The Rock Vs. Steve Austin | Wrestling Timelines

March 15, 1999 - Another Teaser

The Rock Paul Wight
WWE

Building two WrestleMania matches at once, Austin and Mankind take on the Rock and Paul Wight. The content of almost every WWF match is indistinguishable from the last. Punch, kick, punch, punch, punch, punch, punch. The crowd nonetheless goes absolutely ballistic. They know damn well that the match will get thrown out - it does - but the sustained heat is louder, genuinely, than many WrestleMania main events.

March 22, 1999 - Beer Bath

Austin Beer
WWE.com

On the go-home Raw, Austin interrupts a Corporation promo by driving a Coors Light truck into the arena. The thing is so big that it clips the Titan Tron on the way in - a fitting visual for the barely-contained chaos that the WWF has become. Austin offers the Rock a little pre-match drink, and, just as Rock is about to call him a piece of trash, Austin hoses down the Corporation stable. A drenched Vince McMahon is literally swimming in the stuff.

The arena loses its mind at this instantly iconic scene. If Austin Vs. McMahon is a vicarious fairytale for the downtrodden employee, watching the evil boss peel the booze from his clothes is the ultimate beer after work.

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Contributor
Contributor

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!