With WWE needing to sell out two nights of WrestleMania, a return to the ring of Steve Austin would undoubtedly have accomplished at least one of those. That was seemingly the intention when WWE began talking to Austin about wrestling for the first time since 2003, and WWE has been teasing Austin vs. Kevin Owens for the past few weeks.

The company was careful not to mention Austin by name previously, but with him agreeing to participate over the past week, he has been confirmed as attending via a video on social media. Yet, it isn’t known if it will just be a confrontation or a match. However, while speaking on his Grilling JR podcast, Jim Ross, a longtime friend of Steve Austin, would reveal he has been in touch with the retired wrestler. With the AEW commentator seemingly confirming there will be no match as Austin wasn’t enthusiastic about wrestling again.

If Austin is to have a match, it will likely be reminiscent of The Rock vs. Erick Rowan, which lasted a few seconds and was simply the movie star hitting his finisher and pinning the then Wyatt family member. Considering Austin hasn’t wrestled in 19 years, it does seem absurd to have him wrestle for the first time at one of WWE’s biggest shows of all time. Plus, history has shown that when retired greats return to the ring-like Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels, it usually doesn’t go well, and Austin appears to be well aware of that.

47-year-old Rey Mysterio had the opportunity to sign with AEW in 2020 but opted to remain with WWE as he felt it would be the best place for his son Dominik to break into the business. He was seemingly correct as the duo would win the SmackDown Tag Team Championship and are now set to appear in a featured match at WrestleMania 38, taking on The Miz and Logan Paul. However, fans shouldn’t take the legendary luchador for granted, as based on comments in an interview with Complex, it appears retirement is in his near future.

Rey is one of the most beloved pro wrestlers of all time, and his influence can never be underestimated. Considering he first started working for WWE in 2002, the fact he is on the front cover of WWE’s latest video game two decades later is remarkable and illustrates his ability to stay relevant. So when the day does come for him to hang up his boots, it will be a sad day for fans worldwide. Still, he will have left countless memories, and with his son Dominik now an established performer, it seems doubtful Rey will disappear entirety.

In the past, Ronda Rousey has been critical of WWE fans, calling them “ungrateful idiots.” Unfortunately for her, fans seemingly haven’t forgotten this, as despite returning to the company at the Royal Rumble as a babyface, her reactions haven’t been positive. Now, a study that included Alex Morgan, Simone Biles, Emma Raducanu, and Becky Lynch, looking into the amount of Twitter vitriol female athletes receive, has revealed that the former UFC star gets the highest percentage.  

The report seemingly indicates that most female athletics receive more negativity than positivity on Twitter. And this aligns with the widespread view that it is the most toxic social media network. It isn’t known whether this collaborates with how male athletes are treated on the platform, but it would be fascinating to learn.

Given this information and the fact she is booed at live shows, WWE may be considering turning Rousey heel following her WrestleMania 38 match against Charlotte Flair. However, WWE has been shown to be stubborn when it comes to changing their long-term plans in the past, and evidently, they see Rousey as a top babyface.

CM Punk is a very divisive character, and while adored by many, his dismissive attitude has been known to rub some people the wrong way. This was evident on Tuesday when a fan would question what they were missing regarding CM Punk using Miseria Cantare as his entrance music at Revolution. Of course, longtime fans would know it was because it was a callback to his Ring of Honor run, which featured Dog Collar matches against Raven and Jimmy Rave, and Exacilubar acknowledged this on commentary.

However, this fan seemingly missed the meaning and clearly wasn’t familiar with Punk’s time in ROH. Therefore an unimpressed CM Punk replied with a now-deleted tweet saying the fan was missing “A deep understanding of story telling. A brain.” Subsequently, Wrestling Twitter would blow with some fans siding with Punk and others calling him rude. Now though, the AEW star has tried to defuse the situation by apologizing for being “snarky.” Still, he would also say the fan was being “shitty” to other fans, making the apology seem disingenuous.

Currently, the furor over his original tweet appears to be dying down, with Twitter users looking to find the next topic to be outraged by. Nevertheless, it’s unlikely to be the final time CM Punk causes controversy with his opinions and smart-ass comments, and Wrestling Twitter will be ready to pounce.

Cain Velasquez faces a lengthy prison sentence after opening fire on a car containing the man who allegedly indecently assaulted his four-year-old son possibly 100 times. While the accused man was unharmed, his stepfather was shot, leading to the former UFC and WWE star being charged with first-degree attempted murder.

Now on a recent Joe Rogan Experience, UFC commentator and controversial podcaster Joe Rogan has spoken in defense of Velasquez. Yet, instead of shooting at the accused, he wishes Velasquez had gotten his hands on him, so he could inflict physical violence on him.

On Monday, Velasquez was back in court in an attempt to get bail. However, this would be denied by the judge, meaning he will need to stay incarcerated until at least his next court date, scheduled for April 12. Velasquez’s attorney would describe the accused abuser being allowed out on zero-dollar bail while his client was being held as “the ultimate example of the criminal-justice system gone mad.“

Taya Valkyrie, who returned to working independent shows in January following her WWE release, has taken to Twitter to share a terrifying incident from this past weekend. The former NXT talent would reveal that after checking in to her hotel room on Saturday, she caught a man climbing through her window who along with an accomplice, was seemingly planning to rob her.

Thankfully Valkyrie was unharmed, and the unspecified hotel did their best to support her. As an independent wrestler, Valkyrie has no other option than to stay in hotels when traveling, so hopefully, this incident won’t put her off traveling. While she is often accompanied by her husband John Morrison, he isn’t on every show she is, and it would be sad if it meant she ended up turning down bookings.

This past weekend Becky Lynch would defend her Raw Women’s Championship against Bianca Belair, and Rhea Ripley at house shows in New York and Allentown. Sadly, she has since revealed on Instagram that she was hospitalized following the match in Allentown due to suffering a fractured voice box. Naturally, some fans would question the validity of this, but PWInsider would subsequently report that this isn’t part of a storyline, and Lynch is legitimately hurt but is expected to compete at WrestleMania 38.

Typically this type of injury, while painful can be treated by bed rest with the head elevated, plus voice rest and often nil-by-mouth, unless surgery is required. Based on the timeline and the fact Lynch was seen backstage at Raw, it appears this is what Lynch will be dealing with, which will be a massive relief to WWE.

Two weeks ago, Josh Alexander, one of the biggest stars in Impact Wrestling throughout 2021, revealed he had to return to work his former construction job after failing to agree on a new contract with the company. This was because, as a Canadian, he no longer had a US work visa and had to cancel all upcoming dates in the States.

However, this past weekend he returned to Impact Wrestling at their Sacrifice event and has since confirmed the great news that he has re-signed with Impact Wrestling. Seemingly confirming he has resumed life as a full-time wrestler again.

Impact Wrestling has now announced that Alexander will be facing the current Impact World Champion Moose at Rebellion on April 23rd. And based on how Alexander was booked previously, it wouldn’t be surprising if he wins the title for the second time in his career, having been the man who brought the title back from AEW.

Vader, real name Leon White, is regarded as one of the most incredible big men in pro wrestling history, and today it was announced he will be posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. He is the second wrestler announced and will join The Undertaker as part of the Class of 2022, with the ceremony scheduled to take place on Friday, April 1, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas following that week’s SmackDown.

While Vader’s run in WWE isn’t regarded as the best of his historic career, The Mastodon was a legend in Japan and made a name for himself in the States as part of WCW. Sadly, he passed away in June 2018, aged just 63, after being hospitalized for a month with pneumonia. He had previously disclosed that he only had two years to live due to congestive heart failure, and many people would call for him to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame while still alive. While WWE ignored these requests at the time, they are now finally honoring the man who unquestionably is worthy of a place in any pro wrestling Hall of Fame.

William Regal seemed about as likely as anyone to be a WWE lifer, having been continuously employed by the company since being re-hired in 2000. Yet, he was deemed surplus to requirements after Triple H lost much of his power, and fans were left wondering what was next for him. Now though, it has been revealed that he has found a new home in AEW after appearing at their Revolution pay-per-per-view.

Regal would make his appearance following the conclusion of the hard-hitting and bloody content between Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson when the pair refused to stop fighting despite the match having ended. Regal would first talk to Moxley, telling him to calm down before slapping him. He would then approach Danielson, who was looking for a hug and struck him as well. He’d then instruct both men to shake hands, and Jim Ross on commentary would speculate that perhaps a new tag team had been formed.

Regal is one of the most highly respected wrestlers of all time, and the outpouring of support shown on social media by multiple wrestlers he worked with proved this. He is also vastly experienced in a backstage role, and following the show, Tony Khan would state during the media scrum that Regal would be utilized both on-screen and off-screen. Considering his vast knowledge of the independent scene, he could now be a tremendous asset, with Khan now owning Ring of Honor.

Three weeks ago, news spread that 57-year-old Steve Austin was potentially coming out of retirement to wrestle Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 38. It made sense because WWE was and still is struggling to sell out WrestleMania 38 and lacks new marquee matches. Additionally, given how profitable the company currently is, thanks to the Saudi Arabia and Peacock deals, it likely means money isn’t an issue.

Now though, less than a month away from the event, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer revealed on his podcast that Austin hadn’t agreed to do the match as of Friday.

In the past, it looked like Austin would come out of retirement to face both CM Punk and Brock Lesnar. Still, neither happened, and based on this history and Meltzer’s update, it seems fans hoping to see Austin wrestle again will be disappointed. However, an appearance by Austin will still likely satisfy most fans, especially those from Texas who will want a payoff for Owens disparaging their State repeatedly.

Chelsea Green would break her wrist during her NXT television debut in 2019 and again in 2020 when making her SmackDown debut. Seemingly fate didn’t want her to have a WWE career; nonetheless, since being released, she has gone on to appear for Ring of Honor, Billy Corgan’s NWA, GCW alongside her husband Matt Cardona and Impact Wrestling. Sadly, though, her latest appearance at Impact Wrestling’s Sacrifice event has again seen her suffer another wrist injury.

Green would come out to answer Deonna Purrazzo’s open challenge, and during the eight-minute match, the referee would throw up the X signal signifying an injury. Regardless, Purrazzo would put Green in an armbar, and she quickly tapped out. Subsequently, Green shared a photo on Twitter of herself with her wrist in a cast, and later, Impact Wrestling confirmed she suffered a fracture but revealed that she would not be undergoing surgery, unlike with her previous injuries.

Green has had terrible luck with wrist injuries but has made quite a name for herself since her WWE departure. Hopefully, now she will be able to make a speedy recovery via physical therapy and return to the ring. As she has been one of the highlights on many of the shows she’s appeared on.