Pick Your Poison: The Rock or Stone Cold

[Kcorthe]

I have seen these threads before, and was actually quite surprised to notice there was not one for these two....we have seen Hogan vs. Flair, we have seen Michaels vs. Hart, we have seen Eddie vs. Benoit....but two of the biggest stars of all time, who were both around at the same time, who were in their prime at the same time, and were the two halves of one of the greatest rivalries in wrestling history.....The Rock and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.

Steve Austin's rise to superstardom initially began in mid-1996, but even then he wasn't huge. It wasn't until early 1997, at WrestleMania 13, when people really started to talk about "The Texas Rattlesnake." I'm sure both the WWE and Steve Austin were quite pleased w/ how succesful the character was becoming in 1997.....but they had no idea how big he would become just a year later, and beyond. 1998 was when the true Austin Era really began, and for the next few years pro wrestling (And the WWF in particular) saw its best days in terms of ratings and popularity. The main reason for this was, of course, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Steve Austin remained at the top of the wrestling world until November of 1999, when he had to take a long absence for neck surgery. But when he returned in September of 2000, he would continue his legacy all the way until his full-time retirement in mid-2002, and his very last match at WrestleMania XIX on March 30, 2003. Steve Austin's last match was against the next man I will be talking about....but during Steve Austin's five years of dominance, he saved the WWF and brought it back into the mainstream. Hell, in 1999, practically everyone watched the WWF...with a big thanks to Austin 3:16. Steve Austin's major popularity stemmed both from his amazing promos and anti-hero, rebellious attitude towards all...and of course, his famed feud with Vincent Kennedy McMahon. Aside from Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin is considered by nearly everyone to be the single biggest draw in wrestling history, and perhaps even the most popular........


Then came along The Rock. While "Stone Cold" Steve Austin was rising through the WWF ranks, there was a young rookie named Rocky Maivia who was struggling to find his place in the WWF. Fans didn't care for his "good guy" gimmick in late '96-most of '97, but Rocky finally caught something in the last month of 1997..........The Rock. Though a heel, The Rock started to gain his fans thanks to his extremely entertaining interviews and promos, and his ring work wasn't too shabby either. After taking control of The Nation of Domination for the first half of 1998, The Rock finally left The Nation in August of that year to go out on his own, becoming one of the most popular wrestlers in the world (right behind Steve Austin). But on that November 15 night in St. Louis, The Rock turned on the people and did the unthinkable....joining Vince McMahon and his Corporation, and in the process winning his first WWF Championship. So now, The Rock was a heel again....or was he? As The Corporate Champion, The Rock became even more popular, coming up with new catchphrases to bring smiles to the faces of even those who tried to hate him. The Rock would leave The Corporation after losing in his feud with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, and for the rest of 1999 The Rock became more and more and more popular, maybe even more so than Steve Austin himself. When Austin left active competition for neck surgery in late 1999, The Rock took over as the WWF's main player, and then went onto 2000 for what was the WWF's greatest financial year (up to that point), taking part in entertaining feuds with the likes of Triple H, Kurt Angle, and others. The Rock remained on a full-time schedule until April of 2001, but returned to a near-full-time schedule in July of 2001, and would finally reture from full-time in April 2002. Though he had about a dozen or so matches since that point, what hurts The Rock most in his career is the fact that many fans are angry with him for leaving wrestling for Hollywood; and it is hardly debatable that if Rock had stayed in the WWF, and was still here today, he could very well be called the greatest wrestler of all-time............

.....But the same could be said for "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, had he not been forced to retire due to his nagging injuries.


Though both men's reigns on top were somewhat short compared to Hulk Hogan or Ric Flair, both The Rock and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin will forever be remembered as two of the most entertaining wrestlers in history, and together they brought the WWF their best ratings to date.

But which one did you like more? Were you "One of the Millions...." or were you one of those in the audience screaming, "WHAT?!"

Let us know which one you preferred, as you Pick Your Poison....Rock or Stone.

__________________________________________

As for me, I love both men; they are two of my all-time favorites. But as for which one I prefer.......its got to be The Rock. Steve Austin comes in at a close second, but I was always a big Rock fan. I think he is at the top of the list when it comes to mic work and charisma, and he was pretty good in the ring as well. As far as I'm concerned, The Rock was the true total package of professional wrestling.

But again, I still love a good ole "Stone Cold" match

So which Poison will you Pick????

 

[FallenAngelV2]

Another tough choice. These two were so similar, yet so different. Both could talk, both put on compelling matches and both drew money.

I think Stone Cold is sometimes underrated in the ring because he was so limited after he broke his neck. If you go back and watch some of Austin's matches before 1997, he was a tremendous in ring worker. Then you factor in the fact that limited in 1997-1999, his prime, Austin still put on entertaining match after entertaining match.

The Rock started out slowly in the ring, but eventually developed into a fine grappler as well. Rock's biggest attribute in the ring was his ability to sell. OMG, look at some of the finishes this guy took that made you think he was dead. While the way he took the stunner was a little over the top, he made the Angle Slam look more brutal. And don't forget about the Gore he took from Rhino in 2001. That move never looked so devastating. Rock also told a great story in the ring.

I think that I will give this one to The Rock because he was able to preform at a top level in the ring while also being in his prime. Unfortunately for Austin, his prime as a grappler occurred before his prime as an overall performer. On the mic, I cannot favor one over the other. The Rock wins by a very slim margin.

 

[RVDgurl]

I was a fan of both back in the hayday of the Attitude Era. I feel that both men made enormous contributions to the wrestling business in the mid '90's. Both men were extremely talented on the stick but Steve Austin was a much more talented in ring performer. As the Stone Cold character, we got to see a more raw, brawling style of wrestling, but Steve Austin was a very good technical wrestler. He could wrestle any style of match. Austin gets my vote.

 

[Skullz Crack'Em]

I started watching wrestling when these two men were the top stars in the WWF/E and thought that both men were fantastic superstars, from Austin driving anything with wheels into the arena, to The Rocking owning every other superstar on the mic. Both were equally funny with Austin's actions and The Rock's promos, and when they feuded you knew they were a legacy in the making, one of the best feuds ever created IMO. So it all comes down to their in-ring skills and overall I liked The Rock's matches more, what can I say? They were electrifying lol. So I voted for The Rock, but for a man who had nearly every body part injured, Austin was great as well in the ring.

 

[bambam]

Stone Cold. I was never really a big Rock fan. Austin was so great on the mic, He was a heel who got cheered for what he did. When he won KOTR his speech was the truning point of wrestling. He was a great worker in the ring, great story teller, Really good angles. Austin hands down.

 

[sniksag]

this really is a hard decisionto make... i think im gonna go with stone cold simply because the rock was too much of a catch phrase based character. dont get me wrong the rock was hellacious character and had awesome matches and held the wwe through some very bad times, but i just thoroughly enjoyed austin much more. while making this post i would like to defend the rock as well, with many saying fuck the rock simply because he doesnt want to come back for wrestlemania or because hes done with the business, there comes a time when people move on. people ream the rock because he refuses to do one night returs but hoonestly for us to be upset at that is rediculous. he carried the business when austin decided to take his ball and go home on more than one occassion. he had no problem taking a backseat to others like hogan aqnd hhh. with all that being said i reinterate the point i love the rock and i also love austin but austin is just more entertaining

 

[Soul Reaper]

Good Thread.

I prefer SCSA because for some reason I think The Rock is a little bit overated. He is good on the mic but he isn't that great in the ring. Im not saying he isn't athletic I just think he is a male version of Trish Stratus, Highly overated and only average in the ring.

The same thing can be said for Steve Austin but when it comes down to it "Stone Cold" entertains me more.

 

[Dark Blaze]

I prefer the Rock...yes I understand he was average in the ring and all that. But I was never into SCSA much...always been a Rock guy...always kept me entertained...and laughing at all his promos.

I love the Rock's catchphrases, yes they were overdone, but personally I never got tired of them, never will. SCSA, however, I got sick of some of his- like the What? That was just freaking annoying...maybe funny the first few times...but after a while it sickened me.

Either way though, those two were immense draws...SCSA was the bigger draw but The Rock will always have my preference.

 

[RKO Orton]

I'm one of the millions... of The Rock fans. Rock was one of THE most entertaining wrestlers of his era. Along with Austin, of course. It seemed to me that the Rock always had better promos, matches, catchphrases and he always entertained me. Austin was good also, don't think I'm saying he's terrible, but if I had to pick, I'd take the Rock anyday of the week.

 

[laya_4life]

I got the rock as he is my favorite of all time. he was indeed the total package, but what i think set the rock apart from the rest was that he didn't need to champion, or he didn't need that main event spot to still be the most cheered guy on the show. also rock was a better heel than austin imo. after they both became the mega star babyfaces that they became, rock had the better heel run later in their careers than Austin...no one really bought Austin as a heel in 2001.

 

[Kfabe]

WOW!!! To be totally honest, I'm completely split on this one.

Although I prefered Rock on the mic and in the segments, truth is he had as much in ring ability as Cena. He spent 60 % of his matches throwing punches.
Stone Cold had great mic work and segments also, just not on Rocks level (my opinion). However his ring work was a hell of a lot better than the Rocks.

Id have to say its honours even here guys...

 

[wetland]

It has to be the great one IMO. He by far was the best on the mic and by far had the best catchphrases that never got old. Know your role...... and shut your mouth. My personal favourite. SCSA Pretty much kept the wwf in business in 1998-1999, however when he left for pretty much the whole of the year 2000 the main draw was the rock. I just loved the whole package you got with rock, he would make you laugh all the time, his ability to sell was second to none and his mic skills were amazing. I would much rather have an in prime rock than any cena, orton or triple h.

 

[Steamboat Ricky]

I'm going to easily side with SCSA. He is without a doubt the reason that I became obsessed with wrestling in the first place. The night I got hooked was when he drove out with the zamboni and "bah gawd Austin's crashing McMahon's party!" He was the biggest draw in the business for about 5 years, and he was always put over The Rock. He was great as both a face and a heel, and the energy he brought to the ring was classic and set the stage for many of the guys in the business today.

 

[The great gama]

Ok it seems like im gona flip flop on this more than a fish out of water. The rock was a whole lot more entertaining. I laughed so hard i nearly peed my pants when he called someone a "Roodie-poo candy ass". But the purist in me wants to go with Austin. No Rock. No Austin.... Damit!

 

[Captain Bean]

its got to be the rock for me. his promos were the greatest in history. his selling abilities were awesome even though backflippin stone cold stunner was over the top it was great! he was talented in the ring and the nip up was entertaining, as was the peoples elbow and the rock bottom. SCSA was awesome aswel with driving everything with wheels into the arena....the zamboni was a classic. they had the greatest rivalry ever imo and WM17 highlights that. overall id say the rock.


ROCK ON TITANTRON
now the rock understands whats just taken place, he understands that you've got a hard fought victory well CONGRATULATIONS! but the rock has but one thing to say to you big show.........................somebody got a hair cut...... which officialy means big show that you are no longer a long haired 7feet 500pound piece of monkey crap. no you are not..... YOU ARE A SHORT HAIRED SEVEN FEET 500 POUND PIECE OF STEAMING STINKING GRADE A MONKEY CRAP!
now the rock is tired of hearing you whine ( slaps hand) the rock is tired of hearing you bitch(slaps hand again) the rock is tired(a third time) of hearing you cry and moan like a baby but there is something the rock wants YOU to listen to.... and that is the most important sound you will ever hear in your pathetic life....and that is all the ROCKS FANS CHANTING HIS NAME!....(rocky rocky rocky rocky)

and now that you ve heard the sound the rock says go back to super-cuts and get your five dollars back jabroni!


absolute classic promo

 

[Y 2 Jake]

How is the poll so close? The Rock was made by Austin, Austin was made without The Rock.

The only reason for The Rock's popularity is because of Austin (and Mick Foley). The only reason The Rock is so close in the poll is because The Rock doesn't appear on TV. It's that simple. There's no real comparison. The Rock was a huge wrestling star, but still nowhere near as popular as Austin. remember 2000? Didn't think so. What about 1998-1999? Hell yeah.

The Rock is a bigger actor, lesser wrestler.

 

[LegendarySayin]

austin all the way, wwf would of been bankrupt without him. the thing that people dont understand is that the "attitude era" was built for the sloe purpose for stone cold. it wasnt made for the rock, dx, undertaker etc... stone cold was mr attitude era. he was the heart of the company, the brain and the mind. attitude era started with austin and it finished with austin.

it was the best 3 1/2 years of any mans life. long live attitude era

 

[blazedaley]

rock or stone cold? If I had to pick one to lead my company it would have to be austin. the rock turned his back on the industry. austin may have personal demons but his passion for this business exceeds that of the rock. the rock is a combination of john cena and hulk hogan...entertainers, not wrestlers. austin is one of the most pure "professional wrestlers" we will ever see.

 

[Father:_Polley]

I've got to go for the rock on this one. Ok, ability wise, both were solid performers in the ring and outstanding on the mic. But the thing that tipped it for me was the rocks ability to play heel. There was always something different in that he could make the crowd boo and keep them that way.
When SCSA was heel, there was always an element that made you want to cheer him and I don't think he was ever as good at making the crowd hate him as rock was. Rock had the ability to make a crowd come close to cheering, then yank it away at the last minute with a snappy insult.
That is my reason for choosing rock, feel free to disagree

 

[Rated K for Kennedy... Kennedy!]

I give it to Austin, whilst never a full on uber-fan, I respected his ability to have a great match with ANYONE. He was the king of adaptation and he looked legitimately tough. Now while I have some issues with the Rock (his constant put downs seemed to me to make him seem like a heel, during his biggest face run!) Rock could talk a great game and when he wasn't verbally destroying someone he could go in the ring.

Both men got to the top through hard work, Austin worked his a$$ off in WCW to be suck in the midcard (despite being able to reasonably claim to being a draw as a tag team champ [not easy]!!) He came to WWE as the ringmaster and no-one cared. Rock came in as Rocky Maivia (after his Flex Cavana cameo) and people hated him, white meat babyface (just before the edgyest era of wrestling was about to boom, no way that'll win), and even Mick Foley admits to thinking Rock couldn't cut it in the ring during his early days in the 'Fed. Both men broke the glass celing based on ability and hard work!

This one is so close to call from an impartial standpoint, so I have to go with my heart which says Austin all the way! I just feel he appreciates what he has more, and would do anything to entertain "his fans" and please his "boss", even God=awful WWE movies!

3:16 for me!

 

[FoleyIsGod]

rock or stone cold? If I had to pick one to lead my company it would have to be austin. the rock turned his back on the industry. austin may have personal demons but his passion for this business exceeds that of the rock. the rock is a combination of john cena and hulk hogan...entertainers, not wrestlers. austin is one of the most pure "professional wrestlers" we will ever see.

He didnt turn his back. Rock had done everything there was to do in wrestling. He fancied a new challenge and fair play, hes done quite well out of it.

Bickering and whinging that "he sold out" just really pisses me off. We could have still ahd him now, but he probnably would be old and stale like Triple H or even Cena.

Thats the problem with the WWE, failure to create new stars in the past has led to tanking ratings

 

[sharpsh00ter23]

Another tough choice. These two were so similar, yet so different. Both could talk, both put on compelling matches and both drew money.

I think Stone Cold is sometimes underrated in the ring because he was so limited after he broke his neck. If you go back and watch some of Austin's matches before 1997, he was a tremendous in ring worker. Then you factor in the fact that limited in 1997-1999, his prime, Austin still put on entertaining match after entertaining match.

The Rock started out slowly in the ring, but eventually developed into a fine grappler as well. Rock's biggest attribute in the ring was his ability to sell. OMG, look at some of the finishes this guy took that made you think he was dead. While the way he took the stunner was a little over the top, he made the Angle Slam look more brutal. And don't forget about the Gore he took from Rhino in 2001. That move never looked so devastating. Rock also told a great story in the ring.

I think that I will give this one to The Rock because he was able to preform at a top level in the ring while also being in his prime. Unfortunately for Austin, his prime as a grappler occurred before his prime as an overall performer. On the mic, I cannot favor one over the other. The Rock wins by a very slim margin.

Your most dominant yet overlooked point in your statement is The Rock's ability to sell moves. You said it right when he took finishers that made you think he was dead or how does a guy that big become that malleable. That Gore he took from Rhyno was devastating as he rolled off of his neck and flipped backwards. The Stunner was made famous because of his reaction to it. I have to give it to The Rock, because he's my favorite wrestler, and EVEN THOUGH when it came to doing whacked out, crazy, "I can't believe he just did that" kind of material, Austin was the man. The Rock is my pick.

 

[sharpsh00ter23]

THANK YOU! Finally someone looks deeper into the hypocrisy of the fans and the WWE. When Austin WALKED out of the WWE, not to obtain something greater, but just because he wasn't getting his way, the fans didn't ridicule him for that. Yet the Rock stepped in for Austin's absence, gave his best and more, left modestly, no fuss, no fanfare, and decides to excel in yet another blockbuster occupation, and everybody and their grandparents are crawling all over him with negative-criticism.

It makes me sick. Really, their criticism should feel like accolades to The Rock though, because if he weren't the Great One like he is, they wouldn't make a big fuss about it. Deep down they know The Rock meant ratings, reviews, and sold out seats.

 

[shingi]

I pick The Rock he is my favourite superstar of all time i know austin's moves were limited due to his neck injury but the rock could cut a promo better than anyone. He sold pretty every high impact move that he took but to be honest I am not really a fan of scsa so I would choose The Rock.

 

[sharpsh00ter23]

its got to be the rock for me. his promos were the greatest in history. his selling abilities were awesome even though backflippin stone cold stunner was over the top it was great! he was talented in the ring and the nip up was entertaining, as was the peoples elbow and the rock bottom. SCSA was awesome aswel with driving everything with wheels into the arena....the zamboni was a classic. they had the greatest rivalry ever imo and WM17 highlights that. overall id say the rock.


ROCK ON TITANTRON
now the rock understands whats just taken place, he understands that you've got a hard fought victory well CONGRATULATIONS! but the rock has but one thing to say to you big show.........................somebody got a hair cut...... which officialy means big show that you are no longer a long haired 7feet 500pound piece of monkey crap. no you are not..... YOU ARE A SHORT HAIRED SEVEN FEET 500 POUND PIECE OF STEAMING STINKING GRADE A MONKEY CRAP!
now the rock is tired of hearing you whine ( slaps hand) the rock is tired of hearing you bitch(slaps hand again) the rock is tired(a third time) of hearing you cry and moan like a baby but there is something the rock wants YOU to listen to.... and that is the most important sound you will ever hear in your pathetic life....and that is all the ROCKS FANS CHANTING HIS NAME!....(rocky rocky rocky rocky)

and now that you ve heard the sound the rock says go back to super-cuts and get your five dollars back jabroni!


absolute classic promo

I have that very exact promo on my hard drive, and if you listen to the People when they chanted the Rock's name, it was invigorating! Everyone was in unison...nobody had crowd control like The Rock, because the minute he started speaking again, everyone stopped chanting.