A year on from one of the most talked about WrestleMania weekends in recent memory, Stone Cold Steve Austin has finally addressed the rumours that followed him into WrestleMania 40 weekend and offered a brutally honest update on where his body and mindset are at today.

Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Austin confirmed that WWE did approach him about potentially appearing at WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia. Speculation had swirled for months that Austin could be the mystery legend involved in the closing moments of Night Two, a role that ultimately went to The Undertaker during Cody Rhodes’ title win over Roman Reigns.

Austin made it clear the talks were real, but timing and real life commitments got in the way.

“Things just didn’t line up,” Austin said. “I had other things going on. I remember when they pitched that to me, I said, ‘Dude, I got some things going on. I don’t see myself being there.’ That was way in advance. It was a possibility that I could have been there had I chosen to go there. I had other sh*t going on.”

He also pointed to the contrast between WWE’s scale and his current lifestyle as a major factor.

“WWE is this multi-billion dollar corporation. I got a metal shop that we’re sitting in,” Austin explained. “Sometimes the multi-billion dollar company has an idea that the dude that has the metal shop just doesn’t work for. So it didn’t work.”

These days, Austin lives a quieter life away from the spotlight, having traded Los Angeles for Nevada. His time is spent working on his property and racing UTVs through the desert rather than preparing for surprise WrestleMania moments.

The conversation then shifted to Austin’s health, where he revealed he is now one year removed from total knee replacement surgery on his left knee. He described the toll arthritis had taken on his daily life before finally going under the knife.

“I was limping around so bad, and I didn’t know I was limping,” Austin said. “People would ask me, ‘What’s wrong?’ I said, ‘What are you talking about?’ They said, ‘You’re limping.’ I didn’t know, because I don’t watch myself walk.”

The chronic pain had quietly reshaped his life and his mood.

“I’ve always wondered what arthritis felt like. Man, I found out firsthand,” he said. “And it’s chronically over time, years and years and years of it. It’ll change your personality. It just puts you in a state of mind where you just want some relief.”

Since the surgery, Austin says the difference has been night and day. He is walking normally again and recently completed a 100 mile desert race in his buggy. Even so, when asked about the possibility of another match, Austin kept expectations grounded.

“I could still do it,” he admitted. “I’m not advocating for nothing, so I’m not selling a match here. You asked me, ‘Could I?’ Yes. Probably not. But you say never say never.”

Austin also recalled a moment with The Undertaker at a past WrestleMania that continues to stick with him.

“We were by the ring, and we’re like, ‘God dang man, it seems like it just passed by so fast,’” Austin said. “Taker said this, he goes, ‘Motion is lotion.’ And I remember that, so I always stay active.”