5 reasons why there will never be another Stone Cold Steve Austin

Depending on your age, the WWE will probably mean something particular to you that others do not share. When older fans complain that the youngsters do not appreciate what wrestling is anymore, it always sounds a little unfair. After all, it is not the fault of anyone as to what year they are born into.

Stone Cold Steve Austin is one of those rare examples of a superstar who can be appreciated by several different age groups and demographics. For many of us, all of WWE's current problems could be solved if we could just have somebody come along with the talent and X-factor of a Stone Cold once again.

So why does it seem more and more unlikely that this will happen in today's WWE? Here are five reasons why there will never be another Stone Cold Steve Austin:

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#1 Vince is much less interested in controversy

A businessman.

In a recent interview with Austin, Vince McMahon stated that part of the reason why his company wasn't as popular as it once might have something to do with the fact that the current cohort of Superstars don't have the same motivation as the stars from the past.

What the Chairman failed to acknowledge was that this lack of motivation comes just as much from the management as it does the talent, perhaps more so. It is often said that the death of WCW was a fatal blow to the future success of pro-wrestling as a whole and in many ways, this rings true.

Without direct competition that could seriously jeopardise the fortunes of the McMahons, the WWE has slowly descended into a stale, sleeping giant.

One of the biggest side effects from this lack of competition is a sharp decline in the need to be controversial. When you are engaged in a head-on battle with a fierce opponent, you do everything you can do draw attention towards your product.

This is why Stone Cold's antics throughout the Attitude Era were so important. Fans realised there was an element of unpredictability and anti-authoritarianism, they just couldn't get without tuning into RAW each and every week.

Nowadays, it would actually be foolhardy of Vince to encourage controversy within his company. His real enemies at the moment are shareholders and the watching eye of the media. As long as these players are kept happy, Vince can continue doing what he's doing.

If another Stone Cold came along and started threatening people with guns and parading his alcoholism on-screen, the McMahons would just have too many people to answer to.

#2 Superstars are more restricted in their promos

Censored

One of the specific side effects of a decline in the need for controversial content is a distinct lack of original, engaging promo work. Stone Cold might not have been the greatest technical wrestler of all time, but fans loved him for what he said on the mic most of all. Compared to today's top stars, Austin was a genius when it came to hyping up matches and making his opponents look inferior.

In 2017 we are more used to seeing most of the company's top stars delivering the same kind of promo each and every week. Nobody is really afforded the opportunity to stand out, and you can very much tell that when they're speaking, it is pre-determined and presented in the least controversial way possible.

We might be more accustomed to a wrestling product that focuses mainly on the in-ring action these days, but as the WWE has shown in recent years, it is highly difficult to get yourself over as a heel or face if you're not capable of shocking the crowd with a good, hard-hitting promo.

If there was to be another Stone Cold in the WWE's future, they would need to give their superstars much more free reign to come up with their own words and not be afraid to offend people. There might be a bit of a backlash from the media, but this is what would be needed to return to the days of the Rattlesnake.

#3 Society has changed

A different time

While the two previous points are perfectly valid, the issue about controversy in the WWE is as much an issue of demand as it is about supply. Maybe, on some level, we don't want to see another Stone Cold Steve Austin take centre stage anymore.

Part of Austin's appeal is that he embodied a very macho version of America where men and women's roles were more segregated, with the males going out and picking fights and staying clear of anything that could be construed as effeminate.

In today's society, at least in the West, we recognise that life is a bit more fluid and we hold people to account when we feel they are being offensive to others, particularly if that offence is built on sexuality, race and gender.

This is not to say that Austin was ever overtly sexist or offensive in his day, but he certainly represented a particular approach to life that young boys were encouraged to follow. He stood for old-fashioned values, drinking beer and solving issues with his fists.

For better or worse, today's top stars in the WWE are expected to have a much more delicate approach. John Cena's success, for example, has been built on the fact that he - for the most part - was a child-friendly superhero who visited his young fans in hospital and donated to charities. If Stone Cold was made to do this kind of thing back in 1997 it would have ruined his image a thousand times over.

As a society, we are generally more sensitive and willing to call people out when they infer that living one way is more favourable than another. Stone Cold may never be replicated because the world itself is just not prepared to return to the 90s.

#4 We don't have good authority figures anymore

A poor replacement

For every hero, there must surely be a worthy villain. Stone Cold may have been a highly talented Superstar, but he would not have been as effective without having Vince McMahon to work off. People loved Austin for the way he stood up to the evil tyrant and made the most powerful man in wrestling look like a complete joke.

The storyline was so popular and successful that the company has always tried its best to replicate it. In recent years we've seen CM Punk, John Cena, Daniel Bryan and others all attempt to fulfil that anti-authority figurehead and essentially be the Stone Cold of the new era.

The problem is, in the late 90s we had Vince McMahon. In 2017 we have Triple H and Stephanie. Besides the obvious gulf in raw talent between father and daughter, Stephanie will never be able to fill her dad's shoes.

Whenever Superstars go up against her, they are made to look too weak. They might eventually get their revenge towards the end of the feud, but 90% of the time during the build-up, Stephanie walks away looking to the bigger person.

In the Stone Cold and Vince example, the success was more evenly shared. Vince might occasionally have gotten the upper hand, but it wouldn't be long before Austin gave the crowd something to cheer about.

Fans will soon tire of an authority figure if they are not willing to let the Superstar get the advantage on a regular basis, and this is just something Stephanie seems unable to do.

As far as Triple H is concerned, he doesn't quite work as an authority figure either. He is still a pretty good heel, but because of the respect fans have for him, we find it difficult to boo him on a consistent basis. Also, when he is not being the evil COO on RAW, he is playing the lovable father-figure down on NXT, a complete contradiction in styles.

#5 He was just that good

The one and only

Whatever you might say about today's professional wrestling scene and why we don't have superstars the likes of Rock and Austin anymore, one thing we must acknowledge is that these individuals were able to get themselves over because they were just that talented.

The WWE has been around since the 60s, and while there have been countless superstars over the years that we have grown to love, it is only so often that somebody like a Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin or Rock comes along. They seem to have a natural ability for transcending the wrestling business and becoming cultural icons, and this is something you just cannot teach.

It remains to be seen whether somebody else will come along and join the privileged class that these superstars belong in, but in many respects, maybe there's nothing much we can do but sit patiently and wait.