This year’s Royal Rumble match is absolutely loaded with stars. Brock Lesnar, Goldberg, The Undertaker, Chris Jericho, Randy Orton have all been confirmed just to name a few, and there are still plenty of open spots for potential surprise entrants.
One man who you won’t be seeing in the Royal Rumble is retired WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin. Steve Austin hung up the boots after losing to The Rock at WrestleMania 19, and he’s said several times that an in ring return just isn’t going to happen.
Steve won’t be participating in the Royal Rumble match, but the WWE Hall of Famer recently spoke to TV Insider and he noted that he’s looking forward to watching the show this year.
“You are expecting they are meeting at WrestleMania for another match, but they do have to do epically well in this because of the physicality of both guys. They just brought Undertaker back. He has to be a force in there. Braun Strowman is a physical guy in there. He has to be strong and eliminate a decent amount of guys, but is he ready for a main event slot at WrestleMania? I don’t know. There are so many things to consider when I look at this; I’m not even going to try and book it. I’m just looking forward to watching it.”
As noted, there are quite a few big names in this year’s Royal Rumble match. Although some may like to criticize WWE for relying too much on names from the past, Austin sees it as an opportunity for the current stars of the WWE to get the rub.
“…They are relying on the established stars to help out with their experience. I think it’s more than nostalgia. There are these guys who have been there, done it over and over. People still want to see them, but the fact they are this veteran presence and super well-known. Most of that roster is not over to the degree a lot of the current guys are. So blend them in there and let those young guys get the rub, do well, because they are the future. The nostalgic guys bring that older and hardcore fanbase because most of those guys were from the ‘Attitude Era.’ They are drawing any way they can to sell tickets and put asses in those seats.”
The season 4 finale of Steve Austin’s “Broken Skull Challenge” is set to air Jan. 29, at 10/9c, on CMT.
