“You’ve Lost Them”: Stone Cold Steve Austin and Vince McMahon’s One Wrong Move Caused Irreversible Damage to WWE

There will be no other rivalry in WWE that will match the hype of Stone Cold Steve Austin vs The Rock. They went back and forth against each other during the entire course of the Attitude Era.

Austin and The Rock both were top stars in WWE during the Attitude Era. A full detailed documentary named A&E’s WWE Rivals: Stone Cold vs. The Rock is on the WWE Network.

Recently, wrestling legend Jim Cornette shared his views on his podcast about the latest episode of A&E’s WWE Rivals: Stone Cold vs. The Rock. While sharing his thoughts on the episode, he came across a point in which he claimed Stone Cold Steve Austin and Vince McMahon did a mistake by shaking hands in the middle of the ring.

Cornette said, “But this was the rivalry in wrestling and it violates everything that Vince McMahon has tried to do in the next 25 years since with his company. Because these guys were polar opposites. You got a beer-drinking hell-raiser working man against a slick movie star personality, braggadocios, loudmouth. But they’re both great wrestlers.”

He added, “They were real. The people bought them. They brought Austin specifically because he was so real and they believed in him. That’s why it hurt the business irreversibly when he switched to heel and hugged Vince as well to get to at the end of the deal. Because they lost their faith then. And you make wrestling fans mad all you want, but they lose their faith you’ve lost them.”

Cornette is referring to WrestleMania 17 in 2001 when Austin faced The Rock for the WWE title. The Rattlesnake was out of in-ring competition for a year due to the neck issues he started suffering again. He had to get his neck surgery done and go into rehabilitation.

The fans at the time did not love the heel turn and WWE, in a short span, turned Austin babyface again. However, Stone Cold started feeling pain in his neck again the next year. Therefore, Stone Cold retired after wrestling his last match at WrestleMania 19.

When were Dwayne Johnson and Stone Cold Steve Austin together in a WWE ring last time after WrestleMania 19?

The two global icons of WWE’s Attitude Era are The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin. They ruled the whole Attitude Era with their over-the-top promos and matches. The WWE Universe last saw Austin and Rock in a match at WrestleMania 19.

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However, the former rivals were seen again in a WWE ring a decade later. The Rock and Austin, along with ‘The Immortal’ Hulk Hogan, opened WrestleMania 30, at Mercedes Benz Superdome. The Superdome arena was over the moon watching the two attitude era’s mega stars in the ring together after a long time.

The Rock left WWE a year after Stone Cold retired. The chapter of their rivalry was closed at WrestleMania 19 and they never locked hands in the ring again. However, the fans would wish to see Johnson on Austin’s podcast sometime in the future.

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