CM Punk lays down a challenge to WWE legend for a match 13 years in the making

CM Punk in WWE was absolutely unfathomable until November 2023. As the old phrase goes, "never say never" in the wrestling business.

In similar fashion, Stone Cold Steve Austin retired from in-ring competition in 2003, but after 19 years he returned to the squared circle to face Kevin Owens in the main event of WrestleMania 38 Night One.

A match between Austin and the Chicago native is one that fans have salivated over since their interactions in the early 2010s. However, it never happened. Speaking on The Masked Man Show during Fanatics Fest NYC, Punk addressed this when asked about a potential match against The Bionic Redneck at WrestleMania 41:

"That would be up to Steve [Austin]. It's not up to me. I think he had a pretty good return. Came back, main evented WrestleMania. At this point, his six shooters might be buried in the Nevada desert. If he wants to dig them up, I'm your huckleberry. It should've happened ten-plus years ago, but if he wants to go to sleep, he can call me," Punk said. [H/T: Fightful.com]

At the WWE Bash in Berlin on August 31, CM Punk is reportedly going to face Drew McIntyre in a sequel to their SummerSlam encounter. The first bout was won by McIntyre. Their next is rumored to be contested under "Strap match" rules.

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WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin explains his "Bionic Redneck" gimmick

Stone Cold Steve Austin disclosed a few years ago the reason as to why he began calling himself The Bionic Redneck in WWE.

It was during The Steve Austin Show podcast in 2017. The WWE Hall of Famer had relied heavily on hardware such as plates in his neck and his signature double knee braces while wrestling. This was on account of several injuries he sustained early on in his career, ergo the monicker:

"That was the reason I had those knee braces, man. It wasn't for looks. It was because I needed them. But it turned out to be part of the 'Bionic Redneck.' I came up with that gimmick just because, by the time it came down to it, my right arm wouldn't straighten out, I had some plates in my neck and I had those two knee braces on, it became part of my [ring] gear. And put that on top of those knee braces, and it was a very interesting look. It looked like I was ready to go in there and go to battle, stomp a mud hole in somebody's a** and walk it dry." [H/T: Wrestling Inc.]

There were rumors about his return to WrestleMania after his match against Kevin Owens in 2022 in the last two editions. Austin recently commented on possibly appearing at The Show of Shows next year in Las Vegas.