'Stone Cold' Steve Austin Emphatic That Dream Match With John Cena Will Never Happen

Of all the dream matches that never were, John Cena vs. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin inside a WWE ring has to be near the top of list. Two of the industry's most accomplished Superstars squaring off would have been a clash of generational talents, but according to Austin, that match has never truly been in the cards to happen.

"Working with him would've been a real — it would've been a highlight, and I had a bunch of highlights," Austin told the "Out of Character" podcast. "It would've been a real special thing, because there's something about John. He gets so invested in his matches; he's a very special talent. It would've been great to have a match with him," Austin continued, "but will it happen? No." Austin explained that, despite it being a special idea, he never really thought about coming back to wrestle the 16-time World Champion at any point in his retirement while admitting that names always got tossed around in conversation whenever the idea of him coming back came up. 

Austin initially had zero designs on wrestling ever again unless "the stars align properly," but his return to the ring at WrestleMania 38 to fight Kevin Owens managed to fit the bill for him. The WWE Hall of Famer said he and Owens knew it wasn't going to be a highly competitive match and fans weren't expecting them to wrestle for 30 minutes. Working with those expectations, the two exceeded them and the match worked for the time and place, so he's good with the result.

While Cena may not be stepping between the ropes to face Austin ever, he will see Austin Theory across the ring from him at this year's WrestleMania in his own return of sorts. As for Austin being at WrestleMania 39, there have been all sorts of rumors about his involvement in recent months, but Austin claims there are no concrete plans for him to be a part of the show as of now..