That headline isn't meant as any kind of news story tease. By now, most of you know about WWE's plans for Steve Austin to return to television as part of Cyber Sunday. Of course, theoretically fans could vote for the two other choices - Shawn Michaels or Randy Orton - to referee the main event world title match between Chris Jericho and Batista. But it's quite obvious that they fully expect, and want, Austin to win by a landslide.

So the question isn't whether Steve Austin - WWE biggest star ever - is returning. The question is: Was Steve Austin WWE's biggest star ever?

The wrestling community - fans, writers and wrestlers alike - are constantly heaping superlatives on performers. Mick Foley or Bruiser Brody may be considered the best brawlers ever. Lou Thesz and Bret Hart are in the conversation for some of the best technical wrestlers ever. In a few rare cases, you hear somebody get the all-encompassing "best wrestler ever" praise, such as Ric Flair

But is it fair to say Steve Austin is WWE's biggest star of all time?

Obviously, there are at least two other main contenders for that distinction. One was Austin's contemporary - the Rock, who I nobody could dispute has become the biggest crossover wrestling star ever. The other, of course, is Hulk Hogan, who remains the face of pro wrestling to the masses. Some might even throw in Bruno Sammartino, who sold out Madison Square Garden month after month for years during a very different time in pro wrestling.

But perhaps no singular act has ever made as big an impact on WWE as Stone Cold, who nearly single-handedly led WWE's rise to unprecedented heights in the late 1990s. Yes, Austin had a good supporting cast in the likes of DX and the Rock, and the whole Attitude movement may owe a lot to the nWo and even ECW. But it was Austin's combination of star power, creativity, talking ability and wrestling skill that made him the absolute total package. He was the very definition of the term "draw," selling out arena and arena during his peak, propping WWE’s television ratings to record highs, generating monster buy rates for pay per views, selling more merchandise than probably any wrestler ever, and getting pops from crowds that to this day have not been equaled.

Everybody loved Austin - from kids, to women to grown men who would often attend shows sporting bald heads and "Austin 3:16" T-shirts. The guy was a phenomenon.

But this much is true: Unlike Hogan, and perhaps even the Rock, Austin's popularity has not survived the test of time all that well. He hasn't made that much of difference in terms of ratings or attendance when he's popped up for special appearances here and there. He doesn't get the ten-minute pops that Hogan and the Rock have received when they've made their returns after extended hiatuses. Austin's movie, "The Condemned" was a colossal flop.

There's a number of reasons why that might be. For one, Austin has never stayed away from the WWE television for more than a few months or maybe a year. The old adage about absence making the heart grow fonder doesn't really apply when you're never absent for very long. Second, I think there's something to be said for WWE and Austin himself having lost sight of what made Austin so special. In recent years he's become something of a predictable parody of himself - making jokes, drinking beer, and stunning everyone in sight. And lastly, Austin has not wrestled in more than five years. It’s tough to promote someone as a “bad a**” when they can’t deliver in the ring.

And so, if WWE thinks Austin's return to television will turn around their recent ratings woes, I think they're setting themselves up for disappointment. Austin will no doubt be welcomed back by fans with open arms, but, inevitably, his act will become familiar before long.

None of this as meant as a slight against Austin. Regardless of how little he might mean to WWE now, nothing can change how much he meant to it some ten years ago. And I, for one, would be thrilled to have him back in any capacity.