Stone Cold Steve Austin responds to Kevin Owens' WrestleMania challenge

Stone Cold Steve Austin has officially answered Kevin Owens' challenge for a confrontation at WrestleMania 38. The Texas Rattlesnake says that he is going to "open up one more can of whoopass" on the former Universal Champion.

The announcement was first made on WWE's social media channels. A video was shared of the Hall of Famer riding his ATV in the desert and stopping to address Kevin Owen's challenge.

Stone Cold stated that he has had to live with his loss at WrestleMania XIX, and that only Kevin Owens has been able to "wake up" his passion to get in the ring again.

"19 years ago I wrestled my last match in WWE, after 3 rock bottoms, I lost the match. And for the last 19 years I have had to live with that defeat knowing my time is up. Kevin Owens I want to thank you…thank you for waking up something deep inside me that I’ve kept buried for 19 years. Every since you started running that mealy mouth of yours about the state of Texas, the Great State of Texas, you've had my attention. And why would you wanna do that Kevin? I can think of two reasons, One you’re one dumb son of a b****, an two, you’re fixing to get your ass kicked by Stone Cold Steve Austin. Whether you wanna call this a KO Show, a match, a fight, a brawl… I will guarantee you this. In Dallas TX, is where I started my career, at WrestleMania, Stone Cold Steve Austin is gonna open on last can of whoop ass on you Kevin Owens. And thats the bottom line, because stone Cold Said so." - Stone Cold Steve Austin

Kevin Owens has spent the last several weeks calling out the state of Texas, the location of WrestleMania 38. He has expressed how much he despises the state, the citizens, and the various WWE legends who hail from the state itself. Speculation has been swirling for months regarding Austin's status for WrestleMania, with some reports suggesting he won't be wrestling at all.

---

Stone Cold Steve Austin's last match in WWE was at WrestleMania XIX

It's been almost two decades since Stone Cold Steve Austin last entered a WWE ring to compete in a match. He has however made various appearances for the company in the years since, including hosting his "Broken Skull's Sessions" podcast on the WWE Network/Peacock.

In his final match, Stone Cold faced off against his longtime rival The Rock. The Texas Rattlesnake lost in 17 minutes to The Great One after three Rock Bottoms. The match was noted as being a celebration for both men and the historic feud that shaped The Attitude Era.

What are your thoughts on Stone Cold accepting Kevin Owen's challenge? Would you like to see Stone Cold step into the ring one last time? Sound off in the comments below!