1. The Rock Vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin (WrestleMania 17)
It's an easy pick for Rock's greatest match ever. It'd be Austin's best match ever if Bret Hart never existed. It's something of an Attitude Era 'greatest hits' waged amongst the period's two most prolific pillars. Attitude went to the grave under the elevated roof of a stadium packed to capacity. There, two all-time greats magnificently paced themselves through a titanic struggle without limits. Does the ending in which Austin turns heel, accepting aid from Vince McMahon, hurt the match any? I'd say no, just that the story of Austin's desperation should have been better told in the ensuing weeks and months. The match itself is the epitome of the old cliche, where the participants 'left it all' in the ring, as well as scattered about the entire ringside area.
Justin has been a wrestling fan since 1989, and has been writing about it since 2009. Since 2014, Justin has been a features writer and interviewer for Fighting Spirit Magazine. Justin also writes for History of Wrestling, and is a contributing author to James Dixon's Titan series.
