Were you, like me, one of the many who were in utter and complete shock and dismay at the fact that Stone Cold Steve Austin, arguably the biggest WWE superstar of all time, wasn't at the 1,000th episode of Monday Night Raw last night (July 23, 2012)?
It seemed odd that Austin, of all people, wouldn't make an appearance on the show, if only to give Heath Slater a stunner or come out and drink a beer to toast the crowd. Something. Anything.
Ultimately, we wondered who made this decision. Was it Vince McMahon, spiteful over some perceived slight behind the scenes? Was it Stone Cold himself, who has a few movie roles coming up? Something else?
"The Rattlesnake" himself has taken to his blog to clear up the speculation. And it turns out a knee surgery is to blame:
On July 23, 2012 WWE celebrated the 1,oooth episode of Monday Night Raw. I watched the show from my home in Los Angeles. After watching the show, I got on my Twitter account, @steveaustinBSR, to read responses to the show. There were many people blaming Vince McMahon and the WWE for not having SCSA on the show. And there were some folks who had some very negative things to say about me, personally.
The reason I did not attend RAW 1,000 was because I underwent a major knee surgery on my left knee on July 2, 2012. Dr. Neal ElAttrache of the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles, CA performed the surgery.
STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN IS A 100% ASS KICKING MACHINE. There was no way I was going to limp down the ramp on crutches for RAW 1,000. It was time to get my knee fixed. The decision to no-show RAW 1,000 was made by me and no one else. I have always taken pride in making my shots and have never faked an injury or illness. Pro Wrestling is a tough game and it was time to pay the piper for some of the damage I incurred in the ring. No gripes. No complaints.
That's all the explanation needed. If we're being honest about the situation, it definitely would have taken away the magic of seeing Austin had he limped his way down to the ring, unable to even climb up on the ropes to give his one-finger salute.
The timing sucks but this was probably for the best.