Steve Austin On Declining An In-Ring Return, CM Punk, And Colby Covington
Talking about his new Broken Skull Sessions show on WWE Network with ESPN‘s Marc Raimondi, Steve Austin found a few minutes to talk about his own in-ring career and whether he’d ever want one more match. Unlike so many of his Attitude Era peers, he was firmly in the negative. “I did what I did, and in WrestleMania 19, that was my last match with The Rock and he beat me 1-2-3 right in the middle of the ring. Took three Rock Bottoms, but that was the last match that “Stone Cold” Steve Austin will ever have.”
When pushed to answer if there’s anyone he would want to take on, Stone Cold stands firm. “I’m not gonna name names. As soon as I do that, everybody is gonna start making these fantasy matches.” He goes on to say that even saying he was healthy on his podcast led to fans speculating that he was “fishing for a dream match.” Instead, he’s very firm that he’s happy with his legacy.
The wrestling business for me, it’s very addictive. I was hooked on that business, and I loved it. As many years as I’ve been away from the business, I have fond memories… why go back and get so immersed in that world, knowing that it would be a short road? And the build-up and then the match. I just think when it was all said and done, it would be anticlimactic for me. I don’t have anything to prove.
A Superstar that many have paired with Stone Cold in fantasy booking over the years is CM Punk, who recently returned to the WWE sphere. When asked if Punk was likely to return, Austin didn’t seem so sure. “I don’t know, that’s completely up to CM Punk. But I’m just excited that he’s back with the WWE… I know he loves the business of professional wrestling or sports entertainment.”
Stretching into other combat sports, Marc asks Steve about Colby Covington, an MMA fighter who has a very wrestling-style presentation. When asked if Steve has followed his work, he says he “absolutely” has.
I’ve been watching that guy talk trash for a while. He’s had some pretty damn good fights. That guy is tough as nails. He’s a good fighter. He talks a lot of trash, and he can back it up. I wouldn’t see him having a hard time learning some of the workset of what it takes to be in the WWE ring. As far as putting him behind the mic, lights out.