Steve Austin has confirmed that he will not be appearing on WWE Raw in San Antonio on March 16, ending speculation about a potential appearance for the symbolic 3:16 Day.
This week’s Raw is taking place at the Frost Bank Center, a location and date that many fans believed would be the perfect setting for a surprise return by the Texas Rattlesnake, given the connection to Austin’s legendary “Austin 3:16” catchphrase.
According to reports from WrestleVotes, some within WWE were hopeful Austin might appear for the show, which would have marked his first Raw appearance in several years.
However, while speaking with Sports Illustrated’s The Takedown, Austin clarified that he will not be attending the event due to commitments related to his racing career.
“Man, they should tune in because they love WWE and Monday Night Raw,” Austin said. “But I am out. I will be a few days out from that race, the race I am talking about with my racing career, and we are trying to get that car ready. We are working our asses off. So yeah, I will be hunkered down in a garage out here in BFE Nevada, trying to get this buggy ready, a side-by-side utility vehicle, to race this grueling 250-mile race with everybody else I race with. I want to get out there and put my own show on out there in the desert.”
Austin has increasingly devoted time to his off-road racing pursuits in recent years while still making occasional appearances for WWE.
His last official match took place at WrestleMania 38 in Arlington, where he defeated Kevin Owens in a No Holds Barred match after coming out of retirement following nearly two decades away from the ring.
Austin has appeared sporadically since then, most recently making a cameo during WrestleMania 41 to announce the official attendance figure.
This week’s Raw will air live at 8 p.m. EST on Netflix from the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio.
