[2003-03-30-WWE-Wrestlemania XIX] Steve Austin vs The Rock

[Superstar Sleeze]

Stone Cold Steve Austin vs The Rock - WrestleMania XIX

 

Fantastic Greatest Hits match! Reminds me a lot of Misawa vs Kawada from the Dome 2005. Great rivalry that now is really just a great nostalgia experience. Kinda crazy this match took place in 2003 and has that feel given that their 2001 match is the apex of the Attitude Era. A lot changed 2 years and yet it does not feel like much has changed since then.

 

The first half of this match is actually incredible in fact if they stuck with it, they could have a legitimate match of the year contender. Austin looked fantastic in his shine. Tons of energy and urgency. Lots of movement. Rock was great bumping and selling for him. Some really great clotheslines from Austin. Austin was kicking so much ass the Hebner pulls him off, Austin never one to let a chance to jaw with the ref indulges him and Rock chopblocks the knee. Rock absolutely destroys that knee in a great heat segment and he is fucking excellent at taunting the crowd. Awesome heat segment. Austin just had no desire to sell the knee. Rock puts on Stone Cold's vest to taunt him. The match then becomes a Greatest Hits package. It is super hot and really engaging. It is the type of match that needs mega-stars and a long history so Hogan/Savage, Flair/Steamboat, Misawa/Kawada to do. There is finisher trading at the outset, but what I enjoy is that does not go all the way to the end. What you see if Rock gradually gain more and more control after the low blow. The low blow is so crucial. He had just eaten the Stunner and one more and it would be over. After the low blow, he goes for People's Elbow, but needs a spinebuster to set that up. Then it takes three Rock Bottoms. You see Austin's fight is slowly sapped with each Rock Bottom before he succumbs to the third one. There are no Stunners in between the Rock Bottoms, there is no shocking moves just a gradual progression to the end. That's what separates this from these finisher spamming matches of the 2010s.

 

Super fun summer Hollywood action blockbuster. Pretty much no selling until the end. Awesome fired up Austin performance and great heel Rock. ****

[Makai Club #1]

What a last match to out on. There was some awesome old school AE style brawling in the beginning before they got in the ring and had a good old fashioned back and forth battle. Rock being uber heel, stealing Austin’s moves and his jackets, Austin doing it right back. The finisher kick outs, whilst in excess, perfectly acceptable here and it made the match all the more better. ****1/4

[ShittyLittleBoots]

I've always love the staredown that starts the match off; it's intense, and you can feel something special is about to go down. It's one helluva brawl & bombfest - Rock was awesome with his heel work bell to bell, and Austin sure went out with a very strong performance. Superb atmosphere & energy too, but that goes without saying as it's Austin vs. Rock. A very fitting finale to their rivalry & the in-ring career of Stone Cold Steve Austin. ****

[cactus]

Lacking the intensity of their previous two Wrestlemania outings, this was fuelled by Rock's unlimited charisma and Austin's enduring popularity. It's understandable that Austin's heart wasn't in it here as he literally nearly died 24 hours before the event. It's a shame we only got to see Hollywood Rock for a few months as he was a treat to watch. Rock puts away Austin after three Rock Bottoms. It's easy to criticise the finisher fests of this era, but the ending of this just felt like the right move. My only complaint is that I wish that Austin got a proper farewell match, much like Ric Flair's five years later. 
★★★★

[ohtani's jacket]

I can't remember why they decided to run this match back, but I thought it was a pretty average WWE main event. I didn't realize about Austin's health problems prior to the match, though. That's some scary shit. Greatest Hits package is a good way to describe this. I didn't find it very engaging, but I also had the attitude of "Eh, it's the Rock vs. Austin. I don't really wanna see this." Nothing they did changed my mind. The part where Rock wore Austin's jacket was stupid. Lawler and JR were mediocre on commentary, and even the finish didn't really draw me in. I can see it being different for other folks, though, especially if the Attitude Era means anything to you. I kind of feel like there were too many big matches on this Wrestlemania card. That might be looking a gift horse in the mouth considering how utterly forgettable the previous year was, but it's kind of exhausting watching all of these matches where the workers have personal vendettas against each other. I would have picked one or two and given the workers more time, but I guess they were cramming all the Smackdown and RAW storylines onto one show. As far as finales go, this was a decent swan song for Austin, but I do think it's a bit weird that Rock doesn't really a proper revenge for Wrestlemania X-Seven because this time it's Rock that's the heel. It's always weird when the heel goes over in a big match, and even the respect moment at the end couldn't really hide the "Oh wow, Austin lost" reaction among some of the fans. I'm pretty sure Austin would have gotten a much bigger pop if he'd countered that last Rock Bottom and hit a stunner. But that's sports.