Any thoughts of a WWE comeback by Stone Cold Steve Austin will have to be put on hold.
Austin is doing just fine on a movie career, with his latest, Hunt to Kill, out on direct-to-DVD and getting good reviews.
Plus the current WWE environment may not exactly be Austin's cup of tea.
"It's a PG business these days," says Austin, who shot down rumblings he would appear on RAW on Dec. 27. "And the Stone Cold character is close to being an R-rated act. I was edgy and I had a lot of fun doing it."
He says injuries played a big role in his early departure from wrestling.
"When I was in WWE, I had my neck fused and I could see the end. When I retired, I didn't do anything for four years. I just stayed in Texas and hunted and fished. One day I woke up and said to myself, 'Dude, it's time to do something.' So I moved to L.A. It wasn't my goal in life to be an actor.
"I had a delayed start. If I hadn't had so many injuries, I'd probably still be in wrestling.
"As for returning (to the ring), I'm not interested. I always say never say never, but the thing is, man, I'm pretty much done."
But now he's an actor and he's committed to getting better, just like he did as a wrestler when he rose up to become an icon. He's done movies like The Longest Yard, Damage and The Expendables. And he's got his sights set on doing plenty more.
"I was a great in-ring performer. I was one of the best ticket sellers in the business. So if I could duplicate that success ...
"I'm a tough critic on myself, but I'll tell you what, I watched (Hunt to Kill) three weeks ago and it's really good. "My skin is thick enough that along with the good things, I can take the bad, too.
"I'm still figuring things out, but I'm a little more relaxed and the experience factor is starting to kick in. I'm a sponge. After working with Sly (Sylvester Stallone) for three months on The Expendables, I learned a lot from him.
"I'd love to try a romantic comedy. Most days, I'm laughing my ass off, so a comedy would be good."
In Hunt to Kill, Austin plays U.S. Border Patrol agent Jim Rhodes, struggling to raise his rebellious daughter in the mountains of Montana. When a crew of trigger-happy fugitives take Rhodes and his daughter hostage, you can bet that Austin lays down a big can of whoopass.
Austin says he grew up loving action movies.
"Back in the day, it was Sly, Arnold (Schwarzenegger), Steve McQueen in Bullit. There was Cool Hand Luke, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. I remember watching Rocky and I ran home, got up the next day, drank some eggs and ran down the road."
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