Ok, for my Austin comment... I'm using Wrestlemania 21 as an example as it has two segments.
1. Hogan comes out and destroys Muhammad Hassan and Daivari while they are in the ring with Eugene. Sure, the crowd cheer, but what does it really do? Buries two rising mid-carders, boosts Hogan's ego, and basically sets things in motion for a fued that will only last to bury them even more. Let's be honest here, I wasn't that excited about a Hogan/Michaels team up.
2. Piper's Pit with Steve Austin. Who comes out, Carlito. What happens? Stunner on Carlito AND Piper. Why? What does it achieve? If Austin stuck around it may have had a reason... but he didn't. He fucks off the next night and Carlito is none-more over because of it.
The same happened at Saturday Nights Main Event when Austin and JBL had that beerfest thing. Sure, JBL doesn't need to be put over, but it's the general theory that every segment ends with Austin getting the better of someone on the active roster. And all it does it get a cheap pop because Austin never sticks around long enough for it to mean anything.
Now, don't get me wrong because I'd much rather see someone like Carlito in a match instead of a squash, but come on... If someone like Masters is squashing them, at least it's putting Masters over. If it's Austin he'll only be gone the next week and it'd have achieved nothing.
If he's sticking around for a while, it'll be worse because Austin (like Hogan) doesn't need to be put over, yet he'll only stick around to bury more people.
That's just
my opinion anyway. I was never much of an Austin fan.