Stone Cold Steve Austin was the top draw of WWE for a major portion of the Attitude Era. Despite having such an impressive run in the WWE, Austin did not always have fond memories about WrestleMania.Austin only competed seven times at the granddaddy of them all, and even though he won five of those matches, The Texas Rattlesnake failed to leave a mark on WrestleMania compared to his achievements elsewhere.As another WrestleMania season stares at us, we are bound to miss the presence of Austin in between the ropes. So for the purpose of remembering why we miss him so much, here is a look at the best WrestleMania matches of Steve Austin.
#5 Steve Austin vs. The Rock (WrestleMania XV)
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From the seven matches that Austin had at WrestleMania, three came against Rock so don’t be surprised if you see the Brahma bull again on the list. The first encounter from the three mentioned matches happened at WrestleMania XV.
The buildup for the match saw Vince McMahon win Royal Rumble and then losing out to Austin later inside a steel cage. The win over Vince in turn gave Austin a title shot at Mania and the date with Rock was set.
Both superstars locked horns in the main event of WrestleMania for the WWE Championship in a no-disqualification match. After nearly twenty minutes of hard fought action, Austin came out on top in the WrestleMania bout and went home with his third WWE Championship.
#4 Steve Austin vs. The Rock (WrestleMania XIX)
Rock and Steve Austin had a six months hiatus from the WWE back in 2003 and when they made their return, WWE was eager to have both men face off at WrestleMania. Rock claimed that he had done everything in WWE except beating Austin at Mania and challenged the rattle snake into a match.
Austin came out a week later and accepted Rock’s challenge and the match was on. Rock played the heel part through the angle and was willing to back down from the match since he was afraid. Austin on the other hand played his usual Anti – Authority gimmick.
As far as the match is concerned, it was not a spectacular outing on wrestling ground but emotionally it was solid. Rock defeated Austin in the end and found the missing puzzle of his legacy.
#3 Steve Austin vs. The Rock (WrestleMania X-Seven)
The showdown between Austin and Rock at WrestleMania X-Seven is arguably the best match between the two. They were fighting it out for the WWE Championship in front of a record setting 67,952 fans and Vince McMahon was there to add more drama to the match.
And since the match had no particular stipulations, interference from McMahon was more than expected. The baby face Steve Austin was expected to be in the receiving side of McMahon but in a moment that shocked the world, Austin turned heel.
McMahon laid out Rock with a steel chair shot and Austin capitalized on the opportunity by pinning Rock. After the match, Austin shook hands with Vince and it turned out to be a historic WrestleMania moment.
#2 Steve Austin vs. Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania XIV)
This match might be remembered mostly for the involvement of boxing legend Mike Tyson but it was something much bigger. The buildup started when Steve Austin won the 1998 Royal Rumble.
On the night that followed, Vince announced the appearance of Mike Tyson for Mania and Austin being the anti –hero he is, flipped the finger at Tyson. The incident gathered a lot of heat from the mainstream press and everyone stood up and took notice of WrestleMania.
Shawn Michaels was the champion back then and when he managed to pull Tyson into his DX army, things got more interesting. However once the match progressed at Mania, Tyson turned on Michaels and gifted Austin the win and the WWE Championship.
#1 Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart (WrestleMania 13)
There have been a few double turns in the history of WWE but this one is hands down the best one. Bret Hart went into the match as the top good guy in the company when Austin was not accepted as a baby face.
It was a submission match with Ken Shamrock as the special guest referee and after twenty minutes of punishment, the historic climax came. Austin was wearing a crimson mask from all the blood he lost and Bret caught him in a sharp shooter.
Austin refused to submit but soon passed out due to the loss of blood. Shamrock soon announced Hart as the winner but Hart was not willing to break the hold. The fans soon started jeering Hart for his unprofessional behavior and cheered for Austin. The double turn happened perfectly and the match went down in history books as possibly Austin’s best.
