Steve Austin was notably absent from WrestleMania 40.
Ahead of WWE’s biggest show of the year, rumours began to swirl that The Texas Rattlesnake may make a cameo appearance. With Austin seen on a truck in the background of The Rock’s beatdown of Cody Rhodes, there were reports that this was by design. Additionally, with night one of the show confirming that the main event of night 2 would be contested under Bloodline Rules, many were under the assumption that Austin would be the one to neutralise The Great One considering their historic Attitude Era rivalry.
However, shortly after Rock dispatched John Cena it was not Austin who laid out The Final Boss but The Undertaker, who delivered a chokeslam to the Hollywood star to take him out of the match. According to a new report, Austin was the original plan.
As reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Austin was going to be the one to take out his long-time rival but this plan was cancelled due to financial reasons:
Undertaker’s gong hit and he choke slammed and took out Rock. Austin was the person originally earmarked for that spot, but in the end they couldn’t reach a financial agreement and Undertaker was put in his place.
Steve Austin Teases One More Match
19 years on from his previous match, the Hall of Famer stepped inside the squared circle once again as he faced off against Kevin Owens in the main event of night one of WrestleMania 38. Putting on a great performance, Austin entertained the fans with his comeback match and once again left fans wanting more. Promoting the upcoming WWE 2K24 game, Steve Austin was asked about a possible dream match and joked that he would be up for it if his opponent could take a Stunner.
During a recent documentary, Steve Austin was asked if there would be one more match.