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Despite being long-time rivals on-screen, The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin are the closest of friends in real life. Although their paths have changed since their days in WWE, they remain close.
Two of the most popular Superstars in WWE history faced each other for the first time in 1997. They squared off for the Intercontinental Championship at In Your House: D-Generation X, with Austin retaining his championship.
They last faced each other at WrestleMania 19 in 2003, where The Rock finally got a win over Stone Cold Steve Austin at a WrestleMania. The match also marked Stone Cold's last professional wrestling match ever.
Stone Cold Steve Austin recently opened up about his friendship with The Rock on the Kelly Clarkson show:
"Rock and I had been great friends from the moment he came into the company, and we turned our relationship into a rivalry. And at many times, regardless of who was playing the good or bad guy, we always had a great friendship, and a lot of respect and love for each other. The Rock was always my favourite opponent because he brought out the best in me, and I brought out the best in him. And when you put the two No. 1 guys in there together, magic happens." Stone Cold Steve Austin said. (h/t Wrestling Headlines)
How many times did The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin face each other at WrestleMania?
The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin faced each other three times at WrestleMania. Their first WrestleMania bout was in 1999 when Austin defeated The Rock to win the WWE Championship. The second bout saw Austin once again defeat The Rock to win the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 17 in 2001. Their final match against each other was at WrestleMania 19 in 2003, with The Rock finally scoring a pinfall on his arch-nemesis.
Austin discussed their three high-profile 'Mania bouts on the Kelly Clarkson Show:
"Rock and I headlined three WrestleManias together, which nobody has ever done. And he knew that after that match, I was going to retire and ride off into the sunset. And he knew that I didn’t want to retire but I had some nerve and neck issues that [forced me] to get out of the business. After the three count, after he pinned me following three Rock Bottoms, he told me, ‘man, I can’t thank you enough for what you did for me. I just want you to know I love you, man.’ And I’m laying there, with 70,000 people going crazy, and I remember looking up at him and saying, ‘I love you, too.’ (Verbatim)." Stone Cold Steve Austin said. (h/t Wrestling Headlines)
There's no doubt The Rock and Steve Austin are two of the greatest ever. We are still grateful that we still get to see the two legends show up on WWE TV every now and then.
