Exact Reason ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin Is Returning To WWE

‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin looks all but certain to return to WWE for what will be his first match in almost 20 years, competing against Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 38.

News that WWE were working on an Austin match for ‘Mania broke earlier in the week. Owens then teased it on Raw, cutting a promo on Austin’s home state of Texas and now, it is effectively confirmed.

‘Stone Cold’ is about to compete in his first match since losing to The Rock at WrestleMania 19, having spurned several opportunities to return to the ring in the past. Why is he opting to do it now, as a 57-year-old in 2022?

Per Dave Meltzer in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the payday for matches like this is far greater than it was before. This is the reason Austin is seemingly coming back for WrestleMania 38.

As far as Owens goes, he is seen by WWE as somebody who can work a “good” match but still lose, which appears to be the desired outcome on 2/3 April.