10 Fascinating WWE WrestleMania 19 Facts
4. Stone Cold Was Hospitalized The Night Before WrestleMania With An Accelerated Heart Rate
It was a bittersweet night for Stone Cold Steve Austin, to say the least. He knew going into his match with The Rock that it was likely his last in-ring foray, and even had the letters "OMR" (short for One More Round) stitched onto his vest as a bit of symbolism. Austin's primary concern was having a match fitting of he and Rock's untouchable status, which the two were able to pull off, even in Austin's compromised physical state.
While Austin's neck injuries were the primary reason for his retirement, he had an altogether different medical crisis in the previous day. He had loaded up on coffee and energy drinks to the point where his heart rate had dangerously increased. On Saturday afternoon, Austin stepped off the elevator at his hotel and legitimately believed he was having a heart attack.
The 38-year-old stayed overnight at a nearby hospital for observation, where at one juncture he was thought to have been suffering from a pulmonary embolism. The elevated heart rate, however, turned out to just be a freak occurrence. He was released from the hospital Sunday morning, hours before his curtain call with The Rock.