Stone Cold Steve Austin Explains Why He Won’t Make A Wrestling Comeback

Wrestling legend, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, explains why he won’t make a WWE comeback. Austin is one of the sport’s most well-known names, having been cited as the biggest star in WWE’s history to the point of even surpassing Hulk Hogan’s popularity in the 1980s. He’s won a bevy of championships, 19 in total, and he headlined numerous pay-per-view events, including three WrestleManias.

After one final match with The Rock in 2003, Austin announced his retirement. The decision traces back to a bout 1997 against Owen Hart. After being hit with a sit-out Tombstone Piledriver, Austin sustained a neck injury that plagued him for the rest of his career. Though he has occasionally teased lacing up the boots for one more match, the legend has now made it perfectly clear that he’s happy to remain as a non-active wrestling personality.

Appearing on an episode of the Talk is Jericho podcast, Austin admitted to host Chris Jericho that he’s been approached about the possibility of returning to the ring on more than occasion. But, as the multi-time WWE champion tells it, he struggled with the reality of being retired for years before coming to accept that it was for the best. You can read Austin’s quote, from Comic Book, below.

I think Vince [McMahon] tried talking me to coming back a couple times, but you know Chris, I love the business so much, I love it more than anybody else. I can only speak for myself, but I love the damn business, and it hurt me so much to leave it. And to me, going back for one match, man, why? What am I proving? What are they going to remember? It ain’t about the money. It took me a long time, damn near three years to get over the fact that I left the business.

Austin went on to suggest that he wasn’t quite sure if he’d be willing to undergo the grueling training needed for an in-ring return, even if it were for a high-profile WrestleMania match. The legend’s remarks are interesting in how it reflects a divide in how wrestlers view retirement. Austin is speaking to Jericho, who, rather than stepping away from the squared circle, is using his name recognition and his talents to help the younger generation of grapplers in AEW. There’s also Shawn Michaels, who came out of retirement relatively quietly in order to wrestle a one-off tag team bout in Saudi Arabia, but is largely content to help shape the roster of WWE’s NXT brand.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the recently-retired Undertaker has openly struggled to give up his spot as an active competitor. These struggles were the focus of The Last Ride documentary, which showed how Undertaker would often vow to walk away only to be lured in by the prospect of one more match. Viewed through this lens, it’s positive to hear that Austin has made peace with the fact that his time between the ropes is over. And he’s likely correct that, after a while, any return would pale in comparison to the truly transformative run he enjoyed in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Austin was at the top, alongside The Rock and others, when wrestling was in the center of pop culture. That would be nearly impossible to replicate in the current landscape. It’s probably for the best to leave his WWE legacy untouched.

Source: Comic Book

About The Author

Abdullah Al-Ghamdi
(1121 Articles Published)

See also  Ozark Season 3: Ruth And Ben's Love Story Saved The Show

Abdullah Al-Ghamdi joined Screen Rant in August 2019, focusing on movie and television news. In January of the same year, he wrote a 3500+ word piece on why Primo Colón is underrated. He considers it his finest work. When he’s not arguing for the merits of his favorite wrestler, he can be reached at: [email protected].

More From Abdullah Al-Ghamdi