- ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin refuses to rule out potential return to WWE
- The WWE Hall of Famer officially retired in 2003, but has made rare appearances.
WWE legend Steve Austin has refused to rule out a sensational return to the company despite officially retiring from the sport in 2003.
The wrestling icon came out of a 20-year retirement at WrestleMania 38 in 2022, when he faced and defeated Kevin Owens; However, he has not returned to the ring since.
Rumors recently circulated that the 59-year-old could return against fan favorite CM Punk at WrestleMania 40 and it seems Austin is somewhat interested.
Speaking about a possible return to WWE, he said ESPN: ‘I have analyzed what I did and I know that I can improve what I did.
‘I said I would never get in a ring again unless all the stars aligned. And for some reason, some way, everyone did. And at the age of 57, I headlined the first night of WrestleMania.
WWE legend Steve Austin has refused to rule out a sensational return to the company.
Rumors had circulated suggesting the 59-year-old could return against fan favorite CM Punk at WrestleMania 40.
‘I never thought I’d do that. If you had told me that when I retired in (2003), I would have said, ‘You’re crazy.’ So I’m not going to sit here and say no to anything, because you never say never in this crazy sports entertainment business.’
Then, when asked about the possible matchup with CM Punk, Austin admitted that the match “would be good.”
He continued: “I like Punk, and I think Punk likes me, so as long as I can handle a Stunner (Stone Cold).
‘I consider him a great friend, a great guy and a great fighter who has had a great career. We’ll see.’
Fellow icon CM Punk made a sensational return to WWE in December during Survivor Series and helped the federation smash its social media record for the event by garnering more than 71 million views across all platforms.
Following the return of the fan favorite, WWE has big plans for Punk and was optimistic that the 45-year-old will agree to face wrestling legend Austin at the company’s blockbuster event in April.
Fans have long speculated and expected a high-profile feud between the two wrestling icons, with seemingly close deals regularly falling through.
According fighting teamWWE sources have revealed that Punk has already had discussions about the possibility of fighting Stone Cold, but it is currently unknown how far the talks have gone.
The wrestling icon retired from the sport in 2003, but made a rare WWE appearance in 2022.
In March, Austin ruled out a possible appearance at WrestleMania 39 in 2023.
The 58-year-old, who admitted he loves his relationship with WWE, claimed his day in the ring is “over.”
“Getting back to doing something every once in a while is good, because I love my relationship with WWE, but my days in the ring are over,” he told NBC Los Angeles.
“Although I did main event WrestleMania last year in Dallas, it was kind of a fluke and we pulled it off.”
“It’s good to come back and see some of the faces, but I was away for a long time and I don’t miss it.”