"He was like yes, go ahead and do it" - Kevin Owens recalls asking for Stone Cold Steve Austin's blessing to use the Stunner

The Stone Cold Stunner was popularized by WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin. The iconic move was officially passed down to Kevin Owens in 2019, and the fan-favorite revealed that he asked for Austin's blessing.

After Austin retired from in-ring competition, the Stunner wasn't commonly used, though many WWE Superstars using variations of the manuever as a part of their moveset.

On the latest episode of WWE's The Bump, WWE showed a sneak peek of the upcoming documentary on Steve Austin's finisher, "Birth of The Stunner." The clip featured Owens' explanation of how Stone Cold let him use the move.

"I had this idea in my head to start doing the stunner for a finish because it's the most iconic finisher of all time and nobody was doing it anymore. Why not the stunner? I was well aware of what it was, and it's almost sacriligious to do it, which is why I went to Steve and asked him if I could, and when I went to Steve, he and I already had a pretty good rapport, as soon as I opened my mouth, he knew where I was going."

"He was like 'Yes, go ahead and do it, it sounds great.' . . . Moments like that just still blow me away, and having the guy I looked up the most give me his blessing to use his finishing move that he made famous beyond this industry ,which is pretty wild. Once in a while I still think about him and be like I can't believe I get to do this."

It's @FightOwensFight on #WWETheBump! pic.twitter.com/83rQLPEd6R

— WWE’s The Bump (@WWETheBump) March 17, 2021

The documentary "Birth of the Stunner" will be released on Peacock and the WWE Network on March 19. The program will dive into Steve Austin's usage of the Stunner throughout his legendary career.

WWE is celebrating Steve Austin's career this week

Stone Cold Steve Austin

Yesterday, on March 16, wrestlers and fans celebrated Stone Cold Day by pouring out love for the Texas Rattlesnake. Many people around the world praised his contributions to the industry.

But this celebration of Steve Austin's career wasn't limited to one day. WWE has lined up content related to Stone Cold throughout this entire week.

Tributes poured in for @steveaustinBSR on #316Day from @DMcIntyreWWE, @TripleH, @ShawnMichaels, @StephMcMahon, @CarmellaWWE and more!https://t.co/HzeOUkoM7N

— WWE (@WWE) March 17, 2021

On Tuesday, WWE released "Meeting Stone Cold" on the WWE Networ, and the aforementioned "Birth of the Stunner" will air on Friday. On Saturday, fans will get the chance to see the latest episode of the Broken Skull Sessions, and Randy Orton will be Austin's guest.