6-time WWE Champion was much better than Hulk Hogan for one major reason, claims veteran (Exclusive)

Modified Apr 12, 2025 07:41 GMT

Hulk Hogan waves the American flag at a WWE event (Image via WWE.com).

Hulk Hogan may be one of the biggest names in pro wrestling, but he still isn't better than a six-time WWE Champion, according to Dutch Mantell. The star in question is none other than Stone Cold Steve Austin.

During a recent episode of BroDown on Sportskeeda WrestleBinge, Vince Russo asked Dutch Mantell to explain why he thought Steve Austin was better than Hulk Hogan despite the Hulkster being the top draw during WWE's Golden Era.

"Stone Cold blows Hulk Hogan's boat out of the water. I mean, he could do all kind of stuff; had a great interview. Hogan was over. But let's go back and let's set the frame here. Hogan was the star, period. But when Stone Cold came along, they had some other stars. They had Bret Hart, and they had Shawn Michaels, and he fought through that and got to the spot. And Undertaker, he fought through the spot, and he got it. I'm gonna have to put Stone Cold over." [From 26:58 onwards]

Stone Cold Steve Austin recently confirmed his next WWE appearance. The Texas Rattlesnake hasn't appeared on television for quite some time. He'll attend the 2025 Hall of Fame ceremony in Las Vegas during the WrestleMania week.

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About the author

Manik Aftab writes Exclusive articles for Sportskeeda Wrestling’s WWE division. A BA (Hons) in English Literature helped him improve his writing skills before starting his career as a pro wrestling writer.

Before joining Sportskeeda, Aftab worked for Ringside News and The Sportster, where his wrestling articles and feature pieces consistently ranked on the first page of Google SERPs.

He prioritizes accuracy, relevance, and ethics in his reporting by conducting thorough research, verifying sources, and adhering to professional journalistic standards.

While Aftab’s favorite wrestler in AEW is Hangman Adam Page, he doesn’t have a favorite in WWE yet. However, he considers Stone Cold Steve Austin to be the greatest professional wrestler of all time. His earliest memory of watching pro wrestling was when The Rock faced The New Age Outlaws in a handicap match, but it was the John Cena vs. Edge match from Unforgiven 2006 that got him hooked. If given the chance to manage a star from the Attitude Era, he would choose The British Bulldog, as he believes Davey Boy Smith was a terrific worker and could've benefitted from having a mouthpiece for his lack of mic skills.

When not watching pro wrestling, Aftab enjoys reading science fiction and watching anime.

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Edited by Angana Roy