Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock had one of the greatest feuds in WWE history. However, they feuded multiple times on and off in a six-year period with both men vying to be at the top of the tree. The feud between Steve Austin and The Rock became one of the most iconic feuds in the history of professional wrestling.RELATED: The Rock vs. Steve Austin: 10 Things Most Fans Don't Realize About Their RivalryBoth were the marquee stars of the Attitude Era, and they took WWE to the next level in their feud. However, Austin has generally got the better of The Rock in their encounters when the WWE Championship was involved. Moreover, both have traded roles with one as a babyface, and one as a heel. Both adapted to the situation, and both are among the greatest talkers on the mic.Austin and The Rock had some legendary matches and their rivalry is always talked about among fans as one of the all-time great feuds. They knocked it out of the park in some exceptional matches, but some of their feuds were better than others.
5 1997
The first major feud between Steve Austin and The Rock was over the Intercontinental Championship. The Texas Rattlesnake recaptured the Intercontinental Championship from Owen Hart at the 1997 Survivor Series. Moreover, The Rock and Austin faced off on pay-per-view for the first time at D-Generation X: In Your House. Before the bell sounded, Austin made a grand entrance by coming down to the ring in a truck, and he took out The Nation one by one.
Austin received a huge pop, and his match with The Rock was abrupt. The match only lasted five minutes with Austin retaining the Intercontinental Championship. However, 24 hours later on Raw, Austin forfeited the Intercontinental Championship to The Rock. It was a taster of things to come as the pair were going to be certified main-eventers by 1998. This was evident as they were the final two participants in the 1998 Royal Rumble match with Austin winning his second straight Rumble at The Rock's expense.
4 2003
Two of the biggest stars in WWE history made their return to the company in February 2003. The Rock turned heel once again as he felt betrayed by the fans with the hostile reception he got at SummerSlam 2002 when he was seeking greener pastures in Hollywood. Nonetheless, both were victorious at No Way Out with The Rock beating Hulk Hogan and Steve Austin overcoming Eric Bischoff. However, there was one thing The Rock hadn't achieved, and that was registering a win over his old foe at WrestleMania.
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The seeds were planted, and their match for WrestleMania 19 was set. On the road to WrestleMania, Austin caused The Rock to suffer an upset defeat to The Hurricane on an episode of Raw. They went back and forth with both gaining the upper hand before their match. This time, to complete the trilogy, there was no WWE Championship on the line and no main event. They produced another instant classic, and unbeknownst to many, it was Austin's final match in a WWE ring. Three Rock Bottoms were enough for The Rock to send Austin into retirement, and he got the win he so badly craved to close the book on a legendary feud.
3 The Alliance Feud
The Rock returned to WWE in July 2001 after a three-month hiatus as he went away to film The Scorpion King. The Alliance's Shane McMahon and his sister Stephanie attempted to recruit The Rock to join their faction. However, their plans were thwarted when The Rock remained with WWE. The Rock feuded with Booker T over the WCW Championship while Austin was in a rivalry with Kurt Angle over the WWE Championship.
Once their respective feuds were done, The Rock and Austin were at each other once again. They faced off in a marquee WWE Championship match at the UK exclusive pay-per-view Rebellion in November 2001. It's a match that isn't spoken about oftenm but it was a fantastic match. Once again, Austin retained the WWE Championship. Ultimately, they were team captains of their respective teams at Survivor Series 2001 with The Rock, now the WCW Champion. The Rock and Austin were the final two participants, and they had brilliant exchanges. The People's Champion got the win for Team WWE, putting The Alliance out of business as he sealed the deal with a Rock Bottom on Austin.
2 1999
At the 1998 Survivor Series, The Rock turned heel by joining The Corporation, and he beat Mankind for his first WWE Championship in the tournament final. The Rock and Mankind had a filler feud as it was clear that The Rock and Steve Austin would lock horns for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 15. Moreover, on the January 4, 1999, edition of Raw, Austin clocked The Rock with a steel chair and aided Mankind in unseating The Rock for the WWE Championship.
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The Rock gained his revenge as he cost Steve Austin the chance of winning the 1999Royal Rumble match by distracting him with Mr. McMahon dumping him over the top rope. Nevertheless, the WrestleMania 15 main event was cemented. Austin beat McMahon in a Steel Cage match at St. Valentine's Day Massacre: In Your House for the title shot while The Rock recaptured the WWE Championship from Mankind in a Ladder match on the following night on Raw, making their match official. The two heavy-hitters had a remarkable title bout with two of the all-time greats slugging it out. Austin went on to recapture the WWE Championship. A month later, they topped that bout at Backlash with Shane McMahon as the special guest referee. Austin retained the WWE Championship, which brought an end to the feud, as The Rock went on to turn face and leaveThe Corporation.
1 2001 WrestleMania 17 Feud
At the 2001 Royal Rumble, Steve Austin won a record third Royal Rumble match in five years, and he cemented his spot in the main event for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 17. However, Kurt Angle was the reigning WWE Champion, and he defended his title against The Rock at No Way Out. Angle and The Rock had a magnificent match, but it was The Rock who emerged victorious by regaining the WWE Championship from Angle.
Alas, The Rock and Austin were once again the main act with the WWE Championship involved at WrestleMania 17. This time both men were babyfaces in the latest installment of their rivalry. The video package was out of this world with Limp Bizkit's "My Way" fitting perfectly. The match was excellent, and Austin had his home state's fans backing him as WrestleMania took place in Houston, Texas.
There were several near falls, but the ending was shocking. Mr. McMahon made his way down to ringside, and the unthinkable happened when Austin and McMahon were on the same page. The Chairman handed Austin a steel chair, and Austin savagely assaulted The Rock with it. Austin won the WWE Championship for the fifth time with Austin and McMahon shaking hands and cementing his heel turn. The next night, Austin and The Rock had a Steel Cage match for the WWE Championship. This time, Triple H interfered, and he aligned himself with Austin. They brutalized The Rock who took time away to begin filming a movie.
