10 Best Stone Cold Steve Austin Matches Ever
4. Vs. Dude Love (Over The Edge 1998)
Every overbooked melee with crooked officiating and some cocksure babyface "fighting against stacked odds" owes its oxygen to Austin and Dude's boundless war in Milwaukee. Before the concept of a heel referee (in this case, Vince McMahon) became cliche, it provided a true quandary: how in the hell was Austin going to win if the referee wasn't going to allow it to happen?
Everyone involved in the match displayed brilliance: the commentators (volcanic Jim Ross and tyranny-justifying Jerry Lawler), The Stooges as McMahon's dutiful sidekicks, and The Undertaker as immovable enforcer. That's to say nothing of Austin and Foley, whose arena-wide brawl escalated in conjunction with the drama.
When Vince gets brained with an errant chair shot, and Undertaker dispatches Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco with concurrent chokeslams through tables, it feels as though the arena is going to explode. Austin's popularity was such that when he finally turns the corner, it's a victory for everyone watching.