How Good Was 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin Actually?
Rivalries
Not to come across like the worst bad faith actors, but - and this is becoming a real issue - anybody can work a great match. A true all-time great is only as great as the stories they tell.
Austin’s record, again, is seminal. He is renowned for several great in-ring programmes, and was the protagonist in what many insist is the greatest, or most entertaining, episodic TV rivalry of all-time.
In the ring, his 1994 series with Ricky Steamboat fully established him as a future legend; the brash upstart learning lessons against the upstanding technical doyen was fabulous, a basic premise grappled with such thought and elegance that it will continue to be comfort wrestling several decades from now. His textured, violent, landscape-shifting war with Bret Hart was the absolute zenith of animosity. The layers in those matches, the sophisticated narrative and plotting, may be as close as U.S. pro wrestling has come to perfecting the “show, don’t tell” storytelling maxim. The Rock Vs. Steve Austin rivalry was a sensational feud that spanned and defined the Attitude Era. It was incredible. Initially, it was big, bombastic TV, in which the Rock attempted to drown Austin before holding a mock funeral for him. The rivalry then evolved into a sporting tenor, as the egos, pride and ambition of each megastar collided in a masterclass of parity and tension. Together, they wrestled one of the biggest and best matches of all-time, at WrestleMania X-Seven.
Austin’s weekly exploits with Mr. McMahon have not aged well. Watching Vince show ass in 2025 is not fun anymore, since he deserves a far worse and very real fate. At the time, though, it was deliriously entertaining. The awesome juxtaposition of Austin’s “gotcha” cackle and Vince’s red-faced conniption fits; Vince’s smug grin as an enraged Austin was led away in cuffs, fuelling the desire for his customary return to the arena at the close of the show; the delightful noise that bedpan made: Austin Vs. McMahon was the most cathartic, entertaining wrestling bullsh*t ever.