The perfect goodbye to the legend of Stone Cold Steve Austin, we know now what informed his fragile gait and pained selling. We knew he was broken—we just didn’t know how much. That he rallied to complete a minor classic is a testament to the WWE star packing the biggest set of balls ever in a set of trunks.
Rock mirrored Bret Hart’s Chicago strategy, by focusing his assault on Austin’s battered knees—but performed with a cocksure, a**hole flair all his own by wearing Austin’s trademark waistcoat, in what was a neat callback to ‘Mania X-Seven. There, he stole his finish in an attempt to put him away. Here, he stole his gear just to piss him off.
Great character work that compensated for the diminished electricity, Rock here earned his belated win—and Austin earned his legacy of pure fortitude.
