WWE fans loved the ending to Wrestlemania but an even bigger finish had originally been planned.
Cody Rhodes ended Roman Reigns’ historic 1,316-day title run in the main event of Wrestlemania’s second night, with a five minute segment at the end of the match being described by WWE fans as one of the ‘best moments ever’.
The final match of the evening featured comebacks from John Cena and The Undertaker as well as interference from The Rock.
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Cena came into the ring to take out Solo Sikoa before The Rock came out and hit the WWE legend with a Rock Bottom. Just seconds later, Undertaker’s iconic gong sounded and he hit a chokeslam onto The Rock.
Fans were delighted by the returns but were left slightly disappointed by the absence of one man - ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin.
Austin’s return had been teased in the weeks prior to the event after his face appeared on a WWE production truck and it was reported it was not placed there by accident.
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Now, it’s been revealed WWE did plan to have Austin involved in the main event. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports he was earmarked for a spot in the Undisputed Universal Title Match but a financial agreement couldn’t be reached.
As a result, Undertaker replaced him in the event.
Austin hasn’t found in the WWE since 2022 when he laced up the boots to face Kevin Owens at Wrestlemania 38, winning via a ‘Stone Cold Stunner’ in his home state of Texas.
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After winning at the age of 57, Austin refused to close the door on another return to the company in the future.
“I said I'd never get in a ring again unless all the stars aligned,” he told ESPN. “And for some reason, somehow, they all did. And at the age of 57, I headlined the first night of WrestleMania. I never thought I'd do that. If you'd have told me that when I retired in [2003], I'd have said, 'You're crazy.' So I'm not gonna sit here and say no to anything, because you never say never in this crazy business of sports entertainment.”
Featured Image Credit: WWE YouTube