WWE Rumors on Why Stone Cold Rejected Reigns Match; Hall of Fame; Goldberg on Return

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

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Reported Reason for Austin Declining Reigns Match

WWE Hall of Famer "Stone Cold" Steve Austin reportedly balked at a proposed match against undisputed WWE universal champion Roman Reigns due to money.

According to Fightful Select (h/t WrestlingInc's Eric Mutter), WWE initially offered Austin "big money" to face Brock Lesnar, and after Austin turned the match down, WWE countered with an Austin vs. Reigns proposal.

The match against Reigns was reportedly for "far less" money than the Lesnar offer, though, prompting The Texas Rattlesnake to decline again.

After losing to The Rock at WrestleMania 19 in 2003, Austin retired from in-ring action due to mounting injuries over the course of his illustrious career.

Stone Cold remained retired for 19 years before returning to action last year at WrestleMania 38, beating Kevin Owens in the main event of Night 1 in what was an impromptu No Holds Barred match.

Although Austin had been retired for nearly two decades and was 57 years old at the time of the match against Owens, he turned in a strong performance, and the live crowd loved every second of it.

Because of his strong showing, there was some belief that WWE would perhaps be able to get Austin back in the fold for WrestleMania 39, but every indication is that it won't be the case.

Reigns is still in an ideal position for WrestleMania, as he will put his titles on the line against 2023 men's Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes in a match that will almost certainly headline Night 2.

Lesnar perhaps lost out most of those involved in the reported negotiations, as he is set to face Omos in what amounts to a midcard match.

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WWE HOF Inductees Reportedly Being Kept Under Wraps

WWE has yet to announce any of the inductees for the 2023 Hall of Fame class, and it has reportedly been kept quiet behind the scenes as well.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), sources in WWE said there has been "no talk" about the Hall of Fame "nor any names mentioned" internally.

Despite that, WWE is reportedly still planning to hold the Hall of Fame ceremony on March 31 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles immediately after SmackDown.

Like last year, those who buy a ticket to the March 31 SmackDown will also have a ticket to the Hall of Fame ceremony. In previous years, the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony was a separate event.

Since the Hall of Fame induction is only four weeks away, it is somewhat surprising that WWE has not revealed a single name for the 2023 class.

Usually, WWE reveals one inductee per week on Raw in the weeks leading up to the ceremony and WrestleMania weekend.

WWE has not offered any indication regarding who is being considered for the 2023 class, but Batista seems like a strong candidate to be the headliner if he agrees to be part of it.

Batista was supposed to be inducted in 2020, but the Hall of Fame ceremony was canceled due to COVID-19. Batista then declined to get inducted the following year, as the induction took place in the Thunderdome with no fans in attendance.

The tagline for this year's WrestleMania is "WrestleMania Goes Hollywood" since it is taking place in Inglewood, California. Batista has enjoyed great success as a Hollywood actor over the past several years, making him a natural fit for the 2023 Hall of Fame class.

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Goldberg Says He Deserves WWE Retirement Match

WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg completed his WWE contract when he lost to Reigns at Elimination Chamber in February 2022, but he wants one more match.

The 56-year-old veteran spoke with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated this week and expressed his belief that he is owed a retirement match:

"You never say never, especially in wrestling, and they owe me one. That's all I can say. I made a deal with the devil and I did my job, and they owe me a retirement match. At the end of the day, at 56, it's not something where I'm sitting by the phone waiting for a call. I've got a few ideas of how to do it on my own, possibly in Israel. So never say never."

Per Meltzer (h/t Upton), Goldberg has no matches remaining on his WWE contract, but the timeframe of his deal hasn't yet expired, meaning he can't wrestle for another company as of now.

While it is possible WWE could bring Goldberg back for a one-off so he can ride off into the sunset, Goldberg's comments suggest he is open to staging a retirement match on his own as well, independent from WWE or other wrestling companies.

Goldberg took WWE by storm in the late 1990s, authoring the most iconic winning streak in wrestling history and quickly becoming world champion.

After WWE bought WCW in 2001, Goldberg eventually joined WWE, but he left the wrestling business in 2004 and didn't return until 2016 when he was brought back to face Lesnar at Survivor Series.

During his second WWE stint, Goldberg had numerous big matches and won the Universal Championship twice.

Even so, Goldberg still wants to put a bow on his career, and it is likely he will have the opportunity to do so even if WWE isn't willing to offer him a retirement match.

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