‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin refuses to rule out a potential return to the WWE despite being retired since 2003… and admits that he’d make a comeback ‘if the stars aligned’
- ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin has refused to rule out a possible return to the WWE
- The WWE Hall of Famer officially retired in 2003, but has rarely appeared
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 off a 20-year retirement at WrestleMania 38 in 2022 when he defeated Kevin Owens, but he has not returned to the ring since.
Rumors recently swirled that the 59-year-old could make a comeback against fellow fan favorite CM Punk at WrestleMania 40 and it seems like Austin is somewhat excited.
Speaking about a possible return to the WWE, he shared ESPN: ‘I’ve dissected what I did, and I know I can improve on what I did.
“I said I would never step in a ring again unless all the stars aligned. And for some reason they all 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 swirled that the 59-year-old could make a comeback against fellow fan favorite CM Punk at WrestleMania 40
‘I never thought I would 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 in this crazy business of sports entertainment, you never say never.”
When asked about the potential match with CM Punk, Austin admitted that the fight “would be a good fight.”
He continued, “I like Punk, and I think Punk likes me too – so as long as he can take a (Stone Cold) Stunner.
“I consider him a great friend, a great guy and a great wrestler who has had a great career. We will see.’
Fellow icon CM Punk made a sensational return to the WWE at Survivor Series in December, helping the federation break the social media record for the event by amassing more than 71 million views across all platforms.
Following the return of the fan favorite, the WWE has big plans for Punk and they are optimistic that the 45-year-old will battle wrestling legend Austin at the company’s blockbuster event in April.
Fans have long speculated and hoped for a high-profile match between the two wrestling icons, with seemingly close matches frequently falling through.
According to Fighting selectionWWE 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 the WWE, claimed his day in the ring was ‘done’.
“Coming back every now and then to do something is fine because I love my relationship with WWE, but my days in the ring are over,” he told NBC Los Angeles.
“Although I did do the main event of WrestleMania in Dallas last year, but that was a fluke and we did it.
“It’s good to be back and see some faces, but I’ve been away for a long time and I don’t miss it.”