EXCLUSIVE
WWE’s Kevin Owens on ‘surreal’ Stone Cold Steve Austin clash and Sylvester Stallone KO plan at WrestleMania XL
Kevin Owens says he’d love to see Stone Cold Steve Austin at WWE WrestleMania XL this weekend, and Sylvester Stallone, too!
Austin is one of the biggest names in the wrestling business and an icon of the Attitude Era where he battled against Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson.
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The Texas Rattlesnake was sadly forced to cut short his storied career decades ago after a long-term struggle with neck issues and other injuries, going out with a bang thanks to an epic 2003 showdown with 'The Final Boss'.
Incredibly, after two decades away from the in-ring spotlight, Austin mounted a WWE comeback for WrestleMania 38 in 2022.
Owens was the man standing across the ring from Austin that night in Texas, and it’s clear the occasion left a lasting impact on the Canadian.
Ahead of his own title fight at WrestleMania XL in Philadelphia this weekend against Logan Paul and Randy Orton, Owens reflected on his meeting with Austin in an exclusive talkSPORT interview.
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"That's still such a surreal thing that I got to do,†he said.
"Getting to be the one to be there with him after 19 years, at WrestleMania, is just incredible.
"There's really no word to describe how special that felt. Steve was the best, that’s really all I can say.
“I think, to me, he is on another level, so to be in the ring with him, you can imagine how incredible it was after a statement like that.
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"He's a great guy, a great wrestler. What a night."
Despite a gap of 20 years between matches, Austin, then 57, put in a stunning performance, the pair going all out for 13 minutes, the returnee hitting hard and taking his own share of bumps.
The fact he showed up so impressively has, naturally, left fans hungry for more of the multi-time world champion.
With WrestleMania weekend now upon us once more, tongues are wagging that we might yet get to see another glimpse of Austin on a WWE screen – with appearances by John Cena and The Undertaker also mooted.
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There’s no solid suggestion yet that Austin will again lace up the boots and wrestle – but does Owens fancy that we might see the original version of the Stone Cold Stunner this weekend?
"Who knows? I have no idea,†he added.
"I keep my nose in my business, I don't know what's happening on the other side."
Personally, Owens would get a huge kick out of seeing Austin strutting his stuff this weekend.
He wildly even floated the suggestion of Rocky legend Sylvester Stallone showing up in Philly to bang a few heads together.
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On Austin, he added: "I'd love to see that; I'd love to see anything… Sylvester Stallone hopping the rail and knocking somebody out in tribute to Rocky?
"That'd be pretty badass."
Kevin Owens was speaking to talkSPORT with WWE 2k24,
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