10 Most Fascinating Stories In WrestleMania History
5. The Rock Vs. Austin Trilogy
So much changed over the course of just four years.
At WrestleMania XV, the Rock Vs. Austin dynamic was as vital as it was incredible. In one corner stood the biggest babyface star in the history of the company, just one awesome year of outrageously fresh TV removed from his formal coronation. In the other stood a mega-heel so audaciously entertaining that he never stayed a heel for long. Hell, Rock drew the most booming jeers ever heard in a WWE ring in 2003, and you still pissed yourself popping.
Two years later, that dynamic warped into a near-full subversion. Austin's act felt a bit tired; Rock was on fire as the undisputed top star. Their crazed, super-heated, blood-soaked brawl was so effective because their in-ring struggle mirrored the sentiment in the stadium. In terms of both the narrative and the reception to it, Rock and Austin were inseparable. This was so true, in fact, that all pitches to separate the two flirted with disaster. The most audacious and yet somehow sensible pitch, the Austin heel turn, resulted in the bursting of the bubble.
Their last meeting, at WrestleMania XIX, brought into focus their impact. By this time, the bubble had burst to an extent that was embarrassing. The show drew just 560,000 buys. It was a stage Rock had outgrown, and a stage Austin could barely perform on.
And yet, on the night, the megastars didn't just ascend to legendary status; in stark, incredible contrast to the draws they succeeded, they became the most professional of legends in wrestling's ego-fuelled history.