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Jim Ross recently gave his thoughts on reports about his long-time friend Stone Cold Steve Austin ahead of WrestleMania 39.
Austin returned after a 19-year in-ring absence to defeat Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 38. The WWE icon was rumored to be a possible opponent for Brock Lesnar or Roman Reigns at this year's event. However, neither match appears to be on the cards.
On his Grilling JR podcast, Ross said there is still a chance that Austin could be booked for WWE's biggest show of the year:
"I think there's still time for Steve to do something at WrestleMania because the role he would be in would not be in a match." [53:24 – 53:30]
Ross agreed with host Conrad Thompson that Austin produced a good performance last year. However, he does not think the six-time WWE Champion needs to compete again:
"I don't think so," Ross said when asked if Austin is likely to wrestle. "I'd say no, and if he asked me I'd say no. What do you got to gain? He had that Kevin Owens thing last year at WrestleMania, which I thought was excellent. Looked good. He wrestled Steve's match and he did what he could do." [53:41 – 54:02]
Rumors about the 58-year-old's possible in-ring return began when he posted a series of workout videos on social media.
The WrestleMania 39 match card so far
The two-night event will take place at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on April 1-2. Due to its star-studded location, the show is also being marketed as WrestleMania Goes Hollywood.
Roman Reigns will defend the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Men's Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 39. The match is subject to change if Sami Zayn dethrones The Tribal Chief at Elimination Chamber on February 18.
Women's Royal Rumble winner Rhea Ripley has declared her intention to challenge for Charlotte Flair's SmackDown Women's Championship at WrestleMania 39. The show will also feature a RAW Women's Championship bout, with Bianca Belair defending against the winner of an Elimination Chamber match.
Both women's matches could be altered if any title changes occur between now and April.
Do you want Steve Austin to appear at WrestleMania 39? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit Grilling JR and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
