WWE History: 8 superstars Vince McMahon apparently couldn't control

#5 Steve Austin

By the end of the Attitude Era, Austin had become the biggest star in all of wrestling, alongside The Rock. In the process, he had gained some serious perks.

Austin was set to face Hogan at WWE WrestleMania 18, in a dream match for the ages. The Rattlesnake refused to wrestle Hogan and the match was changed to The Rock vs Hulk Hogan. Vince ended up pitting Austin against NWO's Scott Hall, with Hall winning via some questionable means.

Austin again refused, stating that losing to Hall at WrestleMania would hamper his credibility as a main event star. Vince had no choice but to cater to Austin and he ended up winning the match.

Months later, Austin refused to lose to newcomer Brock Lesnar in a match on WWE RAW. He didn't want to face The Beast in a throwaway match on the monday night show. Austin was let go immediately, but returned in time to face The Rock in his final match at WrestleMania 19.

The reason Austin refused to face Hogan was because the latter had done the same during Austin's WCW days.

Also read: 3 reasons why Becky is being compared to Austin

About the author

Abhilash Mendhe is a pro wrestling journalist at Sportskeeda with nearly five years of experience. He completed his MBA from the Symbiosis Institute of Telecom Management in 2016 and worked with multiple banking institutions, including Tech Mahindra. While he started writing WWE articles for Sportskeeda in 2019 as a hobby, it eventually became a significant part of his professional journey.

Abhilash checks his articles thrice before sending them to the editing team, ensuring his work is highly accurate and reliable.

He has interviewed prominent pro wrestling personalities like Noam Dar, Angry Miz Girl, Brendan Cobbina, and Jesse Lambert. Abhilash is a big fan of AEW star Orange Cassidy, as he believes the former International Champion’s on-screen gimmick of an extremely lazy guy resonates with him.

Given the opportunity to script WWE’s next big storyline, Abhilash would treat fans to the second installment of The Bloodline Civil War. He would book Roman Reigns to re-form The Bloodline with The Usos and Sami Zayn upon his comeback. The angle would see The Tribal Chief-led group go head-to-head with The Rock, Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, and Jacob Fatu in a blockbuster family feud.

When not reporting on pro wrestling, Abhilash likes to work out, go on walks, read, and explore new eateries.

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Edited by Anthony Akatugba Jr.