10 Times WWE Repeated History

6. No More, No Less, It's The Magic Number

Becky Lynch Asuka
WWE.com

Stone Cold Steve Austin's epic-feeling 2001 "Desire" video found 'The Rattlesnake' in contemplative mood about how much of a career he could still have on what was very clearly borrowed time.

He made it apparent that when he couldn't quickly get back up, he'd stop falling down, and that he never wanted to be the guy slipping into opening match obscurity after years going on last. This couldn't be any more obvious watching his WrestleMania XIX exit, even if the company and the man himself weren't explicit about it in 2003.

That the match was against The Rock ensured the bittersweet moment would have lashings of the latter. It had surely been the happiest of accidents that the pair had gone to war at WrestleMania once every two years for six of the business' best ever, but 'The Great One' was precisely the right man for Austin to look at the lights for on his way out. He owed him more than one, and it paid nice tribute to The Rock's own incredible rise from the man Austin wouldn't (and couldn't) lose to when they'd first feuded in 1997.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett