9 months ago
54 ARTICLE AD
Joe Scarnici/Getty Images
For the longest time, it appeared that "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's final match would be his bout with The Rock at WrestleMania 19, after which Austin was forced to retire due to injury. That all changed two years ago, when Austin triumphantly returned and defeated Kevin Owens in a No Holds Barred match to close out Night One of WrestleMania 38, in what was considered to be one of the highlights of the two-day spectacle.
In an interview with "ESPN," Austin talked about his return match and how everything worked out perfectly, both creatively and, for himself, physically, in order for the match to happen. As such, it's allowed Austin to leave the door open for perhaps one more return down the road.
"I said I'd never get in a ring again unless all the stars aligned," Austin said. "And for some reason, somehow, they all did. And at the age of 57, I headlined the first night of WrestleMania. I never thought I'd do that. If you'd have told me that when I retired in [2003], I'd have said, 'You're crazy.' So I'm not gonna sit here and say no to anything because you never say never in this crazy business of sports entertainment."
While Austin didn't have any particular opponent in mind for another match, one name that kept coming up was CM Punk. A match between Austin and Punk has long been considered a dream match by many, and it appears to be something Austin would be open to.
"I like Punk, and I think Punk likes me," Austin said. "So, as long as he can take a Stunner. I consider him a great friend, a great guy, and a great wrestler who's had a great career. We'll see."
