The Rock aka Dwayne Johnson is doing a lot of Q&As (question and answers) with his fans on Instagram, these days. The former WWE champ is taking out time for fans when the world is maintaining social distancing due to the outbreak of Coronavirus aka Covid-19.
In the recent Q&A, someone asked him about headlining a record three WrestleManias with Steve Austin. The Rock spoke in length about the impact of the Texas Rattlesnak's impact on and off the ring. Calling his influence as "invaluable", the wrestler-actor opened up on the three major clashes of his career in WWE.
"There have been so many feuds over the years without me and Steve and with top wrestlers of professionals wrestling, but there has been no feud that has been a greater box office draw... That actually had more X factor heat and electricity," he said and opined, "When it happens it explodes and that emotionality that you cannot deny. and lucky enough for myself and Steve, Vince and the company,"
The 47-year old said that he was a big fan of The Bionic Redneck even before he was Stone Cold Steve Austin and spoke about the latter's days in WCW and ECW. Taking about the feud in WWE, The Rock recalled, "I was just turning heel at that time. This was in the end of 1997 and I joined a faction by the name of Nation of the Domination," The wrestler-actor adds that he became the number one heel in the company soon, while Steve Austin was number one baby face.
On his match with The Ringmaster at WrestleMania 15, The Rock said that Steve Austin was particular about his opponents after broken neck and trusted only a few of them and he was one among them. The Texas Rattlesnake won the match and they had a face off next at WrestleMania 17.
"So much of our stuff had to be adlibbed because Steve was working with a broken neck. Every night was a different match—we knew the finish, whether he would win or I would win, but we had to call, everything out in the ring. Basically, based on how he would feel. We have a phenomenal match. The night before we went out for a steak dinner, myself, Austin, Pat Patterson. We were talking about the match, it was a nice quiet before the storm because who knows what would happen the next day," The Great One claimed.
The Rock lost at WrestleMania 17, but emerged victorious at WrestleMania 19, which turned out to be Austin's last match. "I hit him with three Rock Bottom—I believe it was three Rock Bottoms—appropriately that's what you need to beat 'The Rattlesnake,'" Rock said. "You can actually see me as I sit up and he's laying there—in front of everybody—and I whisper to him, 'I thank you so much for everything that you have done for me.' And I said, 'I love you,' and I heard him say, 'I love you, too.'"
The Rock claimed that he clashed with John Cena in 2012 and 13 and he repeated what Steve Austin had done to him to the Cenation Leader. The Brahma Bull continued, "In New York is where I did for John what Steve did for me, which was do right by the business that we love—professional wrestling—and that's the way you go out,"
"That's the way you end your career, it doesn't matter how big of a star you are, you go out on your shield and on your back: one, two, three," The Rock ended.
