Stone Cold Steve Austin delivered far beyond what was announced when he returned to WWE at WrestleMania 38.
The Texas Rattlesnake would end up having their first match in 19 years as they took on Kevin Owens in the main event of Night One in a no holds barred match.
Austin’s goal is to kick ass and drink beer
Things weren’t civil between Austin and Owens for a long time.
After 13 minutes and 55 seconds of action, the 57-year-old claimed victory with his patented Stone Cold Stunner, but Owens also delivered a Stunner on Austin.
KO also landed other offensive elements during the match, including a suplex on the outside floor.
Austin had been advertised for a ‘physical showdown’ with Owens on his talk show, but he admitted that after starting his professional career in Dallas, Texas, the idea of ending it in front of more than 77,000 people Inside AT&T Stadium was too beautiful to pass upstairs.
HELL YEAH!@steveaustinBSR and @FightOwensFight throw DOWN in a No Holds Barred Match at #WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/nqIQhYxhGh
—WWE (@WWE) April 3, 2022
Austin was drinking at work
During the match, Austin drank beer relentlessly at every available opportunity. Sometimes he spat and poured the beer on Owens mid-game.
After raising his hand for the win, Austin drank beer and toasted the crowd. He once again knocked out Owens, knocked out Byron Saxton and also managed to enjoy a beer with his brother who entered the ring.
Austin’s last match before this exit was against The Rock at WrestleMania 19 in 2003.
The WWE Hall of Famer is set to retire from wrestling after suffering a heart attack the day before the match with The Rock. Although it was later confirmed that it was not a heart attack, Austin’s body was collapsing at the age of 37.
It was a sensational one-night stand for Austin in WWE
Years of hard and fast life on the road had caught up with Austin, not to mention the broken neck he suffered after a failed move at the hands of Owen Hart in 1997.
Austin and Owens headlined a super successful night for WWE which also had names like Ronda Rousey, Becky Lynch, Rey Mysterio, Logan Paul, Seth Rollins and a Cody Rhodes back in action.
Night Two has Johnny Knoxville, Edge, AJ Styles, and a main event from Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns.