The Attitude Era saw its fair share of memorable moments and feuds that would last forever in the minds of wrestling fans all across the globe, but one particularly rivalry stood out above everything else, producing absolute magic on a night in, night out basis. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Vince McMahon basically stumbled into a feud together, fresh off of McMahon going from the commentary booth to being a full-fledged on-screen character after his participation in the Montreal Screwjob. It was only natural to pit the hottest heel in the business against the fastest rising fan favorite in the business, even if that fan favorite was supposed to be a heel, as well. What followed was a natural, organic rivalry that spanned multiple years, saw several twists and turns, pushed other stars to the top, and tied in to other rivalries that were legendary, as well. There will never be anything like it for as long as wrestling exists, no matter how many times promoters try to recapture that magic. What were the greatest moments of WWF's greatest rivalry ever? From the very first Stone Cold Stunner to the final shared beer at WrestleMania 17, and everything in between, here are my choices for the top ten singular moments in the legendary Austin VS McMahon feud.
10. Austin Takes His Ball And Goes Home
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYalyyW1XQs Starting things off, I'm looking at an event that had nothing to do with kayfabe and storylines. In 2002, while wrestling fans were getting ready to tune in and watch yet another episode of Monday Night Raw when news came out that Austin had, for lack of a better term, taken his ball and went home. The story goes that Austin was told about the company's desire to have him lose a match on Raw to then-rookie Brock Lesnar. Austin, upset with the idea that a rookie would beat him in a match with absolutely zero build (it wasn't announced beforehand, and would be made on television earlier in the same show), decided to just leave. He literally went home. His good friend, Jim Ross, tried to contact him repeatedly, but it was for naught. Austin had walked out on the company that had made him, arguably, the biggest star in the history of the wrestling business. That night, Austin was "buried" on television by both JR and Vince McMahon. Both men seemed more hurt than angry, but Vince seemed especially hurt, almost as if he was witnessing his son betray him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKMT2zHdmbw He was gone for a few months, but it was just about the end of his in-ring time. Upon his return, he had two "matches" with Eric Bischoff, and then worked against The Rock at WrestleMania 19 to officially close out his career. Who knows what he could have done in the second-half of 2002 if he had stayed?
Columnist/Podcaster/Director at LordsOfPain.net for nearly seven years, with nearly 2000 total columns written. Interviewed and/or involved in interviewing the likes of Tyler Black/Seth Rollins (twice), Diamond Dallas Page, Jimmy Jacobs, Christopher Daniels, Uhaa Nation and more.
