The Attitude Era produced some of the most compelling and intense rivalries in the world of pro wrestling during the nineties. While Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels paved the way for the boom period, superstars like Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H, and others led the industry to greater heights. The three stars in particular had unbelievable chemistry inside the ring and kept fans glued to their screens.
Many fans consider The Rattlesnake to be The Rock’s greatest opponent. That being said, The Great One’s feud with The Game is noted for creating one of the most profitable years for WWE in the business. Their rivalry was the highlight of the year 2000, and allowed fans of this beloved sport to witness some of the most spectacular, and oftentimes brutal, moments on television. Let’s make a case for who out of Austin and Triple H is The Rock’s greatest rival.
6 Steve Austin: Gave The Rock His First WrestleMania Main Event
The Rock squared off against a number of legendary opponents during his illustrious career, but no one managed to bring out the best in The Great One the way Steve Austin did. The Texas Rattlesnake also gave The People’s Champion his first WrestleMania main event in 1999.
Fans were stunned when Vince McMahon won the Royal Rumble in 1999. The tides were turned, thanks to then-Commissioner Shawn Michaels, who ensured Vince didn't get the main event spot. Through Attitude Era shenanigans, that spot went to the Brahma Bull. Fans finally got The Rock versus Stone Cold in the main event of WrestleMania 15, and it undoubtedly delivered.
5 Triple H: Gave The Rock His First Singles Title Win In WWE
For those who aren’t aware, Triple H and The Rock didn’t get along when The Great One first started in WWE. The two, however, remained professional and that led to some great verbal exchanges and matches between the two. The Game also gave The Rock his first singles title win in WWE.
The Rock, then known as Rocky Maivia, squared off against Triple H (who was going by his Blueblood gimmick at the time) during a special Thursday broadcast of Raw on February 13, 1997. Hemsley was about to hit The Pedigree, but Maivia countered with a roll up to win the Intercontinental Title.
4 Steve Austin: Wrestled The Rock In Four Different Phases Of His Career
The Rock wrestled Steve Austin during four different phases of his career, and three of the four phases culminated in a WrestleMania match between the two legends of the business. Their rivalry began when The Rock was still a part of The Nation of Domination. Steve Austin even relinquished the Intercontinental Championship to The Rock.
The next part of legendary rivalry saw the two fight for the WWE Championship. The Rock had associated himself with The Corporation by this time and was the top heel. He would go on to lose the title to Austin at WrestleMania 15 in March 1999. He would lose the rematch at Backlash the very next month as well. Unfortunately, a series of neck problems forced Austin to take an injury break for nearly a year and the two wouldn’t meet again until the latter half of 2000. By the time the year 2001 arrived, their in-ring career had taken on a different course. Rocky was The People’s Champion and Austin had started to display signs of violent aggression. The Rattlesnake completely turned heel and aligned himself with Vince McMahon at WrestleMania 17 in 2001. Austin also retained his title the very next night on Raw in a brutal Steel Cage match, and formed The Two-Man Power Trip with Triple H in the process.
The Rock and Steve Austin met for the final time at WrestleMania 19 in March 2003. The Great One had adopted the heelish ‘Hollywood Rock’ persona and finally managed to pin his longtime rival after three vicious Rock Bottoms. It was truly the end of a legendary feud that is partly responsible for the collective success of the business.
3 Triple H: Stepped Up After Steve Austin’s Injury
As mentioned earlier, Austin was written off from WWE in 1999 to have his neck surgically repaired. The Rock’s popularity skyrocketed during that time and The Great One reignited his rivalry with longtime foe Triple H. The two feuded over the WWE Championship for months before The Rock moved on to his feud with Kurt Angle.
The two superstars main evented numerous pay-per-view events from 1999 to 2000 and helped carried the company to greater heights, all the while crushing WCW in TV ratings. WWE saw great success during said period and accumulated 824,000 buys for the annual WrestleMania event that year. Vince McMahon capitalized on the success by bringing his entire family into the feud as well.
2 Steve Austin: Ended His Career Against The Rock (Until WrestleMania 38)
Many fans agree that The Rock versus Steve Austin was the perfect sendoff for The Rattlesnake who, by the time WrestleMania 19 arrived, could no longer work the way he used to due to his neck issues. Austin had his farewell match inside the T-Mobile Park on March 30, 2003, and received a nod from The Great One, who pushed referee Earl Hebner to the side to whisper thank you in his ears.
Stone Cold returned on April 2, 2022, to main event WrestleMania 38 against Kevin Owens. The two squared off in a highly entertaining No Holds Barred Match that saw The Rattlesnake emerge victorious against KO, who protected Austin throughout the match. Austin might not have competed in years, but he showed no signs of ring rust that night at the AT&T Stadium.
1 Triple H: Has Unfinished Business With The Rock
While The Rock and Steve Austin bid adieu to each other at WrestleMania 19, The Great One never really got the opportunity to put his heated feud with Triple H to rest. As Triple H revealed on Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast, the two were supposed to have a one-on-one match at WrestleMania 2000. The Game said it was his only regret that the two never got to settle their differences at a 'Mania.
Their final televised match took place on the August 19, 2002, episode of Raw and that too didn’t reach a definitive conclusion because of Brock Lesnar and Shawn Michaels’ interference. There were plans for The Great One to team up with Ronda Rousey against Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, but that didn’t happen as well. Fans will never get to see this feud conclude, and that feeling of unfinished business gives their entire story an edge.
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