Steve Austin Explains Why He Couldn’t Wrestle at WrestleMania 41

WrestleMania 41 had a bunch of memorable moments and that included Steve Austin confirming the attendance for both nights of WrestleMania 41. Fans wanted him to compete at the event but that wasn’t possible at all since Austin has now confirmed how he is doing physically and why he couldn’t wrestle at the show.

While speaking to Ariel Helwani, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin was asked if announcing the attendance was the only plan for him at WrestleMania 41 or if other ideas had been discussed.

Austin explained that he was just happy to be there. He had undergone a total knee replacement four months earlier, on December 4th, and said that kind of surgery typically takes about a year to fully heal. While he was feeling good, he mentioned that he no longer does regular squats, only Hindu squats as part of his workout, and he hasn’t started running yet.

Although he doesn’t usually run much in the ring, he estimated he’s only at about 30 to 35 percent of his full capacity. Because of that, the most the Texas Rattlesnake could do at the event was take part by announcing the combined attendance for Night 1 and Night 2 of WrestleMania.

Earlier in the year, there had been some talk about possibly involving him in a bigger role if he wanted to be part of the show. At the time, Austin let them know he was getting his knee replaced and they’d have to see how things looked closer to the event. When the time came, he simply wasn’t physically able to do more.

“No man, I was just happy to be there. Goddamn, I had a knee replacement four months ago, and for a total knee replacement to heal up 100%, you’re looking at about a year. That was on December 4th, so that’s the timeline. I’m feeling really good—I don’t squat anymore, I do Hindu squats as part of my workout, but I’m not even trying to run yet. Not that I run a lot to the ring, but I’d imagine I’m about 30–35% of full capacity. So I did what I could. Just to be involved in the show and announce the attendance for WrestleMania Night 1 and 2 combined—that was about all I could do.

Earlier in the year, it was like, ‘Hey man, if you want to be there, maybe we can figure you in.’ And I said, ‘Hey man, I’m getting my knee replacement, we’ll see what happens when the time comes.’ The time came, and I just couldn’t do much.”

This comes after the two-time WWE Hall of Famer recently claimed that his in-ring future was over and he had no intention of stepping foot inside the squared circle again since he wanted to leave it to the current generation.

With his recent knee replacement and focus on recovery, it’s clear that “Stone Cold” Steve Austin has fully accepted his retirement from wrestling, and that’s the bottom line for him and fans were just happy to see him at WrestleMania 41 no matter what.

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