5 reasons why there will never be another Rock

#2 The rival of a lifetime

Stone Cold Steve Austin was an incredible rival for The Rock

For as much of a star as Hulk Hogan was, it’s doubtful he ever would have gotten over to such epic proportions without Roddy Piper to play off of as a loud-mouthed heel, Andre the Giant to topple as a true monster heel, Randy Savage to gift him the best matches of his career, or Sting to play the silent avenger to his heelish bombast.

The Rock only spent about six years as a full-time professional wrestler, which is an incredibly short span relative to wrestlers of comparable stature. And while he had excellent rivalries with Triple H, Kurt Angle, and others, there’s one feud that stands the test of time to have defined Rock’s career.

The Rock first battled Stone Cold Steve Austin with the Intercontinental Championship at stake. They’d later revisit their issue in the main event of WrestleMania 15 for the world championship. At the time, Austin was the much bigger star and presumptive victor.

Little could we know that they were just gearing up for WrestleMania 17 when the two would legitimately be two of the top five biggest stars in wrestling history, and rapidly approaching equal footing. Little could we know that they’d end their rivalry two years later at WrestleMania 19 in an Attitude Era throwback that wound up being Austin’s last match.

Yes, between his talents and his work ethic, The Rock was destined for greatness. Austin was his perfect, foil, though, in both personality and in terms of generating in-ring chemistry in their epic matches. He helped catapult The Rock from one of the best of his generation to all-time greatness.