Austin's Wrestling Time Is Done After 'BB17'

Austin Matelson has had quite a summer thanks to his run on Big Brother 17. When the season began, Austin had a mostly-dead wrestling career, a long-term girlfriend, and a secret alter ego. By finale night, he'll have a potential wrestling career, an ex-girlfriend, a new girlfriend in Liz, and a no-longer-secret identity as Judas. Now that the summer is wrapping up and houseguests are considering what they'll do after finale night, it's a good time to consider whether or not Austin will return to wrestling after Big Brother 17.

As most BB fans know by now, Austin spent a few years as a professional wrestler under the name Judas. After suffering a couple of serious injuries, he and WWE came to a mutual agreement, and he stopped wrestling. Earlier this year, he made headlines in the wrestling world when a memo he wrote in 2013, dubbed the "JUDAS letter," came out publicly. In it, he made allegations of abuse against WWE trainer Bill DeMott, who has since stepped down from his position, though not before denying the allegations in a statement on Twitter: "I deny the recent allegations made about me, however, to avoid any embarrassment or damage to the WWE, I've decided to step down from my role effective immediately."

We also know that Austin has been productive in his time away from wrestling by working as a post-rehab specialist for athletes who have suffered injuries. This is likely why he's been so passionate about helping his fellow houseguests train consistently and in a way that is healthy for their bodies. Even though he has shown the feedsters some wrestling moves, Austin probably won't be wrestling any time soon, at least not in the way he was doing before.

For starters, he has said several times that he's still working on getting his body back to top condition. Although he has indicated on the feeds that he's wrestled a few times since his official retirement, it's been on his own terms. If he got back to a regular routine, it may compromise his health, and that seems out of the question for Austin now.

Secondly, Austin mentioned in his post-eviction interview with Julie that he came on Big Brother partly for a "second chance in the entertainment world." This makes it seem like he's in no hurry to go back to wrestling world and wants to take advantage of his 15 minutes of fame. BB17 opens up his options well beyond wrestling.

Of course, Austin is full of surprises! He certainly loves playing the role of Judas and hamming it up for the cameras. We may see him in the ring just yet!

For more on this season of Big Brother, check out Bustle's podcast The Diary Room.

Image: CBS