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Has Austin gone 'Stone Cold' crazy?
A week after walking away from WWE — an act that will forever overshadow his legacy — Austin fled his home in San Antonio on June 15 after police responded to a 4 a.m. call from his wife, Debra, saying the former four-time WWF champion had hit her.
KMOL-TV, an NBC affiliate in San Antonio, reported that Austin left the scene before police could speak with him. Debra suffered bruises around her eyes and on her shoulder blade as a result of the altercation. She also told authorities that this wasn't the first time something like this had happened.
The police apparently attempted to contact Austin via his cell phone, but he refused to return home. Because of her husband's celebrity, Debra is not pressing charges. She has a two-year time frame to press charges, at which point police would reopen the case and continue its investigation.
On Monday, KMOL-TV returned to Austin's home in a helicopter and followed his activities throughout the day. The chopper managed to get a shot of Austin giving his "trademark" gesture, suggesting that the station was No. 1 on his list. Other mainstream news outlets picked up the story, including FOX News, Reuters, CNN and MTV.
Not surprisingly, Vince McMahon attempted to distance himself from Austin's personal situation Monday on "Raw" with a mid-ring speech that focused entirely on Austin's WWE career, not the actions that followed his unexpected walkout. McMahon's seemingly heartfelt catharsis left the door open for Austin's return should the surprisingly troublesome superstar get his personal life in order. McMahon's words, on "Raw" and "Confidential," also did a nice job of explaining his side of the story without alienating Austin fans to the point where they won't return to watch WWE without him.
Austin's professional predicament aside, his out-of-the-ring story has taken center stage.
His actions toward his wife and a local news station suggest that Austin has trouble differentiating between "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, the sports entertainer, and Steve Williams, the husband and family man who probably can't go to the grocery store in San Antonio without attracting a crowd. Bucking authority figures are trademark characteristics of a "Stone Cold" character that has been all but forgotten.
There also is no justifiable excuse for Austin's deplorable actions toward his wife. Within the confines of the fictitious WWE storylines, man vs. woman violence isn't desired. It's accepted as part of the show. Austin's celebrity status should not be a means for immediate forgiveness or the infamous ignorance that surrounds athletes when they do something wrong.
The Debra-Austin conflict almost plays out like an angle, which left many fans and writers skeptical as to whether or not the scenario was part of McMahon's master plan to reintroduce Austin in due time. But even the dastardly McMahon wouldn't have it in his heart to do something this tasteless. His billionaire bank book and mainstream contacts don't reach far enough to drum up a scheme this thorough and dramatic.
So now, McMahon has the unenviable task of resurrecting the company without one of his top stars.
McMahon took a few baby steps Monday, perhaps proving to himself that he doesn't necessarily need Austin. That's not to say he wouldn't welcome him back under the right circumstances. With Austin, WWE hit a creative roadblock and mid-card wrestlers smacked head on into pro wrestling's notorious "glass ceiling," which kept them from elevating their game to the main-event level.
Without Austin, McMahon and his creative staff conceivably can start over — new superstars, ideas and feuds that might not have come to fruition had "Stone Cold" still been permeating the airwaves ad nauseam, refusing to alter his own agenda.
The biggest benefactor of Austin's illogical decision to leave WWE is Booker T. The five-time WCW champion, who was forced to endure countless, detrimental matches with Austin, has reason to be optimistic. His face turn and subsequent feud with the nWo has given the "Raw" brand a new good guy to rally behind, despite the fact that the entire allure of the split was Flair's "Raw" vs. Vince's "Smackdown" — a concept that theoretically ended two weeks ago.
Along with Booker T, other would-be superstars such as Brock Lesnar, Rob Van Dam, Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit all have an opportunity to showcase their skills without the threat of being placed in a no-win feud with Austin. A few of the aforementioned stars might not be ready for superstardom, but WWE doesn't have much of a choice. It needs to create new stars, which will be even more difficult without Austin. At a time when Austin should be cementing his status as a legend and giving back to the business by helping young guys succeed, his life and career are surrounded by uncertainty.
Tonight's "King of the Ring" — ironically the event at which Austin's career experienced a creative breakthrough — is a pivotal event for WWE. It's a chance for the company to shift the focus away from Austin and on to someone else. McMahon added credibility to the tainted tournament by announcing that the winner would earn an automatic title shot at "SummerSlam." Furthermore, The Rock will present the winner with the KOTR trophy.
It's just a shame that Austin's personal and professional plight had to be the cause for change.
Rennie Detore's Pro Wrestling Insider appears Sundays in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
