WWE: Will Steve Austin Wrestle Again?

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin had been retired for nearly two decades, but he always remained an arm’s length away from WWE. The Texas Rattlesnake made sporadic non-wrestling appearances for his longtime employer throughout the 2000s and 2010s, fulfilling special guest referee and guest host roles on WWE programming. Even with Austin retired, he still was happy to dish out a couple of stunners and shower his victims in beer. Those antics were taken to the next level last year, as Austin wrestled his first actual match against Kevin Owens at WWE WrestleMania 38. Austin’s performance left fans wanting more, as many praised the multi-time world champion’s in-ring abilities at 57 years old.

This has led to speculation that Austin could take on a part-timer’s WWE schedule similar to deals that Goldberg and The Undertaker were on, which would see him wrestle one or two matches per year. Names like Brock Lesnar, John Cena, and Roman Reigns were reportedly floated as potential opponents for the veteran, but nothing ended up coming to fruition.

Speaking with NBC Los Angeles, Austin seemingly put a period on his in-ring career, declaring that his wrestling days are in the rear view.

“Coming back to do something from time to time is fine, because I love my relationship with WWE, but my days in the ring are done,” Austin said. “Although, I did do the main event at WrestleMania last year in Dallas, but that was kind of a fluke and we pulled it off. It’s good to be back and see some of the faces, but I’ve been gone for a long time, and I do not miss it.”

Austin qualified his statement, noting that there are plenty of aspects about the wrestling business that he longs for, but the in-ring competition is not one of them.

“I miss the boys. That’s what I miss. You miss going up and down the road telling stories, laughing, and doing things to entertain each other when you’re doing the grind on the road. Just living life [with each other],” Austin continued. “It’s a different breed of animals, or guys, or human beings, that get into this business, and birds of a feather flock together and the sports entertainment industry draws some very unique characters.”

Even though a match seems to be out of the cards, Austin could still get involved at WWE WrestleMania 39 in another capacity. There has been speculation on the WWE Hall of Famer sharing a segment with WWE SmackDown‘s LA Knight.

Stay tuned to ComicBook.com for updates on Austin’s WWE status.