WWE slammed by veteran for misusing Stone Cold Steve Austin’s equivalent on RAW (Exclusive)

A current member of the WWE roster was recently compared to the legendary Stone Cold Steve Austin by a veteran of the industry. Steve Austin was one of the most over wrestlers of the Attitude Era and was the face of the company during some of WWE's most successful years.

Recently, Vince Russo said Rhea Ripley is the equivalent of Steve Austin when it comes to the women's division. Ever since losing the Women's World Title match at SummerSlam, Ripley has only appeared on shows in backstage segments and cameos, and hasn't been featured properly on TV.

On the latest episode of Legion of RAW on Sportskeeda WrestleBinge, Russo slammed WWE for not using Rhea Ripley properly. He said that putting her in 30-second segments is the equivalent of putting Stone Cold Steve Austin in the same spot. He was puzzled that the creative team hadn't come up with something for The Eradicator.

"I cannot believe, bro. This tells you everything you need to know. Bro, they have nothing for Rhea Ripley. She makes cameos on these shows, 30-second cameos. Rhea Ripley, bro, who arguably is the top woman in the company. That's like Austin, that's the equivalent of Austin having a backstage cameo every single week. How can you not know what to do with Rhea Freaking Ripley, bro?" Russo said.

Rhea Ripley has been floundering backstage ever since she was removed from the Women's World Championship picture. The Eradicator has held the title multiple times and has already had five shots at the gold this year. She seemingly needs to do something else to keep her character fresh, and a move to SmackDown would help shake things up for her.

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About the author

Faiz is a WWE writer at Sportskeeda Wrestling. He is a BBA graduate who is passionate about sports and wants to make a career in that field. This passion led to a postgraduate degree in Journalism, which helped him pivot into becoming a sports writer. When writing, he puts the utmost importance on accuracy and thorough research.

Faiz has six years of work experience across four companies. He started his career with Zomato and then moved to Amazon. He shifted to becoming a football writer at TV9 Digital and is now with Sportskeeda. He covered the Wrestling Xtreme Mania event in Gurgaon in 2025, where he had the opportunity to interview Raj The Maharaja, fka Jinder Mahal. At the same event, he also got quick interviews with former WWE Superstar Dijak and Japanese Joshi legend Emi Sakura.

When it comes to his favourite wrestlers, Faiz has two names in mind. He loved to watch Triple H before the current WWE CCO retired, and he is a huge fan of Roman Reigns. Being a loyal fan since the Tribal Chief's SHIELD days, Faiz credits Roman's mic skills and unmatched in-ring storytelling for his mega success. When he was young, one in-ring story left a lasting impression on his mind and eventually got him hooked on WWE. That match was Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair at WrestleMania 24. Apart from that, he is also a fan of RAW.

When Faiz is not writing for Sportskeeda, he loves to keep up with other sports. He is an avid cricket and football fan, a huge gamer, and loves playing some RPGs on the PlayStation.

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Edited by Faiz Ahmed