Wrestlemania Rewind: Steve Austin vs The Rock at Wrestlemania X-7

The granddaddy of them all, WrestleMania is just about a month away. The anticipation for the extravaganza is sky high among the WWE Universe. And since the pay-per-view is richer than Richie rich when it comes to history, we have decided to take a look back at some of the best WrestleMania matches with this latest series.One of the greatest emotional thrill rides in WWE history happened on April 1 2001. The two biggest stars in the company at the peak of their powers squaring off on the biggest stage. Here we are looking back at the match which is often regarded as one of the greatest Wrestlemania main events of all time, this was the second time The Rock and Stone Cold had squared off for the title at Wrestlemania.

#1 The Build

The build-up to this match was pretty simple. Austin had missed nearly a year due to neck surgery. During his time away, The Rock had become the biggest star in the company, the whole story heading in here is Austin’s obsession and desperation to become champion. Ever since he was taken out in 1999, Austin has been away from his belt and he was starting to crack. Many factors played a part in making this match an instant classic from the build up to the shocking finish. The Rock had beaten Kurt Angle for the WWF title at The Royal Rumble, in the same night Austin, on the comeback from almost a year absence, went on to win the Royal Rumble match to secure his title match on the grandest stage of them all that just so happened to be taking place in Austins hometown of Houston, Texas. In the months between the Rumble and Mania, the situation started to heat up between the Brahma Bull and the Rattlesnake, both of whom were currently fan favourites at the time and would often find themselves in the same side. The Rock on one side, desperate to hold onto his championship and Austin on the other side, desperate to reassert his dominance and take back his place at the top of the roster by becoming the champion once more.

#2 The Match

The Houston Astrodome exploded when their hometown hero Stone Cold Steve Austin made his way to the ring. Both were firm fan favourites at this point but The Rock received much less of a reaction from this hometown crowd out to support one of their own. The match begins very physically as the two exchange blows, Austin showing more aggression than you would usually see from him trying to get a quick win over The Rock. The action quickly spills to the outside and it isn’t long until The Rock is busted open following an assault with the ring bell. The commentators are doing a great job of highlighting the aggression shown by Austin, depicting it as the last acts of a desperate man. Heyman points out that Stone Cold is a hero to the crowd along with his number one fan, Jim Ross. All the while the two keep pushing the fact that this match is no disqualification and no one know who made the stipulation or why. The Rock comes back on the offensive, hitting Austin with an exposed turnbuckle and the ring bell, now both men are bleeding profusely. Both men year hitting each others finishers and many near falls keep the crowd on their feet, glued to the action in the ring. The two men trade submissions with the Rock putting on the Sharpshooter to a bloodied Austin desperately trying to get to the ropes in a scene reminiscent of the classic match Austin had with Bret the hitman Hart at Wrestlemania 13. Austin returns with a couple of sharpshooters of his own and even bringing the Million Dollar Dream into his arsenal from his days as the Ringmaster, further showing how desperate he is to win this match. Suddenly Vince McMahon, fresh from a beating at the hands of his son Shane in a street fight earlier in the night, behind making his way to the ring and watched the match from ringside. Ross and Heyman question his motives for being out here. The Rock hits the Spinebuster, setting up for the most electrifying move in sports entertainment, the People’s Elbow. The great one seemingly had the match when Vince breaks the pin in a shocking turn of events. Vince McMahon couldn’t possibly want his long time nemesis Stone Cold Steve Austin to win the WWF Title. The Rock gets up and chases Vince, running right into a Rock Bottom from Austin for an almost 3 count. The two exchange finishers and pins until Austin signals for McMahon to hand him a steel chair. Ross is shocked and disgusted that Austin seems to be aligning himself with the boss as he holds the Rock for a vile chair shot to the face. The assault continues as a deranged Austin goes all out with chair shots to the gut and back of a helpless Ross while the Chairman of the company watches smiling as Stone Cold covers The Rock for the win. As soon as the referee hit three, the crowd erupted . The fans just didn’t care about the heel turn. They were going to cheer Austin anyway.

For better, and for worse, the world's greatest wrestling company would never be the same again. And all it's narrated by an absolutely infuriated Jim Ross, who screams "I thought I knew this Man" with an intensity that no other announcer could ever match. It gets deep down inside you. This match gets a lot of hype, It is frequently given as the answer to the question, "What is the greatest wrestling match of all time?" If we're putting it up against the other matches in that category, this one doesn't measure up. This is a great, great match, but it's far from perfect, and the near fall spam is the worst of any match that I've ever seen, This was a great match. It's not the greatest match of all time, or even the best Wrestlemania main event of all time. But it was the right match at the right time with the wrong ending. Attitude era could have asked for a better sendoff but this is one of those rare bits of nostalgia that actually bears visiting again.

#3 The Aftermath

A new champion is crowned in a shocking turn of events. The crowd falls silent as they wait for their hero to turn on the chairman and deliver a devastating stunner to reaffirm his allegiance to his loyal followers. Instead the two shake hands as Austin appears to “sell his soul to the devil himself” in the words of a disgusted Jim Ross as Paul Heyman drives home the fact that Austin has betrayed his fans including his long time friend Jim Ross. The two share a beer in the ring over a broken Rock, who tries to get up a final time before being hit in the face by the title belt that started the night around his waist, leaving in the hands of a man who was prepared to do anything to win the gold.

I always felt that the Heel turn by Steve Austin hurt the end of the show a bit, but admittedly this was to build up to the epic disappointment called the Invasion angle that was going to happen after Wrestlemania. Stone Cold even mentioned on his Podcast that he should have gave Vince the stunner to save himself from that heel turn. Honestly, the heel turn for Austin really lost a lot of popularity and credibility for him. And if you disagree with that statement, who’s making Hollywood blockbusters today?

This is regarded as the end of the Attitude era, but what a way for it to go out. WWE has not seen heights like this since, and although it may again one day.