The 4 Best Opponents for 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin's 1 Last WWE Dream Match

Everybody wants another match from WWE Hall of Famer "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. 

That's a universal fact. Stone Cold isn't some part-timer cashing in on a quick check and leaving again, likely to put on a sour performance and hurt his legacy in the process. 

If Stone Cold says he could put on another match, best believe Stone Cold can put on another match. 

And he's saying just that. 

On the Steve Austin Show podcast (h/t WrestlingInc.com's Marc Middleton), Austin made it clear that physically he could always make one last match work: 

"People always ask me, 'Hey man, you're still in really good shape. You got one more match left in you?' I tell them, 'Man.' I say, 'You know, it's a tough thing to think about.' Physically, would I be able to have one more match? Yes, most definitely, and I could make it to that match without being injured. Although the risks are always there, just because I think all of the surgeries I had. ...  Where I had the spinal stenosis, and getting that bone spur taken off my spinal cord—I'm in a good place. Nerves are feeling a lot better than they used to. So, you know, in theory, could I have a match? In theory, yes."

While Austin is in no way saying he's working toward one last match or will ever do one...that doesn't stop the gears from turning.

These are some of the dream opponents for a match on his way to official retirement. 

What, didn't expect to see someone like Kevin Owens pop up here? 

Look, WWE loves Owens. He wouldn't be headbutting Vince McMahon, winning universal titles and endlessly feuding with Shane McMahon if those in charge didn't. 

Clearly, they'd trust him to run a program with Austin. 

And what better way to save Owens right now? He's been using Austin's stunner but has slowly been hurt by the silly lawsuit and fines angle with Shane. Presumably, he's putting Shane down for good and off of television just in time for the SmackDown switch to Fox. 

That could open up a revitalization of sorts for Owens if he can get in the ring with Austin and hold his own, if not pull off an upset. Maybe not a passing-of-the-torch moment, per se, but in a way, only Owens could pull it off. 

This is one of those dream matches WWE fans never got. 

And it sure couldn't hurt now. 

The angle writes itself. Hardly anyone can keep up with Lesnar, besides Seth Rollins. Another part-timer coming into the fray and taking him on removes his dominance over the main roster and keeps him out of the title scene. 

That someone potentially being Austin is thrilling. The two would have some fun interactions, and Paul Heyman would help build it, as if it needed any build at all. And in the ring, Lesnar has gotten plenty of money matches out of a variety of performers in recent years, and Austin wouldn't be a slouch given the presumed style of this one. 

And with Lesnar heading to SmackDown for the Fox move, what better way to up the ante than to reel in Austin for this sort of encounter? 

If—and this is a pretty big if—Austin wants to be old school and go out on his back in his final match, there is arguably nobody better to help right now than Bray Wyatt's The Fiend. 

The Fiend is the hottest thing running in WWE today, which would explain his quick ascension to the universal title scene and his upcoming matchup with Seth Rollins. 

Setting the stage for it is simple, too. Austin has made a few appearances lately, and WWE can drum up some excuse for another. The Fiend takes over the show, attempts an attack that the Hall of Famer evades and fights back. It goes from there. 

The Fiend ends up winning with a Mandible Claw, which he has used to take down both legends and beasts, with an example of the latter Braun Strowman recently. There's no sense in Austin coming back and winning this one if this is what everyone wants to do. 

But WWE loves moments, and this would be an incredible one. It would also continue to build what is arguably the top overall star in wrestling today, not to mention someone bordering on Undertaker-level status if it keeps going smartly the way it has so far.

Don't laugh. WWE has brought back plenty of veterans lately to do shows in Saudi Arabia or otherwise. Stone Cold could merely be the next. And CM Punk was oddly politically correct and tame when speaking about WWE at Starrcast III in Chicago despite the past grievances between the two parties. 

The mind wanders. 

Punk is getting old, and his window for getting back in the ring is slim. The most money possible rests with WWE, where no reunion is too fictional. WWE is trying to make the SmackDown move to Fox work, keep Raw relevant and fend off a competitor like All Elite Wrestling. 

Never mind the fact Austin vs. Punk felt like a historic match we never got. Punk was the modern version of the Hall of Famer, and they had some fun tease-like encounters after Autin retired. 

The return for both? Legendary. The promos? All-timers. The match? Memorable, at worst. Only in wrestling could all of this eventually form this matchup—so cross those fingers.