5 Former WWE Superstars who teased a return but didn't come back

#2 Former WWE Superstar Stone Cold Steve Austin

This one's a special case, as Stone Cold Steve Austin has made several appearances for WWE following his retirement, but none of those were as a pro wrestler.

WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin is one of that rare crop of Superstars who bid goodbye to the ring and stayed retired. Austin's final match came at WrestleMania 19, where he lost to The Rock, in what was their third WrestleMania encounter. Ever since then, Austin has made a long string of appearances for WWE and has delivered thunderous Stunners to several WWE talents. Last year, Austin teased a potential return to the squared circle, and fans couldn't contain their excitement.

For the last couple of weeks, down there at the Raw reunion in Tampa, down there at the Madison Square Garden show at ‘Monday Night Raw’ – people always ask me, ‘Hey man, you’re still in really good shape. You got one more match left in you?'

And I tell them, ‘Man.’ I say, ‘You know, it’s a tough thing to think about.’ Physically, would I be able to have one more match? Yes, most definitely, and I could make it to that match without being injured.

Unfortunately for the fans, this led to nothing and Austin is still happily retired. Over the past decade or so, we have seen a number of former WWE legends return to the ring for one last hurrah, most notably The Rock, Goldberg, and Shawn Michaels. Austin's neck injury prevented him from returning to the ring. Austin appeared on RAW earlier this year, alongside Becky Lynch, and he will keep making one-off appearances in the near future as well. As for an in-ring return, it seems like the ship has sailed for The Rattlesnake.