Steve Austin is one of the most popular WWE superstars of all-time and one of the biggest box office draws in the business as well. And a large part of his popularity had to do with his storied rivalry against The Rock.
The two men wrestled three times at WrestleMania, including Austin's last match at WrestleMania 19.
Speaking to Peter Rosenberg of ESPN, Austin reflected on the three Mania bouts against "The Great One."
"[WrestleMania] 15 was a good match. Me and The Rock had instant chemistry, we both loved working with each other and got along like gangbusters. I was mad at 15 because I was going through a hell of a divorce, forgot my ring vest, and I had to walk to the ring in my t-shirt. You never want to walk to the ring in a t-shirt when it's WrestleMania. You want to look like a million bucks. You're not trying to sell a t-shirt, you're trying to sell a show," said Austin.
Austin was victorious at WrestleMania 15, winning the WWF World Title for a second straight year at WrestleMania.
At WrestleMania 17, Austin and Rock clashed in what some consider to be the best match of all-time and the peak of the Attitude Era. Austin was victorious once again, kicking off his infamous heel turn.
"[WrestleMania] 17 was great because at the Houston Astrodome, I'd seen all kinds of sporting events there as a kid. So, to go there and do that great build-up with The Rock and Jim Ross with the conversation in the locker room. That pre-match package they put together has never been duplicated. To take the crowd on that ride. 17 was a hell of a show. The Dudleyz, Hardyz, Edge & Christian was a hell of a match. To be the main and go out there and have that kind of match between the two hottest guys on planet earth in the wrestling business, was really cool. We had a steak the night before that match, and I had a couple glasses of wine, and we just had a short conversation about it and then we rocked it the next night, from start to finish. I was feeling piss and vinegar when I was walking down that ramp, and it was a long-ass walk. My brother was sitting next to The Rock's mother. My brother cusses a lot, like me, they got into a little bit of an exchange. It was all good, but that's how emotionally invested everybody was," he said.
Finally, the trilogy concluded at WrestleMania 19 in Austin's final match with The Rock getting the better of "The Rattlesnake" for the first time in their WrestleMania rivalry.
"[WrestleMania] 19 in Seattle, where I damn near didn't make the match, I never really got medically cleared to do the match. But it was my time to do the favor for The Rock," said Austin "I wasn't going to miss that match. You'd have to chain me to a bulldozer and drag me the other way to keep me from the ring. That was an emotional day and I damn near got teared up several times because I knew I was riding off into the sunset. When it was all said and done, it was like someone lifted a big ass weight off my shoulder. Me and The Rock had a little conversation in the ring and then it was over."
Earlier in the week, The Rock took time to give his thoughts on the WrestleMania trilogy with Austin. You can read his comments by clicking here.
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