Do you guys think WWE dropped the ball on Steve Austin?

[screech]

Originally Posted by Tedious Why is Owen Hart not generally given the blame for the neck problems that certainly shortened Austin's career? Is it because of his untimely death, or because he is such an IWC darling, or both?

Thinking about it, it could be both. A recent CM Punk botch video posted in another thread makes me lean toward the latter, though.

I forget who posted the video, but I know CSL commented about how Punk didn't get the "what a dick" reactions (or the Randy Orton treatment as it were), because of how beloved he is. Sure Randy Orton is loved here too, but not to the extent of Punk. I think the fact that Orton has shown some unprofessionalism on more than one occasion helped Punk in this case, too.

I think that logic can apply here, but the sympathy vote is most likely a factor as well.