100 Greatest WWE Matches Of All Time (Ranked)
32. Steve Austin vs. Triple H (No Way Out 2001)
There have only been a handful of 'Three Stages Of Hell' matches in WWE history. Ones following on from this? Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels in 2002, Randy Orton vs. Trips in 2009, John Cena vs. Ryback in 2013 and Johnny Gargano vs. Adam Cole in 2019. The exhausting '3 in 1' match type hasn't been a popular choice over the decades, perhaps because not many fancy tackling it.
Triple H has worked a trio of them in his time, but the best was the first. He and mortal enemy Steve Austin clashed at No Way Out 2001 in a standard wrestling match, a 'Street Fight' and inside a steel cage. It was hyper-charged nightmare fuel for any fans with weak stomachs, because blood was hardly in short supply for Hunter and 'Stone Cold' in February '01. It's a wonder they had any left to power through matches at WrestleMania X-Seven!
Seriously though, what a battle. Some might suggest it'd mean more historically had the pair not become 'Two Man Power Trip' partners following Austin's unpredictable heel turn at 'Mania a few months later, but the bout is still some watch in isolation. It was inarguably also Steve's best match since returning from a serious neck injury the prior October.
That period between the 2001 Royal Rumble and 'Mania X-Seven remains some of the best week-by-week content WWE ever produced for its fanbase. The roster was on fire, and top liners like 'The Game' and Austin were thundering through some gritty, intense matches like they were second nature.
Must see. The best 'Three Stages'...yet.