It seems like we do this song and dance every few days but Stone Cold Steve Austin is once again leaving the door open to a WWE return in the near future ... as long as the circumstances are right.

From an interview with ZooToday.com:

"If the right situation, the right opponent and the right circumstances came up for the WWE, then it would certainly be something worth considering. Could I have another match or two? Yeah. Physically I am in really good shape right now. People seem to think I am half-dead!... In my movies, I do some pretty hellacious fight scenes that, maybe, a normal person couldn't do. So my physicality is fine, my neck is fine after having it all fused-up. I am not pitching for another match but if it was a win-win situation for everybody, then absolutely, I would consider it."

CM Punk has spent a lot of time recently calling out "The Rattlesnake," presumably in the hopes of building enough heat for a match between the two to make a lot of money. Austin has played into it, too, responding to Punk's verbal jabs on Twitter and continually saying he would be one of the guys Stone Cold wouldn't mind working with.

However, it's interesting that his stance has largely remained the same with virtually all of the same talking points. He always makes sure to mention that he would come back against the right opponent and only if everyone came out looking better for it.

That makes me think that A) he's subtly reminding WWE that he's ready and willing to come back for a major program if they'll have him and B) he wants them to know straight up front that he's not returning to do spots with mid-card comedy acts.

If it seems silly to even suggest as much, one need only go back and look at the manner in which Austin has been used in his sporadic appearances with the company since his last match back in 2003 against The Rock. And after seeing what Rock managed to do with John Cena this past year, leading to the biggest WrestleMania buyrate of all time, it's entirely possible Austin has an itch he would love to scratch sooner rather than later.

After all, the man is almost 50-years-old. It's time to shit or get off the pot.