Jonathan Coachman: Why "Stone Cold" Steve Austin Didn't Face Me At WWE Taboo Tuesday 2005

Jonathan Coachman has revealed why he didn't go one on one with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin at Taboo Tuesday 2005.

At the time, Coachman was in his first run with the company, during which he appeared on-screen as a commentator, backstage interviewer and sometimes stooge to the McMahon family. 

Coachman was involved in an angle with fellow commentator Jim Ross in 2005, who had just been fired, and Stone Cold agreed to face The Coach at Taboo Tuesday to win JR his job back. If Austin had been defeated, he would have lost his WWE job. 

The match ultimately didn't take place, though, and Batista ended up substituting for Austin at the pay-per-view, defeating Coachman in a Street Fight while the commentator had Vader and Goldust in his corner. 

Speaking about the match during a Q&A session on AdFreeShows.com, Coachman explained the match was scrapped because Austin didn't show up at the arena. 

"I'll start this by saying I love 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin. The last couple years we connected a couple times, and I have a lot of respect for what he's done and what he meant to the business. That was not one of his best moments. He felt like it was below him to step into the ring with me. Even though the storyline was pretty good and at the time I was a heel that was getting quite a bit of heat in the arenas. It wouldn't have been much more than talking a little trash, you know, Stone Cold Stunner and then I'd wear a dress, but he didn't even show up," The Coach said.

"He didn't show up. That's the truth. He felt like it was below him, he didn't show up, but it wasn't the only time that he did that. The only thing -- I'm not even bitter to this day about it. I wish I would have got the cheque. Because I didn't get the cheque. When you wrestled Stone Cold you got paid more. But I have no ill will towards him at all because he had a long career, he had a lot of things going on, he was a big star, and I certainly wasn't in his world. But that particular time, I wouldn't say it was his best moment."

Had Austin wrestled at Taboo Tuesday, it would have been his first time in the ring since his retirement match at WrestleMania 19 against The Rock. Rumours over the years have also noted that Coachman was originally scheduled to defeat The Texas Rattlesnake. 

H/T to Fightful