“Stone Cold” Steve Austin Says “WWE 2K16” Appearance Doesn’t Mean He’ll Wrestle Again

Earlier Monday, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin was named the cover Superstar for “WWE 2K16,” surprising many within the wrestling community. Any time Austin’s name comes up in conversation these days, it seems it is regarding rumors of him coming out of retirement to have one last match, with the latest buzz stemming around WrestleMania in Dallas, Texas.

In an interview with MTV News in the U.K., Austin once again shoots down rumors of him stepping back into the ring once more:

He says: “I remember I was talking to Bryce [Yang, Director of Brand Marketing – WWE at 2K] about being on the cover of the game and how big of an honour it is.

“I said: ‘You know, its been a while since I’ve been around so this may spark some rumours or speculation?’ And he goes: ‘You know, Steve, it is no different to when we put Michael Jordan on the cover of the NBA 2K game a few years ago.’ 

“I would put myself on the same level for the wrestling/sports entertainment industry as Jordan – but his appearance didn’t mean he was going to put the uniform on again.

“So I would go on record: don’t look forward to me putting on the trunks and knee braces to get back in the ring and stomp a mudhole in somebody and walking it dry. How’s that work for you?” 

Austin created a major publicity buzz after he interviewed Paul Heyman on his podcast for the WWE Network. Heyman posed the prospect of a match between his client Brock Lesnar and Austin, at which point Austin went into full “promo” mode and claimed if the match happened, it would be a Texas Death Match. At this point, Vince McMahon was reportedly unhappy, and any plans for hints of a match that had been in motion were then scrapped.

Austin also denied actually being interested in the match.

Editor’s Note

As I’ve said, I will believe it when I see it.