"That's not a main-eventer" - Vince Russo shoots on WWE's planned opponent for Steve Austin
There is considerable buzz around Stone Cold Steve Austin's rumored return; however, Vince Russo doesn't seem to be a fan of the reported matchup against Kevin Owens.
The former WWE head writer organized a poll geared towards casual wrestling fans on his website, where he listed down many top stars who could potentially take on Stone Cold.
Owens got the most votes ahead of Roman Reigns, and Vince Russo was surprised by the poll's outcome.
Vince Russo couldn't grasp why fans would want to see Owens vs. Austin over a dream clash between Roman Reigns and the WWE Hall of Famer.
"So, Owens wins the poll with 36%. Wait a minute! Are you going to sit there and tell me you would be more interested in seeing Steve Austin wrestle Kevin Owens instead of Roman Reigns? That's what you're going to tell me? You'd rather see Stone Cold Steve Austin not wrestle the son of a plumber, wrestling a plumber instead of Roman Reigns. That's what a casual fan is going to tell me? No way does the casual fan rather see Austin and Owens against Roman Reigns and Austin. Why do I say that? Because I doubt very much that the casual wrestling fan even knows who Kevin Owens is," said Vince Russo. [6:50 - 8:11]
You can check out the video below:
Vince Russo explained his viewpoint and felt Kevin Owens was not the right opponent for the returning Steve Austin as KO has not been pushed as a consistent main-event player by WWE.
Vince Russo noted that Owens has had his creative ups and downs within WWE and was visibly not on the same level as Roman Reigns. Russo raised doubts over the speculated decision to have Owens vs. Austin at WrestleMania 38.
He further added:
"Kevin Owens is an indie darling. And the way WWE has positioned Kevin Owens, they have not positioned Kevins Owens as a main eventer, bro. I'm sorry. Owens has won some, lost some, that's not a main-eventer! If you've got a team in a sport that wins some, loses some, that's not a great team. They have not positioned Owens as a main-eventer. Reigns they have. So, you're telling me, you'd rather see Steve Austin wrestle a mid-carder than a main-eventer? Does that make any sense to anybody? But you know what, bro, you're entitled to your opinion. I'm going to respect your opinion," Russo added. [8:12 - 9:16]
Why is Stone Cold Steve Austin returning to the ring for WWE?
While nothing's been confirmed, multiple reports have unanimously hinted towards Steve Austin's availability for a WrestleMania 38 match.
It was recently also stated that money was a prominent factor in possibly convincing Austin to come out of retirement. Additionally, it was noted that WWE might have picked Owens, as the former Universal Champion is a solid in-ring worker and can also afford to take a loss against Austin.
Vince McMahon is seemingly leaving no stone unturned for WWE's biggest event as Stone Cold Steve Austin's long-awaited comeback match could propel the card to a whole new level.
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