Stone Cold Accepts WrestleMania 38 Might Have Been His Final Match

Stone Cold Steve Austin shocked the wrestling world in 2022 when he laced up his boots one more time to face Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 38. Now, more than two years later, Austin is opening up about whether that match will go down as his final performance—and he’s at peace if it is.

Speaking with Ariel Helwani on The Ariel Helwani Show, Austin was asked if he’s satisfied with the way his return played out. “Totally,” he said. “There is always that part in the back of your mind… If that was my last endeavor in the ring, I’m totally at peace with it. I ran hard, I had fun. We achieved a lot. It was what it was and I have no regrets. I gave it everything I had.”

Austin also compared his potential future involvement to an old-school showcase match. “There was a match, I think they billed it as an exhibition match between Nick Bockwinkel and Billy Robinson in Japan… Those guys were badass and could really work,” Austin recalled. “To do something like that would be fun… just go out there to do it one more time in front of the fans because you love the business as much as you do.”

While he acknowledged that his athletic prime is behind him, Austin said that exhibition-style bouts could be a way to honor his love for the sport without the pressure of stealing the show. “There is a night and day difference of how you can perform,” he admitted. “That’s the way it is for any athlete in any sport.”

Stone Cold’s last match before Owens was against The Rock at WrestleMania 19—making his 2022 return after nearly 20 years a rare full-circle moment. And with Austin putting his all into it, he’s made peace with the idea of that being his final fight.