Jeff Jarrett On How He'd Book A Steve Austin WWE Return
WrestleMania 38 saw the iconic return of the "Texas Rattlesnake" Stone Cold Steve Austin electrify the WWE universe one more time, defeating Kevin Owens to close out Night One of the Dallas event and return for Night Two, wrestling his first in-ring match after 19 years of retirement.
Despite it being labeled as a one-off, Austin has reportedly been asked by WWE to return for a second match, earmarked for next year's WrestleMania 39 in Los Angeles. Although it's still very early in the discussions between him and WWE, many have gotten excited over the news, debating whether this would be a good or bad move for Austin, given that his comeback was universally loved.
Rumors have now been swirling regarding several candidates for Austin's next match including big names like John Cena and CM Punk, who have a history with the WWE Hall of Famer. Despite several people being excited about the prospects of either superstar taking on Austin, AEW talent Jeff Jarrett disagreed with the dream matches but also stated that he "love's the idea" of Austin returning for a second match.
"That to me doesn't resonate," Jarrett said during the latest episode of the "My World" podcast. "[Kevin Owens] vs. Stone Cold was super entertaining and the build for it was awesome. Coming out of that, KO's resume [was enhanced]. If I was booking it, I'd book him against a full-time roster guy and really figure out how to go into it. On the build-up last year [for his match with Owens], I don't think there was an awful lot but if Steve is in shape and he shows up, I can assure you FOX for SmackDown would love to have him on a couple of episodes, of course, Raw would love to have him on a couple of episodes."
Who would Jarrett like to see face Austin?
Given the news that Austin could wrestle at WrestleMania 39, the card could feature two of WWE's biggest stars and biggest names during the Attitude Era in Austin and The Rock. The heavily rumored match between the Hollywood mega-star and his family member Roman Reigns still hasn't been ruled out for the show's main event, a dream match that's been teased for some time now.
Continuing his sentiment about the impact Austin could have on the WWE during WrestleMania season, Jarrett mentioned how important having the former WWE Champion on WWE television would be for WWE, stating that the company could "star stud it up" before the event. The idea from Jarrett involved the company hypothetically having The Rock "on Raw this week, Stone Cold on SmackDown," mixed in with top talents like Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns leading into the mega show, leading to"brand awareness" for WWE for the company heading into the Los Angeles WrestleMania.
"I'm super excited personally for him but I think all of professional wrestling, sports entertainment, and legends, however, you cache it, it just elevates the business, it just does," Jarrett said. "As my old friend Dutch Mantell says 'You can't kill a memory,' and everybody has that feeling inside of them when the glass breaks when the stunner happens.
Lastly, Jarrett revealed who he'd pick to face Stone Cold, naming someone closely related to his last opponent in April.
"I'd have to look at [the WWE] roster [to pick an opponent], but KO one year, Sami [Zayn] the next year, that could be interesting," Jarrett closed with.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "My World with Jeff Jarrett" with a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.