10 WWE Stars Who Fought Through The Pain Barrier

6. Steve Austin Vs. The Rock - WWE WrestleMania XIX

Triple H quad 2007
WWE.com

WrestleMania XIX was cursed, seemingly.

Austin was in such dire straights before his match with The Rock, following which his years-long rival touchingly professed his love to him, that he suffered a serious anxiety attack beforehand. Jim Ross, who picked up the distress call, subsequently revealed that his abnormal heart rate was at near arresting levels, and that his clonus was working up to such an extent that he was practically jumping off the ground.

This was brought on by his worry that he was going to 'stink up the joint' - Austin had thought that his decimated neck and knees wouldn't allow him to work to the standards he had set himself and those around him. Happily, this wasn't the case. Not only did he fight through the pain barrier, he entered an unbelievably gritty performance worthy of the two classics they'd previously contested at the Show of Shows.

Even more impressive than Austin's guts was his insistence on not announcing ahead of time that this would be his last match. He sacrificed what would have been an unbelievably emotional and historic moment, according to his appearance on Jim Ross' Ross Report podcast, because he felt it would have adversely affected WWE's popularity if his exit was perceived to be the end of an era.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!