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“Stone Cold” Steve Austin returned on a special edition of The KO Show with Kevin Owens on Night 1 of WrestleMania 38 on Saturday for what was initially believed to be a confrontation.
After a few minutes of verbal back-and-forth between the two, KO announced he was there to challenge Austin to a no-holds barred match at AT&T Stadium in Dallas. The Texas Rattlesnake agreed, vowing to have his final bout in the city where he had his first.
WWE @WWE
“I AM CHALLENGING YOU TO A NO HOLDS BARRED MATCH RIGHT NOW!”<a href=”https://twitter.com/FightOwensFight?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@FightOwensFight</a> lays down the <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/WrestleMania?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#WrestleMania</a> challenge for <a href=”https://twitter.com/steveaustinBSR?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@steveaustinBSR</a>! <a href=”https://t.co/yDqItNUJtq”>pic.twitter.com/yDqItNUJtq</a>
Austin didn’t half-ass his first official match in 19 years. He took a suplex on concrete after the two Superstars fought into the stands.
Later, Austin returned the favor by giving Owens two suplexes on the entrance stage. KO was able to recover and hit the WWE Hall of Famer with a Stunner, but it wasn’t enough to get the three-count.
WWE @WWE
.<a href=”https://twitter.com/FightOwensFight?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@FightOwensFight</a> just gave <a href=”https://twitter.com/steveaustinBSR?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@steveaustinBSR</a> a STUNNER at <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/WrestleMania?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#WrestleMania</a>! <a href=”https://t.co/GIxKFIyt0R”>pic.twitter.com/GIxKFIyt0R</a>
A frustrated Owens grabbed a chair at ringside in an attempt to end the match, but Austin ducked and it bounced off the ropes into his face.
The home-state hero came back with a Stunner of his own for the three-count to send the fans home happy.
WWE @WWE
STONE COLD STUNNER!!!<a href=”https://twitter.com/steveaustinBSR?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@steveaustinBSR</a> sends <a href=”https://twitter.com/FightOwensFight?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@FightOwensFight</a> packing with one more <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/WrestleMania?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#WrestleMania</a> sized Stunner! <a href=”https://t.co/4QjhXC9MXi”>pic.twitter.com/4QjhXC9MXi</a>
Saturday marked Austin’s first live appearance on WWE programming since he celebrated 3:16 Day on the March 16, 2020, episode of Raw.
His latest appearance came on the heels of rumors that the 57-year-old may be making his in-ring return nearly 19 years after his last match.
After Owens went out of his way to criticize Dallas and the state of Texas in a promo on the Feb. 14 episode of Raw, rumors began to swirl about a potential match between him and Austin at WrestleMania 38.
Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News) reported shortly after Owens’ promo that people within WWE were “under the assumption” that Austin vs. KO was on for The Show of Shows.
Shortly thereafter, Owens called out Austin for WrestleMania 38, but it was phrased as an appearance on The KO Show rather than an official match.
The next day, Stone Cold accepted the invitation and vowed to get physical with the former universal champion:
Steve Austin @steveaustinBSR
Headed to Dallas, TX for <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/wrestlemania?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#wrestlemania</a> 38. Bringing One Last Can of Whoop Ass. See u there <a href=”https://twitter.com/FightOwensFight?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@FightOwensFight</a>. And that’s the bottom line. RT <a href=”https://twitter.com/WWE?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@WWE</a>: OH HELL YEAH!<a href=”https://twitter.com/steveaustinBSR?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@SteveAustinBSR</a> has accepted <a href=”https://twitter.com/FightOwensFight?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@FightOwensFight</a>’s <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/WrestleMania?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#WrestleMania</a> 38 invitation! <a href=”https://t.co/pzAZXiiMYV”>pic.twitter.com/pzAZXiiMYV</a>
Austin is one of the biggest stars in the history of pro wrestling and one of the most accomplished WWE Superstars of all time, having held the WWE Championship six times, Intercontinental Championship twice and Tag Team Championships four times.
The Texas Rattlesnake is also still the only person to win three men’s Royal Rumble matches.
After losing to The Rock at WrestleMania 19 in 2003, he retired from wrestling. The biggest reason for his decision was a neck injury he had suffered in previous years.
He has had plenty of involvement with WWE in the years since then and has handed out some Stunners, but he has remained true to his retirement.
The live crowd clearly loved Austin’s return and presumably final match, and the veteran’s presence was fitting for a huge event in his home state.
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