Brock Lesnar and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's feud goes all the way back to 2002, when Lesnar was making a name for himself as "The Next Big Thing."
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From Japan to WCW to WWE, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin has competed in many epic battles. However, there is one opponent that fans were never able to see Austin face: Brock Lesnar.
The WWE Hall of Famer chatted with Orlando, FL NBC station WESH about his upcoming show “Stone Cold Takes On America,” and the conversation quickly shifted to opponents Austin wished he’d battled, with Lesnar at the top of the list.
Austin was supposed to fight Lesnar on the notorious 2002 edition of “WWE Raw,” which Austin walked out of, enraged at being forced into a bout with Lesnar without sufficient preparation.
“Way back in the day, I was scheduled to wrestle him in Atlanta at a television taping,” Austin explained, “and the match wasn’t great as far as creative goes so the match never happened, so that’s the one that got away, and I’ve got so much respect for Brock.” Austin says that seeing Lesnar become “one of the best pros” in wrestling and then transition to being an UFC world champion has impressed him thoroughly. “He’s had a heck of a journey and no one’s done a career like his, so Brock Lesnar would be my answer to that.”
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin returned to WWE competition last year in an unplanned fight at WrestleMania 38, defeating Kevin Owens in the show-closing contest in front of fans in Austin’s home state of Texas; it was his first match since what many thoughts were his retirement in 2003. There were rumors that Austin might face Lesnar at this year’s WrestleMania, but nothing came of it, and Lesnar defeated Omos on Night 2.
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Night 1 of WWE WrestleMania 38 delivered exactly what it promised. The performances were outstanding, the moments were worthy of the large crowd in attendance, and the event demonstrated that when WWE is in the zone, it can still be the largest show on the planet. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin made an unexpected in-ring return against Kevin Owens, allowing him to conclude his career on his own terms. However, The Rattle Snake was expected to make an appearance at WrestleMania 39 this year, but he was unable to do so.
Steve Austin feels WWE made the correct decision in letting Roman Reigns defeat Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Universal Title at WrestleMania 39. Austin mentioned the finish in an interview with Sports Illustrated. He stated, “I loved the finish. I loved all of it. Roman is so good right now. The story was there—Cody coming back from injury, coming back into the fold after he left from AEW, and putting himself in the position he’s in now, overcoming all this adversity as part of one of the most famous wrestling families that’s ever been in the business, and trying to finish the story against Roman.”
“I watched both nights of WrestleMania 39 very intently. To me, you can’t take that belt off Roman right now. You want to get it to Cody somehow, someway, some time—but now’s not the time.”
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