Steve Austin was at the center of multiple reports on Monday night, as both Fightful Select and PWInsider reported WWE had recently reached to "Stone Cold" to see if he could be associated with a match at WrestleMania 38 in his home state of Texas. Neither report said anything had actually been consented to, though Sean Ross Sapp did note the hypothetical match would be against Kevin Owens who went on an anti-Texas tirade on today's edition of Monday Night Raw. Dave Meltzer then gave an update via Wrestling Observer Radio hours later.
" They have a lot of tickets delegated offer and the impression I have is the match is on," Meltzer said. "That's why he began doing the promos. I know that backstage at WWE all the time, that's all I kept finding out about . I heard it early in the day and I kept examining around and more people were stating they heard the very same thing. I do not understand that it's a done deal however individuals were talking like it was. The Owens promo was a dead giveaway.".
" I was not told that it was a done deal however individuals were under the presumption that it was and that promo clearly tells you that they are booking with the idea that it is taking place," he later on added. "Kind of unanticipated however there you go.".
Meltzer likewise noted the many times Austin has actually turned down deals to come back for one more match and could not say for certain why the former WWF Champion wants to do it now at age 57. He talked about hesitating to come back while on Talk Is Jericho last year..
" I believe Vince [McMahon] tried talking me to coming back a couple times, but you know Chris, I love the business a lot," Austin stated at the time. "I enjoy it more than anyone else. I can just speak for myself, however I like the damn business, and it hurted me so much to leave it. And to me, returning for one match, man, why? What am I proving? What are they going to remember? It ain't about the cash. It took me a very long time, damn near three years to overcome the fact that I left the business.
" If you're actually going to rebound, let's state it was gon na be prominent match at WrestleMania," he continued. "Taker, when I spoke to him, he trained all year or recovered from having surgery, and after that write trained for a three or 4 month camp to prepare for one match. I would really need to undergo a 3 or four month camp. I'm one of those guys where I do not have an addictive character, but I'm addicted to the wrestling business. Suddenly, I'm putting in all the hard work and return to being around the ring, being around business, that is my primary passions in my life.".