Though they were briefly in WWE at the same time, Steve Austin and Brock Lesnar never met inside the ring.
Lesnar immediately made waves when he debuted in WWE in 2002, and Austin was the biggest star in the company. However, when the two were scheduled to face off in a King of the Ring qualifier match in May of that year, Austin famously walked out of the company as he was unhappy with the creative decision to have Lesnar beat him on that night, insisting that the match shouldn’t take place without a proper build.
Austin eventually returned to WWE ahead of WrestleMania XIX, where took on The Rock in a blockbuster rematch. The bout would be Steve Austin’s last until returning to the ring to face Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 38, and he never ended up facing Lesnar prior to retiring.
“I Have So Much Respect For Brock Lesnar” – Steve Austin
Speaking in a recent interview with WESH 2, Austin admitted that a bout with Lesnar is the “one that got away” as he wishes he could have faced the Beast Incarnate.
“That guy is Brock Lesnar. Way back in the day, I was scheduled to wrestle him in Atlanta at a television taping. The match wasn’t great as far as creative goes, so it never happened. That’s the match that got away. I have so much respect for Brock and watching him go through the evolution of becoming one of the best pros out there. To go into the MMA world and become a world champion. He’s had a heck of a journey and no one has had a career like his and his longevity has been supreme. Brock Lesnar would be my answer.” (h/t Fightful)
Ahead of WrestleMania 39 in Los Angeles, it was reported that there was an offer on the table for Austin and Lesnar to have a match on the Grandest Stage of Them All. He was also pitched a blockbuster match with Roman Reigns, but turned down wrestling at the event as he was in the middle of production on his new show Stone Cold Takes On America.