Stone Cold: 'I Hope to Be at' WWE WrestleMania 41 in Vegas, Addresses Another Match

WWE Hall of Famer "Stone Cold" Steve Austin is already throwing his proverbial hat in the ring for a potential appearance at WrestleMania 41 next year.

During an interview with 98.5 KLUC's Adrian Hernandez on the Unlikely Podcast, Austin said "I hope to be" at WrestleMania 41, which will be held at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas:

Austin lives about 400 miles away in Reno, Nevada, and suggested the proximity is close enough that it should significantly increase his chances of attending the event.

The Texas Rattlesnake also acknowledged that he had conversations with WWE about appearing at WrestleMania 40 this year. He said it was "close" to happening, but "my wife and I had some things going on that I didn't need to go to Philly at that time."

Later in the interview (beginning at the 24:35 mark), Austin addressed the possibility of having another match:

"I think about it every now and then," Austin said. "But to go out and try to do it and be who I was when you were an absolute machine ... I consider myself a professional athlete because that's what I was. Yeah I was a pro wrestler, but I was a professional athlete and I worked at the highest level. That's a rough-ass job and it's a young man's job."

Following his loss to The Rock at WrestleMania 19, Austin retired from in-ring competition due to an accumulation of injuries, including ones to his neck.

Austin remained retired for nearly two decades, but he finally made his in-ring return at WrestleMania 38 in Arlington, Texas, beating Kevin Owens in a street fight in the Night 1 main event.

Stone Cold was 57 years old at the time, but he did far more than anyone could have expected, brawling with KO for nearly 14 minutes.

After not being part of WrestleMania 39 in Inglewood, California, there was a ton of speculation that Austin would have some level of involvement with WrestleMania 40.

During the build toward the event, The Rock viciously attacked Cody Rhodes outside a Raw venue, and there happened to be a WWE truck in the background with the faces of Austin and John Cena emblazoned on the side.

Many fans felt it was a purposeful Easter egg, and it may well have been, as Cena did get involved in the main event of WrestleMania 40 between Rhodes and Roman Reigns.

Near the climax of the match, The Undertaker made an appearance and chokeslammed The Rock to take him out of the equation. Rhodes beat Reigns shortly thereafter, ending his WWE Championship run of over 1,300 days.

The Undertaker spot seemed like the perfect place for Austin to get involved due to his history with The Rock, and Austin's comments in Friday's interview suggest that may indeed have been the original plan.

Now that CM Punk is back in WWE, many fans have clamored for him and Austin to have what is arguably the biggest potential dream match in pro wrestling right now along with Reigns vs. The Rock.

WWE teased a potential Austin vs. Punk match or feud back in 2012 when they promoted the WWE '13 video game in a tense sit-down segment, however, it never came to fruition.

It doesn't sound as though Austin is looking to have one more match against Punk or anyone else, but with regard to WrestleMania 41, Stone Cold said he'll "be there" in case Rhodes needs another helping hand.

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