What was Steve Austin's best match?

[Sexcellence of Sexecution]

So this is the third thread in this series. Hopefully I don't fuck this one up like the HHH one and actually post the poll this time. The subject of this thread is Steve Austin, arguably the biggest superstar in the history of the WWE. But what was the best match in his historic career?

All of the matches on my list took place in the WWE (well, WWF, but you know). I realize Austin had great matches in ECW and WCW but his career is defined by his amazing run on top in the WWF. Part of what makes a wrestler's best match their best match is the angle, the stakes, and the atmosphere. It's not just about a technically sound performance. All of the most historic and memorable main event matches in Austin's career were in the WWF, so while those other matches in other companies were good, none could really be considered his best.

I was really torn in my own choice for Austin's best match, and I still haven't decided whether to go with the Bret match at mania 13 or the match with the Rock at mania 17. Those are my top two contenders I think, although I love every match on the list. Can't wait to hear your thoughts.

 

[zhaff2004]

no poll again mate... I'm gonna have to go with his match with the rock from 17. i was ten years old when that match happened and it, along with Rocky's match with Hogan are two of the most endearing wrestling memories of my childhood

 

[robinkom]

I voted for Austin/Hart at WrestleMania 13, I LOVE that match. I felt like as time went on, a lot of Steve's work just started to bleed together regardless of how hot he was but that Submission Match with Bret always stands out above the rest. As Jim Cornette put it, and I agree, it was like an old-fashioned Mid-South kind of brawl. It was a gritty and brutal throw-down which is rare these days if there's ever a Submission Match booked for any reason. It's a shame that Bret and Steve couldn't have had a longer program together or even revisited the feud again down the line had the Montreal Screwjob not happened.

 

[DetectiveZelix]

That match at 17 was damn Awesome but my favorite Austin match at least athletically was at KOTR taking on Jericho and Benoit in a triple threat was damn awesome. True showcase of talent athletisicm endurance and showed Austin can wrestle very well

 

[Aquaman6686]

I'm going with Austin vs. Rock III, at WrestleMania 19. The emotion was off the charts, from a technical standpoint I think it was the best of their trilogy, and it took place on what I consider to be the best WrestleMania of all time.

 

[InstantAttitude]

WrestleMania 13
Austin Vs. Bret
Easily.
Classic match that had a significant impact to Wrestling and Austin's career.
and just slightly under that would be Rock Vs. Austin at WM X7

 

[Radical Canadian Goose]

Austin/Hart at Mania 13 was by far the defining moment of Austin's career, and maybe even the unofficial beginning of the Attitude Era. This match holds a lotof significance in wrestling lore for not only the technical aspect of it, but also the double turn that occurred. No disrespect to the other matches but this is easily his #1 match.

PS to the OP I am loving these threads, keep it up

 

[HBsam31]

Have to go with Austin/Hart from Wrestlemania 13. Like already has been said, the match is significant for so many reasons. It was really Austin's coming out party. A great match to watch with the great double turn.

 

[The Eighties]

I think this is actually one of the easiest questions to answer and usually it's a hard one for top wrestlers, but with Austin I just can't see past the Submission match with Bret at WrestleMania 13.

Austin's match with The Rock at Mania 17 was epic but the overbooked ending wasn't so great, and I am sure many will point to his WCW days before the knee injury for some of his more athletic ring work against the likes of Ricky Steamboat and Dustin Rhodes.

However to me his best two matches ever were both with Bret. Their first match in MSG was a fantastic wrestling match and would be a #1 on many wrestler's lists, but the Submission match was one of the greatest pieces of wrestling theater in history.

 

[thebarber]

I voted other, his match with Ricky Steamboat in WCW were some of the best in-ring matches in WCW in 1994, compared to the dross being dished up by Hogan and his mates that came along (Honkytonk Man, Duggan, Iron Sheik, Beefcake etc). Steve Austin and Ricky Steamboat tore the house down, and Steamboat had not injured his back and subsequently retired, this feud could have got Austin over to a main event role in WCW, instead iof being buried down the card when the Hogan circus arrived

 

[magic man]

The obvious one is at 'Mania 13 vs Bret Hart but on a personal level I loved the match at mania 17 with the turn at the end. Saying that the 3 stages of hell vs Triple H and vs Rock at Mania 15 have to be up there as well

 

[Wald]

Going to vote the Wrestlemania match with Bret, it's genuinely the most perfectly put together match I've ever seen. The character development it allowed was fantastic, in fact I'd say that the wrinkles to the Hitman's character coming out of it (the mean streak) really helped him in being the wrestler of the year for 1997.

The Hitman vs Austin match from Survivor Series 1996 is often overlooked because of the WM13 match but it's end to end quality as well

 

[Poop Master Flex]

I gotta go with my favorite Austin match (and IMO one of the best matches of all time) which would be his submission match against Bret Hart at Wrestlemania 13.

I don't like talking about the match as it's hard to do it justice, the match was just pure magic from top to bottom. It was hard hitting, physical, told a great story, greatly enhanced both guys (making Austin a top face and breathing new life into Brets WWE career) and had one of the most iconic images in the history of wrestling with Austin refusing to give up in The Sharpshooter.

Austin 3:16 was what got Austin noticed but this is the match he became a star for life. I honestly believe this match was what sold WWE on Austin as a guy who can be the face of the company. Austin would still get bigger when he was healing from his neck injury but this match put Austin in a position to make that work.

Incredible match, one of the best matches of all time and my all time personal favorite match.

 

[shafe_41]

Yeah man it's not even a contest. Submission match with Bret at WM13. That image of Austin's bloody face is just... iconic. I'm not great at picking out when matches took place outside of Wrestlemania. But when you said "Austin's best match" that is the first thing that came to mind. I think he would even tell you that's one of his favorite matches of his career. It was just epic.

 

[CrucifiedRaven]

I voted for Austin/Bret because it's obvious. That match made Stone Cold a legit main event guy. He was hot leading into 'Mania... and that match put him over the top.

One match that I think is very underrated and not getting much love is the Triple H three stages of hell match. It certainly wasn't a technical marvel, but an all out war and the conclusion to the over-a-year-long "who ran over Stone Cold" angle. It will always be one of my favourites during this time.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Agreed! No way you write off his WCW career, where he was more agile and shining just as brightly. I go with his Hollywood Blondes tenure, every match was SO good. It's sad that he got hurt and it limited him. He made the most of what he had left, but ultimately Stunning Steve had better matches no one cared about than Stone Cold ever did... People mock Cena for 5 moves, Austin had that and one was the bird once Owen did the damage.

Of those listed, WM13 is the only choice, everything after was tainted by the injury. Austin was finding his groove as Stone Cold but it was the last "great" match he had as his true self at his true level.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I'd probably have to go with his match against Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13. The match itself was great but it was the ending in & of itself that made this match immortal. Even though Austin didn't win the match, the ending of that match in & of itself might have been the exact moment when a true superstar was born. The Austin 3:16 speech set him apart and definitely got people's attention. Some would even say that it was the beginning of the Attitude Era.

The Austin 3:16 got things kicked off for Austin while, in my eyes, the match with Bret Hart is what ultimately wound up sealing the deal. Austin was bleeding, bleeding heavily, and the fans were going nuts. Austin sold the effects of Hart's Sharpshooter masterfully and the camera shot of Austin screaming in agony with blood pouring down his face is an iconic image. If you were able to assemble a team of some of the great literary writers in history consisting of Faulkner, Shakespeare, Twain & Hemmingway to pound out a script for a wrestling match, I doubt they could have come up with anything that would have generated half the impact of Austin's performance. It was simply a great dramatic moment in which Austin, while certainly not a "good guy", showed the kind of heart that people expect from heroes. Even though he was in the throes of agony, he refused to submit. Austin "passing out" from the pain could really be looked at as a metaphor in which he was saying "I'd rather die than say I give up". People have always and will always admire courage. Leaders come & go, empires rise & fall and conservatives & liberals will always be at each other's throats; but courage is something that's about as close to universal admiration as you can get.

 

[Sweettre15]

If we are talking Strictly WWF/E then I'd say:

Steve Austin vs Bret Hart - Wrestlemania 13: Very brutal match with an epic double turn

Steve Austin vs Shawn Michaels - King of The Ring 1997: The match I wished would have happened at Wrestlemania 14 due to none of them being heavily injured at the time.

Steve Austin vs The Rock - Wrestlemania 17: Simply a testament to the evolution of Rock and Austin's chemistry in the ring.

 

[SilverBullet1929]

Depending on various factors, I interchange between WrestleMania 13 vs Bret and X7 vs Rock. I can never pick just one.

Also, I have to give a huge honorable mention to Survivor Series 96 vs Bret. Loved that technical masterpiece!