Breaking The Walls Down - Now That He’s Back, How Long Will It Last?
Submitted by Chris Dailey on Tuesday, February 25, 2003 at 8:22 PM EST



Breaking The Walls Down



Hello and welcome back to another edition of Breaking The Walls Down. I got a ton of e-mails from everyone, so I apologize for not getting back to everyone. I will be getting back to you, please accept my apologies in advance. No Bits and Pieces, so onto the column.



Now That He’s Back, How Long Will It Last?



“Stone Cold, Stone Cold, Stone Cold!” Well, I gotta say I missed those words, and J.R. gave them to us this past Sunday at No Way Out. I would just like to add as a side note, I think J.R. was a bit excited about Austin’s return. All I can say is whoa. Anyway, Austin is back and I couldn’t be happier, but reality is setting in.

How much longer will Steve Austin be around? His knees, his neck, and his patience have taken a ton of damage over the years. Austin is reportedly going to Smackdown and I couldn’t be happier for him. He’ll probably be happier there with the creative team and the variety of wrestlers he will get to work with. I’m pretty sure he likes to work with The Undertaker, judging by how often they’ve worked programs together. And, let us not forgot Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, Hulk Hogan, and Brock Lesnar.

Did I just type Brock Lesnar? Yes, I did. I believe that Austin will be much more willing to work with Lesnar, with the understanding of what Lesnar has accomplished in Austin’s absence. While I don’t agree with what Austin did (by walking out), I do agree with him for not wanting to job to Lesnar. Now, I do understand that The Rock jobbed to Lesnar, but that was later on. Austin didn’t think Lesnar was ready, and I can’t say I blamed him, as I had my doubts about Lesnar at the time, as well.

However, now Lesnar is main event caliber and Austin is back. I think those could be some good matches. Austin is no dummy either. He’s choosing where he would look the best. Would Austin look the best on RAW facing Scott Steiner? No, he wouldn’t. Now, with that said, name me one main event wrestler on the Smackdown side that is a horrible main-eventer.

Aside from people to work with, Austin is choosing Smackdown to stay away from Triple H, or at least that is what news reports state. However, I don’t know how effective that would be, considering Austin will be working with Triple H’s supposed new fiancée, Stephanie McMahon. Now, I do believe that Vince McMahon will be watching Austin’s progress quite closely, so that will severely limit Triple H’s interference.

I do, however, see one kink in Austin’s plan. Paul Heyman is no longer the creative writer for Smackdown, he’s merely a consultant. No matter what they say, it’s a demotion for Heyman. I think Austin was relying on Heyman’s creative ability to help out not only his own character development, but that of the Smackdown brand, as well.

However, the point remains, how much longer will Austin stay around? I’m not totally sure to be honest. In my opinion, I’m just going to enjoy the time while he’s here. Why, because I took him for granted last time (meaning he’ll always be in the federation), and that’s a mistake I know I’m not going to make anymore, let’s see if Vince does the same.

Well, that will do it for this week. I hope you all have a safe and happy week. And, as always, join me as I try to “educate people on the realness of the fakeness of professional wrestling” ©.


Later,
Chris Dailey








Tons of Backstage No Mercy News: Comedy Segments Cut from PPV, What Match WWE Officials Didn't Like, More Injuries, HBK, MORE!

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