Why Attitude Era Star Missed Out On Title Match With Steve Austin

Steve Austin put his backstage influence to work in 1998.

Once free of the creative mishap that was “The Ringmaster,” Steve Austin’s WWF career truly took off. While his climb to superstardom was a little more of a slow burn than WWE would like fans to believe, after classic matches with Bret Hart in late 1996 and WrestleMania 13, he was a made man.

But it wasn’t until WrestleMania 14 that Austin’s ascent was truly complete as he won the World Championship for the first time.

Through the rest of 1998 and well into 1999, Austin was a force of nature and became one of the biggest stars the wrestling industry has ever seen. And crucially, that stardom came with backstage influence, and an ability to control his own destiny.

Steve Austin Vetoed WWF Rivalry

During a new interview with The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling, Marc Mero looked back on his WWF career and why it didn’t hit the heights some expected.

Mero joined the WWF just four months after Austin, leaving WCW behind. After spending 1996 around the Intercontinental Title scene, Mero was forced to take time off through injury only returning to action in October 1997.

Back in the fold, Mero had a new character and new attitude which set up his most high-profile run opposite his then-real-life wife Sable.

While looking back at this period of his career, Mero revealed that it was his rivalry with Sable that cost him a match with Steve Austin.

“There were no surprises; it was just something we planned on doing. And my thought was, people said, ‘Well how would you let a girl beat you up? You ruined your career.’

Remember, I’m making guaranteed money, and why not build her up where she’s making huge money with merchandise and opportunities outside of the WWE, and different guest spots on all these different shows that she was doing; [it was] an incredible time for us.

But it did create quite the stir in the locker room and cut out a program that I was supposed to have with Steve Austin,”

While Mero playing second fiddle to Sable on television may have been less than ideal for his future prospects, plans for a match with Austin officially died during the May 11, 1998 edition of Raw. On the show, Sable hit Mero with a Powerbomb for the first, but not only, time that year.

Mero explained that he was next up to face Austin but the Texas Rattlesnake got the match changed after his would-be challenger was taken out by Sable.

“I was the next feud for Steve at the time. I was wrestling and we had a main event match at the Los Angeles Forum. And I remember getting to the arena and I noticed it was changed. Like, I wasn’t wrestling Steve. And I was like, ‘What happened?’ Never thinking it was because Sable powerbombed me.

And his thought was that ‘If a girl can beat him up, why would I want to wrestle him?’ You know? And I get it. So it changed the whole thing”

Following the culmination of his storyline with Sable, Mero’s career continued a steady decline and he left the WWF in 1999 alongside his wife despite having several years remaining on his contract. The star briefly flirted with a return to WCW in 2000, but ultimately landed in the XWF and later TNA before retiring in 2006.

It’s been announced that Steve Austin will be appearing at WWE World at the Las Vegas Convention Center on April 19 and 20. This has led many to wonder whether he could also appear at WrestleMania 41 in some capacity.

H/t to Fightful