It’s Now Or Never For This WWE Dream Match


Professional wrestling has played host to so many iconic dream matches over the years. In WWE in particular, major names across different generations have butted heads and put on show-stealing spectacles that fans will remember forever. However, not every dream match has played out as a reality. Following on from a report by Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select which stated that “Stone Cold” Steve Austin is potentially open to having one more match in WWE, the door has opened for one of the biggest “what if” dream matches ever. It really seems to be now or never for WWE to finally pull the trigger on Steve Austin vs. CM Punk.

WWE Fans Have Wanted CM Punk Vs. Steve Austin For Years

This Feud Was Teased In 2011

  • Punk became WWE’s anti-hero in 2011.
  • He and Austin shared some intense moments that led to fans wanting a match.
  • The stars never aligned for Punk and Austin to wrestle.

During CM Punk’s boom in popularity and rise in star power back in 2011, a dream match began settling into the daydreams of WWE fans, and that was a potential clash with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. With The Rock’s return to WWE at the time and the scheduled dream match with John Cena, it was a time in which anything felt possible in WWE, including a return from Austin for the first time since WrestleMania 19. Things heated up on this front when Punk and Austin met backstage for a heated exchange on an episode of Monday Night RAW. Austin had gotten physical and had issues with many wrestlers ever since he retired, but this felt different, with a heightened layer of tension.

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A little while later, in the promotion of WWE’s latest edition of the 2K video game series, a sit-down interview was held with Jim Ross, CM Punk, and Steve Austin. Punk’s star power had risen even higher by this point, and so had the desire to see them go at it. The pair went back and forth in another war of words in the interview, both posing the question of “what if?”. Unfortunately, the match was not in WWE’s plans, with even some reported heat from the upper brass that Punk and Austin were teasing a dream match that wasn’t on the cards. Even with Austin remaining retired and Punk eventually leaving WWE in 2014 for a near ten-year hiatus, fans have never stopped pining for this major clash of stars.

CM Punk Is Still Open To Facing Steve Austin After Returning To WWE

Punk Has Called Out Austin, Keeping This Dream Match Alive

  • Punk returned to WWE a year after Austin’s last match.
  • He called out Austin in an interview.
  • Both men have remained amicable over the years.

CM Punk returned to WWE in 2023, and has since met in the ring with the likes of Drew McIntyre, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, and more. Punk’s return came just a year after Steve Austin shocked the world by returning to the ring at WrestleMania 38 to do battle with Kevin Owens. Suddenly, for the first time in over a decade, Punk and Austin were much closer than they’d perhaps ever been to a potential dream match being on the cards. Not long after Punk returned, there were reports from the likes of Fightful Select that WWE had discussed this match as a possibility, meaning that the match was on not just the minds of the fans, but on WWE’s mind too.

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Over the last year, Punk has tried to stoke the fire on a dream match with Austin, speaking in an interview on The Ringer Wrestling Show about the Hall of Famer. The question was posed about a potential WrestleMania match, to which Punk responded with some trash talk.

“That would be up to Steve. It’s not up to me. I think he had a pretty good return, came back, main-evented WrestleMania. At this point, his six shooters might be buried in the Nevada desert. But if he wants to dig them up, I’m your huckleberry. It should’ve happened 10-plus years ago, but if he wants to sleep, he can call me.” (h/t WrestlingInc)

This Is WWE’s Last Chance To Book CM Punk Vs. Steve Austin

WrestleMania 42 Could Be The One And Only Place For This Match To Happen

steve austin beer bash wrestlemania 38 IMAGN

via IMAGN Image Services

  • Austin is getting older and doesn’t have a lot of time left in the ring.
  • CM Punk is no longer a younger wrestler either.
  • WrestleMania should be the setting for a match of this magnitude.

The recent report of Steve Austin being open to one more match should get the ball rolling on WWE’s end to finally make this match a reality. Steve Austin is now 60 years of age and likely in not as good of shape as he was for his last match. Punk is getting older too, now at 46 years old. It will soon get way past the point of Austin being physically capable of competing in a WWE ring without being a parody of himself or a danger to his well-being, so the next year feels very much prime time for WWE to pull the trigger.

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However, if WWE decides to book Austin against somebody else – Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, or others – then fans should very much remove any idea of Austin vs. Punk being a possibility. This sort of match should only take place at WrestleMania, meaning next year’s visit to Las Vegas for WrestleMania 42 is the best and only location for Austin vs. Punk. There are many variables at hand and too many unknowns for the future, so it really is now or never for Punk vs. Austin to happen.



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