Stone Cold Steve Austin rejected WWE's offer for a match in 2023: Why did he do it?

WWE reportedly wanted Stone Cold Steve Austin to wrestle a match at WrestleMania 39, but the match couldn’t transpire due to various reasons. Brock Lesnar was said to be one of the opponents pitched to take on the Texas Rattlesnake. In a recent interview, the Hall of Famer spoke about not being in the right shape for the mega event.

Stone Cold Steve Austin had a solid match against Kevin Owens in the main event of WrestleMania 38 Night 1 last year. The two fought in a No Holds Barred match in Austin’s home state of Texas. In the end, the Rattlesnake triumphed over the Prized Fighter.

Austin confirmed that he was in talks with WWE for a showdown at WrestleMania 39. The WWE Hall of Famer revealed during an interview with Sports Illustrated that he didn’t commit to the pitch because he thought he couldn’t get in the right shape for the biggest show of the year.

“Working 15 hours a day, then getting in a 30- or 40-minute workout, that doesn’t get you ready for WrestleMania,” Austin said. "I was really protected at WrestleMania 38. This time, that wasn’t going to be the case. That was a true statement: Until this show was over, I couldn’t commit.”

Brock Lesnar ended up wrestling Omos on the grandest stage of them all. The Beast took on the Nigerian Giant in the opening contest of WrestleMania 39 Night 2. Lesnar picked up the win after he planted Omos with an F5.

Stone Cold Steve Austin prepared for his WrestleMania match at his ranch

The Texas Rattlensake collided with KO in an impromptu match after a verbal confrontation at WrestleMania 38. Owens had been dragging Texas for weeks in the buildup to his bout against Austin last year.

According to Fightful Select, Stone Cold Steve Austin prepared for the match by taking on Drew Gulak at his ranch in Texas. The outlet said Vince McMahon and Gulak flew to Austin’s ranch to make sure the Rattlesnake was in the right shape for the fight on the grandest stage of them all.

“We’re told that Vince McMahon and Drew Gulak flew to Stone Cold Steve Austin’s ranch in Texas. Drew Gulak was running drills with Austin, and Austin started calling out spots to Gulak, almost in full character. Gulak went with it and the two effectively had a long match at the ranch,” the report said.

It remains to be seen if Stone Cold Steve Austin will have another match in WWE.

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