4 WWE stars Stone Cold Steve Austin can face at WrestleMania 42

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin made a stunning return to the ring three years ago at WrestleMania 38, wrestling Kevin Owens in an impromptu match. Initially having accepted an invitation to the "KO Show" following Owens' repeated insults towards Austin and Texas, the main event talk show segment turned into Steve Austin's first match in 19 years, which he won.

The following night, Austin was actually involved following Vince McMahon's last WWE match ever, too. Clearly, after two decades off, the itch had returned for Steve Austin. The Texas Rattlesnake was not involved with WrestleMania XL despite overtures made by WWE for a role in the main event.

He did have a literal car-crash segment this year in Las Vegas, and discussions over that weekend, now brought to light by Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select, suggest that the past few days suggest he is not just open, but raring to return to the ring one more time.

With that said, this article shall explore three possibilities and four potential opponents for Steve Austin at WrestleMania 42.

#4. LA Knight vs. Steve Austin

LA Knight has frequently been compared to both The Rock & "Stone Cold" Steve Austin over the past couple of years. Fans may have their own opinion on whether he copies their acts or is influenced by them; whether he is a throwback to how stars used to conduct themselves or mere hype; but the fact is that if a wrestler is compared with those who came before them, there are perhaps no two men one would like to be compared to more than Stone Cold and The Rock.

Knight has clearly developed a genuine connection with the audience. However, much like Kevin Owens, he too excels at the art of working people up with his words. If Knight turns heel in the imminent future to perhaps regain his edge, he'd make a great opponent for Steve Austin at WrestleMania.

Just the very spectacle of sharing the ring with Austin in perhaps his final match would be a huge personal and professional milestone for LA Knight. It would obviously elevate him in the fans' eyes while also communicating the company's and Austin's trust in The Megastar.

His in-ring style as a heel would work well to feed Austin, and a loss wouldn't hurt Knight at all, which would be the presumed result. Nonetheless, some wars of words heading into the match, or LA Knight just going on a rant a la Owens in 2022, would be quite entertaining.

#3. CM Punk

"Why isn't CM Punk no. 1 on this list?" That is a valid question most readers might already be asking. Punk vs. Austin at WrestleMania would be a dream come true for The Second City Saint, as well as wrestling fans all over the globe. There are two broad ways this could go. The first— an incredibly popular superstar nearing the end of his career in CM Punk—wrestling one of his idols and a Mount Rushmore wrestler on most people's lists in Steve Austin.

No one is doubting their ability to still craft a compelling narrative and a moment wrestling fans will remember forever. But what does it come at the cost of? Is it worth having CM Punk wrestle Steve Austin at WrestleMania when The Straight Edge Superstar, despite still being one of the very "Best in the World," likely has limited time left as an active competitor anyway?

The return of a heel CM Punk sometime later this year could birth a proper feud with Austin. Austin and Punk could trade barbs and give fans some all-time moments heading into the match. However, it obviously would not make sense to turn one of the biggest babyfaces in the business heel just for a certain dream feud, unless Punk were to eventually retire Austin officially and go on as an insanely sadistic bad guy once again.

Despite Punk's unquestionable abilities, though, will the WWE Universe believe Punk as a heel and be invested in Punk vs. Austin as much as they should be? Everyone knows that both men are close friends in real life, and they have deep respect for one another. For two people whose success stemmed from "being real," CM Punk vs. Steve Austin, in any capacity, really, might not be a great idea.

Once again: could they make absolute gold out of whatever they have to work with? Absolutely. But that doesn't necessarily mean that CM Punk vs. Steve Austin should happen at WrestleMania 42. However, it also does not mean that they can't share the ring together at the show.

#2. & #1. Bron Breakker & Seth Rollins

CM Punk and Seth Rollins' never-ending feud, with starts and stops, might eventually have one more chapter written at next year's WrestleMania. Besides dream opponents, fans also have many dream partners for Punk. Cody Rhodes, John Cena, and Roman Reigns fit both these categories and have not teamed up with Punk in a televised tag team setting since The Voice of the Voiceless returned to WWE.

Another who fits this bill is none other than "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. After all that's transpired, it would be surreal if Austin ends up being the person who helps Punk finally vanquish Seth Rollins and Bron Breakker. The match would be a guaranteed barnburner considering the talent and star power involved. It would also enable the match to work around Steve Austin's obvious limitations in the ring.

Finally, it would make complete storyline sense (besides the fact that it remains to be seen how much Triple H milks the CM Punk-Seth Rollins feud). In fact, this match might end up happening as soon as SummerSlam in a few weeks' time. It would be a historic occasion for the first-ever two-night SummerSlam.

A Punk/Austin pairing would be organic and iconic. There is clear chemistry between the two, and two fan favorites of that stature teaming up in any scenario would be a delightful treat for fans. Lest one forgets, Punk inducted two of his heroes when "Stone Cold" Steve Austin vs. Bret "The Hitman" Hart's legendary WrestleMania 13 clash became the first wrestling match to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year.

This match, in the grander scheme of things, though, would also give a major rub to one of the fastest-rising stars in WWE this century—Bron Breakker. A face-off between Steve Austin and Bron Breakker seems surreal even in imagination. The match featuring the distant past (Steve Austin), two generations struggling to be on top at the present (CM Punk and Seth Rollins) and the inevitable future (Bron Breakker) would be professional wrestling at its very best: a spectacle that can never be replicated by any other art form in the world.