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The WrestleMania 40 main event between Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes was one that WWE fans will remember for years to come.
But it was missing one big thing: Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Thanks to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, we now know that WWE tried to get Austin on the card, but couldn’t come to an agreement financially.
Stone Cole Steve Austin was originally earmarked for the spot at the end of Cody Rhodes v Roman Reigns at WrestleMania XL, but in the end WWE & Austin couldn’t reach a financial agreement & as a result Undertaker was put in his place.
— WON pic.twitter.com/65IEcGxA04
— Wrestle Ops (@WrestleOps) April 12, 2024
Instead, the company replaced Austin’s role with another pro wrestling legend, The Undertaker.
In the spot, The Undertaker appeared during the main event and took out The Rock, who himself had interfered on behalf of Reigns.
Last year, Austin said that he would be open to another match after appearing on the WreslteMania 38 card in Dallas.
“I said many years ago, ‘I’m done, I’m never going to wrestle again, but if the stars ever aligned…’ and they did,” he said. “When they approached me about working with Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 38, I turned them down several times until we came up with that idea. So, we went out and did it.”
Would he do another match? Well, it’s complicated.
“Could it still happen? Yeah, it could still happen,” he said. “Am I lobbying for it? Am I trying to get anybody talking about it? No. If you ever ask me a question, I’m going to give you an honest answer.”
What was the number needed to bring Austin back? The latest report does not say.
But it’s clear the Texas Rattlesnake is in no rush to get back into a WWE ring.