Steve Austin Gives His Thoughts on WrestleMania 39, WWE's Decision to Have Roman Reigns Beat Cody Rhodes

WWE's decision to have Roman Reigns beat Cody Rhodes and retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 39 proved to be a controversial decision, one that many wrestling legends have discussed in the weeks since. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin was the latest to offer his two cents while talking with Sports Illustrated this week, giving a full endorsement of the booking decision and the match's finish. For those who didn't see it, Rhodes successfully hit Reigns with his CrossRhodes finisher twice, only for Paul Heyman to jump up on the apron and distract the referee. Solo Sikoa, who had already been thrown out for previously interfering, suddenly appeared and nailed Rhodes in the neck with a Samoan Spike. Reigns used the opening to nail a Spear for the victory. 

"Im going all-in. To me, they got it just right," Austin began. "I was wondering how they were going to do this match. They built it perfectly. I told my wife, 'I think they're going 30 [minutes].' They ended up going just over 34, and it was a classic. I loved it, and I wouldn't have changed a thing. I texted a couple people who were involved, and I sent a one-word text: Magnificent. I loved the finish. I loved all of it. Roman is so good right now. The story was there--Cody coming back from injury, coming back into the fold after he left from AEW, and putting himself in the position he's in now, overcoming all this adversity as part of one of the most famous wrestling families that's ever been in the business, and trying to finish the story against Roman.

"I watched both nights of WrestleMania 39 very intently. To me, you can't take that belt off Roman right now. You want to get it to Cody somehow, someway, some time--but now's not the time," he continued. "I kept asking, 'How are they going to do this?' To have Solo Sikoa, who has a great career in front of him, Jimmy and Jey Uso, who are just so badass, plus Sami (Zayn) and Kevin (Owens), Paul E., I love all those guys — they all played a great role. Roman is so hot. It just wasn't time to pass that torch yet. Just thinking about that finish, I thought it was definitely the right call. I loved the outside interference. You didn't know what was coming next. That spike to the throat, for me, it was money."

It's unclear if and when Rhodes will get another shot at Reigns. In the meantime, he'll be facing Brock Lesnar at Backlash next month in San Juan. Reigns will reportedly not be present at the show.