Could steve austin be the next foley?

[Guest Downhome]

The following is from 1wrestling...

 

"As we reported on the Newsline last night, Steve Austin was not at Raw yesterday.  He and Debra flew home to Texas yesterday after the PPV.  It is not expected that he will be at the Smackdown taping tonight in Ottawa.

 

I still don't have any firm word on why Austin went home, but the general opinion going around backstage last night was that Austin left due to his recent unhappiness with the direction of the WWF, and more specifically his own character.  A few people I spoke to said that they can understand Austin's frustration, given what he was meant to the WWF over the last few years.  Again, this isn't 100% confirmed and I don't want to start any more speculation than is already going around, but that is definitely what people were saying at TV yesterday."

 

...hmmm, that sounds a bit like the exact same reason that Mick Foley was so determined to leave the WWF. What do you guys think will happen? Where does the WWF go from here, and more importantly...

 

...where does AUSTIN go from here?

 

Sincerely,

...Downhome...

[Guest dreamer420]

Well if 1wrestling said it then it must be true.  IMO the WWF didn't have a #### thing for Austin to do on Raw.  Hall and Nash were all ready booked.  HHH and Jericho are still working together.  That leaves who? Undertaker?  Another guy who wasn't at Raw probably because he wasn't needed either.

[Guest notJames]

I think everyone's jumping the gun a little. Who's to say why Austin's taking a breather? Maybe, with him being a little older and little more injured, he needs the time off to recuperate. Maybe he had personal business to attend to.

 

I don't see people up in arms about Taker not being at Raw.

 

Let's not fall over ourselves trying to break through the cone of silence until we know what's really up. It could be nothing at all.

[Guest Tony149]

The Torch website now has the Austin story up. Meltzer probably puts it up later, too. Anyways, I don't think Austin will want to leave. He's probably just a little hurt from being the guy who took the WWF to the top to wrestling Hall.

[Guest goodhelmet]

If the stories of him and Vince arguing are true, I really don't see Austin sticking around much longer. ####, foley was retired, had two best selling books, was about the best WWF ambassador a company could want, but he criticized the storylines and was gone in a flash.

 

Austin is huge but it's Vince's way or the highway. Hubris will lead to that man's downfall.

[Guest Lil Naitch]

Ok, so who wasn't on Raw last night?

Austin

Taker

Jericho- Ok, he was for a minute, but then left without ever comming on stage.

Anyhoo, MAybe Austin is a little upset at being put into the mid-card at wrestlemania, or maybe he want's to take a breather. Only Austin and McMahon know for sure.

[Guest Vern Gagne]

I thought Undertaker and Steve Austin weren't on because they would be placed on Smackdown.

[Guest converge241]

Maybe Bps's idea is coming true.

He put up a link in a post awhile ago about sending Austin home to send a message....

 

kind of half kidding about that, but it was pointed out that Austin has caused his share of problems such as whats being reported (vetos, tantrums, etc). Hall, Nash , and Hogan usually get verbal beatings becuase of same type of stuff.

 

If it's true, it would be kind of sad that Austin would get so upset about the whole thing. I mean I'm not in his shoes, and maybe he just really cares about his career or the business, but how can he expect to be in the main event all the time?

[Guest The Mighty Damaramu]

"I don't see people up in arms about Taker not being at Raw."

That's because most of us hate him.

 

But yes I did notice the lack of Austin and Undertaker. I mean they both got "big" victories last night. At least they could've had them say something. Instead they were nowhere to be seen.

 

And Jericho left because he said didn't want to give the fans a chance to rub it in his face.

[Guest Downhome]

I think if Austin really WAS complaining, blah, blah, blah, then the WWF did the right thing, even if it only means he'll be gone for only this week, and maybe next week. Just think what type of message this sends to the "new guys" like Hogan, Hall, and Nash and the "young guys". I suspect them to thinking something like...

 

...if the WWF will do something like this to Austin, one of their biggest stars and the man who has done so much for the company in recent years, then what will they do to US?

 

This could simply be sending a message to everyone, and it comes at the PERFECT time, right before the split. The WWF is about to embark on a new endevor, so this is the time to "send the message". I'll say this though...

 

...I TOTALLY expect Austin to be at this coming RAW for the draft, and if he ISN'T there, then we know something is up more than we all think.

[Guest Sakura]

Mick leaving was no problem with the WWF because they had nothing for him to do. This is Stone Cold we're talking about. He had one arguement with Vince, we don't even know what was said and what happened after it, and he missed one TV show. There is absolutely no reason to make an issue out of it. You honestly think Austin's days are numbered?

[Guest The Mighty Damaramu]

We're always complaining about wanting new stars and such...but did anyone else just feel weird with Austin not being the main focus the past month? It just seemed weird to me.

[Guest notJames]

I think Vince sent the ultimate message at Survivor Series '97: Everyone is expendable.

 

I'm still not going to speculate on the future of Austin until next Monday on Raw. But I don't think that one lousy feud with Scott Hall is going to sour Austin from continuing in the Fed, from either side of the table (Austin's or McMahon's). He's still got a couple of years in him to be productive, even if he's not the focal point anymore.

[Guest Downhome]

Well don't get me wrong, I FULLY EXPECT Austin to be on RAW next week in time for the "split draft". But we all know that there HAS been some backstage tension between himself and Austin, that is a fact. Perhaps they just gave Austin the week off this week? Or maybe they didn't have him on last night with Hall and Nash, and they didn't have Hall or Nash or anyone mention the match with Hall simply to keep Hall and Nash looking "strong"? We don't know right now, but if he isn't on RAW NEXT week, then I think it's safe to say something is up.

 

Or ####, maybe this is 1994 all over again, with Hogan coming in and Austin going out, we all remember that one don't we? Ok, so that more than likely isn't the case, but what IF? :0

[Guest TheMikeSC]

Just to clarify, Undertaker was at RAW---he just wasn't used.

 

Austin has been unhappy with the WWF's direction for a little while now.

                   -=Mike

[Guest Loss4Words]

Mike I fully and completely admit defeat. You were 100% right in that argument we had a month or so ago and I was 100% wrong. I bow to your greatness. You know what I'm talking about.

[Guest RickyB]

I think Vince might be sending a message to Austin.  He refused to job to Hall after nWo interfierence (inc. Vince McMahon) in an angle that would couse the split (Vince cost Austin the match therefore we have to cut Vince's power.

 

Austin refused to lose the match so the split looks stupid.

[Guest]

I think Vince might be sending a message to Austin.  He refused to job to Hall after nWo interfierence (inc. Vince McMahon) in an angle that would couse the split (Vince cost Austin the match therefore we have to cut Vince's power.

 

Austin refused to lose the match so the split looks stupid.

So what you're saying is....

 

Vince didn't screw Austin,

 

Austin screwed Austin!!!

[Guest RickyB]

I think Vince might be sending a message to Austin.  He refused to job to Hall after nWo interfierence (inc. Vince McMahon) in an angle that would couse the split (Vince cost Austin the match therefore we have to cut Vince's power.

 

Austin refused to lose the match so the split looks stupid.

So what you're saying is....

 

Vince didn't screw Austin,

 

Austin screwed Austin!!!

Exactly.

[Guest godthedog]

if there is tension backstage, i'd like to think that austin's pissed not because he got pushed down to the midcard (i don't remember any reports of him being unhappy when he was giving rikishi the rub 2 octobers ago), but because the storyline since the nWo came out has, as jim cornette would put it, 'sucked a dick.'  

 

austin's absence on tv has made me want to change the channel more and more.  for the entire last half of 2001 he was the best thing wwf television, and proved he can still be fresh and entertaining and put on a good match.  the new world older is boring the SHIT out of me, & i'd much rather see austin on my television than them right now.

[Guest justcoz]

The creative team hands Steve Austin an angle which consists of him firing a gun which shoots out a net to trap Scott Hall and Kevin Nash.  This is the best storyline they can come up with several weeks prior to the biggest PPV of the year where Austin is facing a man who hasn't wrestled on a mainstream level in the US since 1998.  On this same pay per view, the torch is being passed from Hulk Hogan, who Austin in essence replaced to pull the WWF from the brink of death when Hogan ran side by side with Easy E every Monday night. Who is the torch being passed to?  The Rock who became a star primarily because of a feud with Austin during that period and who has publicly stated that leaving the business to concentrate on Hollywood is a possibility if the Scorpion King is a success.  Although it's not certain, let's just say that the plan for Steve Austin on Monday night was for him to appear at the end of the show, chasing Hall and Nash back to the ring into the hands of Rock and Hogan.  Would you not be wondering... what????

[Guest Kahran Ramsus]

Taker was in a backstage segment on Smackdown, asking Flair to draft him for WWF RAW.

 

Austin was nowhere to be seen.

[Guest One Bad Apple]

I think Vince might be sending a message to Austin.  He refused to job to Hall after nWo interfierence (inc. Vince McMahon) in an angle that would couse the split (Vince cost Austin the match therefore we have to cut Vince's power.

 

Austin refused to lose the match so the split looks stupid.

Where'd you get this?

 

 

 

As far as Austin being upset because "the torch was passed" to the Rock instead ... didn't Austin say he didn't want to work with Hulk Hogan?  I know I read that somewhere.

 

Heck, maybe part of the reason the WWF turned Hogan good was because Austin still didn't want anything to do with him.  Or maybe he did want to have a match with him somewhere down the line, but switching Hogan was a message that said, "Shut the fuck and stop complaining or we'll never give you a win over him."  

 

I'm sure they intended to give Austin a win somewhere down the line.  Very possible any comments of him not wanting to do a match with Hogan were just reactionary.  But due to his fight with Vince, there might've been fear he could transform into a nightmare.  And he had to be shown he wasn't going to get his way all time.

 

 

The Hall feud was pretty good, I thought.  I agree the net gun was stupid (for five different reasons ... and that was only how it was executed), but I sincerely doubt the net gun is or was that big of a deal for him.  According to the quote, he refused to go down for Hall.    

 

If Hall did win, I would've seen it as a way for the nWo to not look like complete losers since they were already going to send everyone home happy with Rock and HHH's wins.  Maybe he's so fearful of losing his spot in the company that he started to see this potential loss (in the midcard of WrestleMania, no less) as a sign of things to come.

 

 

And, finally ... if Austin's upset over the direction of the company, why didn't anyone hear anything during the Invasion?  Maybe because he was a focal point?  He's apparently upset now ... a time when he isn't.  Coincidence?  Maybe, maybe not.

 

But it's food for thought.

[Guest Mystery Eskimo]

Putting aside the obvious (and boring) point that Austin is in all probability just having some time off, theres no way Vince can afford to let Austin go at the moment. Rock will be off filiming again next year and so he is as indespensable as anyone can be in the WWF.

 

Austin probably knows this. And I don't blame him for not wanting to work with Hall.

[Guest One Bad Apple]

I think it's time off, too ... but I also think he's not satisfied with his role right now.

 

And why shouldn't he work with Hall?  He looks like he's finally cleaned up, and I'm very happy for the guy.  It looks like he's been working hard.  I haven't heard anything about him being an #######.  Well, except for that "kicking out of finisher" report ... but I don't think that was wholly true.

 

I can't say the same for Austin, especially with the way he blew off the Perfect match.  Of course, Perfect didn't do great, either ... but Austin hurt a lot more than he helped.

[Guest mastermind]

I think a big reason he wasn't on RAW was that what the #### would he be doing? Come out and brag beating Hall and Nash like jobbers in the midst of them losing their top man Hollywood to the fans? It would mess up what they are trying to do which is regroup the nWo like DX regrouped after losing HBK after Mania. I think losing to Hall would have given him some heat this week. Now Austin is heatless in terms of a program. What can they do now with Austin besides making him the hottest free agent in the draft? You know that either Austin or Rock will be Vince's first choice unless Vince chooses Taker thus making the #1 contender match with Triple H basically staying with Flair's side.

[Guest buffybeast]

Austin supposedly has it in his contract to not work the tv shows immediately following a ppv.  

 

I think the net is making entirely too much out of this.  Austin did disagree with Vince on the finish of his match against Hall. But Austin also got his way, too.  The match finished the way he wanted it to.

 

So I think it is best to wait and let this whole thing pan out.

[Guest]

Like Buffybeast just wrote Austin got the finish he wanted. If Austin sits out now it certainly doesn't mean he's finished or anything close to that.

 

He's still McMahon's only proven card on the current roster. He's the only one who can carry the WWF more or less on his own and as long as he is that he can afford to complain directly to Vince. As much as we loved Foley in and outside the ring he was never in a position resembling Austin's.

 

I can't imagine what it would take from Austin's side for McMahon to take any chances with their relationship at the moment. While WM18 and the following Raw were impressive the last year has showed that being without competition within the wrestling business doesn't mean fans will automatically keep spending their money on wrestling i e WWF.