Back on Sept. 22, presumably as a response to low ratings, WWE announced Undertaker, Brock Lesnar, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels and Ric Flair as the big stars appearing on the Oct. 19 edition of Raw from Dallas, Texas, the final Raw before Hell in a Cell:
BREAKING: @WWE Legends & Hall of Famers will be in Dallas for #Raw on 10/19! http://t.co/MowBVN48Iv #GoToHellTour pic.twitter.com/XUdFuN80zV
— WWE (@WWE) September 23, 2015
On Monday (Oct. 12), WWE advertised the show with this graphic:
Don't miss @ShawnMichaels @RicFlairNatrBoy @BrockLesnar & The @Undertaker LIVE on #Raw NEXT MONDAY in Dallas, TX! pic.twitter.com/IsTQlYxflN
— WWE (@WWE) October 13, 2015
Notice anything missing?
Stone Cold Steve Austin is no longer being advertised for the show. Not only is this the final show before Hell in a Cell, but it and the following night’s Smackdown are reportedly the final shows in the Texas market before WrestleMania 32 next year. Brock Lesnar is still being advertised for an appearance on the Stone Cold Podcast live after the show, so maybe WWE decided they’d rather get the surprise of glass breaking if they’re gonna have an Austin appearance? Maybe they thought five big stars was overkill? Maybe Austin decided he’d rather hang out on his podcast set for the duration of the show. How many “you took your ball and went home” references will we get on one podcast taping? The over/under is set at 3.
Let’s hope we get through Thursday’s Smackdown without Ric Flair mysteriously disappearing from the graphic.
