Stone Cold Steve Austin's 5 Greatest Matches

#2 Stone Cold vs. The Rock (WrestleMania 17)

The Rock and Steve Austin are two of the greatest of all time

Two of the biggest stars in pro-wrestling history, The Rock and Steve Austin faced off at the grandest stage of them all on three different occasions. And it was their encounter at Wrestlemania 17 that was clearly the best of the three.

Going into Wrestlemania, both the men were white hot babyfaces and the general consensus was that The Rock would be turning heel at Wrestlemania. So when it was Austin that turned to the dark side after he allied with his long time rival, Mr. McMahon, the people were well and truly shocked.

While most fans do not agree with the WWE's decision to turn Austin heel at the height of his popularity, that assessment makes more sense now than it did back then. One of the two men did have to turn heel that night and Austin had already been the top babyface of the company for four years by then.

The Rock on the other hand was as popular as Austin and had youth over the aging Austin. It did make sense for the WWE to make The Rock the next face of their company seeing that Austin's body was quickly breaking down and he would not around after a few years.

Whether you agree with ending or not, it does not change the fact that the match they had leading to it was easily one of the greatest main events in Wrestlemania history. The two men left it all in the ring and crafted a masterpiece in the process.

It was edge of the seat entertainment from beginning to end--and when Austin shook hands with the man that he had been feuding with for the past three years, it truly one of the most shocking moments in wrestling history.

This match marked the end of the Attitude Era. The biggest boom period in wrestling which began with Austin's face turn at Wrestlemania 13 and came to an end with his heel turn four years later. This period is widely regarded as the most successful period in the history of the business and will probably never be replicated.