10 Wrestling GOATs With ONE Fatal Flaw
2. Steve Austin
GOAT credentials:
While his megastar run was shorter than Hulk Hogan's, Steve Austin outdrew him at his brief, transformative peak. Austin was unbelievably skilled in every single facet of the game. He'd top all-timer lists in the fields of technical wrestling and brawling, and it was the latter stylistic shift with which Austin, preeminent badass, became a legend. He was beyond on the pulse. His fiery brawls all around the arena were perfect for the day, his promos were hilarious, and nobody was better at the skit. It was almost unfair that one of the greatest wrestlers of all-time was such an excessively entertaining TV star with an unshakeable bond with his public.
Fatal flaw:
Insecurity and paranoia.
This manifested more than once during his immortal 1998-99 run. SummerSlam '99 was a dire show not remotely helped by his unwillingness to put Triple H over. He was right - Triple H was some months away from becoming truly great - but Austin's keen instincts had a knock-on effect on the fiction. He ate more than one wrestler alive when he returned in late 2000, at which time his paranoia ruined the mood. He knew that the WWF had survived without him, and his presence collided with the joyful tone of Chris Kreski's product.