The Rock vs Stone Cold: 13 Moments That Defined Their Rivalry

Few rivalries define the WWF’s Attitude Era like The Rock vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin. Long before WrestleMania trilogies and stadium main events, their story began with a single Stunner on RAW that quietly reshaped WWE’s future. Through beer baths, titles thrown into rivers, heel turns, and farewell matches, each encounter pushed them to the brink and drew record eyes to the product. This is their journey through thirteen pivotal moments, from their first collision to their final shared ring, and what they reveal about two legends who became brothers.

1. The Rock vs Stone Cold Begins: First WWE RAW Encounter, November 1997

The foundation of the The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin rivalry was laid on an unassuming November 1997 episode of Monday Night RAW.

Rocky Maivia, still evolving into “The Rock,” found himself standing across the ring from the meteoric force that was Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Later in the night, during a segment involving the Nation of Domination, Austin hit the ring, laid waste to nearly everyone, and delivered a thunderous Stunner to Rock, their first real confrontation. While the moment seemed like just another brawl at the time, it would go on to define the most iconic feud of the Attitude Era.

Years later, The Rock reflected on that night in a live Instagram Q&A.

"We had a first night to see if there was any heat or attraction between ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin and myself,” Rock began.

We came out live on RAW, and we come out at the top of the ramp, and Stone Cold basically says, ‘Bring it! I don’t give a **** who you are, what color you are, one of you, all four of you come on down to the ring and get some of this.’

“The group talked, and I said I’d go to the ring. I ran down, and the crowd fired up because I was the top heel at the time, and Austin was the top babyface. He hit me with a Stunner.

“We got to the back that night and I see Vince McMahon, Steve Austin, and some of the agents backstage. Everyone collectively felt like… there’s something special between me and ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin."

That night was more than just a mid-card clash; it was the spark that lit the fire.

While both men were still a step below WWE’s top tier, this moment marked the beginning of a chemistry so natural that it couldn’t be scripted.

Their Intercontinental Championship feud that followed would set the stage for greatness.

2. The Rock vs Stone Cold’s First PPV Match at D-Generation X: In Your House (December 1997)

Just a month later, at the D-Generation X: In Your House pay-per-view on December 7, 1997, The Rock and Stone Cold had their first significant singles match.

Though short, clocking in at 5 minutes and 28 seconds, the match was rich in storytelling. Austin entered as the Intercontinental Champion, on a rise of popularity unseen in pro wrestling in years.

Meanwhile, The Rock was still climbing up the ranks but already showing signs of his potential to be a breakout star.

Their bout at D-Generation X: In Your House was physical, gritty, and ended with Austin retaining the title. Despite that, The Rock walked away having earned the crowd’s attention.

Looking back, on an episode of the South Kongress Podcast, Austin explained why the chemistry between them just clicked.

“The Rock did electrical stuff. You know, he’s the most electrifying man in sports entertainment.

“For some reason, the hunger that he had and the passion that I had, I mean, when we got together, I brought out the best in him, and he brought out the best of me, and it was about two cats trying to be number one. But not trying to be number one by one-upping each other, but by working together to make each other the biggest and best.”

Despite being billed as a mid-card rivalry, their natural tension and contrasting personas, Austin’s raw brawler energy versus Rock’s undeniable charisma, commanded main-event-level reactions.

This match was when it really became clear that these were two future legends beginning to find their rhythm together.

3. The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin WWF Intercontinental Title River Incident (December 1997)

The night after D-Generation X: In Your House, on the December 8, 1997 episode of Monday Night RAW, Stone Cold Steve Austin delivered a defiant act.

After refusing to grant The Rock a rematch for the Intercontinental Championship, Austin declared he had bigger goals and no use for the title anymore.

In a now-legendary segment filmed on location in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Austin stood on the banks of the Piscataqua River, hurled insults at the championship belt, and then tossed it into the water.

Austin was making it clear: he was on a collision course with the main event, and nothing, not even championship gold, was going to slow him down.

For The Rock, the moment was a mix of public humiliation and personal fuel. Though he was awarded the Intercontinental Championship by default, he began to carry the title – and himself – with a new level of swagger.

His growing arrogance fit perfectly with his rise as the mouthpiece and eventual leader of the Nation of Domination. The Piscataqua River incident helped solidify what would become a career-defining contrast between the two men: the anti-authority Texas Rattlesnake who answered to no one, and the corporate-climbing, spotlight-hungry Rock who believed the world owed him everything.

4. Stone Cold’s Beer Bath Drenches The Rock and the McMahons Before WrestleMania XV (March 1999)

If one segment could capture the wild, unpredictable spirit of the Attitude Era, it was March 22, 1999, just six days before WrestleMania XV.

In the middle of a championship coronation segment featuring The Rock, Vince McMahon, and Shane McMahon, the crowd erupted as a beer truck suddenly stormed down the entrance ramp.

Behind the wheel was Stone Cold Steve Austin. He climbed onto the truck, grabbed a microphone, and delivered a blistering promo before turning on the hose and soaking the entire McMahon family and The Rock with a torrent of beer.

This unforgettable moment was a masterclass in shock and storytelling. It added fuel to the already red-hot rivalry between Austin and The Rock, setting the stage for their WrestleMania XV main event on March 28, 1999.

This also continued to reinforce Austin’s rebellious persona as the everyman anti-hero who would go to outrageous lengths to humiliate the corporate elite.

The Rock’s furious, egotistical, and slightly over-the-top reaction played perfectly against Austin’s chaos. It was funny, tense, and explosive all at once.

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5. The First Stone Cold vs. The Rock WrestleMania Main Event (March 1999)

WrestleMania XV, held on March 28, 1999, at the First Union Center in Philadelphia, marked the first time The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin would collide in the main event of WWE’s biggest show of the year.

The match encapsulated the chaotic energy of the Attitude Era. With Vince McMahon meddling at ringside and Mankind serving as the special guest referee, the bout quickly devolved into a no-holds-barred brawl. Steel chairs flew, referees were knocked out, and near-falls piled up in a whirlwind of action and interference.

The climax came when Austin nailed The Rock with a thunderous Stone Cold Stunner to capture the WWF Championship, sending the crowd into a frenzy and The Corporation into disarray.

This showdown was a defining moment for both men.

The Rock, only a few years removed from his debut, proved beyond a doubt that he belonged at the top of the card, bringing intensity, charisma, and storytelling skill to the spotlight.

Austin, already the face of the company, reaffirmed his status as WWE’s biggest draw and the Attitude Era’s ultimate anti-hero.

The match was less about technical precision and more about raw emotion, drama, and crowd electricity – exactly the formula that made the era unforgettable. The WrestleMania XV showdown was the spark that lit a trilogy of WrestleMania battles between these two icons and changed the trajectory of wrestling history.

6. Backlash 1999: The Rock’s Rematch with Steve Austin After WrestleMania XV

Just one month after their WrestleMania XV clash, Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock met again in a high-stakes rematch at Backlash: In Your House on April 25, 1999, at the Providence Civic Center in Rhode Island.

While WrestleMania brought the spectacle, many fans and critics have since pointed to this match as the stronger of the two, as a tighter, more emotionally charged encounter that showcased the evolving chemistry between two generational talents.

Unlike their more chaotic WrestleMania bout, this match felt more deliberate and refined, with moments of improvisational brilliance and crowd manipulation that elevated it beyond a standard rematch.

One of the most talked-about sequences came when The Rock grabbed one of the cameras and, after a barrage of trash-talking, in a first-person point-of-view shot, Stone Cold delivered a Stunner, giving fans a visceral sense of the action as if they were inside the ring.

It was a creative choice that symbolized the era’s bold experimentation and helped turn a great match into a memorable one.

Even in defeat, The Rock’s stock continued to rise. Despite portraying the arrogant corporate villain, the crowd roared with chants of "Rocky! Rocky!" throughout the match, signaling his shift from despised heel to anti-hero in the making. The performance blurred the lines between good guy and bad guy, and it became clear that The Rock was becoming something more.

What made this clash even more special was how organically their chemistry translated beyond the ring.

As Jim Ross reflected on his podcast Grilling JR, “Once in a lifetime. Rock was a once-in-a-lifetime talent, just like Austin. We were just blessed and lucky we had them at the same time.

“They liked each other, and they were professional. Those two guys are as responsible as any other two guys you could name that helped the WWE forward into a publicly-traded company.”

Even in defeat, The Rock’s momentum only surged. His performance blurred the lines between heel and hero, with fans erupting in chants of "Rocky! Rocky!" despite his villainous role. The match was a testament to how far they had come in just over a year, and a preview of how much bigger this rivalry was about to become.

7. WrestleMania X-Seven: Stone Cold vs The Rock and the Heel Turn That Changed WWE (April 2001)

WrestleMania X-Seven was arguably Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock’s finest hour in the ring together, with a perfect build-up and a near-perfect match.

That night inside the Astrodome, over 67,000 fans witnessed what many consider the most iconic match of the Austin–Rock trilogy. WrestleMania X-Seven delivered a hard-hitting, emotionally charged main event that felt like the climax of an era.

With the WWE Championship on the line, the match escalated into a no-disqualification war. Both men repeatedly kicked out of finishers, brutalized each other with steel chairs, ring steps, and exposed turnbuckles, and fought with an intensity that reflected the high stakes and their storied history.

But it was the shocking conclusion that redefined everything.

After years of bitter animosity, Stone Cold Steve Austin accepted a steel chair from Mr. McMahon and then used it to viciously batter The Rock en route to victory.

When Austin shook hands with his longtime nemesis, Vince McMahon, the crowd fell into stunned silence. It was one of the most unexpected heel turns in wrestling history, and for many, it marked the symbolic end of the Attitude Era.

While the move was divisive, it underscored a powerful story beat: Austin’s desperation to remain on top at any cost. The Rock, for his part, delivered one of the finest performances of his career, selling the betrayal with subtlety and emotional depth.

His exit from the ring left fans with a sense of unfinished business and paved the way for the next chapter of their legendary rivalry.

8. The Rock vs Stone Cold Reignites During the WCW/ECW Invasion Angle in 2001

Following the seismic events of WrestleMania X-Seven, the wrestling world underwent a massive shift.

In March 2001, the WWF acquired its longtime rival WCW, and by summer, the Invasion storyline was launched, a cross-promotional war pitting WWE loyalists against a combined force of WCW and ECW stars.

In a twist that stunned fans, Stone Cold Steve Austin turned his back on WWE in June 2001 and aligned himself with the WCW/ECW Alliance. Once the embodiment of WWE’s rebellion, Austin now portrayed a man betrayed by the very company he once carried on his back – insecure, volatile, and desperate for validation.

Meanwhile, The Rock returned to WWE later that summer in August 2001 after a brief hiatus filming in Hollywood, stepping in as the face of loyalty and pride for the WWE faithful. His charisma and confidence made him the natural counterbalance to Austin’s increasingly unhinged persona.

With both men now on opposite sides of a brand war, their renewed conflict gave fans a fresh dynamic layered with personal betrayal, shifting motivations, and unresolved tension from WrestleMania.

Though the Invasion angle was widely criticized for underdelivering and misusing key talent, every moment featuring The Rock and Austin felt electric.

Whether it was a heated backstage promo or a surprise showdown in the ring, their segments cut through the clutter and reminded fans of the chemistry that made them legends. Even in a storyline filled with missed opportunities, the presence of Rock versus Austin at its center gave the angle its brightest moments and kept the rivalry burning heading into its final act.

9. Survivor Series 2001: The Rock and Stone Cold Close the Invasion Storyline

The climax of the Invasion storyline arrived on November 18, 2001, at Survivor Series, where the fate of professional wrestling’s future was decided in a traditional five-on-five elimination match.

Team WWF, led by The Rock, faced off against Team Alliance, captained by Stone Cold Steve Austin.

After months of shifting loyalties, surprise attacks, and fractured allegiances, the match came down to the two men who had defined the Attitude Era.

With the rest of their teams eliminated, The Rock and Austin stood as the final two, facing off in a tense, high-stakes showdown that kept the crowd on edge.

What followed was a dramatic sequence filled with reversals, stolen finishers, referee knockouts, and near-falls that pushed both men to their limits. Each counter carried years of history. In the end, The Rock caught Austin with a Rock Bottom and scored the pinfall, securing the victory for Team WWF and putting an official end to the Invasion storyline.

But the moment meant far more than that.

After years of coming up short in their WrestleMania encounters, The Rock had finally defeated Austin in a decisive, meaningful main event. It wasn’t for a championship, but it was for pride, legacy, and the future of the company. The win was a turning point and not just in their rivalry, but in how fans debated who truly stood atop the mountain.

10. Hollywood Rock Returns in 2003 and Targets Stone Cold Before WrestleMania XIX

In early 2003, The Rock made his long-awaited return to WWE following a lengthy absence to focus on his burgeoning Hollywood career.

But this wasn’t the same People’s Champion fans had once cheered. Now calling himself "Hollywood Rock," he adopted a smug, egotistical persona that leaned heavily into his movie star status.

With this new iteration of his character, The Rock took delight in mocking fans, trashing cities, and belittling fellow Superstars, especially Stone Cold Steve Austin. His promos blurred the line between satire and performance art, dripping with sarcasm and laced with pointed references to his mainstream success.

Yet beneath the arrogance, one truth gnawed at him: he had never beaten Austin at WrestleMania. Twice before, he had faced the Texas Rattlesnake on the grandest stage and walked away defeated.

The build to WrestleMania XIX, held on March 30, 2003, in Seattle, wasn’t about titles or company loyalty. It was personal. Rock didn’t want the win for the fans, for Vince McMahon, or even for bragging rights. He needed it for himself to close a chapter in his career and prove he could conquer the one opponent who had always eluded him on wrestling’s biggest stage.

It was a rare kind of heel turn, driven not by power or greed, but by a desire for personal redemption.

That internal motivation made it one of the most compelling chapters in The Rock’s evolution and set the stage for a historic final clash.

11. WrestleMania XIX: The Rock vs Stone Cold’s Final WWE Showdown in 2003 (April 2003)

On March 30, 2003, at WrestleMania XIX inside Safeco Field in Seattle, The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin faced off for the third – and final – time on the grand stage.

Unbeknownst to the live crowd and millions watching at home, this would be Austin’s last match as a full-time WWE competitor.

After years of headlining an era, enduring injuries, and carrying the company through its most transformative period, Austin quietly decided to step away, choosing his greatest rival as his final opponent.

The match itself was an emotional, hard-hitting battle, filled with callbacks, reversals, and a deep sense of finality.

The Rock, now fully embraced in his Hollywood persona, fought with visible urgency, determined to do what he had never done before: defeat Austin at WrestleMania. After delivering three Rock Bottoms, The Rock finally secured the pinfall, a moment that completed his arc and lifted a weight that had lingered for years.

But the most poignant moment came after the final bell.

As The Rock knelt beside Austin, he leaned in and whispered a message that fans couldn’t hear but would never forget.

Reflecting on their final match at WrestleMania XIX on the Kelly Clarkson show in 2021, Austin shared exactly what The Rock said to him: “Man, I can’t thank you enough for what you did for me. I just want you to know, I love you, man."

Austin, lying on the mat in front of a stadium crowd, replied, "I love you, too."

Looking back, he has called Rock "probably my most favorite opponent," the one who "brought out the best in me and I brought out the best in him."

The cameras may have faded, but that moment became the true ending to one of wrestling’s most iconic rivalries – not with a chair shot or promo, but with mutual respect between two legends who had changed the industry forever.

12. WrestleMania 30: The Rock, Stone Cold, and Hulk Hogan Share a WWE Ring (April 2014)

When WrestleMania XXX kicked off on April 6, 2014, in New Orleans, fans were greeted with an unforgettable moment that transcended storylines.

Hulk Hogan, the host of the evening, stood in the ring delivering his opening promo until the glass shattered. Stone Cold Steve Austin marched down the ramp to a thunderous ovation, followed moments later by The Rock.

For the first time in WWE history, three of the industry’s biggest icons stood side by side in the same ring. There were no feuds, no matches, and no championships at stake, just three legends soaking in the crowd’s energy and celebrating the history they helped build.

The segment was pure fan service in the best sense. Hogan, Austin, and Rock traded jokes, catchphrases, and beers, each playing off their distinct personalities with ease. While it was lighthearted on the surface, the moment carried deep symbolic weight. For Rock and Austin, it marked the final time they would share a WWE ring together.

Gone was the tension of their epic rivalry, and in its place was mutual respect and appreciation for everything they had accomplished.

Their presence alone electrified the Superdome, reminding fans of an era that shaped generations. It was a passing of the torch without words, a curtain call for the titans of wrestling’s most explosive period.

13. The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin: Rivals in the Ring, Brothers in Life

By the time The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin stood together with Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 30, the story between them had long since moved beyond wins and losses. Years earlier, as the Attitude Era took shape, they both understood they were "fighting for the exact same thing" at the top of WWE, yet that competition, as The Rock later put it in his book, The Rock Says, was driven by "so much love and so much respect" that he came to see Austin as "a big brother."

That dynamic is clear in how The Rock remembers the build to their first WrestleMania main event at WrestleMania XV.

In his autobiography, he recalls sitting awake the night before, visualizing "the biggest night" of his life and knowing he would be "doing the honors" for Austin. Far from resenting the outcome, he wrote, "I felt a sense of pride. I was happy to be doing this for Steve, not only professionally but personally. Steve is, quite simply, a good son of a *****, and one of my closest friends in the business."

For Rock, that match was less about protecting a title reign and more about protecting the standard they had set together.

"I trusted him, and he trusted me. We were a team," he remembered, convinced "there was no way we weren’t going to put on one hell of a show."

In the hours before the bell, they walked through ideas in the ring and locker room, finishing each other’s thoughts as the adrenaline built. By the time the script was set, everyone around them – Pat Patterson, Earl Hebner, Jim Ross – understood they were watching two rivals operating with a shared purpose.

Backstage afterward, that bond was on full display. The Rock describes dropping character the moment he stepped through the curtain and being met by a wave of congratulations before Austin walked into the room. Austin tossed the championship belt onto a couch, and the two met in the center of the locker room for what Rock called "a real brotherly embrace," a long hug that acknowledged what they had just pulled off together.

As the celebration grew around them, Austin summed it up simply: "Now that was the marquee match WrestleMania needed… it does not get any bigger than that."

Moments like their discreet pre-match handshakes, the late-night planning sessions, and the post-match embraces reveal what their on-screen rivalry only hinted at.

The Rock and Steve Austin may have spent years trying to outdo one another in front of the world, but behind the curtain, they were partners, constantly pushing each other to raise the bar.

"We were a team," Rock wrote in his book, and Austin has echoed that sentiment in interviews ever since.

In the end, the legacy of The Rock vs Stone Cold is not just about an era-defining feud, but about two competitors whose respect for one another turned a rivalry into a lifelong brotherhood.

The Lasting Legacy of The Rock vs Stone Cold Steve Austin in WWE History

It is always hard to summarize a feud as dynamic as what occurred between Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock.

More than just a feud, The Rock versus Stone Cold became the heartbeat of WWE’s Attitude Era. Their matches drew record pay-per-view buys, their merchandise flew off the shelves, and their promos became cultural landmarks. Monday Night RAW became must-see TV, with ratings surging whenever either man held the mic or stepped into the ring.

Reflecting on their impact during his appearance on Talk Is Jericho, Steve Austin admitted the connection was rare and electric:

“Man, it’s one of those things that you can’t explain. Sometimes, for whatever reason it is, you just have this next-level chemistry with a guy… The Rock was The Rock, and he was electric, right? The most electric guy in sports entertainment. For some reason, I brought out the best in him and he brought out the best in me.”

Austin also recalled watching The Rock evolve from a struggling rookie to an undeniable icon.

“I saw him coming up… people saying ‘Die Rocky Die.’ But you could see, hey man, this guy has everything. Looks, size, good looking dude, athletic… the writing was on the wall.”

Their rivalry wasn’t built on ego, but mutual elevation. Austin revealed that choosing to work with Rock was a conscious decision, one rooted in respect and instinct.

“It was up to me… I said, ‘Yeah, I’ll work with Rock.’ And I did. And I loved it because I loved working with The Rock. Every time we went out there… we went out there and rocked the house.”

Even years later, fans and wrestlers alike cite their feud as the gold standard for what wrestling storytelling should be. To some degree, they redefined what main event storytelling could be.

These stories may also interest you:

• 1996 – The Year of The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin
• 2001 Royal Rumble – A Match That Defines the Attitude Era
• The Rock and Triple H – The Story Behind Their Bitter Feud

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