The Rock Sheds Light on Stone Cold Steve Austin Pitching Their WrestleMania 15 Outing to Vince McMahon

In what is considered the greatest WWE feud ever, The Rock recalls Stone Cold Steve Austin making way for their first WrestleMania outing in 1999.

The Rock Sheds Light on Stone Cold Steve Austin Pitching Their WrestleMania 15 Outing to Vince McMahon

The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin (via WWE)

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The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin will always be linked thanks to their legendary WWE rivalry. As the top stars of the Attitude Era, the duo helped revolutionize professional wrestling, leading WWE to victory in the Monday Night Wars and ultimately contributing to WCW’s closure in 2001. On top of that, they earned a rare distinction held by only a select few in company history.

For those unfamiliar, Dwayne Johnson and Steve Austin faced off at three separate WrestleMania events between 1999 and 2003. Their WWE title matches at WrestleMania 15 and WrestleMania 17 both closed the show and are considered key milestones in the evolution of the business.

While many critics hail their 2001 encounter at The Astrodome as the best of the trilogy, others view their first match in 1999 as the true breakout moment for the Attitude Era. That night at WrestleMania 15, Steve Austin decisively pinned The Rock, who was aligned with Vince McMahon and the villainous Corporation faction at the time.

The duo clashed again at Backlash a month later, with Austin retaining his title. These encounters eventually led to Johnson turning babyface and competing head-to-head with Austin as WWE’s top star for the next four years. 

In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, The Rock revealed that it was actually Steve Austin who pitched the idea of their WrestleMania match in Philadelphia. 

He had to say it. And he went on, he went to Vince McMahon in 1999, in January of 99, I think. He said, ‘I wanna main event WrestleMania with The Rock.’ The rest is history. We went on, and I went on to have just the greatest rivalry with him.

The Rock via Sports Illustrated

The Rock praised Austin for being at the peak of his career that year. After all, he had just defeated Shawn Michaels for the WWE Championship the previous year and was the face of the company. Johnson added that Austin recognized his potential, and their natural chemistry led the WWE Hall of Famer to pitch their matchup to McMahon. And as wrestling fans know today, the rest is history.

The Rock weighs in on wrestling Stone Cold Steve Austin in his true farewell match at WrestleMania 19

It is rare for two WWE superstars to peak simultaneously and exit the business at the same time. But that’s exactly what happened with The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin. By 2003, the duo had achieved virtually everything in professional wrestling. While Austin had a quiet 2002 after leaving the company over creative differences, Johnson was firmly stepping into Hollywood.

By No Way Out 2003, the stage was set for their final showdown at WrestleMania 19. The storyline was clear: The Rock had never beaten Austin at the grandest stage of them all. Though no championship was on the line, the match carried immense significance for both men and their fans.

The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania 19
The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania 19 (via WWE)

The bout in Seattle would prove to be Austin’s true swansong until his one-off return against Kevin Owens 19 years later. For context, Austin had suffered a serious neck injury in a 1997 match against Owen Hart. Hart’s attempted sit-down piledriver went wrong, leaving Austin temporarily paralyzed in the ring. The injury led to multiple surgeries and lingering issues that ultimately shortened his career.

Heading into WrestleMania 19, Johnson knew that ‘The Texas Rattlesnake’ was giving fans a final farewell. The match lived up to the hype, with The Rock having to deliver a record three Rock Bottoms to finally defeat Austin at WrestleMania for the first time. In the same interview with Sports Illustrated, Johnson talked about that faithful night. 

I had the honor of wrestling him his final match. As you leave the business, it’s the right thing to do and the respectable thing to do is to lose as you leave and put this guy over. Let this guy who’s going to go on. Let him win, and he didn’t have to because he was the biggest star in wrestling. But he did, he put me over.

The Rock via Sports Illustrated

The Rock also reflected on the ending sequence of the match, where he had to hit his finisher three times to finally put Austin away for good. Adding to the challenge, Austin was already wrestling with a serious neck injury, similar to Kurt Angle’s. 

And as I was pinning him, I rock bottomed him three times, by the way. You know, he, like Kurt Angle, he had a broken neck. He was wrestling with a broken neck. After the one, two, three, I leaned down in his ear, I said, I love you, man. He was like, I love you too. We had that moment.

The Rock via Sports Illustrated

The conclusion of the bout was particularly emotional, as Johnson, despite portraying a mega heel, leaned in to personally thank Austin, a heartfelt moment that underscored the respect between the two legends. While ‘The Texas Rattlesnake’ returned for one more outing at WrestleMania 38, The Rock has stayed fairly active over the years. 

‘The Final Boss’ returned to the WWE in 2011 and went on to have two outings against John Cena at WrestleMania 28 and 29. Moreover, he also played a stellar part in concluding Roman Reigns’ feud with Cody Rhodes and also orchestrated Cena’s heel turn at Elimination Chamber 2025. 

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