'Stone Cold' Steve Austin Explains Why He Came Out Of Retirement At WrestleMania 38

2022 was the year of surprises for professional wrestling, and undoubtedly one of the biggest occurred when "Stone Cold" Steve Austin arrived before his home state on night one of last year's WWE WrestleMania. What initially started as a discussion on the "KO Show" elevated to a full-blown match when Kevin Owens challenged "The Texas Rattlesnake" to a No Holds Barred contest. Austin, of course, accepted, marking his first match since 2003 — where he suffered defeat at the hands of The Rock at WrestleMania XIX.

In a recent appearance on "Casual Conversations with The Classic," Austin explained what prompted his decision to come out of retirement. "I got a call from WWE. They said, 'Hey man, would you like to take part in WrestleMania 38?' It was in Dallas, Texas, and it was kind of a sentimental thing as I played football right outside of Dallas. I started in the Sportatorium with the world-famous Von Erich family, and what a fitting way [to come back]," he said.

Austin admitted he never envisioned himself making a comeback, but "if the stars aligned properly," he would be open to the opportunity, and evidently, they did. After a grueling brawl inside the ring, and out, Austin landed his signature Stone Cold Stunner to put away Owens and score the victory finally. Looking back on the moment, Austin praised Owen's in-ring and mic work, noting he was delighted to work with him.

As WWE WrestleMania 39 inches closer, many fans hoped to see the WWE Hall of Famer make another resurgence, but with less than two weeks until the show now, Austin recently claimed he hadn't had any contact from WWE regarding the possibility.