Wrestling Legend Ric Flair has spoken about a possible match between CM Punk and Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Nature Boy has always been outspoken and gave his true opinion about who should the match between the two, which some people have theorised could take place at Wrestlemania 39.
With Steve Austin returning for another match, the guessing game about who he will face has been in full swing. With him seemingly out of AEW going forward after his fight with The Elite backstage, CM Punk could make a shocking WWE return for a dream match with The Texas Rattlesnake.
On a “Q&A” edition of “To Be The Man” on AdFreeShows.com, Ric Flair spoke abou a potential match between Punk and Austin, laughing off any serious consideration of Punk winning. He claimed that the former AEW Champion shouldn’t be spoken in the same breath as the WWE Hall of Famer and that Austin is a much, much bigger star than The Best in the World.
“For Steve to put on the tights and go out there and wrestle as Stone Cold, you know, he’ll take a lot of pride in himself, because he’s a man’s man. He always stays in good shape. I mean, his body’s still great. He looks good. Knowing his ego and knowing who he is, he’ll want to be Stone Cold. If he wrestled CM Punk, you need to beat him in 30 seconds, so that’s not the answer. Stone Cold Steve Austin and CM Punk? Come on. Give me a break. You can’t even mention their name in the same breath. Please
Ric Flair on CM Punk vs Stone Cold
CM Punk vs Stone Cold
CM Punk vs Stone Cold Steve Austin is many fans dream match. The men were the polar opposite personalities, yet shared common ground that made them both two of the most popular stars in their respective eras. A match between the two would have been an iconic match in WWE and would have given CM Punk the Wrestlemania main event he craved during his time in Vince McMahon‘s promotion.But why did CM Punk never face Steve Austin at Wrestlemania? And what would a feud between the two have been like inside a WWE ring?
With John Cena vs The Rock the headline for both Wrestlemania 28 & 29, CM Punk was lost in the shuffle a bit. While he did face Chris Jericho and The Undertaker at the respective events, he longed for the Wrestlemania main event spot that never came.
Cena vs Rock was the biggest match WWE cut have put on during those years, except for one more. CM Punk vs Stone Cold Steve Austin was a match that could have rivalled the real main event match and produced one of the great moments in Wrestlemania history.
Stone Cold Steve Austin had been retired for nearly 10 years at that point, and showed no signs of coming back. While he did return to wrestle Kevin Owens at Wrestlemania 38, it was assumed that his swansong at Wrestlemania 19 was his last match for good.
However, a teased match against CM Punk at Wrestlemania 29 drew the interest of fans, who saw CM Punk as the Stone Cold Steve Austin of the modern era.
The pair faced off in a backstage segment during the “guest host” era of Raw, with Austin offering Punk, famously straight-edge, a beer as the tension was palpable between the two.
If that did not convince the fans enough, Steve Austin and CM Punk sat down with Jim Ross to promote the WWE 13 video game. The game focused on stars of the Attitude Era, like Austin, but front and centre of the video games cover art was CM Punk, who had just come off a 434 WWE Championship run.
In the interview, the pair started out talking about the game but soon the atmosphere turned sour. The two appeared to cut a promo on each other, teasing a feud and a blockbuster match at Wrestlemania that had fans begging for a bout between the Best in the World and the Texas Rattlesnake.
The interview saw tensions boil over, and although a match between the two never materialised, it gave fans a taste of what a CM Punk vs Stone Cold Steve Austin feud could look like.
In recent years, both men have talked about a match that ultimately never happened, but both CM Punk and the entire wrestling world would have loved to have seen. Despite later coming out of retirement, Austin was intend at the time to stay out of the ring and not ruin his legacy in WWE.
In a recent Tweet, CM Punk responded to a fan who asked about how a match between CM Punk and Steve Austin would go. CM Punk replied, tongue-in-cheek, “would’ve been short. GTS. 1 2 3.”
Steve Austin saw this tweet, and responded in kind. He screenshotted Punk’s original tweet and added;
“I see. @CMPunk You did say that. Damn. Complete delusion. I had us at a 60 minute time limit match at the Rosemont Horizon. Right there in Chicago. Chi Town. The Windy City. Helluva match. Caught you with a Stunner at 59:56. You did not kick out. Bottom line.”
While it’s sad we never saw CM Punk vs Stone Cold Steve Austin, we did get a snapshot of a feud between the two which shows just how good both men could have been against each other.
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