"Goddamn, kid. Can we do that?" - CM Punk recounts Stone Cold Steve Austin's reaction to his idea
The WWE Universe has been very vocal over the years, especially in recent times, about a possible match between CM Punk and 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin. The two stars met backstage on an episode of RAW in 2011, which had sent fans into a frenzy.
But nothing really came of it and fans were resigned to the idea that Austin would not come out of retirement, until he did, in 2022. The WWE Hall of Famer returned to defeat Kevin Owens in the main event of WrestleMania Saturday.
Speaking to O'Shea Jackson Jr. & TJ Jefferson on No-Contest Wrestling, Punk admitted he was a fan of Stone Cold, as he looked back to a show during his first run with the company. He realized The Bionic Redneck was simply twiddling his thumbs backstage, having been done with his segment. The Best in the World suggested Austin came out to the ring during the dark match segment.
"I'm looking at, arguably the biggest star in the industry, and I go, 'You wanna come out and send these people home happy?' '[In Austin's voice] Goddamn kid. What do you got in mind?' 'Well, I'm supposed to do a dark match, and I really don't wanna take a bunch of bumps. And nothing is going to make these people happier than me going out there and beating up Rey, inviting a bunch of other heels out, beating up Rey, and then hit the music. Glass breaks. You come down,' I go, 'You wanna give us a bunch of Stunners?'" said Punk.
CM Punk revealed that Steve Austin was very excited about working the segment, but asked, "Goddamn kid. Can we do that?" Punk admittedly was baffled at the response because the Hall of Famer was one of the biggest WWE Superstars of all time who could have done anything he wanted at that point.
"You know, it's the first time I saw that twinkle in Steve's eye. He's like, 'Goddamn kid. Can we do that?' And I was just like, 'You're Steve Austin. You can do whatever you want," he added. [From 51:52 to 52:52]
You can check out CM Punk's comments in the video below:
CM Punk has already laid down a challenge to Stone Cold Steve Austin
Ahead of WWE Bash in Berlin in August, CM Punk joined The Masked Man Show during Fanatics Fest NYC and touched upon a bevy of topics.
When asked about possibly facing 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin now that the latter had come out of retirement, Punk retorted by stating that if the Hall of Famer "wants to go to sleep," the latter knows his number. The Best in the World left it open and pointed to how it was totally up to the legend.
"That would be up to Steve [Austin]. It's not up to me. I think he had a pretty good return. Came back, main evented WrestleMania. At this point, his six shooters might be buried in the Nevada desert. If he wants to dig them up, I'm your huckleberry. It should've happened ten-plus years ago, but if he wants to go to sleep, he can call me," Punk said.
Steve Austin has previously mentioned that if the stars align again, he is open to stepping inside the squared circle for another match. He also had a similar response regarding a potential clash with CM Punk, saying that as long as the latter can "Take a Stunner."
If you use any quotes from the first part of this article, please credit No-Contest Wrestling and embed the video, giving an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.