10 Wrestling Sequels That Were Even Better Than The Originals
7. The Rock Vs Stone Cold Steve Austin (WrestleMania 17)
Their WrestleMania 15 clash was a brawl emblematic of the time, and their WrestleMania 19 match was a gentle farewell to their rivalry, but the WrestleMania 17 WWE Title headliner between The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin remains one of the finest matches the company has ever produced.
Building off their prior encounter (as well as Austin's wars with Bret Hart), the match was a fitting climax to WWE's best ever pay-per-view, with both men clearly desperate enough to do just about anything to win.
Taking liberal advantage of a No Disqualification rule added late (as yet another foreshadowing of Austin's heel turn), the two brawled on the arena floor and traded shots with the ring bell, bloodying each other in the process.
What then followed was an exercise in artistry, as the pair recreated Austin's famous WrestleMania battle with Bret Hart (more on that later), as well as drawing a heart-stopping nearfall in escaping Austin's Million Dollar Dream as the 'Hitman' had done at 1996's Survivor Series pay-per-view.
Austin's unrelenting pulverisation of 'The Great One' with a steel chair brought to an end four years of 'The Rattlesnake' hearing cheers for his act. Aligned with the evil Vince McMahon, the two took turns hammering The Rock until he was physically incapable of kicking out.