cold's antics throughout the Attitude Era were so important. Fans realised there was an element of unpredictability and anti-authoritarianism, they just couldn't get without tuning into RAW each and every week.
Nowadays, it would actually be foolhardy of Vince to encourage controversy within his company. His real enemies at the moment are shareholders and the watching eye of the media. As long as these players are kept happy, Vince can continue doing what he's doing.
If another Stone Cold came along and started threatening people with guns and parading his alcoholism on-screen, the McMahons would just have too many people to answer to.