10 Best Stone Cold vs. The Rock Matches, Ranked
One of the greatest rivalries in pro wrestling history is the one between Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, these two were the biggest stars in the sport. Austin was popular for being the toughest guy in any room, while The Rock captured hearts with his undeniable charisma. They both have a strong case for being the greatest of all time.
Together, the two often made magic in the ring. They have the only trilogy in WrestleMania history and each outing was great. Their feud spanned the Intercontinental Title, WWE Title, invasion angle, and more. If you're looking to get a feel for their history, we have ranked the 10 best matches involving them below.
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10 In Your House: D-Generation X 1997
To get this out of the way, we'll openly admit that this isn't a great pro wrestling match. But it needs to be on this list because it was the start of the epic rivalry. This Intercontinental Title match marked the first major singles match between Austin and The Rock.
While this didn't feature a ton of drama or wrestling moves, it was a ton of fun. Austin drove his signature pickup truck to the ring and proceeded to beat up every member of the Nation of Domination. It is one of their most memorable meetings and is sports entertainment at its finest.
9 Rebellion 2000
This list will feature plenty of matches that include more than just The Rock and Steve Austin. This is a prime example of that. At the UK exclusive pay-per-view Rebellion, Rock and Austin, along with Rikishi, challenged for Kurt Angle's WWE Championship in the evening's main event.
These four men were among the most popular and intriguing wrestlers of the era. Putting them together made for a red hot crowd that helped make this encounter stand out. It is a very easy watch as it lasts less than 10 minutes. Angle retained his title but we got a small preview of Austin vs. Rock, which would main event the following WrestleMania.
8 Raw 11/16/98
Another one of the earliest meetings between Austin and Rock came on this episode of Raw. The Rock had just captured his first WWE Title a night earlier by winning the Deadly Game tournament at Survivor Series. Austin was screwed out of the tourney but found a loophole to get a title shot the following evening.
Rock's title reign was already in serious jeopardy. Austin was the hottest thing in wrestling and came close to winning the title on several occasions. When he hit the Stone Cold Stunner, Ken Shamrock pulled the referee out before he could count the three. That set off a brawl with the Corporation and an attack from The Undertaker that gave Austin a DQ victory but not the title.
7 Rebellion 2001
In the summer of 2001, Steve Austin shocked the world by joining the Alliance of WCW and ECW. That put him in the crosshairs of the WWE roster that he spent years with. And he did it as WWE Champion. When The Rock returned and won the WCW Championship, they solidified themselves as the industry's top guys.
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By the time December and another UK exclusive Rebellion event rolled around, Rock started challenging Austin for the WWE Title. This is one of their most overlooked outings because it is kind of obscure but it remains one worth watching.
6 WrestleMania XV
Now we're getting to the great stuff. In 1999, The Rock and Stone Cold had the first of their three WrestleMania matches. Headlining the 15th installment of the historic show, they had their first great match. Rock came in as the corporate WWE Champion led by Vince McMahon.
Austin was the anti-corporate challenger. It felt like the perfect storm. They had notable moments like Rock stepping in Austin's way during his entrance and Austin hitting an elbow through the announce table. Austin regained the title with the Stunner while Rock showed he could hang on the big stage.
5 Armageddon 2000
The Hell in a Cell structure is one of the most barbaric in WWE. We had already seen Shawn Michaels get put through hell in it and Mankind nearly have his career ended by it. So in 2000, when WWE decided to put six of their top stars inside Hell in a Cell at Armageddon, we knew something insane would happen.
Steve Austin, The Rock, The Undertaker, Kurt Angle, Triple H, and Rikishi waged war in one of the craziest Hell in a Cell matches ever. Rikishi was thrown off the top and onto a truck placed below. Everyone was busted open. And though there wasn't a ton of Rock/Austin interaction, this is still a classic contest.
4 Backlash 1999
Following Steve Austin's WWE Title win at WrestleMania XV, The Rock wanted his rematch. With Vince McMahon preoccupied with the safety of his daughter, it was Shane who stepped in to be at the Rock's side. This battle came after Rock threw Austin off a bridge and held a funeral for him.
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Needless to say, this was a heated title fight. Shane McMahon did everything he could to screw Austin over but the champion was resilient. This No Disqualifications match bested the big outing at WrestleMania and saw Austin come out on top again. The Rock would turn face the next night and become the top star by 2000.
3 WrestleMania XIX
The final leg in the trilogy of WrestleMania outings between The Rock and Stone Cold came in 2003. Both men were at the tail end of their careers. Austin's injuries had caught up to him over the years, while The Rock was branching out into the world of Hollywood. This was their last chance.
The match was incredibly entertaining. Rock's new movie star persona led to some hilarious moments like wearing Austin's vest and mocking him. They emptied the tanks on one another, hitting finishing moves all over the place. In the end, Rock finally defeated Austin in what ended up being the final match of Stone Cold's career.
2 Survivor Series 2001
The end of the invasion angle happened at Survivor Series 2001. Team Alliance battled Team WWE in a winner take all situation. Team Alliance featured Steve Austin, Rob Van Dam, Shane McMahon, Booker T, and Kurt Angle. Team WWE consisted of The Rock, Chris Jericho, The Undertaker, Kane, and Big Show.
Not only was this a great match but it is arguably the best traditional Survivor Series elimination match of all time. It all came down to Austin against Rock and the crowd was electric for the exchange. Rock nailed the Rock Bottom after about 45 minutes to eliminate Austin and win it for Team WWE.
1 WrestleMania X-Seven
The pinnacle of WrestleMania main events. For most of 2000, The Rock reigned as the company's top star while Stone Cold was out with an injury. When Austin returned, the two seemed destined to face each other. Austin won the Royal Rumble and Rock captured the WWE Title a month later, putting them on this collision course.
This was the height of their battles. They fought all over the ring area and both men were busted open. Near the end, Vince McMahon showed up and stunned everyone when he aligned himself with Austin. They battered a resilient Rock until he couldn't get up and Austin was once again the WWE Champion.
