Steve Austin he is one of the greatest wrestlers to grace a WWE ring. The Texas rattlesnake suffered a career-threatening neck injury in his summer festival 1997 which unfortunately cut his career short. However, the six-time WWE Champion appeared in prominent matches on wrestlingand Austin became only the second man after Hulk Hogan to win three WWE Championships at WrestleMania, which is a remarkable achievement.
Austin’s last wrestling match was at wrestling 19but 19 years later, he came out of retirement on the night of the main event one of WrestleMania 38. Wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer has followed Austin’s wrestling career for many years and has given generous and harsh ratings to Austin’s matches at WrestleMania.
8 Steve Austin vs. Scott Hall – WrestleMania 18 (1 star)
Steve Austin clashed with nWo’s Scott Hall at wrestling 18, and it was a disappointing wrestling match. Hall was a shadow of his former self, which was a shame considering how well he’s handled the four-time Intercontinental Champion in the past.
Kevin Nash was in Hall’s corner, and he didn’t hesitate to interfere when he saw fit. Hall stole Austin’s Stunner, but was unable to lock it away with Austin defeating Hall with multiple Stunners in Hall’s final WrestleMania match.
7 Steve Austin vs. Savio Vega – WrestleMania 12 (2 Stars)
Steve Austin made his WrestleMania debut in wrestling 12 and faced Savio Vega. Vega was one of Austin’s best opponents in the early stages of his WWE career, and they had a decent match.
Austin was in control for much of the fight, but Vega managed to get back into the fight. However, Austin’s legendary WrestleMania got off to a winning start when he defeated Vega with the Million Dollar Dream.
6 Steve Austin vs. Shawn Michaels – WrestleMania 14 (3.25 stars)
Steve Austin won the Royal Rumble match for the second year in a row in 1998, and challenged an ailing Shawn Michaels for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 14. It was Texas Rattlesnake’s first appearance in a WrestleMania main event.
The Heartbreak Kid was unable to bring out the best in himself as he was in an insurmountable amount of pain with a career-threatening back injury. Despite Michaels’ best efforts, he made the job of Austin connecting with Stunner, and the Austin Era began when he captured his first WWE Championship with Mike Tyson off Michaels’ shoulders.
5 Steve Austin vs. Kevin Owens – WrestleMania 38 Saturday (3.5 Stars)
With WrestleMania 38 Taking place in Steve Austin’s home state of Texas on Saturday, it was a no-brainer for Austin to headline WrestleMania. The WWE Hall of Famer competed in his first WrestleMania main event in 21 years, and his first match in 19 years against Kevin Owens in a No Holds Barred match.
Austin performed exceptionally well considering he hadn’t wrestled for nearly two decades. KO didn’t go easy on Austin when he threw him to the concrete floor. The pair had an entertaining match with Austin firing the former Universal Champion.
4 Steve Austin vs. The Rock – WrestleMania 15 (3.5 Stars)
The legendary WrestleMania trilogy between Steve Austin and The Rock got underway in WrestleMania 15 with Austin challenging the Corporate Champion for the WWE Championship in the main event. This match doesn’t get much love compared to his other two WrestleMania outings, but it was still excellent wrestling nonetheless.
Rock and Austin took their fight to the outside of the ring, and Rock came close to retaining the WWE Championship. Ultimately, Austin clinched the WWE Championship for the third time after defeating The Rock with his patented Stunner.
3 Steve Austin vs. The Rock – WrestleMania 19 (4 Stars)
For 19 years, Steve Austin’s third and final WrestleMania encounter with The Rock at WrestleMania 19 was his last wrestling match. This time the WWE Championship was not on the line and they did not close out WrestleMania. That didn’t matter, as it was still a marquee match on the undercard with fans intrigued to see if Rock could finally top his rival.
It’s no surprise that the two legends managed to knock it out of the park in an instant classic. They resorted to using each other’s finishers, but Rock managed to record a huge victory over Bionic Redneck with a trio of Rock Bottoms.
2 Steve Austin vs. The Rock – WrestleMania 17 (4.5 Stars)
Steve Austin and The Rock’s no disqualification match for the WWE Championship at wrestling 17 it is without a doubt the best fight in their series of matches. Austin enlisted his hometown support with WrestleMania 17 at the Reliant Astrodome in Houston, Texas.
As expected, there were multiple knockdowns and false finishes with fans on the edge of their seats. However, there was a shocking turn of events with the chairman of the board, Mr. McMahon, marching down the aisle. He had a steel chair in hand and formed a surprising alliance with Austin, who turned rude in the process. Rock couldn’t resist the barrage of chair blows that rained down on him with Austin defeating Rock for the WWE Championship for the second time in three years at WrestleMania.
1 Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart – WrestleMania 13 (5 stars)
The best match in a terrible WrestleMania 13 it was the submission match featuring Steve Austin and Bret Hart with Ken Shamrock serving as the special guest referee. This was a violent match, and Austin was looking to even the scores in their rivalry after Bret defeated Austin in survival series nineteen ninety six.
Hart was in his prime and it was technical wrestling at its best. Austin and Hart pulled off one of the biggest double twists in WWE history with Hitman turning heel and Austin turning babyface. Hart belted out in the Sharpshooter, and Austin bleeding profusely has become one of the most iconic images in WrestleMania history. Austin refused to quit, but his stock rose after this fight despite ending up on the losing end of things.