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Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock shared some unforgettable moments in the WWE ring.
In one of the most iconic rivalries in pro wrestling history, these two stars clashed on the biggest stages.
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Their competition became widespread WWE Between 1997 and 2003, fans even deserved three WrestleMania main events.
But despite being together for six years, stone and cold stone In fact, we’ve only had 10 televised singles matches together.
In fact, a season of their storied rivalry – since September 2001 – hasn’t been seen for two decades.
The two wrestling legends clashed in an emotional, non-televised match when WWE held a special live edition of SmackDown just days after the 9/11 attacks.
As horror and tragedy dominated the media landscape, it was the first public gathering in the United States just 48 hours later, with a company determined to bring unity to a country when it was most needed.
The program was broadcast from Houston, Texas and started by Vince McMahonHe promised that Americans “will not live our lives in fear.”
Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle Headline one night, defeating Rhyno in the televised main event.
But after the show aired, the fans in the hall were surprised when Stone Cold came out to perform an open challenge.
“If there’s a guy standing in that locker room, all you have to do is come to the ring right now,” he said before The Rock’s music hit.
The pair then held a special match for the fans in Houston, and it was the People’s Champion who came out on top.
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Footage of the match, not seen for 20 years, was featured in the documentary Never Forget: WWE Returns After 9/11, released in September 2021.
While Stone Cold came up short in his state, he later admitted that both he and The Rock just wanted to do their best to give the fans in the arena something to remember.
“The Rock and I went out, destroyed the place and tried to entertain those people as much as we could,” he recalled of that night.
“For a very special moment like that, we beat our a** so everyone has a good time.
“Here in Texas – I mean here in the heart of America – it meant a lot to me to be there representing the great state of Texas. I know everyone was proud of the effort we put in.”
Austin also admitted that he was initially worried about returning to work and performing so soon after the attacks, but a call from McMahon convinced him that it was the right thing to do.
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“I got a call from Vince, and he said, ‘Steve, somebody’s got to get back to work, somebody’s got to send a message,'” Stone Cold recalled.
“(He said): “We have to entertain people. We are not paramedics, we are not trained doctors. We cannot go there and help. Let’s just do our thing and try to entertain people.”
