10 Wrestling Matches With Backstories You’ll NEVER Believe

2. Steve Austin Vs. The Rock

Brock Lesnar Kurt Angle Overdose
WWE.com

When: WWE WrestleMania XIX

What Happened: 'Mania XIX was Steve Austin's last wrestling match for 19 years, but the day before that mega-event was almost the final day of his entire life. Camped out in his hotel suite, 'Stone Cold' gripped his chest and thought he was having a heart attack as he shouted for help.

Austin had been training hard for the third of his series vs. The Rock, and was doubling up on coffee with loads of energy drinks for weeks beforehand. In hospital, doctors told him he'd collapsed due to a combination of exhaustion, dehydration and anxiety. Looking back, it's remarkable that docs let him wrestle at all.

The match wasn't a patch on previous efforts between the pair, but it was still top notch and memorable. That's incredible considering Steve figured he might be dying the night before. He traded a hospital bed for a wrestling ring in front of 50,000+.

Wow.

Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.