2 WWE Hall of Famers had their WrestleMania 40 plans nixed alongside Stone Cold Steve Austin: Who are they?

At WrestleMania 40, The Undertaker and John Cena treated WWE fans by appearing and helping Cody Rhodes finish his story. However, while Cena was always part of the plan, the Stamford-based promotion originally wanted to bring in Stone Cold Steve Austin instead of The Undertaker.

However, due to a reported disagreement on the payout, both parties couldn't reach a deal. However, apart from Austin, WWE was keen on adding two Hall of Famers, Lita and Trish Stratus, to WrestleMania 40.

As per a report from Fightful Select, there was an integration regarding the two female legends in a segment that isn't known. Unfortunately, though, the segment never ended up happening. The report stated:

"There was some Trish Stratus and Lita integration in a WrestleMania segment that we're told didn't end up happening."

If Trish Stratus and Lita were to have made an appearance at The Show of Shows, they would most likely be involved in the match between Rhea Ripley and Becky Lynch, given their recent history. However, it's unfortunate that the WWE Universe couldn't witness the two iconic superstars on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

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Former WWE writer explains why Steve Austin didn't appear at WrestleMania 40

If Stone Cold Steve Austin had appeared at WrestleMania 40, the arena would have witnessed a pop like never before. After all, Austin is one of the biggest names in professional wrestling.

During an episode of Sportskeeda Wrestling's Legion of RAW, Vince Russo mentioned that The Rattlesnake did not appear at WrestleMania 40 because he did not want to be one of many. Russo added that Austin was very protective of his character compared to other superstars.

"There was a reason why the glass didn’t break last night. There was a reason why [Steve] Austin wasn’t on that show. I knew Steve pretty well, and I’m gonna tell you why Austin was not on that show. You know why? He didn’t wanna be one of several. Austin is probably the one guy who is more protective of his character than anybody [else]. There’s no doubt that they called Austin for this. Bro, the story was The Rock and Austin, not The Rock and Taker. But Austin is not gonna be one of several. If it’s just him, you got a shot at him doing it," said Vince Russo. [1:13:33 onwards]

While Steve Austin not appearing at WrestleMania was disappointing, seeing The Deadman at The Show of Shows was equally great. Overall, the event received a great response, and that is something the WWE wanted.