"Stone Cold" Steve Austin

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

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Stone Cold Underwent Knee Surgery

WWE Hall of Famer "Stone Cold" Steve Austin announced this week that he recently underwent surgery on his left knee.

In an Instagram post (h/t WrestleTalk), Austin said he had a total knee replacement, which is something he had been putting off "for years."

Austin added that he underwent the procedure seven weeks ago, and he "came out of the gate aggressive and started walking way too soon," which aggravated his knee.

However, Stone Cold noted that he is now back in the gym training, and his goal is to compete in the Mint 400 off-road race near Las Vegas in seven weeks.

Austin, 60, is one of the biggest stars in pro wrestling history, and he continues to garner huge reactions any time he makes appearances for WWE.

Despite plenty of speculation, Austin did not appear at last year's WrestleMania 40, but he has publicly stated his desire to be present for WrestleMania 41, which will be held close to his Reno, Nevada, home in Las Vegas.

Speaking to 98.5 KLUC's Adrian Hernandez on the Unlikely Podcast in August, Austin said "I hope to be" at the next WrestleMania.

The Texas Rattlesnake had the last match of his illustrious career against The Rock way back at WrestleMania, or so he and the WWE Universe thought.

Nineteen years after his initial retirement, Austin returned to the ring at WrestleMania 38 to face Kevin Owens.

Austin beat Owens in his home state of Texas and did far more than anyone could have imagined in the match, eliciting huge reactions from the crowd.

It is fair to wonder if a knee replacement means Austin's in-ring career is a wrap, but if he is already back training so soon after surgery, perhaps there is still hope for Stone Cold to mix it up one more time.

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Indianapolis Reportedly an Option for WrestleMania 43

Amid rumors of the location for next year's WrestleMania 42, a candidate has reportedly emerged to host WrestleMania 43 as well.

According to PWInsider.com (h/t Wrestle Ops), Indianapolis is "on the table" as the WrestleMania 43 location in 2027.

PWInsider.com (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News) recently reported that rumors in WWE over the past month have pointed toward New Orleans as the potential landing spot for WrestleMania 42.

WrestleVotes later backed up that report by noting that WWE is in communication with New Orleans to set up a press event for a "significant announcement in the near future."

With this year's WrestleMania 41 set for Las Vegas and next year's WrestleMania 42 seemingly trending toward the Big Easy, the next available WrestleMania is not until 2027.

It comes as little surprise that Indianapolis is considered an option for WrestleMania 43 since WWE made a big announcement regarding a partnership with the city for multiple major events last year.

Back in June, WWE announced that a future Royal Rumble, SummerSlam and WrestleMania would take place in Indy, likely with each show emanating from the Indianapolis Colts' Lucas Oil Stadium.

The first part of that agreement will play out on Feb. 1 when the 2025 Royal Rumble will be held in Indianapolis.

WWE has yet to announce exactly when a SummerSlam or WrestleMania will take place in Indianapolis, but 2027 is a sensible timeframe for WrestleMania, assuming the 2026 edition of the event is already lined up for New Orleans.

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Cargill Reportedly Training for In-Ring Return

After being out of action for the past couple of months, Jade Cargill is seemingly gearing up for her return to the ring.

According to PWInsider.com (h/t Carrier), Cargill is in the midst of her third consecutive week training at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.

Back in November, WWE wrote Cargill off television with a mystery attack angle. As part of the storyline, it was announced that she suffered "deep lumbar paraspinal muscle contusions, a bruised kidney, a sprained MCL in her right knee, a tibial plateau bone bruise of her right knee, and facial lacerations."

Conflicting reports surfaced during Cargill's hiatus, as Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t PWMania) reported that she was expected to miss three months with a legitimate injury, while PWInsider.com (h/t PWMania) reported that she was not injured and it was all an angle.

Regardless of what is really going on with Cargill, it seems likely that WWE is setting up something big for her once she returns.

Rather than having Bianca Belair vacate the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships, Naomi was allowed to step in as a temporary replacement for Cargill.

That could be a clue that WWE is planning a feud between Cargill and Naomi if it turns out that Naomi attacked her for her own personal gain.

WWE could also find a way to spin it into Cargill vs. Belair, which would be the ideal way to blow off their storyline of going from partners to adversaries.

Whatever the case, Cargill's return appears to be on the horizon, and the Royal Rumble on Feb. 1 would seemingly be the perfect spot for her to resurface provided she is cleared to wrestle.

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With WrestleMania 41 now less than five months away, WWE champion Cody Rhodes gave his take this week on legends "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and The Rock potentially being involved with the show.

Speaking to Adrian Hernandez at ComplexCon in Las Vegas (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), Rhodes expressed hope that Austin will be part of WrestleMania 41 in some way so that the Hall of Famer can get an up-close look at how much the company is thriving:

Yeah, so the invitation's there. He's also not far—I mean, we could helicopter him three hours away, Great American Bash style. I think 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin being, you know, we're talking inside here, but this babyface individual, and we're back in this unbelievable era where there are good guys in the business again. Here was the ultimate babyface who had the company on his back. I just would like him to be around to see how we're doing. I want him to know, like, 'Hey, we're doing this Friday, we're doing this Saturday,' and I hope he's proud of all of us because he really has set the table for us, him and The Rock, in a way that we can eat so fruitfully. So I'd love for Steve to do anything.

Back in August, Austin spoke to Hernandez about potentially being present for WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas since it isn't too far away from his home in Reno, Nevada:

Steve Austin addresses the WrestleMania 40 rumors, wanting to be apart of WrestleMania 41, and if he'll take up @CodyRhodes offer to punch his 'WWE Legend Card'

Watch -https://t.co/dcWsw3GrAn

Listen - https://t.co/8QBxD0Hkk1 pic.twitter.com/aR4po9YUnS

— Adrian Hernandez (@AdrianRadio93) August 16, 2024

Austin divulged that he was in talks to appear at WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia earlier this year and that it was "close" to happening, before adding: "My wife and I had some things going on that I didn't need to go to Philly at that time."

Although the WrestleMania 40 appearance did not ultimately come together, Austin said "I hope to be" at WrestleMania 41.

While The Rock was a huge part of WrestleMania 40, teaming with Roman Reigns to beat Rhodes and Seth Rollins in the main event of Night 1, his availability for WrestleMania 41 is less clear.

Last month, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t WrestlePurists) reported that The Rock had told people within WWE that he would not be able to take part in WrestleMania 41.

However, when The Rock was asked about that rumor on Instagram (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News), he responded: "Don't believe any of that bulls--t."

Hernandez (h/t Mukherjee) asked Rhodes about The Rock's WrestleMania involvement, and while The American Nightmare didn't indicate one way or the other if The Rock will be wrestling, he suggested The Final Boss' fingerprints will be all over WrestleMania regardless:

"Well, I mean this, and I don't mean this in a smart-aleck-type way, but Rock is the director of the board, the man that is the final boss. Dwayne Johnson is different from the final boss. His outside-the-box thinking with [WWE president] Nick Khan and [head of creative] Triple H is part of WWE's record era, part of this WWE Netflix era. So whether he's in the ring or not, he is very much still involved with what happens at 41. I know when he comes back, I know who he'll come looking for, and I know what to expect. But what I can say about WrestleMania 41 is: keep the rumors going, keep them churning, enjoy the discourse, but I think what you will get will surprise you. All there is."

The Rock returned to the fold early this year after the Royal Rumble, and while it initially looked like he was going to challenge Reigns for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania, he instead turned heel and sided with Reigns against Rhodes and Rollins.

The night after WrestleMania 40, The Rock confronted Rhodes on Raw and suggested he would be coming after him and the title in the future.

At Bad Blood last month, The Rock made a surprise return after Reigns and Rhodes beat Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu in a tag team match. While The Rock didn't say anything, he made a throat-slashing motion.

It remains unclear what The Rock's motivations are, but given the gravity of his return, it is pretty difficult to envision him not doing something of significance at WrestleMania 41.

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New York Yankees relief pitcher Tommy Kahnle channeled his inner "Stone Cold" Steve Austin while celebrating the Yanks' elimination of the Kansas City Royals in the American League Division Series on Thursday night.

As the team reveled in their 3-1 victory in Game 4 to advance to the American League Championship Series, Kahnle wore a Stone Cold vest and threw back a couple of beers simultaneously:

Stone Cold Tommy Kahnle. pic.twitter.com/pgBWityuTz

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) October 11, 2024

Austin, who is a WWE Hall of Famer and one of the most popular pro wrestlers of all time, was famous for his "beer bash" celebrations after winning big matches, typically double-fisting some "Steveweisers," much to the delight of the fans.

The 35-year-old Kahnle was 8 years old when Austin won his first WWE Championship at WrestleMania 14, so it comes as little surprise that he is a Stone Cold fan given that many people of a similar age fondly remember WWE's Attitude Era.

Kahnle initially played for the Yankees from 2017 to 2020, and after a stint with the Los Angeles Dodgers, he returned to the Bronx last year.

After posting a 2.66 ERA in 42 appearances in 2023, Kahnle was even better this season, delivering a 2.11 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 46 strikeouts over 42.2 innings in his 50 appearances.

Kahnle also came up huge during the ALDS, pitching in three of the four games and allowing no hits, two walks and no runs, while striking out three in three innings.

While he is still in search of his first World Series win, Kahnle has a career postseason ERA of 2.96, which suggests he is comfortable on the biggest stage.

The Yankees now await their ALCS opponent in the form of either the Cleveland Guardians or Detroit Tigers, who will play a decisive Game 5 in the ALDS on Saturday.

Should the Yankees find a way to beat either the Guardians or Tigers in the ALCS and reach their first World Series since 2009, perhaps "Stone Cold" Tommy Kahnle will resurface in a couple of weeks.

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North Texas cornerback Ridge Texada channeled his inner "Texas Rattlesnake" in Saturday's 35-20 win over Stephen F. Austin.

The senior got an interception in the second quarter and celebrated on the sideline with Stone Cold Steve Austin's trademark "Beer Bash" while holding a replica WWE championship belt.

YESSIR @ridge_texada! #GMG🦅 | #BTB https://t.co/JVjX0S5A5I pic.twitter.com/iDIpvs0cq6

— UNT Football (@MeanGreenFB) September 8, 2024

The Miami Hurricanes' since-retired turnover chain has spawned numerous imitators across college football over the years.

In the case of the Mean Green, they found a way to have some fun and honor a distinguished alumnus at the same time. Before entering the world of pro wrestling, Austin played linebacker and defensive end at North Texas.

The school improved to 2-0 with its victory over Stephen F. Austin. Quarterback Chandler Morris threw for 322 yards and four touchdowns, while running back Damashja Harris went for 142 yards and one touchdown on just 10 carries.

The Mean Green hit the road to play Texas Tech in Week 3 and they'll be looking to pull off the upset, a "Stone Cold Stunner" if you will.

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Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

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CM Punk Taunts Stone Cold, Teases Dream Match

For years, WWE fans fantasy-booked a match between CM Punk and Stone Cold Steve Austin. The idea looked dead and buried after Punk's abrupt exit from WWE in 2014 and with Austin only getting older.

Punk hasn't given up, though.

At Fanatics Fest on Saturday, the Straight-Edge Superstar goaded Austin a bit by saying "his six-shooters might be buried in the Nevada desert" but that he's ready and waiting if the Hall of Famer wants to step in the ring again.

CM Punk is open to a match with Stone Cold Steve Austin 👀 pic.twitter.com/o7tTNjLCMD

— Teffo (@Teffo_01) August 17, 2024

Austin, for his part, fanned the flames in February when he told ESPN's Marc Raimondi he wasn't ruling out having one more match and offered praise of Punk.

"I like Punk, and I think Punk likes me — so, as long as he can take a [Stone Cold] Stunner," he said. "I consider him a great friend, a great guy and a great wrestler who's had a great career. We'll see."

WWE provided the blueprint for how to utilize the Texas Rattlesnake in his No Holds Barred match with Kevin Owens to close out the first night of WrestleMania 38. It made for a great spectacle that covered for the fact Austin is clearly limited physically in what he can do.

It appears Punk and Austin are at least open to exploring something similar down the road.

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Cena 'Will Not Miss' Raw Debut on Netflix

Starting in January, WWE will be breaking new ground by airing Raw on Netflix. The debut show figures to be a star-studded affair as the promotion will want to make as big a splash as possible.

John Cena confirmed in a red-carpet interview with Complex he will be on hand.

"It's an event I will not miss," he said. "I will be there."

The 16-time world champion first announced at Money in the Bank in July he intends to retire from wrestling after enjoying one last run with WWE in 2025. He provided a few more details about his farewell tour in the post-show press conference, telling reporters he expects to compete across the year and work between 30 to 40 dates.

Given their prominence on the WWE calendar, it's safe to assume the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania will be two of those occasions. Raw's inaugural Netflix show would be a good place to point toward how Cena might be used at the Rumble and along the "Road to WrestleMania."

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Bobby Lashley No Longer Signed to WWE, Future Appearances Still Possible

Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp reported Bobby Lashley isn't under contract with WWE, making him a free agent. "Sources within WWE said that the door was open for eventual appearances," Sapp reported.

Sapp first reported in July the former world champion was likely on the way out after the company had removed him from its internal active roster. Lashley is now listed in the "WWE Alumni" section of its website.

It's unclear when or even if the 48-year-old intends to return to WWE or sign with another wrestling company. In an appearance on The Laboratory with Plaz, he sounded excited to explore new athletic avenues.

""I love to be able to push myself to do things that are ridiculous. I set goals for myself every day," he said. "What can I do? How far can I push myself? How much can I do? I want to run a marathon. I'm going to try to do that pretty soon. I'll do jiu-jitsu, I'm going to try and win a world championship in jiu-jitsu. I'm going to do a boxing match. We've already talked about this boxing match. I might have an opportunity to do it. I'm boxing somebody in Vegas. There is an opponent."

For now, fans have seen the last of Lashley in WWE for the foreseeable future and he might be ready to leave wrestling behind altogether.

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WWE Hall of Famer "Stone Cold" Steve Austin is already throwing his proverbial hat in the ring for a potential appearance at WrestleMania 41 next year.

During an interview with 98.5 KLUC's Adrian Hernandez on the Unlikely Podcast, Austin said "I hope to be" at WrestleMania 41, which will be held at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas:

Steve Austin addresses the WrestleMania 40 rumors, wanting to be apart of WrestleMania 41, and if he'll take up @CodyRhodes offer to punch his 'WWE Legend Card'

Watch -https://t.co/dcWsw3GrAn

Listen - https://t.co/8QBxD0Hkk1 pic.twitter.com/aR4po9YUnS

— Adrian Hernandez (@AdrianRadio93) August 16, 2024

Austin lives about 400 miles away in Reno, Nevada, and suggested the proximity is close enough that it should significantly increase his chances of attending the event.

The Texas Rattlesnake also acknowledged that he had conversations with WWE about appearing at WrestleMania 40 this year. He said it was "close" to happening, but "my wife and I had some things going on that I didn't need to go to Philly at that time."

Later in the interview (beginning at the 24:35 mark), Austin addressed the possibility of having another match:

"I think about it every now and then," Austin said. "But to go out and try to do it and be who I was when you were an absolute machine ... I consider myself a professional athlete because that's what I was. Yeah I was a pro wrestler, but I was a professional athlete and I worked at the highest level. That's a rough-ass job and it's a young man's job."

Following his loss to The Rock at WrestleMania 19, Austin retired from in-ring competition due to an accumulation of injuries, including ones to his neck.

Austin remained retired for nearly two decades, but he finally made his in-ring return at WrestleMania 38 in Arlington, Texas, beating Kevin Owens in a street fight in the Night 1 main event.

Stone Cold was 57 years old at the time, but he did far more than anyone could have expected, brawling with KO for nearly 14 minutes.

After not being part of WrestleMania 39 in Inglewood, California, there was a ton of speculation that Austin would have some level of involvement with WrestleMania 40.

During the build toward the event, The Rock viciously attacked Cody Rhodes outside a Raw venue, and there happened to be a WWE truck in the background with the faces of Austin and John Cena emblazoned on the side.

Many fans felt it was a purposeful Easter egg, and it may well have been, as Cena did get involved in the main event of WrestleMania 40 between Rhodes and Roman Reigns.

Near the climax of the match, The Undertaker made an appearance and chokeslammed The Rock to take him out of the equation. Rhodes beat Reigns shortly thereafter, ending his WWE Championship run of over 1,300 days.

The Undertaker spot seemed like the perfect place for Austin to get involved due to his history with The Rock, and Austin's comments in Friday's interview suggest that may indeed have been the original plan.

Now that CM Punk is back in WWE, many fans have clamored for him and Austin to have what is arguably the biggest potential dream match in pro wrestling right now along with Reigns vs. The Rock.

WWE teased a potential Austin vs. Punk match or feud back in 2012 when they promoted the WWE '13 video game in a tense sit-down segment, however, it never came to fruition.

It doesn't sound as though Austin is looking to have one more match against Punk or anyone else, but with regard to WrestleMania 41, Stone Cold said he'll "be there" in case Rhodes needs another helping hand.

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The discussion surrounding "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's opponent at WrestleMania 41 will start with many names, yet should quickly be whittled down to one:

CM Punk.

Given that next year's two-night event, beginning on April 19, takes place in Nevada, this is already an old, tired discussion. Yet it received new life recently because of Austin's particular comments to finish off an interview with Christopher Kamrani of The Athletic.

"I said I won't leave Nevada," Austin told Kamrani. "It's hard to get me out of this state. But…Wrestlemania next year is in Vegas. That's in Nevada."

So there it is. Even former wrestlers are always selling and/or promoting the business, but this one seems pretty obvious.

Which loops everything back to the conversation about opponents for Austin. And in an era of dream matches coming true and careful consideration for long-term storytelling and character work, it really doesn't get any bigger than Punk.

Punk vs. Austin is, after all, one of those ultimate dream matches that fans rightfully thought would never happen, given the former's departure from pro wrestling and the latter's injury history that forced him out of it.

The upcoming 'Mania, quite literally, might be the very last chance to ever see the dream match and avoid filing it away in the never-happened cabinet with the likes of Sting vs. Undertaker.

That right there should end the debate about the plan. Never mind, for what it's worth, just how excellent past hints and teases of a possible feud and match have been:

But the logic includes an important ripple effect on the rest of the WWE roster, too.

Take Punk's outlook, for instance. He's got the best ongoing feud in pro wrestling right now with Drew McIntyre, which will finally see its first match at SummerSlam. Then, he's got a probable feud with Seth Rollins at some point, which could also extend for multiple PLE events such as the Royal Rumble.

Should those two feuds run long enough, Punk naturally moving on to a part-timer like Austin for 'Mania season would make a ton of sense. It would keep him free of the main-event scene and top titles, which gives other Superstars room to breathe. And frankly, whether we like to admit it or not, Punk's injury history over the last few years means this might be a smart move for WWE, at least for the time being.

That way, McIntyre, Rollins, Damian Priest and anyone WWE wants to build up for the next 'Mania (someone like Bronn Breakker comes to mind) will be free to sit in a top title slot for the belt that isn't involved with Cody Rhodes and the Bloodline saga.

It's a little uncanny how naturally it all fits, really. Add to that the fact that Mania is a two-night event now, so Austin and Punk could technically main event the show on Night 1 and still not take away from the mainline, long-running storylines elsewhere.

Of course, one could argue against Punk and in favor of others. Most perhaps wouldn't have predicted Austin going against Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 38, but that worked out pretty well, to say the least.

Other ideas might include a match with an upstart such as Breakker so that he can pass the proverbial torch. Or one could swing all the way in the other direction and suggest a retirement match against John Cena, which is already slated for the event. Examples abound, really, including Randy Orton, Rollins or a random safe ring worker like AJ Styles.

But this isn't just about fantasy booking a dream match and handwaving the rest. The components of it are what really make it so alluring. We know the two would put on all-timer promo exchanges. We know, given the psychology and otherwise of the two in the ring, that even at their respective ages, the match would do justice to the hype. We know that the two are incredibly appealing for being so similar.

And we know that while it could be a final sendoff for Austin, it would certainly be a fitting one. Punk seems here to stay again, so a legendary matchup like this wouldn't prevent those other dream scenarios in the ensuing years.

Overall, the last few years have been wild for pro wrestling and others—so why not cap it off with the exclamation point that would be finally getting Austin vs. Punk?

Ahead of his highly anticipated match against Drew McIntyre at WWE SummerSlam on Saturday, CM Punk appeared Tuesday on ESPN's First Take and gave some insight into his preferences as a wrestling fan.

When asked by First Take panelist and former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky to name his five favorite wrestlers of all time, Punk chose "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Eddie Guerrero, Harley Race, Terry Funk and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper.

Given that Punk was born in 1978, it came as little surprise that his list was heavily weighted toward wrestlers who were among the biggest stars of the 1980s and 1990s.

Punk initially had Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat on his list, but when asked how he first got into wrestling, he realized that he had omitted Piper.

The 45-year-old veteran credited Piper with making him a wrestling fan, citing his trash-talking ability and the fact that he was able to excel despite not being among the biggest or strongest wrestlers of his time.

Perhaps the most intriguing member of Punk's list was Austin since Punk vs. Austin is considered an all-time dream match by many wrestling fans and one that could technically still happen.

Back in 2012, WWE held a sit-down interview involving Punk and Austin with Hall of Fame announcer Jim Ross as the moderator in anticipation of the release of the WWE '13 video game.

Punk and Austin worked an angle with each other, which got fans excited about the possibility of them wrestling each other, however, Punk departed WWE in January 2014, and it never came to fruition.

It seemed as though Austin would stay retired for good after having his final match at WrestleMania 19 in 2003, but two years ago at WrestleMania 38, he shocked the wrestling world by returning to face Kevin Owens.

Then, Punk returned to WWE in November 2023 following his departure from AEW, which made a match against Austin a possibility again.

In an interview with ESPN's Marc Raimondi in February, Austin didn't rule out a match against Punk, saying: "I like Punk, and I think Punk likes me—so, as long as he can take a [Stone Cold] Stunner. I consider him a great friend, a great guy and a great wrestler who's had a great career. We'll see."

For now, Punk's focus is on McIntyre, who has been his chief rival ever since Punk suffered a torn triceps in the men's Royal Rumble match back in January.

After McIntyre reveled in Punk's misfortune, Punk cost him the World Heavyweight Championship multiple times, leading to their grudge match at SummerSlam with Seth Rollins serving as special guest referee.

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