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It has been revealed that Stone Cold Steve Austin was offered the chance to face a top WWE star before he declined the bout.
Rumors of The Texas Rattlesnake's return at WrestleMania 39 were a hot topic online heading into the show. However, Austin was never added to the stacked match card, and he's now opened up about his discussions with the Triple H-led creative team of WWE.
While speaking to WrestleRant, the Hall of Famer confirmed that WWE pitched a "concrete idea" for him to work a high-profile match with one of the biggest names in pro wrestling.
While Austin didn't reveal the identity of the superstar in question, leaving it to the fans to speculate, he was unsure about being physically prepared for the assignment.
"The concrete idea was a match. It was a match with one of the top guys in the business, period," revealed Austin. "I'll let everybody speculate about that, but yes, it was a match, and I didn't think I could get ready for it in time because I didn't know my schedule, which is what I told them [WWE]. I don't know what my life looks like until I finish this show." (From 12:50 onwards)
Steve Austin's proposed WrestleMania 39 match would have been more competitive than his last in-ring outing
The 58-year-old legend returned to the squared circle at last year's WrestleMania against Kevin Owens and was universally praised for his performance.
Stone Cold Steve Austin clarified that the bout at this year's show would have been much more demanding on his body than his highly acclaimed clash against KO.
The WWE legend even opened up on how he adopted the workout regimes of different current superstars such as Becky Lynch, Bryan Danielson, and Edge while training for WrestleMania 38.
Steve Austin added:
"I did the best I could on short notice to get ready for KO, and I barely did anything. This would have been a really competitive match, and I'll tell you what, man, those superstars that are out on the road each and every day, there is a different kind of shape between what I was trying to do." [13:20 - 13:50]
While Steve Austin didn't rule out another match, he isn't lobbying for one, but we're sure fans would love to see him compete again if given the opportunity.
Who do you think was the top star that WWE wanted Austin to face at 'Mania 39? Feel free to speculate in the comments section below.
If you use quotes from this article, please credit WrestleRant and add a H/T to Sportskeeda for the transcription.
