By James Caldwell, PWTorch assistant editor

WWE Hall of Famer "Stone Cold" Steve Austin says he's open to returning to the ring, but it would have to be the right circumstances and situation. Austin also suggested he's physically capable of returning to wrestling on a regular basis.

"If there's something that presents itself as a business opportunity, then I have an open ear to listen to it. It would have to be right for myself, my opponent, and obviously the company," Stone Cold said on the Live Audio Wrestling show Sunday night.

"I'm not lobbying for another match. There's always talk. People ask, 'Am I capable of having another match?' Yeah. If I was in a bad situation, I would get back in the ring full-time if I had to, but I don't have to. I'm happy doing what I'm doing (movies and other projects)."

C.M. Punk's name has been tossed around as a potential return opponent for Austin, who evaluated Punk's business savviness picking his spot for a memorable promo last year a la Austin's "Austin 3:16" promo in 1996. Austin did not shed any more light on whether he would return to face Punk.

"He was pissed off, he vented, he cuts great promos," Austin said about Punk. "He worked himself out of a bad situation into a great situation. He knew when it was time to pick his spot, when he contract was gonna be up. That guy's been around the horn a few times, and he's been kicked around a little bit."

Austin extended his comments on Punk further to an evaluation of the current WWE landscape: "It is a very interesting machine these days. They (WWE) need voices to question them. They need voices to inspire them, or fuel them, to rethink some of the things that they're doing and make it a better product."

Austin also defended Attitude Era colleague "The Rock" Dwayne Johnson returning to WWE for the WrestleMania 28 main event and drawing flak from some people in WWE for his schedule.

"Rock has earned the ability to come and go as he wants, because the business still needs him, it can still use him, and it can elevate the profile with having such a mainstream guy there," Austin said. "I think it's a good thing for Rock to be involved with this. He's earned his right to come and go and do whatever he wants."

Austin also evaluated the promo exchanges between Rock and Cena: "I don't know about the promos between John and Rock. I think some of them have gotten kind of personal, you wonder how much of it's a work and how much of it's a shoot. At the end of the day, it's a worked business."

Link: Full audio of Austin's interview can be heard at FightNetwork.com . URL: http://bit.ly/yfyXlh

[Torch art credit Grant Gould (c) PWTorch.com]

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