WrestleMania Rewind: WrestleMania XV - Stone Cold Steve Austin vs The Rock

The wait for the granddaddy of them all, WrestleMania is over. This anticipation for the extravaganza is sky high among fans of the WWE and we take a look back at the best WrestleMania matches with this latest series.This time we are going to take a look at the clash between Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock for the WWF Championship. Considered as one of the greatest rivalries of all time, Austin and Rock faced each other three times at WrestleMania, this one being the first.So here is a look how things turned out:

#1 The Buildup

It all started when Steve Austin won the WWF Championship at WrestleMania XIV. Vince McMahon was not happy at Steve Austin being the representative of the company. So he did everything in his power to dethrone Austin as the champion. He eventually did in a de facto handicap match against The Undertaker and Kane as both pinned Austin at the same time and the WWF Championship was made vacant.

The WWF Championship was vacant until The Rock won it in the ‘Deadly Games’ tournament at Survivor Series. The tournament was manipulated in favour of The Rock, while Austin lost in a match when Shane McMahon, the special guest referee, refused to count the pinfall.

After that, at Royal Rumble while Austin was the first entrant for the match, Commissioner Shawn Michaels placed Vince McMahon as the second entrant. Not only did Mr. McMahon survive, he actually won the Royal Rumble by eliminating Austin with the help of The Rock. McMahon then relinquished his place at WrestleMania so Michaels revealed if the winner is unwilling to fight then the place goes to runners-up which was Austin.

A steel cage match was set up at St. Valentine’s Day Massacre with the stipulation that Austin will be putting his main event match at WrestleMania.

#2 The Match

Before the match began, McMahon came to the ring as special guest referee, but Commissioner Michaels banned McMahon and The Corporation from ringside.

The match began with Austin throwing a punch on The Rock. They brawled outside the ring in the early exchanges and the match continued in the area which housed the crowd where Rock choked Austin with cables. Austin threw Rock on the steel barriers and tried to piledrive him, but the people’s champion countered with the backbody drop onto light support girders. Austin then delivered two elbow drops on Rock and put him through the Spanish announcer’s table.

Austin then tried to hit his opponent with a chair, but The Rock blocked it by pulling the referee in front of him who took the chair shot instead. The Rock then controlled the match with Tim`White now officiating. When Austin kicked out of the Samoan Drop, The Rock took out his frustration on White hitting him with Rock Bottom. Austin retaliated with a Stunner on Rock and Earl Hebner came out to officiate but Rock kicked out at two.

McMahon interfered and distracted Austin and The Rock low-blowed Austin and then knocked Hebner out. Mankind then came out in the referee’s uniform and threw McMahon out of the ring. The Rock tried to hit Austin with the Corporate elbow, but Austin countered with a Stunner, finally securing a pinfall and winning the WWF Championship.

#3 The Fallout

Steve Austin faced The Rock in a rematch at Backlash in which Shane McMahon was the special guest referee. Austin won the match after interference from Vince McMahon. Austin, then, lost the WWF Championship against The Undertaker at Over The Edge. He, later that year, defeated The Undertaker to win his fourth WWF Championship.

Meanwhile, The Rock began a feud with Triple H, The Undertaker and The Corporate Ministry when Shane McMahon betrayed him. He defeated Triple H at Over the Edge, then lost to Undertaker at King of the Ring. Rock then faced McMahon Jr. at SummerSlam and easily defeated Mr. Ass in a ‘Kiss my Ass Match’.

The Rock and Steve Austin faced each other again at the grandest stage of them all at WrestleMania XVII and WrestleMania XIX.