Steve Austin right to reject WrestleMania 41 offer, WWE legend says

Stone Cold Steve Austin made on-screen appearances on both nights at WrestleMania 41 after receiving his second WWE Hall of Fame induction. In a recent podcast episode, legendary wrestling executive Eric Bischoff gave his thoughts on The Texas Rattlesnake turning down a lucrative offer from Logan Paul.

Paul defeated AJ Styles on the second night of WrestleMania 41 on April 20. After the event, The Maverick revealed on his IMPAULSIVE podcast that he offered Austin $1 million to appear in a giant Prime bottle. However, the wrestling icon rejected the idea.

On his 83 Weeks podcast, Bischoff said Austin's WWE persona would likely have been ruined if he accepted the offer:

"I mean, I probably would [have accepted]. Not probably. Who am I kidding? F**k yes! But not if I was Steve Austin. He doesn't need the money, and he'd never live that down. By the time he pays taxes on it, half a million dollars, he would have killed his character for five hundred grand. I get why he didn't do it. I'd have done it in a heartbeat." [54:17 – 54:39]

On April 18, WrestleMania 13 opponents Austin and Bret Hart were the first recipients of the WWE Hall of Fame's Immortal Moment award. Two nights later, Austin made headlines when he crashed his ATV into a barricade at ringside.

Eric Bischoff reacts to another surprise WrestleMania 41 moment

The second night of WrestleMania 41 also saw TNA's Joe Hendry lose an impromptu match against Randy Orton.

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Some fans complained that Hendry's unexpected bout with The Viper should have lasted longer than three minutes. However, Eric Bischoff believes the Scot only benefited from being in the ring with a 20-time WrestleMania participant:

"I read some of the comments and saw some of the interviews that Joe has done. First of all, he's a pro, he's smart, he had a great opportunity, and he not only handled it well in the ring, he's handling it really well outside of the ring, which to me tells me everything I need to know about him as a pro and somebody that I would want on my roster." [56:29 – 56:55]

Hendry is the current TNA World Champion. He will defend his title against Ethan Page and Frankie Kazarian at TNA Rebellion on April 27.

Please credit 83 Weeks and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.

About the author

Danny Hart is a journalist who has been reporting on pro wrestling (WWE) at Sportskeeda since 2017. He grew up as a massive fan of football/soccer and wrestling, leading him to pursue a career in sports journalism.

Before assuming his current role, Hart worked as a football writer at Goal.com between 2009 and 2016. He prides himself on writing original content that is fact-based and highly accurate. Hart thoroughly proofreads his work before submitting it and relies only on credible sources for information.

Hart’s favorite pro wrestler is The Undertaker. He admires the 2022 WWE Hall of Famer’s ability to reinvent his character and remain relevant across his decades-long career. If given the keys to WWE’s creative department, he would bring back The Phenom for a farewell bout against AJ Styles in a stadium full of fans. Not only that, but he would love to have the multi-time world champion’s greatest rivals seated at ringside for the spectacle.

When not watching and covering sports, Hart enjoys long-distance running, playing video games, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts.

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Edited by Danny Hart