Stone Cold Talks 1 More Match, WWE Rumors on Chris Jericho and Stephanie Vaquer Injury

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

Stone Cold Leaves Door Open for Retirement Match

WWE Hall of Famer "Stone Cold" Steve Austin suggested this week that while he isn't actively seeking out a retirement match, he does have enough left in the tank to have one.

During an appearance on Insight with Chris Van Vliet (beginning at the 14:24 mark), the 61-year-old Austin gave his take on potentially stepping inside the ring one final time:

"Could I still do it? Yes—and I'm not advocating for anything here," Austin said. "I'm not selling a match. ... You asked me—could I? Yes."

Austin continued by saying, "Would I? Probably not. I'll say that, but never say never."

At WrestleMania 19 in 2003, Austin had what was then considered his retirement match, losing to The Rock. Austin decided to step away from in-ring competition due to an accumulation of injuries, including neck and knee ailments.

In the many years that followed, there were teases from time to time that Austin would return, but it didn't come to fruition until WrestleMania 38, which took place in Arlington, Texas, in 2022.

Within the fabric of the storyline, Kevin Owens goaded Austin out of retirement, and they went on to have a No Holds Barred match that main evented Night 1. Austin was victorious, and he celebrated with a beer bash, much to the delight of the massive crowd in attendance.

Austin has not wrestled since then, but speculation has continued to run rampant, especially since the return to CM Punk at Survivor Series 2023.

Punk has long been considered the dream opponent for Austin due to the dichotomy of their characters, and it is undoubtedly a showdown that the vast majority of wrestling fans would love to see.

Austin's comments suggest it may be unlikely that he wrestles again, but he stopped short of ruling it out completely.

Jericho's Reported Status with WWE, AEW

Despite mounting speculation, Chris Jericho did not return to WWE on Monday night's episode of Raw, and he was reportedly never planned to do so.

According to PWInsider.com (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News), Jericho was not scheduled for Raw at any point, and he was in Los Angeles while the show was taking place in Brooklyn, New York.

Fightful Select (h/t H Jenkins of Ringside News) went on to report that there hasn't even been an indication yet that Jericho's AEW contract has officially expired.

Fightful noted that Mercedes Martinez, Matt Taven and Alex Abrahantes were listed this week on internal AEW memos as talent with expiring contracts. They were also removed from the AEW roster page.

That has not happened with Jericho, which suggests he may not be free and clear to sign with WWE yet.

Jericho has not appeared on AEW programming in nine months, and there is no indication that there are any plans for him to return. That is likely part of the reason why rumors and speculation have been connecting Jericho to WWE.

A Jericho return to WWE may very well still happen, but the timeline for when it could possibly come together remains unclear.

If Jericho is still under contract with AEW, it stands to reason that WWE might love for it to expire in time for the Royal Rumble, which is scheduled for Jan. 31 in Saudi Arabia.

Vaquer Reportedly Nursing Legitimate Injury

Stephanie Vaquer wore a walking boot during Monday night's episode of Raw, and her injury reportedly wasn't just part of a storyline.

Fightful Select (h/t Carrier) reported that Vaquer is dealing with "a legit injury," although neither the exact nature nor severity of the injury were revealed.

On last week's Raw, Vaquer put the Women's World Championship on the line in a Triple Threat against Raquel Rodriguez and WWE Hall of Famer Nikki Bella, and her title defense was successful.

However, Vaquer was sporting a walking boot this week on Raw while cutting an in-ring promo. Following the promo, La Primera was attacked by Rodriguez, who focused on the foot and ankle that were being protected by the boot.

It was unclear at the time if the boot was part of a storyline or if it was an actual issue that WWE decided to incorporate into the story.

Fightful's report suggests that it was the latter, which begs the question of whether Vaquer will have to miss any time.

Monday's attack could have been a way to temporarily write Vaquer off television, or it could have simply been a segment to set up a title match between Vaquer and Rodriguez in the near future.

Assuming the injury isn't serious, it was a highly effective segment in terms of presenting Rodriguez as a dominant and ruthless heel, and getting Vaquer sympathy from the WWE Universe.