Despite appearing to be seemingly misinformed, there was some merit to Dave Meltzer's claim that Stone Cold Steve Austin would be on Raw last Monday. Not only did the WWE Shop advertise Los Angeles 3:16 shirts for Raw, which were also sold at the Staples Center on Monday, but Steve Austin was actually said to be in the building during the early afternoon.
He reportedly stayed for a short time and left several hours before Raw started.
The news was revealed via the Dirty Sheets podcast, via "DS Breaking News" show on their YouTube channel. You can view the video, below.
Austin was said to be there catching up with friends and networking for his podcast. However, the original plans for Austin were for him to be involved in The Miz TV segment, featuring LaVar Ball.
WWE pitched that the segment would conclude with Austin stunning LaVar, which Steve Austin was open to doing, knowing it was a big mainstream angle for the company. Unfortunately for fans of Austin, the angle was nixed by LaVar and his representatives sometime over the weekend.
WWE creative came up with 2-3 very roughly drafted alternative ideas for Austin, but, The Texas Rattlesnake nixed them as officials expected. It was well known that Austin no longer wishes to participate in segments he refers to as "fluff" segments, where he isn't emotionally invested – feeling it damages his reputation of the legacy of his Stone Cold character.
However, Austin has definitively stated to the WWE on multiple occasions that he is prepared to appear on TV as part of a hot angle with a good pay-off.
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