Should Steve Austin Have Been Allowed to Use "Stone Cold" RingName Outside WWE?

Hi, RingMaster here.

Steve Austin had to quit wrestling in 2003 because of injury. He fought his last match at WrestleMania 19 against The Rock. After that he was an authority figure on WWE TV until he left in 2004.

Many people said that Austin left because Vince McMahon, the boss of WWE, wouldn’t let him use the name “Stone Cold” outside of WWE. This was brought up by Jim Ross, who worked with WWE at the time, on his podcast Grilling JR.

Ross thinks that McMahon should have allowed Austin to use the name “Stone Cold” outside of WWE as well.

He said that when The Rock (real name Dwayne Johnson) became an actor, McMahon let him keep his wrestling name. So Ross doesn’t know why McMahon didn’t do it for Austin.

The Rock started acting more and wrestling less in the 2000s. McMahon allowed him to use “The Rock” for his acting career, but he didn’t do the same for Steve Austin.

In my opinion, Vince McMahon should have let Steve Austin use “Stone Cold” outside WWE. Austin is a huge name in wrestling — just as big as The Rock. So if The Rock was able to use his wrestling name for acting, why couldn’t Austin?

I also believe that McMahon’s decision hurt Austin’s career outside of wrestling.

If he could have used “Stone Cold,” then maybe he would’ve had more success beyond WWE. Because people all around the globe know him as “Stone Cold” Steve Austin; that’s his brand.

Jim Ross also talked why Austin did not come back to fight The Rock at WrestleMania XL. He said that Austin was afraid that it wouldn’t be as good as their old matches if he came back to fight The Rock. He didn’t want to let the fans down.

I get why Austin may have been concerned about coming back to fight The Rock. They had some of the greatest matches in WWE history. Austin may have thought that it would not be as good as before if they fought again. He did not want to disappoint the fans.

But I still wish Austin would have come back and wrestled The Rock at WrestleMania XL.

It could have been epic seeing them in the ring together for one last time, even though it might not have lived up to their previous encounters.

I believe Vince McMahon should have allowed Steve Austin to use “Stone Cold” outside WWE. This is his brand, just like “The Rock” is Dwayne Johnson’s brand.

Austin could have achieved greater things beyond wrestling if he was able to use his wrestling name.

Also, I wanted him to return and face The Rock at WrestleMania XL; it would’ve been a magical moment for all the wrestling fans around the world.