I'm very honored to represent @WWEGames on the badass #WWE2K16 cover this year. #RaiseSomeHell. pic.twitter.com/rFDxSBc8g8

— Steve Austin (@steveaustinBSR) July 6, 2015

Well it’s all Steve Austin in the wrestling news today. It was revealed that instead of any current Superstar, he will be the one on the cover of WWE 2K16, which has caused some debate online. It would appear 2K Sports (who are responsible for most of the game’s marketing) see Austin as a better name to sell the game than anyone from the current crop of talent. The logic behind this may be that 2K know current fans are going to buy it regardless, so they may as well try and capture some older fans who happen to notice the cover in the store. That or Austin is going to be a prominent part of the game, which is still obviously a marketing decision.

An official trailer has also been released:

New York, NY – July 6, 2015 – 2K today announced WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin® as the cover Superstar for WWE® 2K16, the forthcoming release in the flagship WWE franchise. After setting the WWE Universe on fire during one of WWE’s most celebrated time periods – the “Attitude Era” – to his wealth of television, film and podcasting accomplishments, Austin has amassed worldwide admiration through his unequivocal presence both in and out of the WWE ring. WWE 2K16 is currently in development for Xbox One and Xbox 360, as well as the PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment systems. The game is scheduled for release on October 27, 2015 in North America and October 30, 2015 internationally.

“I’ve had the privilege of working with 2K to support the WWE 2K franchise, and now I’m absolutely honored to serve as the WWE 2K16 cover Superstar,” said Stone Cold Steve Austin. “No disrespect to the previous and extremely deserving WWE 2K cover Superstars – Dwayne ‘The Rock®’ Johnson and John Cena® – but it’s about time the franchise raised some hell with yours truly on the cover. I look forward to injecting a dose of ‘Texas Rattlesnake’ into this year’s game and overall campaign.”

“Stone Cold Steve Austin’s iconic style, unmistakable personality and worldwide reverence from the WWE Universe make him the ideal fit for WWE 2K16,” said Chris Snyder, Vice President of Marketing at 2K. “Not only will Austin grace the video game’s cover, but he’s involved in shaping its creative direction. Through his numerous contributions, inclusion on the largest roster in franchise history and the game’s to-be-announced features, WWE 2K16 is certain to put everyone on notice.”

Austin is already doing the media rounds in conjunction with the big reveal, and the age old “one more match” question is cropping up again. He told the Associated Press:

“I think I’ve left everything that I’ve got in the ring. There’s no reason to go back in the ring and prove anything. I had to ride off into the sunset a little bit earlier than I’d have liked. But that final match I had at WrestleMania with The Rock was my last match.”

He also spoke with MTV.co.uk about getting the cover:

“First of all I’m very honoured to be the cover superstar for WWE 2K16. And being asked got me thinking – and I guess I kind of started looking back at all the things I managed to accomplish in the business. But I think it was testament to a very deep locker room in one the best eras in the business. All these years later, it is very special and I’m very proud and I was very happy to get the phone call to be the cover star of such a highly-regarded video games franchise.”

Austin himself however is not one to dismiss the younger generation. He had the following to say about Finn Balor:

“Finn Balor, I think, is going to be an interesting addition to the game. Here’s a guy from Ireland who’s been around for about 15 years, give or take – a guy with his experience and moveset and the different paint jobs he wears to the ring, he’s very entertaining guy and I’m looking forward to big things from him. I know this is the biggest roster they’ve ever had in this series of WWE games from 2K – but for me to speculate who could be on there, I have no idea. I have heard some very interesting rumours but I cannot speak to those rumours. But it should be a very cool and – if I might say so – completely badass roster!”

“I tell you what, first of all, I love Finn’s work. There have been some tremendous workers come out of Ireland and Northern Ireland over the years. I talked to him once on the telephone – and I’m a big fan of Fit Finlay – so he reminds me a little bit of Fit, but much more dynamic with his moveset and all of his experience in Japan. Man, the kid is just a walking highlight reel as a far as technical wrestling, a master. He’s just a good looking kid, he knows his business in the ring. And I’m a fan of the bodypaint he wears on special occasions. And then you put him across the ring from Kevin Owens… again, there’s a guy – probably, what a 13 or 14 year veteran? – and finally getting a shot here in the big leagues and for those two guys to go in there and have match in Japan, I think it is a good time to be a WWE fan. Some people consider these guys rookies on the big scene but they are veterans, have paid a lot of dues and are damn good workers so I think right now is a pretty exciting time as we see these guys develop further and get some more ring time, get more over than they are. But they certainly have all the tools, all the moves and all the talent to do so. I think the horizon is very bright for the upcoming in ring product as far as WWE is concerned.”

Roddy Piper Says Austin Got His Podcast Canned

While the cover may be controversial to some, Roddy Piper isn’t happy for an entirely different reason. His podcast is no longer under the Podcast One banner, and he says it was Steve Austin who got him canned!

Piper’s final episode before the departure had comedian Will Sasso on as a guest doing Austin impressions. At one point Hotrod asks him why he no-showed WrestleMania 31, and why he quit so many times.

Now we don’t know for a fact that this is the reason Piper’s show was cancelled, it should be noted that Austin and Sasso were/are friends, and it was known that Piper’s show was not one of the higher listened shows on the network, so he could be talking crap. But the Hall of Famer himself says Austin directly got him fired. If it’s true, that’s a pretty lame and egotistical move by the supporter of the working man.