20 Incredible WWE Ruthless Aggression Era Moments Nobody Ever Talks About
7. 'Stone Cold' Refs 'The Animal' Vs. 'The Deadman'
Easily the most memorable/infamous match this special guest 'Bionic Redneck' found himself in the middle of during the period that followed John Cena screaming "Ruthless Aggression" at a bald Olympian went down at WrestleMania XX, of course.
But while that contest was hijacked by a crowd who had zero interest in cheering on the monsters heading for the WWE exit door, there was actually another occasion when Austin ended up reffing another somewhat incredible clash of the titans.
Going down on the 2007 edition of Cyber Sunday - the long-since-dead event which handed the power over to the few giddy folks who bothered to tune in at home - 'Stone Cold' ended up being chosen as the special ref for the latest chapter in Batista and Undertaker's modern classic of a rivalry.
And there's an argument to be made for this often-overlooked World Heavyweight Championship showdown being the best of the two SmackDown megastars' many battles that year.
After Austin had already stunned fellow refereeing options JBL and Mick Foley out of the building, a 'Taker and 'Animal' at the top of their games proceeded to brutally knock lumps out of one another for 17 minutes.
Those in attendance sunk their teeth into a collection of epic near-falls, with Batista's kicking out of The Last Ride and 'The Phenom's surviving of the first Batista Bomb causing 10,000 fans to sound like 100,000.
Not even 'The Deadman' could survive a second explosive powerbomb, though, as Austin enjoyed a relatively stress-free but still unquestionably thrilling day at the office, earning himself a front-row seat to an under-appreciated Ruthless Aggression hit.
- GM