Steve Austin back in a WWE ring? It looks like there’s an attempt to make that dream a reality.
According to a new report from Fightful Select, WWE has apparently made an attempt to get “Stone Cold” Steve Austin back in the ring as a competitor for the first time in nearly twenty years. The report notes that WWE has made “a significant overture” to get Austin to compete at WrestleMania 38, and although there’s no concrete plans in place, Austin is expected for a physical role at the very least.
Fightful noted that they reached out to WWE in an official capacity but did not receive anything definitive. Others within the company gave varying responses ranging from being modest about the topic to others saying they assume the match will happen. As of now, it’s unknown if any real progress has been made or if there’s an opponent in mind for Austin.
It’s worth mentioning that some believed Kevin Owens’ recent anti-Texas comments were a setup to play heel to Austin, but that was not confirmed by Fightful and remains a subject of speculation. F4WOnline’s Bryan Alvarez later responded to the Fightful report and said that Austin vs. Owens has been discussed, but did not provide any other information.
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin has not wrestled since he lost to The Rock at WrestleMania XIX on March 30, 2003.
Last year, Austin said that he wouldn’t be at WrestleMania 37 because WWE didn’t reach out to him, but thought it made more sense to come back for the event when it was in Texas (38) or Los Angeles (39). In the past, Austin said he felt good enough to have another match but said he was in a good place. Austin has also said that he didn’t want to name any talent he would like to face because it would inevitably lead to people fantasy booking him in matches and he didn’t have anything left to prove.
