WWE’s WrestleMania was not short of memorable moments this year, and Brian Pillman Jr., the son of the late Brian Pillman, was present for two big ones.
While on “The Universal Wrestling Podcast,” Pillman Jr. reflected on two of the big WWE moments he was present for this past April at WrestleMania 38.
“I was down there in Dallas for it,” Pillman Jr. said. “I got to see [Steve Austin’s] moment. That was really cool, and I got to watch Cody’s moment too. So, you know, that’s what we call them in wrestling. We call them moments; we don’t necessarily call them matches.”
On night one of WrestleMania 38, Cody Rhodes returned to WWE after being away from the company for almost 6 years, as the last time he was on WWE programming, he was under the name Stardust while also wearing a full body suit and face paint like his brother Dustin Rhodes, who was Goldust in WWE.
Rhodes returned in dramatic fashion, showing up as Seth Rollins’ mystery opponent after Rollins had been attempting to find a match at WrestleMania for weeks leading up to WWE’s version of the Super Bowl. Rhodes received a massive reaction from the crowd in Dallas, Texas, as the last time he was seen on AEW programming was when he lost the TNT Championship in a ladder match to Sammy Guevara. By leaving AEW, a company he helped startup alongside Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks, Rhodes also gave up his position as an EVP.
Another major moment at WrestleMania 38 happened later that night when Stone Cold Steve Austin appeared on the Kevin Owens Show as a guest in what turned into a match between the two. This match coming into fruition meant that Austin would wrestle for the first time since 2003 when, at WrestleMania 19, he was defeated by The Rock.
Austin and Owens wrestled around the AT&T Stadium in a No Holds Barred match in the main event of night one. Austin took bumps in the match, including a suplex onto the concrete floor in the stands. He ultimately walked away with the victory after nailing Owens with a stunner for the win in what was a feel-good moment for the “Texas Rattlesnake” after losing his previous match at WrestleMania.
