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But being on the cover of one of the biggest video games in the world wouldn't have been possible if not for wrestling and not for one conversation of destiny, Austin says.

Before he hit it big in 1996 by winning King of the Ring and before his iconic Austin 3:16 promo and even before \"cause Stone Cold said so\" became his calling card, Steve was just another one of the guys, trying to make a name for himself in the then World Wrestling Federation.

He said everything changed one day when he approached WWE CEO Vince McMahon about his image.

\"PHOTO:
Moses Robinson/Getty Images
PHOTO: Steve Austin is pictured during filming for a commercial in Atlanta, Ga. on Sept. 29, 2014.
>

\"I was walking to the building in Massachusetts and business wasn't very good,\" Austin explained. \"We were going live one week and the other show would go to post. So, they let me do color commentary and I was talking some trash. Later, I would watch the shows and they were editing a lot of the stuff I said ... I saw Vince in the parking lot -- we didn't have a relationship then -- he was just the boss, but I asked him about it.\"

McMahon said he was \"popping the guys in the truck,\" or making them laugh at what Austin was saying during the matches.

\"I thought, 'If you are making the guys in the truck laugh, you can make anybody laugh. These guys have seen everything. So, I told him on the spot, \"You got guys 6-foot-6, 300 pounds. I'm 6-foot-2, 250, I got black trunks, black boots, a bald head and goatee. If you take my personality away from me, I can't compete. If you let me use my personality, I can compete with anyone!\"

Austin recalled McMahon responding calmly, \"OK, Steve.\"

\"That's when he took the reins off and I pushed the envelope,\" Austin said. The rest is \"Attitude Era\" history.

Will the champ ever return to the ring?

\"Naw man, I'm done. I'd rather leave well enough alone,\" he said.

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