Stone Cold Steve Austin: I've already had my 'last match' in WWE
Forget the rumors and hype, 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin said Monday he does not plan to return to the squared circle for one more blockbuster match.
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1 min read
WWE made a concerted effort at WrestleMania 31 to throw in some old-school flair with The Rock making a memorable appearance and members of both DeGeneration X and the nWo getting into a dust-up during the Triple H vs. Sting match. With all the "Attitude Era" star power in the ring that Sunday, many fans were left wondering where exactly "Stone Cold" Steve Austin was during the show.
Austin, 50, was not there, of course, and fans predicted that he may get his own spotlight return one year later during WrestleMania 32, which just happens to be set to emanate live from his home state of Texas.
Those flames were stoked even further in June when Austin, while interviewing Paul Heyman on a podcast that aired live on WWE Network, appeared to admit that he would at least consider facing "The Beast" Brock Lesnar at the event. "I'd beat his ass," Austin exclaimed. "If I was going to fight Brock Lesnar, I'd beat his ass, and you know that as well as I do, Paul."
Despite all the hype and likely prayers from WWE fans, it does not look that a dream match between Austin and Lesnar -- or any match featuring Austin, for that matter -- will take place in the squared circle either at WrestleMania 32 or in the future.
"I think I've left everything I've got in the ring," Austin told the Associated Press on Monday, referencing his serious neck and knee injuries.
"There's no reason to go back in the ring and prove anything. I had to ride off into the sunset a little bit earlier than I'd have liked. But that final match I had at WrestleMania [19] with The Rock was my last match."
And yes, that appears to be the bottom line from Austin on that subject.
Austin, a six-time world champion, will grace the cover of the WWE 2K16 video game, which will be released on Oct. 27 and also feature him as a playable character. He also currently hosts "Stone Cold Podcast, Live" on WWE Network.
