'Stone Cold' Steve Austin Knows He Wasn't Fully In Ring Shape For WrestleMania 38 Return

Of all the memorable moments of 2022, none were as great as the epic return of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin at WrestleMania 38, stepping back into the ring to wrestle Kevin Owens, his first match since 2003. 

The WWE Hall of Famer said he had "zero in-ring training" prior to the match, revealing he used Sheamus' "Celtic Warrior Workouts" on YouTube as inspiration to get ready, citing Becky Lynch's episode as one that he continuously did to prepare.

"I was training hard at my house but I didn't have a ring," Austin said during an interview with the "Out of Character" podcast. "Once I got to Dallas, three or four days early, I ran the ropes a lot with Drew Gulak, who is absolutely wonderful, a great talent. Just a little bit of that and I was gassy. 

"When I tell you I was in good shape, I was doing cardio at the house as hard as I was working out but not the in-ring activity. It's very specific cardio and when [Kevin Owens] comes in or Drew, they're road warriors. It was short notice, but as hard as I worked out, I still wasn't in shape because they were doing a specific task."

Although the match was universally loved by all, the hardest critique is always yourself and according to Austin, the match "was what it was." The "Texas Rattlesnake" said he wanted to give the fans more but he had to try to pace himself because of a lack of in-ring training. 

He admitted he was getting gassed, but didn't want to just go out there and freak out, which is why he took some moments to take a breather and slow down. Austin isn't scheduled to appear at this year's WrestleMania, despite rumors keeping him in the conversation.