Steve made his final in-ring appearance at WrestleMania XIX, losing to The Rock. The night after on Raw, Eric Bischoff fired Austin on medical grounds only for Austin to give an interview the next day announcing his retirement from wrestling but disclosing a deal had been agreed for him to only appear in non-wrestling roles. No one knew WrestleMania 19 would be Austin's last match. He went on record as saying: "I'm Stone Cold Steve Austin, I'm not supposed to be hurt." Also, he wore a vest with 'Bulletproof' and 'OMR' blazoned on it, OMR meaning 'One More Round'. It was revealed Stone Cold was having problems both professionally and personally. Eight months prior to WrestleMania 19 he walked out on the company and faced plenty of resentment on his return. He had just gone through his third divorce and his body was in constant pain. The pain stemmed from the broken neck he received at the hands of the late Owen Hart, the injury was causing a domino effect. Austin wasn't really allowed to compete on the advice of doctors. He was wasn't supposed to experience any of the whiplash effects that bumping in the ring causes. He was also becoming hyper-reflexive in his lower extremities. His final appearance almost didn't happen, Steve recalls how too many Red Bulls and coffee made his heart feel like it was going to explode. He was rushed to hospital with Jim Ross by his side but still managed to compete. Steve hasn't had a match since 2003 but rumours of a return at an upcoming WrestleMania refuse to go away.
