Stone Cold And Undertaker Shares Their Championship Collections

BY SACNILK

Paul Wight has pointed to Stone Cold Steve Austin as one of the major reasons traditional wrestling heels became harder to maintain, arguing that Austin’s popularity fundamentally changed the way audiences viewed villainous characters. While appearing on Planet Tyrus, Wight discussed how the wrestling business has evolved and reflected on the changing role of heels and babyfaces. He specifically brought up Austin’s legendary run during the Attitude Era, explaining that the WWE Hall of Famer was technically positioned as a heel at one point, but his actions made him hugely popular with fans. Wight said: “I blame Stone Cold for killing heels in wrestling. Because he was—because he did—he was supposed to be the bad guy, but kicking your boss’s ass, he touched the heart and minds of every person.” Wight's comments came while discussing how modern professional wrestling is increasingly influenced by social media, short-form videos and crowd reactions. He argued that wrestlers today can become more focused on creating moments designed for social media rather than allowing a complete story to unfold inside the ring. Earlier in the discussion, Wight criticized the modern emphasis on quick clips and audience engagement, saying that wrestling can sometimes become about getting a reaction rather than telling a complete story. He explained that the traditional dynamic was much simpler: a heel was supposed to be booed, while a babyface was supposed to be cheered. However, Austin's immense popularity blurred that distinction. The former WWE World Heavyweight Champion also acknowledged the circumstances surrounding Austin's rise. He noted that the rise of the New World Order had already changed the traditional babyface-versus-heel formula, meaning Austin's character was part of a broader evolution in professional wrestling.

BY SACNILK

John Cena walked away from WWE in December 2025 with 17 world championships, a Grand Slam, and a resume that reads like a history book of the last two decades of professional wrestling. He beat The Rock, ended feuds with Lesnar, Undertaker, HHH, Angle, Edge, Orton, Batista, Punk, Styles, Owens, Rollins, Reigns, and dozens more across a 23-year run that closed with a tap-out loss to Gunther at Saturday Night's Main Event. But even a career that sprawling has holes in it. Some opponents were in a different company. Some were on the same roster for years and just never got booked against him. Some were on the wrong side of history — retired, injured, or simply timed out before creative connected the dots. Here's my ranking of the 10 dream opponents who never got their moment with Cena, and why each would've been must-see wrestling. 1. John Cena vs. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin This is the granddaddy of every "what if" list in WWE history. Austin and Cena represent two of the biggest merchandise-movers and most bankable stars the company has ever produced, from two entirely different eras of storytelling — Austin's beer-swilling rebellion versus Cena's hustle-loyalty-respect superhero routine. The two never actually locked up, though Austin did serve as a special guest referee for a string of Cena's SmackDown title defenses back in 2005, overseeing wins over JBL and Kurt Angle. When Cena was asked directly why it never happened, his answer was refreshingly simple: nobody ever pulled the trigger on it. He's said he would have loved to wrestle Austin, along with Andre the Giant, but chose to focus on gratitude for the matches he did get rather than the ones that slipped away. Given Austin's limited, sporadic in-ring appearances since the mid-2000s, this is a match that was always more likely to live in highlight-reel fantasy than reality — but it's still the one fans debate loudest. 2. John Cena vs. Goldberg Cena and Goldberg crossed paths exactly once in a competitive setting — the 2004 Royal Rumble, where both men entered late and were eliminated within minutes of each other, Goldberg going out 24th and Cena 25th. Beyond that, despite Goldberg's surprise 2016 return giving him fresh programs against Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, The Undertaker, and Kevin Owens, a singles match with Cena simply never materialized. Both men have publicly wished it had. Goldberg has said he never got the chance to put his hands around Cena's throat and admitted that would have been fun, while Cena, asked about it directly at a fan convention, shrugged it off with a joke about nobody ever telling him to do it. With both stars running retirement tours in the same calendar year, some in the wrestling media even pushed publicly for WWE to finally book the collision before either man hung up his boots — but the moment never came. 3. John Cena vs. Ric Flair The Nature Boy shared the ring with essentially every major star of the last five decades — Hogan, Steamboat, Sting, Michaels, Triple H, Batista — spanning the WCW, NWA, and WWE eras. Somehow, a Flair-Cena singles match never happened, despite years of overlap on WWE programming during Cena's ascension in the mid-2000s. The stylistic contrast alone makes this one of the more tantalizing misses: Flair's chop-heavy, psychology-driven old-school formula against Cena's power-babyface, five-moves-of-doom arsenal. A Figure-Four attempt countered into an Attitude Adjustment would have been the kind of moment that bridges wrestling generations. 4. John Cena vs. Kazuchika Okada Often billed by fans and pundits as New Japan Pro-Wrestling's answer to Cena — a franchise cornerstone who carried his promotion on his back for over a decade — Okada's career arc ran almost parallel to Cena's later years. The two were never on the same roster at the same time, and any lingering hope of a crossover dream match effectively ended when Okada signed with AEW rather than WWE. It remains one of the biggest "closest we'll ever get is a highlight reel" matchups in the sport, a genuine East-meets-West spectacle that wrestling fans on both sides of the Pacific wanted. 5. John Cena vs. Drew McIntyre This is arguably the most glaring miss on the list, simply because of how much runway existed for it. McIntyre had two separate stints on WWE's main roster overlapping with Cena's career, including his rise to two-time world champion status in the 2020s, and the two never once collided in a marquee singles match. McIntyre was even floated by wrestling media as a logical dance partner for Cena during his 2025 farewell tour, given the timing of McIntyre's redemption arc as a future Hall of Famer, but the creative never lined up before Cena's final bell rang. 6. John Cena vs. Kenny Omega The AEW ace built his reputation on hard-hitting, high-drama epics in NJPW, DDT, and AEW, and his career overlapped almost entirely with Cena's part-time run and retirement tour — but on the opposite side of the WWE/AEW divide, meaning the two never so much as shared a building. Omega's chaotic, physically punishing in-ring style against Cena's methodical, crowd-pandering formula represents exactly the kind of "different wrestling worlds colliding" dream match that fans still book in their heads on message boards and podcasts. 7. John Cena vs. MJF Before any physical contact, this matchup sells itself on the microphone. MJF built his entire AEW persona as a smarmy, self-obsessed heel mouthpiece, the stylistic opposite of Cena's aw-shucks, crowd-rallying babyface energy — and arguably the closest thing wrestling has produced to a spiritual successor to Cena's promo command, just inverted. A pre-match war of words between the two would have been appointment viewing regardless of who eventually won the bout. 8. John Cena vs. Bron Breakker WWE's next-generation powerhouse has drawn Goldberg comparisons for his explosiveness, and Goldberg himself specifically named Breakker as a fresh option he'd want to face in his own final run. Breakker's spear-and-power arsenal against Cena's five-moves-of-doom, capped by a passing-of-the-torch finish, would have made thematic sense as a way to formally hand the "next face of WWE" torch to the current generation — but the timing during Cena's farewell tour never aligned. 9. John Cena vs. Jey Uso Uso eliminated Cena from the 2025 Royal Rumble, and that moment briefly sparked real speculation about a proper singles follow-up between two of the most consistently beloved characters on WWE television. But Uso spent much of the rest of 2025 entangled in the World Heavyweight Championship picture, and the singles blowoff never got scheduled. Given how thunderously both men get over with live crowds, a full-length Cena-Uso singles match, likely a big babyface-vs-babyface crowd-pleaser, remains one of the more painful "so close" misses of Cena's final year. 10. John Cena vs. LA Knight Knight came the closest of anyone on this list to actually getting the match. He advanced deep into the "Last Time Is Now" tournament that determined Cena's final opponent, only to fall short to Gunther in the final. Given Knight's crowd-command style — arguably the most Cena-like energy on the current roster — a Knight-Cena passing-of-the-torch match, with Knight going over to cement his own ascension, felt like the more poetic send-off some fans wanted instead of the submission loss Cena ultimately chose.

BY SACNILK

Plans for Stone Cold Steve Austin's involvement in the main event of WrestleMania 40 have been revealed, along with the reason for his absence.## At WrestleMania 40, Cody Rhodes dethroned Roman Reigns to become the new Undisputed Universal Champion, ending Reigns' historic 1316-day reign. The match featured surprise appearances by WWE legends who helped Rhodes overcome The Bloodline.## John Cena returned to put Solo Sikoa out of action, but was later taken down by The Rock. Just as The Rock appeared poised to interfere further, The Undertaker made a shocking entrance, chokeslamming The Rock and effectively removing him from the equation.## The Undertaker's return was particularly unexpected as WWE had teased appearances by Cena and Stone Cold Steve Austin, who was ultimately absent. According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE was unable to reach a financial agreement with Austin for his WrestleMania 40 appearance.## Meltzer reported that The Undertaker took Austin's originally planned spot in the main event. This explains the surprise nature of The Deadman's return, as opposed to the pre-event hype surrounding Cena and Austin. The Rock's on-screen interaction with Cody Rhodes on Raw this week suggests he might be taking a break from WWE. During the segment, The Rock alluded to stepping away for "a little while." ## Stay Tuned To Sacnilk...

BY SACNILK

With WrestleMania 40 just around the corner, speculation is swirling about WWE's plans for the grandest stage of them all. ## According to PWInsider, WWE is in talks to bring Hulk Hogan back for WrestleMania 40 weekend. While his specific role remains unknown, it's unlikely he'll be involved in any storylines. The possibility of Hogan making an appearance at the event has certainly generated excitement among fans. ## Reports also suggest WWE has reached out to "Stone Cold" Steve Austin regarding a potential appearance at WrestleMania 40. Whether Austin has accepted the invitation remains to be seen.## John Cena has previously announced he'll be free for WrestleMania and has expressed interest in participating in this year's event. With Cena's star power, his involvement in WrestleMania 40 promises to be a major highlight. ## These rumors suggest a WrestleMania 40 filled with legendary names, potentially setting the stage for an unforgettable event. ## Stay Tuned To Sacnilk...

BY SACNILK

Stone Cold Steve Austin is undeniably one of the biggest superstars in the wrestling industry, integral to the success of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE).## From his debut in 1989 to retirement in 2003, Steve Austin was a massive success for the company. In the WWF, Austin was repackaged as a short-tempered, brash, anti-establishment antihero named "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, becoming the most popular wrestler of the Attitude Era, fueled by his feud with company chairman Mr. McMahon.## He won multiple championships throughout his wrestling career. He famously won the WWF Championship six times and the WWF Intercontinental Championship twice.## Following his retirement from in-ring action, he made sporadic appearances and one-off returns to competition. His last match was against Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 38 Night One in a No Holds Barred match, which he won with a Stone Cold Stunner. This marked his first wrestling match in WWE in over 19 years.## During a recent interview with ESPN, Steve Austin was asked about having another match in WWE. ## “I said I'd never get in a ring again unless all the stars aligned & for some reason, somehow, they all did. And at the age of 57, I headlined the first night of WrestleMania 38. 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 & say no to anything because you never say never in this crazy business of sports entertainment." ## Stay Tuned To Sacnilk...

BY SACNILK

Stamford, December 2 - There are purportedly individuals within the WWE advocating for the potential of a "dream" match featuring CM Punk against "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, given Punk's recent return to the company.## Commenting on these speculations, Dave Meltzer from F4WOnline.com provided insights on Wrestling Observer Radio. Meltzer highlighted that, currently, there has been no approach to Austin. ## Meltzer emphasized that the obstacle isn't financial in securing Austin but revolves around whether he is inclined to undertake it at his current age and whether he can dedicate sufficient time to attain the necessary ring fitness. ## “As soon as that story came out, I heard from a bunch of people who were pretty close in, and they basically said that ‘we probably shouldn’t be worried about them doing that one,’ because it basically, you know it’s not anything that anyone’s talked about to any degree. I mean, it could happen, and it makes sense, but maybe you know. ## As of right now, Austin hasn’t been approached. He’s not in. I’m not saying he won’t be and that is not their direction. I’m not saying that’s like some people thought the same thing you did. ‘Hey, maybe we could do it’…..I would just say it’s premature. I wouldn’t say it’s never going to happen either.” ## Stay Tuned To Sacnilk...

BY SACNILK

Over the past few decades, there have been numerous instances of celebrities making appearances on WWE TV and even forming romantic connections with the company's superstars. One noteworthy example involves George Clooney, who was reportedly involved in a two-year romantic relationship with WWE Hall of Famer Stacy Keibler. ## Another rumor that circulated involved WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin supposedly attempting to go on a date with Yasmine Bleeth. These rumors suggested that The Texas Rattlesnake made advances towards the Baywatch star while they were both filming Nash Bridges in the late 1990s. ## ALSO READ: WWE Raw Results July 10, 2023: Quick Results, Winners ## These speculations were addressed during Stone Cold Steve Austin's appearance on The Howard Stern Show in 1999. The once-controversial radio host directly questioned Steve Austin about the alleged romantic encounters. However, Steve Austin emphatically denied the rumors and clarified that there was no truth to them. ## “The rumor was, as Robin just said, that Stone Cold was making a move on Yasmine Bleeth during the shooting of Nash Bridges. That you were trying to get her. You’re a handsome man and now you’re single. I can’t imagine that you couldn’t get Yasmine Bleeth if you didn’t want her.” ## “No, that was strictly professional, Howard. I wasn’t there cutting a rug on the dance floor, taking some ballroom dance classes,” said Austin. “[You went dancing with her?] No, it’s part of the thing – Jake Cage, the character I played, he’s trying to romance her. He’s throwing in there a multi-syllable words vocabulary upgrade. I’m trying to take some dance classes to impress her. I’m the worst dancer in the da*n world. So anyway, no, there was no sparks. All on a professional level.” ## To stay updated with all the latest combat sports news, add Sacnilk.com to your Google News feeds and follow us on Twitter.