Stone Cold Steve Austin has one of the most storied careers in WWE history, and that’s putting his accomplishments lightly. While some may quibble with his relatively short prime, the sheer amount of memorable moments he’s been a part of during the meat of the Attitude Era are unmatched.
If you were a wrestling fan in the 90’s, you can probably rattle off 10 incredible Stone Cold moments without breaking a sweat, but which ones did Stone Cold enjoy most? Sports Illustrated asked him exactly that.
WrestleMania 13 with Bret “The Hitman” Hart was one of my favorites of all time. I just remember laying there in a pool of blood and he had the sharpshooter on me. I was struggling to get out and just the feeling I was getting from that Chicago crowd. … I remember him finally breaking the sharpshooter off of me and I knew we accomplished the mission at hand, so that was a favorite moment.
If you’re a connoisseur of Steve Austin’s excellent podcast, you’re already familiar with his love for both Bret Hart, and the Allstate Arena in Chicago. Austin claims he always got the best reaction from WWE fans in Chicago, and that likely stems from his unforgettable match at WrestleMania 13 vs. Bret Hart. It was a match made in heaven, every pun intended.
Austin would later add:
And if you go to WrestleMania 17, that night me and The Rock pulled down the AstroDome, it was an all new indoor attendance record for the AstroDome– they said George Straight broke it later on, but whatever — but being in there with The Rock and just lighting that crowd up. We started that thing off as a brawl, nothing but right hands, and went 25-27 minutes. I didn’t like the heel turn at the end now that I look back, but, man, being in there with The Rock and lighting up 65,000. Off. The. Charts. And then stunning Vince McMahon, driving the Zamboni and clotheslining his ass in Detroit, stuff like that. Those things are some of the highlights I treasure.
Austin often lists The Rock right up there with Bret Hart as one of his favorite opponents, so it’s fitting that his two most memorable matches include both Superstars. Of course, with Bret Hart out of WWE by the time Austin retired at WrestleMania 19, it’s only fitting that The Rock will go down in history as Austin’s last opponent.
The Rock was Stone Cold’s last opponent, right? RIGHT?
If WWE fans have learned anything over the last 30 years, it’s never say never.
I’m joking. Probably.
