Steve Austin On Why A Comeback Match Would Be “Anti-Climatic”
After having Chris Jericho on the Broken Skull Sessions, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin appeared on the Talk Is Jericho podcast.
Jericho asked Austin about his Hall of Fame career, as well as a question that many fans have wondered. He asked Austin if he has ever really seriously thought about a comeback.
"Man, not really. I think Vince [McMahon] tried talking me to coming back a couple times, but you know Chris, I love the business so much," Austin expressed. "I love it more than anybody else. I can only speak for myself, but I love the damn business, and it hurt me so much to leave it. And to me, going back for one match, man, why? What am I proving? What are they going to remember? It ain't about the money. It took me a long time, damn near three years to get over the fact that I left the business.
"If you're really going to make a comeback, let's say it was gonna be high-profile match at WrestleMania. Taker, when I talked to him, he trained all year or recovered from having surgery, and then write trained for a three or four month camp to get ready for one match. I would really have to undergo a three or four month camp. I'm one of those guys where I don't have an addictive personality, but I'm addicted to the wrestling business. All of a sudden, I'm putting in all the hard work and get back to being around the ring, being around the business, that is my number one passions in my life."
Austin said that returning to the ring for just one match would have been anti-climactic.
"To get hooked on it again just for one match and to me, it would have been so anti-climactic," Austin admitted. "Go out there and do it, and then whatever the finish was. And then the people go home, but what does it all mean in the big picture? Stone Cold had a comeback, and the match was a three and a half Meltzer five star rating. 'It ain't great enough,' and even if I crushed it, what would it mean? I just had to say, man, stay away, and I've stayed away."
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Talk Is Jericho with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.