Does Stone Cold Steve Austin hate The Rock in real life? Exploring the WWE legends' relationship
Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock are arguably WWE's biggest legends. The Texas Rattlesnake and The People's Champ were involved in a memorable rivalry during The Attitude Era. Despite their past on-screen rivalry, their relationship in real life is the opposite.
The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin were arguably two of the biggest stars of the Stamford-based company during The Attitude Era, and they continue to remain fan favorites. The former world champions locked horns in three unforgettable WrestleMania matches in 1999, 2001, and 2003. Despite their iconic on-screen feud, the wrestling legends are close friends in real life up to this day.
In a 2021 interview with The Kelly Clarkson Show, Austin shared that he and The Rock became friends as soon as The Great One entered the company. The Hall of Famer added that they always had mutual respect and love for each other no matter who played the role of a heel or a babyface on TV.
"Rock and I had been great friends from the moment he came into the company, and we turned our relationship into a rivalry. And at many times, regardless of who was playing the good or bad guy, we always had a great friendship, and a lot of respect and love for each other. The Rock was always my favorite opponent because he brought out the best in me, and I brought out the best in him. And when you put the two number one guys in there together, magic happens!" he said.
Stone Cold retired from full-time wrestling in 2003 after being defeated by The Brahma Bull at WrestleMania XIX. However, The Rattlesnake returned to in-ring action at WrestleMania 38, battling Kevin Owens in a No Holds Barred Match.
As for The Rock, his contract with the company ended in 2004, and The Great One went on to pursue a full-time acting career. He returned in 2011 and had a memorable feud with John Cena. In 2024, he unleashed the moniker of The Final Boss after turning heel and joining the OG Bloodline. He recently aligned with John Cena after The Franchise Player shockingly turned heel at the Elimination Chamber PLE.
What did The Rock tell Stone Cold Steve Austin after their match at WrestleMania XIX?
As mentioned above, The People's Champion was Stone Cold's final opponent at 'Mania XIX before The Rattlesnake's full-time retirement. Even though the match was a hard-hitting affair, they still shared kind and respectful words immediately after it.
In a video shared by The Final Boss on his Instagram account in 2020, The Rock revealed that after he pinned the Texan, he thanked Steve Austin for everything the latter had done for him. They also confessed their love for each other before The Brahma Bull left the Hall of Famer alone in the ring.
It's great to see that despite being bitter rivals on WWE television, The Great One and The Rattlesnake have no animosity between them.
