Despite having seen his heyday in the early 2000s, ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin remains one of the most recognizable names on the planet. To this day, wrestling buffs babble on his exploits inside the squared circle. So much so that they keep manifesting his return to WWE every once in a while. Austin came tantalizingly close to stepping out in front of a capacity crowd at WrestleMania XL. But it just didn’t happen.
Reports suggested that Steve Austin and WWE were far apart on financial terms. However, The Texas Rattlesnake has his side of the story. During his latest conversation with Adrian Hernandez, the 59-year-old confirmed that WWE did reach out to him, having broached the idea of his involvement at the grand spectacle in April. But he couldn’t commit due to ongoing things in life that also had his wife in the mix.
As a result, he didn’t need to travel to Philadelphia at that time. To fill in his shoes was The Undertaker, who replaced Austin in that well-received spot with The Rock. But for every Philly, there’s a Las Vegas. Steve would hope so, as WrestleMania comes to Sin City next year. And recently, Austin teased making a trip to WrestleMania 41, which he reaffirmed during the aforementioned interview.
Stone Cold Steve Austin was asked if he ever gets the itch to wrestle again:
“That wrestling game, that’s a young mans game. I did what I could, had some injuries and I hung it up.
I did that little thing with Kevin Owens a while back and it’s been two years since then. I’m… pic.twitter.com/QVGW2cNnEa
— WrestlePurists (@WrestlePurists) August 16, 2024It was close, and they (WWE) certainly reached out to me, we had conversations. But my wife and I had some things going on that I didn’t need to go to Philly at that time.
Steve Austin via interview with Adrian HernandezIf he does get on board for The Showcase of the Immortals in 2025, he’s likely to join a star-studded lineup with the likes of The Rock and John Cena. Having these three cornerstones of their respective eras on one show would be something the fans would adore. Steve’s re-emergence on WWE television has been long overdue. It might finally come to fruition in Nevada, with reigning Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes also craving the same.
Does Steve Austin ponder an in-ring return?
Having incessantly iterated in the past that he doesn’t yearn for an in-ring return, Steve Austin might still have some gas left in the tank. In the same interview as above, the 6-time World Champion stated that wrestling’s a young man’s game.
He brought up his one-off match with Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 38. It’s been two years since then, and Austin’s closing in on his 60s. A while ago, it was reported that The Bionic Redneck was discussed for a match with CM Punk down the road.
The talks fizzled out once Punk got injured. There’s no word on whether the idea will be revisited. Austin has managed to maintain a ripped physique, which often acts as an impetus for the fans to drive him out of retirement once again.
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