8 Times Stone Cold Steve Austin Lost Clean

3. Vs. Triple H (No Way Out 2001)

Three Stages of Hell - No Way Out 2001
WWE.com

If Stone Cold did have issues losing to Triple H in 1999, by 2001 those issues clearly had dispersed. This was another result few saw coming. Austin had returned from a long lay-off with a neck injury in September 2000 to win the 2001 Royal Rumble and was set for his mega-match with The Rock at WrestleMania X-Seven. In-between, WWE concluded the long-running Austin vs. Triple H saga with a tremendous Three Stages of Hell match at No Way Out, picked by the majority as 2001's match of the year.

As Austin was preparing to face The Rock in 'Mania's main event, most expected Austin to go over here, which was why it was so surprising that Triple H not only beat Austin clean but twice during the same match. Perhaps WWE had the later heel turn of Austin in mind or maybe they wished to swerve everyone. Either way, it was one clean job few were bold enough to predict.

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Betting on being a brilliant brother to Bodhi since 2008 (-1 Asian Handicap). Find me @LiamJJohnson on Twitter where you might find some wonderful pearls of wisdom in a stout cocktail of profanity, football discussion and general musings. Or you might not. Depends how red my eyes are.