Could Steve Austin be a part of WrestleMania 41?
Arguably the biggest star in wrestling history, many accepted that Austin had called time on his legendary career back in 2003 when he lost to The Rock at WrestleMania 19. While The Texas Rattlesnake would make multiple appearances since, no one expected to see Austin compete one more time. However, the Hall of Famer would shock the world in 2022 when he accepted Kevin Owens’ challenge to have one final match in Texas at WrestleMania 38. While the fans got an injection of nostalgia and loved what they saw, Austin sees things differently.
Speaking with Christopher Kamrani from The Athletic, Austin stated that while Owens got to experience Stone Cold in some form, it was not the true Stone Cold from The Attitude Era that fans know and love, adding that physically he is just not capable of being in his optimum:
“(Owens) got in the ring with the name Stone Cold Steve Austin, but he didn’t get in with the true Stone Cold who was a (expletive) machine,” Austin says. “When the ball rang, I was an (expletive). And he didn’t get that guy. That’s what I was mad about. I wanted him to know what it was like to be in there with the (expletive) when he’s on. The whole time I was drinking beer? I wasn’t advertising my beer,” he says. “I was just wetting my whistle because I didn’t know where the water was. I should’ve been more revealing at the moment. I wasn’t satisfied with it.”
“You try to be the guy you were, you try to be in that alpha state. Although your mindset is there, physically you are not.”
Steve Austin Talks WrestleMania Las Vegas
With the main event of WrestleMania 40 being a Bloodline Rules match and given Austin’s history with The Rock, many expected to see Austin be one of the many cameo appearances in Philadelphia. While Austin’s spot was given to The Undertaker as reportedly a financial disagreement was the reason behind Austin’s absence, fans were still happy with what they saw. With Austin focused on ranch life with cats Pancho and Macho, not present at conventions and interviews being strictly limited, The Texas Rattlesnake appears content with life after wrestling and has no interest in future appearances. However, making one final comment in the interview, Austin did point out that WrestleMania 41 will be in Las Vegas and that is not too far away from where he lives:
“I said I won’t leave Nevada. It’s hard to get me out of this state,” he says. “But … Wrestlemania next year is in Vegas. That’s in Nevada.”
