When Stone Cold Steve Austin gives interviews, including to our very own Sean Rueter, he's consistently asked about whether or not he will return to WWE for one more match. With WrestleMania 32 expected to take place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, that talk will only intensify.
Austin turned 50-years-old today. He'll be 51 by the time that event rolls around. Still, it won't stop fans from clamoring for him to lace up the boots, even if it's just for a one-off at the biggest show of the year, something he's outright admitted he's hesitant to do.
He's not the only one this applies to.
Hulk Hogan, a 61-year-old man with double digit back and knee surgeries who can barely walk and definitely can't take a standard flat back bump, is frequently asked about a potential return to active wrestling, if only for an official retirement match at WrestleMania. He's taken it a step further and openly campaigned for one, most notably calling out Austin himself.
Undertaker is 49-years-old and works just one match a year at WrestleMania. His streak, seemingly the only thing keeping him coming back for more despite all the wear and tear on his body that forced him into such a dramatically reduced schedule, was broken this past year. In that match, he suffered a severe concussion.
Still, one of the biggest questions regarding WrestleMania 31 in 2015 is whether or not "The Phenom," who debuted in 1990 and will turn 50 just five days before that show, will return for another match against Sting (himself 55-years-old), or Bray Wyatt, or literally anyone else.
Let's not forget about Ultimate Warrior.
After it was revealed he would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame earlier this year, Warrior was immediately asked if he would be willing to come back for a match. He said he was open to working it out, even at 54-years-old.
Three months later, he died of a heart attack.
All of this is without mentioning Jerry Lawler, who worked a match on Raw at 63-years-old and suffered a heart attack that nearly killed him shortly after returning to the commentary desk.
So what's the cutoff point? Is there one? Part of the problem is WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, who worked a match at the age of 65 against a then 53-year-old Bret Hart just eight years after Hart suffered a stroke in a motorcycle accident that took a number of years to recover from. Granted, WWE has implemented stricter testing procedures for its working talent following Lawler's brush with death but that hasn't stopped the fans from continuing to clamor for wrestlers to return at advanced ages.
Again I ask: Where's the cutoff? When is enough enough? If we can't be satisfied with the body of work from stars like Austin and Hogan, is there ever a point when we, as fans, will cease pining for just one more match?
Does death have to be the end?