Steve Austin On Never Working With Brock Lesnar: 'That's The One That Got Away'

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin has a career full of legendary matches, from Japan to WCW to WWE, Austin has tangled with the best of the best, but there's one opponent that fans never got to see him face: Brock Lesnar.

The WWE Hall of Famer spoke with Orlando, FL NBC affiliate WESH about his new show "Stone Cold Takes On America," and the topic soon moved to opponents Austin wished he'd wrestled, and Lesnar topped the list. Austin was meant to face Lesnar on the infamous 2002 episode of "WWE Raw" which Austin walk out of the WWE, furious at being put in a match with Lesnar without a proper build.

"Way back in the day, I was scheduled to wrestle him in Atlanta at a television taping," Austin explained, "and the match wasn't great as far as creative goes so the match never happened, so that's the one that got away, and I've got so much respect for Brock." Austin says that seeing Lesnar become "one of the best pros" in wrestling and then transition to being an UFC world champion has impressed him thoroughly. "He's had a heck of a journey and no one's done a career like his, so Brock Lesnar would be my answer to that."

"Stone Cold" returned to WWE competition last year in an impromptu match at WrestleMania 38, defeating Kevin Owens in the show-closing bout in front of the fans in Austin's home state of Texas; his first since what many believed to be his retirement in 2003. There had been rumors of Austin facing Lesnar at this year's WrestleMania but nothing came of them, and Lesnar wrestled Omos in a winning effort on Night 2.