“Stone Cold” Steve Austin Reveals The WWE Match He Wished He Had

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin opened Pandora’s Box last spring, and it will likely never be shut again. This is in reference to the fact that he ended his two-decade retirement to face Kevin Owens at WWE WrestleMania 38, besting the current Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champion in an impressive 13-minute showcase. Many believe that Austin’s performance at AT&T Stadium was proof that he could become a part-time wrestler entirely, operating on a schedule similar to ones used by Goldberg and The Undertaker throughout the 2010s. While Austin agrees that he could still go for another contest physically, he is not in the business of begging for more matches.

That said, there are opponents that make the Texas Rattlesnake ask, “What if?” Some stars like John Cena and CM Punk caught fire in WWE far after Austin had hung up his boots, but others did briefly share a locker room with the former WWE WrestleMania headliner in the final days of his full-time career.

“That guy is Brock Lesnar,” Austin told WESH 2 News when asked about who he wishes he had the chance to wrestler before retiring.

Austin vs. Lesnar is actually a bit of an infamous story. The two were scheduled to face each other in a King of the Ring qualifying match on television, but Austin disagreed with the booking and ultimately walked out of the company.

“Way back in the day, I was scheduled to wrestle him in Atlanta at a television taping. The match wasn’t great as far as creative goes, so it never happened,” Austin continued. “That’s the match that got away. I have so much respect for Brock and watching him go through the evolution of becoming one of the best pros out there. To go into the MMA world and become a world champion. He’s had a heck of a journey and no one has had a career like his and his longevity has been supreme. Brock Lesnar would be my answer.”

He did not make any type of appearance at WWE WrestleMania 39, but Austin was reportedly pitched multiple matches for SoFi Stadium’s Showcase of the Immortals. Rumors swirled that both Lesnar himself as well as Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns were floated to Austin. While he did not confirm which match he was offered, Austin recently said the reason he turned down a WWE WrestleMania 39 match was due to it being a “big one” and him not having the time to train enough to do it justice.