Fans may be left cold minus Austin
The WWE roster has been suffering through its must turbulent period over the past few months with names like The Rock, Goldberg and Brock Lesnar all leaving to pursue greener pastures. Add the constant threat of injury to any superstar, and management must hold its breath on a nightly basis.
The one ray of sunshine has been Stone Cold Steve Austin, the undisputed fan favorite in any city. Even a bad "Monday Night Raw" becomes a great night for fans when the cameras stop rolling and Austin stays in the ring drinking beer and interacting with fans for sometimes more than an hour.
Post-"Raw" altercations with HHH, Ric Flair, Kane and others would make for the WWE's most entertaining video collection ever. Few in the business would disagree that Austin is the most entertaining performer in the history of wrestling -- which makes the news he could be on his way out even more difficult for fans to swallow.
Austin's contract expires soon, and we hear his new attorney claims Austin is the sole owner of the "Stone Cold" name and would not need to share any profits made outside of wrestling. This demand comes at the worst possible time as the WWE is dealing with recent comments by The Rock that when his contract runs out, he will break ties with the WWE -- and that he owns the name "The Rock" and will use it without kicking royalties to Vince McMahon and company.
If the WWE insists on taking money from his outside ventures, we may have seen the last of Stone Cold in the WWE.
AROUND THE RING: The NWA/ TNA is close to landing a deal that will put it in more than 75 percent of TV markets nationwide. ... Terri Runnels and Sean O'Haire were released by the WWE. ... Look for the WWE to go all-out when Chris Benoit returns to Canada and try to put him over as the No. 1 man in the business. ... Matt Morgan has been sent back to Ohio Valley Wrestling.
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