It's the first time in two years Austin has been in WWE's story lines. And while he didn't play a huge role, he didn't disappoint either.
Let's review.
Stone Cold Steve Austin
1. Pops. REACT: The crowd loved Austin, and he really has some fan base.
2. Beer. REACT: Austin in segments without beer? Won't happen. Part of his character.
3. Praises Bret Hart and says Vince McMahon is cut-throat. REACT: This set the stage up for the last segment. Austin has history with both, so he was a good choice for this.
4. Vocal censors. REACT: Austin was censored numerous times for his language. Welcome to the PG world.
5. Teases Stunner on John Cena. REACT: I thought he might actually stun Cena. This was funny.
6. Confronts Big Show. REACT: Austin wasn't getting involved physically, obviously.
7. "Damage" DVD out March 23. REACT: This movie won't do great, but free publicity is great for guest hosts.
8. Confronts Shawn Michaels. REACT: Austin was blunt saying he thinks Undertaker's streak will go to 18-0. I liked how Michaels mentioned Undertaker destroying four guys on Smackdown.
9. Confronts Chris Jericho. REACT: Jericho wanting to drink beer with Austin like "old times" was funny.
10. Makes Stu Hart a Hall of Fame inductee and makes sure Bret vs. Vince is official for WrestleMania. REACT: Austin did two major things here, even if he didn't do much the rest of the night. Both of these were huge.
Austin's grade: I thought he'd do more, but it was smart to not have him steal the spotlight this close to WrestleMania. What he did do, with Stu Hart especially, was historic. For that, he gets high marks. Grade: B.
The matches
1. Unified Tag Team Champion Big Show beats John Cena. REACT: Big Show dominated early. Why does he always go to the top rope, though? That's never effective for him. Batista coming out to assist was smart to push Batista-Cena for WrestleMania. It was good to see the chokeslam not being enough and having to add a punch in to get the pin. The finish seemed a little sloppy, but the finish was smart.
2. Evan Bourne vs. Sheamus is a no contest. REACT: Match intrigue. Too bad there was no winner. I did like Sheamus' mention of Triple H beating Austin, The Rock, John Cena, Michaels and Undertaker but his promo and beatdown of Bourne didn't do much for me.
3. Divas Champion Maryse beats Kelly Kelly. REACT: Risque outfits for the PG world. Athletic, quick match that was followed by a beatdown. Match seemed to be setting up a WrestleMania encounter involving Kelly Kelly/Eve/Gail Kim vs. Maryse/Michelle McCool/Layla. Strange pairings with the heels, and Vickie Guerrero, which will hopefully be explained soon.
4. Shawn Michaels beats World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho by count-out. REACT: Fast-paced match. Jericho did better in the ring. Worthless matchup as neither should lose this close to WrestleMania. Explains the count-out, which I hate still. Edge spearing Jericho, again, is getting old, fast.
5. Triple H vs. Randy Orton ends in no-contest. REACT: Fast pace, hard hits. I liked HHH teasing a shoulder injury. The DDT on the floor was sick-looking. Orton looked strong here. It was good to see Orton vs. Cody Rhodes/Ted DiBiase pushed, along with Sheamus-HHH. Awesome booking. This match was the best match of the night on Raw and TNA Wrestling.
6. WWE Champion Batista beats Kofi Kingston. REACT: Match intrigue here also. The not-rattled Batista character is great. Kofi looked strong here. The referee seemed to be panicked, having a towel for Batista's blood.
Bret Hart vs. Vince McMahon
Great segment. Bret really sold his bad leg early. Austin telling Vince to sit down was funny. Austin making Stu Hart an inductee was awesome. McMahon calling Bret a "dysfunctional handicapped diralect" was funny. McMahon having reservations signing was interesting. Bret ripping the cast off was great, as was the cast shot and promo by Bret emphasizing "Vince screwed Vince." This match got a major push tonight.
The rest of Raw thoughts
1. Undertaker's 17-0 music promo. REACT: Very nicely done.
2. Pete Rose. REACT: Hopefully, he won't swing and miss as next week's guest host.
3. Gorgeous George. REACT: Great choice for the Hall of Fame, even if it's for a future movie. Great clips of this 1940s legend. Having his 96-year-old wife induct him should be interesting. Jerry Lawler said the sale of TVs went up due to George. Wow.
Raw's analysis: There was a nice mix on this show, and a strong push for WrestleMania. The matches weren't horrible. As I said, HHH-Orton was the match of the night from either show, and that's a good sign seeing where they are in the WrestleMania matches. Austin only helped. Raw grade: B.
LATEST HEADLINES AND MY REACTS
How many in the Money in the Bank? 9 or 10? REACT: This is a hot topic right now, as it appears it will stay at 9 and Kofi Kingston amazingly isn't in any of the eight official matches.
Jim Ross, who signed a deal to get past WrestleMania, doesn't think he will ever be paired with Jerry Lawler again on a regular basis. Ross signed. REACT: Probably true about Lawler. Great news on the new deal. He's valuable.
Daniel Bryan, of NXT, has been sparring with David Hart Smith. REACT: Good to see Bryan training to get even better.
FCW "beginners class" in Tampa on June 21. REACT: For only $1,200, if you have dreams, go for it.
Vince McMahon buys 47-foot sports yacht "The Sexy Bitch." REACT: More bad news for Linda McMahon's political career.
Goldust in line for a push, as Chris Jericho compliments him. REACT: Good to hear. He seems like a team player. Great wrestling character.
Maria to broadcast MMA. REACT: She's moving on, but I don't think this will last long.
