3 reasons why CM Punk vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin must happen at WWE WrestleMania 39 and 2 reasons it shouldn't

CM Punk vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin is a dream match for many fans that would've headlined any WrestleMania. They are two faces of their respective generations, rebels who rattled the establishment and walked to the beat of their own drums.

They have both risen to the top of WWE on the strength of their iconic promos, in-ring talents, and deep connections with fans. Both wrestlers also had well-known issues with management that led them to walk out of the company previously.

But while The Rattlesnake has made amends and has since been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, the Straight Edge Superstar's relationship with the sports entertainment giant remains frosty at best.

If a clash between the two legends had been mooted a year ago, it would have seemed impossible. Stone Cold was enjoying retirement and didn't step foot in the ring for nearly 19 years until this year. CM Punk, on the other hand, had just returned to pro wrestling last year, but with rival company AEW.

Punk would go on to enjoy a stellar year in Tony Khan's company, engaging in an incredible rivalry with MJF and winning the AEW World Championship twice. But his return has since soured, and he is currently suspended from the promotion after the events of All Out and is rumored to be on the verge of a contract buyout.

Stone Cold then made a massive return to pro wrestling this past spring when he defeated Kevin Owens in the main event of WrestleMania 38 Night 1, proving that he can still go at 57 years old.

A recent report stated that Austin was willing to listen to offers for WrestleMania 39 weekend in 2023. As previously noted, WrestleVotes informed Louis Dangoor of GiveMeSport that Austin could be "open to" wrestling another match for WWE. But who should his next opponent be?

There have been considerable calls by the WWE Universe for Triple H to move mountains for a CM Punk vs. Stone Cold dream match. Could the stars align, and a potential dream match between Punk and Austin finally happen? Here are 3 reasons why CM Punk vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin must happen at WrestleMania 39 and 2 reasons why it shouldn't.

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#3. Why CM Punk vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin must happen - It is a WrestleMania dream match

In 2011, CM Punk and Steve Austin had a few run-ins on WWE Television, teasing the hell out of a potential match between them. In a backstage segment on Monday Night RAW, the Second City Saint, who was in the midst of his run as the leader of The Nexus, confronted The Rattlesnake backstage, who was the guest host for the night.

The other run-in was an interview for the WWE '13 video game, chaired by former commentator Jim Ross. Steve Austin and CM Punk were jarring back and forth about what would happen if they stepped inside the ring together.

Austin proclaimed that the match would end with Punk's WWE Title changing hands to Stone Cold. For a little while, it looked like this dream match actually had a shot at happening. They sold it that well.

On an appearance on the Ross Report podcast, Austin spoke about this dream match:

"I think me and CM Punk would have sold a lot of tickets together. And again, he gets it, I get it. It would be one entertaining program … He’s smart. His psychology is great. He’s easy in the ring, meaning his physicality, everything looks good, noand thing hurts. Again, I would think me and him would be right on the same page psychologically and we’d be able to weave a hell of a tale."

Stone Cold continued:

"And also, depending on how you played this, whether he’s [CM Punk] heel and I’m baby[face], he’s baby[face] and I’m heel or it’s just two guys out there, you see both guys whether it’s him on the dark side, he’s got a tremendous mean streak, as does Stone Cold. On the fire side, he had tremendous fire, as did Stone Cold, so both guys are bringing everything to the table that you need. And also great storytellers and talkers, so all of the elements would be there."

While it should have ideally happened a decade ago, the last year has proven that both men are still able to deliver in the ring.

It might not be a mat classic given their advancing years, but seeing both CM Punk and Stone Cold standing eye-to-eye in the middle of the squared circle would be a WrestleMania moment based on spectacle alone.

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#2. Why CM Punk vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin shouldn't happen - Straight Edge Superstar brings too much baggage after his AEW run

Triple H is the current Chief Content Officer of WWE. He has proven that he will do what's best for the business, and bringing back CM Punk to the company would certainly be a ratings boon. But he did bring baggage with him, thanks to the spectacular fallout from his AEW career.

The Second City Saint had an outburst at the start of his post-All Out media scrum where he verbally eviscerated the All Elite EVPs and Hangman Adam Page for going into business for himself. This would later turn into a backstage brawl which caused all parties involved to be handed suspensions.

Recent reports have indicated that there are concerns from AEW's side that the Second City Saint might jump ship to WWE after his contract buyout. Following Colt Cabana's surprise return on last week's episode of Dynamite, fans are confident that CM Punk is done with All Elite Wrestling.

While some fans are keen to see him again in WWE, others want to steer clear of the two-time AEW World Champion, citing his reported backstage behavior and toxicity.

Whether it's warranted or not, CM Punk does have a negative reputation and track record of being unprofessional. This might go against him when he's angling for a WWE return. Will the current WWE locker room welcome him back?

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#2. Why CM Punk vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin must happen - The Rattlesnake proved at WrestleMania 38 that he can still pull off a good match

Stone Cold Steve Austin rolled back the years at WrestleMania 38 in his first match in almost 19 years. The Texas Rattlesnake defeated Kevin Owens in a No Holds Barred match, exceeding all expectations as he put on one of the most feel-good moments in WrestleMania history.

Austin enjoyed the match so much that he reportedly is now willing to listen to offers for another match at next year's extravaganza in California.

Over the past year, CM Punk has also proven that he is still an excellent performer in the ring and has lost none of his technical abilities. The Straight Edge Superstar will certainly be able to carry Austin to a good match just like KO did this year.

Granted, it is more likely to be a brawl than a technical showcase, but it will still be a spectacle for the fans. Think of The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 18 as an example.

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#1. Why CM Punk vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin shouldn't happen - Takes away WrestleMania spot from younger wrestlers

New life has been breathed into WWE over the past several months. Since Triple H took over as the head of creative, storylines have been fresh, characters have been twea,ked and new impactful stables have been formed.

While Roman Reigns is the undisputed Head of the Table as the reigning Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, there is also a youth movement in the company.

Bianca Belair is leading the women's division as the Raw Women's Champion, Sami Zayn is coming into his own with The Bloodline, and recently Logan Paul has put on an amazing performance at WWE Crown Jewel.

Talent is stacked in the company right now, and we also still have the likes of Brock Lesnar, Bobby Lashley, AJ Styles, and Rey Mysterio as veteran voices. Do we really need CM Punk vs. Steve Austin?

While it might be a major attraction for sure, the match will also inevitably take a WrestleMania spot away from some of the younger talents who deserve the spotlight.

Wouldn't it be best served for Punk to work with a younger talent upon his return or for Austin to use his star power to put over a newer wrestler instead of booking them in a glorified legends match?

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#1. Why CM Punk vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin must happen - His WWE return will shock wrestling fans after AEW fallout

The Voice of the Voiceless was last seen in WWE at the 2014 Royal Rumble. He left WWE soon after under a cloud of controversy, which involved a lawsuit and subsequent firing on his wedding day. Most fans thought that would be the end of his association with the company.

CM Punk did, however, join the WWE Backstage team back in 2019, but he was technically employed under FOX. His transition to All Elite Wrestling was highly successful, as he won the world championship twice in a short period of time. But this further emphasized the fact that he was never going back to WWE.

But that is, of course, all the drama that went down between the Chicago wrestler and The Elite. The latest report by Dave Meltzer about Punk's contractual status has fueled speculation about his potential return to WWE. According to the veteran journalist, Tony Khan's promotion is in talks about a "buyout" of Punk's deal.

Given that the monetary needs of the superstar can seemingly be fulfilled only by AEW or WWE, a shift to the latter is a likelihood. CM Punk was also a known fan of Stone Cold growing up, and he has gone on record to say The Texas Rattlesnake was the one opponent he wished he had a match with.

CM Punk has said in the past that a match between the pair almost happened,d but things didn't come to fruition:

"I think that’s kinda where Steve kind of took a liking to me. Because again if you never ask, the answer is always no, and dude just kind of, would always be backstage sitting around, I guess, I don’t know if he was waiting for somebody to ask, so that’s when I started prodding and being like, let’s work this match, motherf***er, let’s go. And there was a sliver in time where it was gonna happen, and then the next minute, it didn’t."

Wrestling works in mysterious ways, and CM Punk probably thought this match is beyond both of them at this stage of their careers. Now that an opportunity has come along, could this now be an attractive offer that Punk can't refuse? It will certainly fulfill a childhood dream of sharing the ring with his hero.

It will definitely shock wrestling fans and create a buzz on the Road to WrestleMania, and it will also be a blow to AEW, who will lose its biggest star.