WWE Reportedly Pushing For Steve Austin Return Match At WrestleMania 38

WWE is reportedly kicking the tires on a Stone Cold Steve Austin return match.

Whispers of a huge, looming story began to surface on Twitter, particularly when WWE insider account @WrestleVotes tweeted “if what I’m hearing is true…”

Shortly thereafter, Fightful Select (h/t WrestleTalk) reported WWE had made overtures for a Steve Austin return at WrestleMania 38.

WrestleMania is set to emanate from Austin’s home state of Texas. Austin made an appearance at WWE’s last WrestleMania in Texas when he and fellow WWE Hall of Famers Shawn Michaels and Mick Foley laid out the League of Nations. Austin recently appeared on Raw in 2020 to celebrate 3:16 Day. Viewership for that episode—the first-ever Raw to be held in the Performance Center—averaged 2.335 million, up 8% from the week prior.

Fans and media have already begun to speculate that Kevin Owens could emerge as Austin’s opponent should an unlikely return happen.

“Yes, Kevin Owens vs. Steve Austin has been discussed for WrestleMania,” read a tweet from Bryan Alvarez of F4WOnline.

Not only does Kevin Owens use the Stone Cold Stunner as his finisher—after receiving Austin’s blessing, of course—Owens recently cut a promo tearing down the people of Dallas, Texas. Owens’ ongoing rift with WrestleMania’s host state could culminate in its biggest wrestling star returning to defend its honor.

For what it’s worth, during a WWE TikTok Q&A, Austin recently commented that Brock Lesnar is the current star he’d most want to face. In a 2015 interview with Paul Heyman on the Stone Cold podcast, Austin said he’d consider returning against Lesnar in a Texas Death Match. Lesnar is currently in a feud with Reigns in what is likely to culminate in a Title vs. Title WrestleMania main event.

With Lesnar and Ronda Rousey back for WWE’s busy season, 2022 was already trending toward becoming the 11th consecutive WrestleMania to be headlined by a part-timer. The Steve Austin return rumors would all but solidify a 12th straight year.

As WWE continues to struggle creating its stars of tomorrow, amid growing morale issues, the promotion continues to rely upon part-timers and stars from the past. In back-to-back years, the men’s Royal Rumble winner has broken the record for longest gap of time between Royal Rumble wins. Edge’s 2021 win came 11 years after his previous win in 2010, while Brock Lesnar’s win last month came 19 years after his last win in 2003.

Continuing this decades-long trend of part-timers in WWE, Goldberg will challenge Roman Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship Saturday at Elimination Chamber inside Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been a hotspot for WWE legends, including the unlikely return of Shawn Michaels. Should Austin make his in-ring return, the Attitude Era star is likely to be in high demand from the nostalgic Saudi Prince. Undertaker, another fixture of past WWE Saudi shows, is heavily rumored to be inducted in the Hall of Fame this year inside his home state of Texas.

A Steve Austin return would be one of the few WrestleMania weekend subplots bigger than Taker’s induction.