Steve Austin infamously returned to the ring for WrestleMania 38, a match that Eric Bischoff believes will be the last time fans see the legend in the ring.
Speaking on the 83 Weeks podcast (via Wrestling News), Bischoff reacted to comments from Austin who said that he sometimes has itches for “moments” in the ring, but never a full match.
Bischoff said that Austin is “too smart” to ever return for a full match, but understands his point. “Steve is too smart for that, and he doesn’t need it,” Bischoff said. “I understand him saying the itch and wanting those moments, because there are moments that are really meaningful. I am sure in Steve’s career that he still thinks about and enjoys thinking about to this day.”
According to Bischoff, he believes that Austin knows he likely wouldn’t be able to deliver on the scale he used to, and won’t put himself in that position.
“Steve also knows he can’t go out there and deliver on the audience’s expectation,” said Bischoff. “The audience has an unrealistic expectation when it comes to legends like Steve Austin. They want to see Steve back in the ring so that as a fan they can experience the moments they had previously with Steve when he was at the top of his game. But Steve also knows he can’t go out there and deliver on that.
“No performer wants to go out there knowing you are going to under deliver based on unrealistic expectations. Steve is not going to put himself in that position. He does not need the money. It is usually the only reason people do it.”
While WrestleMania 38 featured a second night main event of Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar, the first night is what fans remember the most. The surprising main event saw Steve Austin go at it with Kevin Owens in a No Holds Barred match. For Austin, it was his first professional wrestling match since WrestleMania 19 in 2003.
Austin beat Owens in what is largely considered the highlight of the show, and which saw Austin return to form against a star in Owens who had been antagonizing him for some weeks prior.
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