Stone Cold Steve Austin: I'll Be in Town for WrestleMania 41; Hasn't Talked to WWE

WWE Hall of Famer "Stone Cold" Steve Austin revealed this week that he will be in Las Vegas for WrestleMania 41 weekend next month, although that doesn't necessarily mean a WrestleMania appearance is in the cards.

During an appearance Thursday on Unlikely with Adrian Hernandez (h/t Cultaholic.com's Jack Atkins), Austin said the following regarding his WrestleMania plans: "Well, I have some appearances. You know, I will be in town, so, you know, I hadn't talked with WWE or anything like that. But, you know, I'll be around."

Austin, 60, is three years removed from his last match, as he beat Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 38 in Arlington, Texas, marking his first match in nearly two decades.

Last year, there was speculation that Austin would appear at WrestleMania 40, possibly to aid Cody Rhodes in his WWE Championship match against Roman Reigns.

While Rhodes won the title, thanks to some help from The Undertaker, John Cena and Seth Rollins, The Texas Rattlesnake did not show up.

Speaking to Hernandez back in August, Austin divulged that he was "close" to appearing at WrestleMania 40 and had talks with WWE, but he noted, "My wife and I had some things going on that I didn't need to go to Philly at that time."

Austin then added, "I hope to be" at WrestleMania 41.

In November, Rhodes spoke to Hernandez at ComplexCon in Las Vegas (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News) and said the "invitation's there" for Austin to appear at WrestleMania 41.

It would make sense for Austin to potentially get involved in the likely main event between Rhodes and John Cena due to The Rock's involvement.

At Elimination Chamber last weekend, Rhodes turned down the offer to sell his soul to The Rock, but Cena took it, as he engaged in one of the biggest and most shocking heel turns in pro wrestling history.

The Rock is Austin's greatest rival, as they faced each other three times at WrestleMania, while Cena is one of the few wrestlers in the same stratosphere as Austin in terms of star power and success.

An Austin appearance would elicit a massive reaction from the live crowd in Vegas, and it could be the type of backup Rhodes needs to retain the WWE title.

It is unclear how physically involved Austin can get since he announced in January on Instagram (h/t WrestleTalk) that he underwent a total knee replacement.

However, he said at the time that his goal was to compete in the Mint 400 off-road race near Las Vegas in March.

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