Who was better in the ring: Rock or Austin

[klunderbunker]

We've argued to death who is the bigger star (it's still Austin) and who was better on the mic (Rock), but what about in the ring? So often with these two it was their characters that were looked at as the important part of them, but eventually they had to get in the ring and wrestle. That being said, who was better at it? Rock was far more athletic, but that doesn't mean he was a better wrestler. Austin was the brawler and a damn good one at that. However, who was the better wrestler? Austin had some classics with Angle and Benoit where he showed off the technical stuff that he could do. Rock could have decent matches with just about anyone. All that being said, who is better between them?

 

[Reddannihilation]

Prior to his injury, I'd say Austin without a doubt. He was very much, a technically sound wrestler who could switch between brawling and wrestling in an instant. After his injury I'd say the Rock had his number, mainly because of his superior athleticism. But if you're going by both in their prime then I'd definitely say Austin.

 

[TheLittleOne]

Austin was the better wrestler. not sure if many of you have seen his superb WCW career but in early 90's wcw, Austin had many exciting matches vs Steamboat, goldust, battling Sting with his "Dangerous Alliance" members!! or teaming with pillman..

how can someone mention, AUSTIN had classics with angle & benoit.. and not mention his best opponent ever BRET HART. surv.ser.96 wm13(which saved the ppv) and a africa house show before surv.ser.96 Check it out on wweclassics.com very rare with owen on commentary!!!

rocky was uber athletic, Austin was the better wrestler.

 

[Loveless]

Prior to his injuries and Stone Cold character, Austin was far and away the better wrestler. I'd say WCW Austin was one of the finest technical wrestlers of the 90's and had some pretty good matches with Regal. I'm not too big on Rock in-ring but the simple fact he could move comfortably and not screw up (by virtue of having a simple moveset) means he was better post 98.

 

[ThaBreezeGB]

I Would Have To Give The Nod To Rock Because He Could Sell So Well And He Never Really Had Bad Matches I Mean His Moveset Was Kinda Simple But He Was Still Pretty Solid Even Though They Were Both Pretty good In The Ring Austin Had Classics With Bret WM13 Might Be One Of The Greatest Matches I Have Ever Seen!!!

 

[Why Always Me]

This is difficult, The Rock and Austin are so close on everything (Star Power, Popularity, Charisma etc), but if I had to give the nod to one of them, it would be Austin.

The Rock is my favourite of the two, my favourite of all time and was awesome in the ring in late 1998, 1999 and early 2000, however his sharpshooter was sloppy at best. I also didn't like it when the People's Elbow was used as a finisher, the only time this should happen is when it follows The Rock Bottom.

Austin was more of a brawler and kept that style throughout. I actually feel his ring work got even better when he turned heel. The few times Austin used the sharpshooter he did it properly, and the stunner is the best move of all time.

Both of them are good in the ring though and provided some of the best and most memorable matches in WWF history (not WWE).

9 times out of 10, I will side with The Rock against Austin, but this time I'm picking the Rattlesnake.

 

[Doc Taboc]

Now, Dont get all upset when I say this. I actually think both of them were not good wrestlers at all. Great entertainers and unfortunatly that is what gets people over in WWE. I remember articles written on the internet about how bad stone cold was and vince put him in a different style match week after week to try and prove to the people that he could wrestle, then it didn't prove much of anything.

I put those 2 like a hogan. VERY entertaining and can get a crowd on there feet in a second. But 5 move wrestlers none the less.

If I have to say one or the other. Id say Austin was a bit more technical and the Rock was a bit more athletic. But when said and done, every match was basicly the same week to week, just different opponents.

 

[UseYourBrain]

I have to say that while I wouldn't call either of them great wrestlers or athletes, I'd call them both great workers, in that it's all a work in the first place and that these two made a lot of money. When it comes to making other people look good, The Rock was absolutely terrible. Austin was pretty bad, too... as he was always booked to beat people and made them look like garbage by dumping beer all over them, but that was his job. I've mentioned it before on here, but I've always thought the Rock/Billy Gunn feud was the best example of how horrible The Rock was at taking care of his opponent or learning how to give as well as take. He made Gunn look like an idiot on the mic, didn't seem bothered by anything Gunn ever said or did, and then he beat him. He gave Gunn NOTHING. Austin's guilty of the same, for sure... and was definitely at his best when he was on his way up the ladder. Once he got there, it just wasn't the same for me. A rebel never works as a leader or top guy for very long, especially when being a poster boy goes against the entire point of being a rebel to begin with. Just ask Wolverine. Austin impressed me a lot during 96/97 with his attitude adn the fact that he struggled with main eventers but never gave up. The Rock's mic skills impressed me around 98/99 in much the same way. However, when they both reached the peak of the mountain, neither one of them impressed me nearly as much. Business wise, they did.... but in the ring, it was all a bunch of Hogan/Cena motions and cheesy spots and catchphrases. In the end, I'd give the edge to Austin worker-wise.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

As far as pure technical wrestling, I think the consensus would say it was Austin. The Rock was very athletic and could hold his own in the ring with some of the best, but Austin is one of the rare wrestlers that can carry someone to a passable match. His name before Stone Cold was 'The Ringmaster'. It was when he was the Million Dollar Champion and being managed by Ted Dibiase. The gimmick was that he was an excellent ring technician and could stretch you, and submit you at will.

Before his injuries took it's toll on him, Austin was probably one of the top technical wrestlers around during his day. The Rock was great, and could hold his own, but Austin gets the nod here.

 

[marklouis]

I think it's Austin, and it's not really close in my opinion. While Austin may be known as a brawler due to some of the things he did that weren't in matches, in true wrestling matches, he was as good as anyone of the era. Check out his matches with the Harts, either Bret or Owen, especially the "blood from a stone" match. And he had some really good matches with HBK as well. The Rock was a great athlete, but he never became a great wrestler. He didn't need to, and he wasn't bad, but he wasn't on Austin's level.

 

[wolvdog316]

It's Austin and as the one poster said, it's indeed not even close. Austin in his prime was WAY better than Rock in his prime. Plus as the Rock wrestled more and more he got sloppier and sloppier. His sharpshooter, his elbow, his little double arm throw were all sloppy as fuck.

The ONLY thing Rock has on Austin is mic skills. That's it.

 

[Grizzly0u812]

I think Stone Cold was the better of the 2 for many reasons, he has been in the business for many years from ECW, WCW, WWE, he has changed his character many times and got better each time, when he was part of the Blondes with Pilman he wrestled as far as I remember, when he was managed by Million Dollar Man he wrestled, when He started his Stone cold phase he brawled, made movies main evented many matches, if he did not get hurt I am pretty sure he would still be fighting today if he could.

The rock, only been around for a while, made a name for himself, did a few movies, left wrestling, lost the "Rock" and goes by Dwayne Johson now.

Both were great in their own way, Austin busted his ass to get into wrestling and where he is today, The Rock had ties to wrestling because of family so he already had the door open for him.

Austin had to make a name for himself, the Rock already had a name because of his father and uncle.

Not knocking him but if you look at both guys, the Rock gave up wrestling Stone Cold had to stop wrestling due to injuries.

Thats my opinion, I like them both but Austin paid his dues, fought his way and earned his name, The Rock had strings pulled for him to come into wrestling.

Pretty much most second/3rd generation have an easier time breaking into the business.

Orton had ties, Ted Dibias has ties, Cody Rhodes has ties, Rock has ties, Stone Cold came from ECW days to WWE stages.

 

[The King]

I think even before Austin got his injuries i would have to say the Rock was the better wrestler. His matches were always entertaining and he hardly ever had a flaw in a match.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

^^^ I would say the reverse actually! Austin was still a better in ring competitor than The Rock even after the injury. Some examples include his matches with Triple H, Chris Benoit, Kurt Angle, and even Mick Foley. The thing about The Rock is that his ring style has so many routines that the tendency is for the people working with him to go with his flow, take Rock vs. Benoit at Fully Loaded, it was a really good match but you could tell Benoit had to work around The Rock. Now look at Austin vs. Benoit on free TV, you could see that Austin was more fluid in working with Benoit's style. And from what I have seen this is normally the case.

 

[kcordloh]

^^^ I would say the reverse actually! Austin was still a better in ring competitor than The Rock even after the injury. Some examples include his matches with Triple H, Chris Benoit, Kurt Angle, and even Mick Foley. The thing about The Rock is that his ring style has so many routines that the tendency is for the people working with him to go with his flow, take Rock vs. Benoit at Fully Loaded, it was a really good match but you could tell Benoit had to work around The Rock. Now look at Austin vs. Benoit on free TV, you could see that Austin was more fluid in working with Benoit's style. And from what I have seen this is normally the case.

I was just thinking that.
The Rock reminds me of Fit Finlay, in that they had decent matches but it was very much of a routine that never changes.

Austin had the same problem, most top wrestlers do. It's fine, they are good matches, it's just routine after awhile, which is why most of us that really pay attention can tell who is going to win after the first 3 minutes 90% of the time.

Austin was better at wrestling/brawling. The Rock really didn't hit his stride until late 2000 IMO. Before that he was purely kick/punch/big move. I remember watching Fully Loaded and being impressed that he tried other moves (I was 13 at the time) and being even more impressed in 2002 when he wrestled Benoit on SmackDown! (in a tag match) and it was a really good match.

 

[shipititez]

Austin was the superior worker by far until SummerSlam 1997 when he took the reverse piledriver from Owen Hart and broke his neck. During the prime of both Austin and Rocks careers both of them had a very limited move set and relied on punches and kicks and brawling on the outside. Over the course of their careers, Austin was a more accomplished worker and demonstrated proficiency in a wide assortment of wrestling stlyes both in single and tag team competition. The Rock always had a "WWF" style to his work, so he was limited in his in ring options. Stone cold had a better finisher with the stunner vs The Rock's Rock Bottom. Stone Cold had better punches and kicks and appeared to be much more stiff than Rock. I think Stone Cold was the superior worker.

 

[wrestler36]

I would say Austin is the more versatile of the two. He proved to be a good technical wrestler in WCW and even as the Ringmaster. He was also a good tag wrestler as one half of the Hollywood Blondes. Then when he became Stone Cold, he changed his style and still put on exciting matches.

You have to realize to that the size of the wrestler matters too. Austin was 6'2 or so and 240 pounds, which makes him about medium sized. Rock was 6'5 and ranged between 240-275 lbs during his career. An Austin vs Jericho/Benoit match would seem to be relatively on the same level, whereas a Rock vs Jericho/Benoit, the smaller guy would always play an underdog type, whether face or heel. That being said, neither of them made mistakes nor put on boring matches. in the end, that's what really matters.

 

[boozinjedi]

Sad to say..I have to agree with most here,
before his injuries piled up,Austin(WCW/early WWE run) was a tremendously talented technical wrestler.
I think too much of that was expected out of Rock,being a 3rd generation star,he should've had it in his blood..the fact that he came to it later on.
Only after giving pro football a try did he go into the family business.
Could we expect the same out of Road Warrior Animal's son James if he washes out of the NFL??
As good as he looked at OSU...I'd say he's a got a good NFL tenure ahead of him(if he doesn't end up wasting away in St. Louis!!)

 

[Hulkamaniac]

Austin in a technical sense, I suppose, but I preferred Rocky's matches personally. His style was more fun to watch, and he involved the crowd more with the action.

 

[RatedRSuperstar]

Wow..this is a really tough one to call..because when I started watching wrestling, these two were my absolute favorite guys. They were both outstanding in the ring AND on the mic, they even had some really great matches together. but when it comes to pure wrestling skill, I have to go with Austin on this one. before his injuries, he was one of the best in the business. Now as far as mic skills go, that's for a different discussion for a different time..but Austin was the better of the two in the ring.

 

[jayteeERA]

When I really got hooked to WWF/E it was 1997. And Austin was a big thing. Injurying Bret Hart in his own submission hold & beating him up in a ambulance. While Rock lost his I.C tilte to Owen Hart.

Now who was the best? It was Austin by a mile. The thing I loved about Austin is only thing he wanted to do is talk trash and get in the ring and kick ass. The Rock wanted to do a couple of flashy moves, steal a couple of finisher. Talk trash & get his ass whipped sometimes. I could never take the rock seriously as a face cause of that foolishness. Austin didn't need fashy moves or to steal other ppl finishers. Austin ring style was about one thing and that was to whip your ass and then flash around by drinking some beer.

Thats why it was Austin ERA. I wish some of these wrestlers today could take notes on Stone Cold.

 

[jayteeERA]

These seem to be contradictory.

Yes Austin did steal Bret Hart submission. But that was payback at wrestlemania 13. Speaking of Bret Hart submission. Atleast Austin didn't use it in every match unlike the rock.

 

[wrestleman]

Its close the rock third gen. superstar so he knows all the wrestling moves and maid vince millions possible billions not to mention his incredible athletic ablility but their is stone cold who trained faced and beat the best and also learned more and more besides who else wrestles any more and i think its stone cold

 

[jncwrestling]

I would think the majority of responses would rationalize but instead all the posts are based on personal favouritisim. Stone Cold is better and more capable than The Rock!? The worse one was, "The Stone Cold Stunner" is better than "The Rock Bottom". yuh I guess it could be for it having the least amount of effort required to pull it off... sit down and have the opponent lean forward and follow it by a whole lot of dramatics. "The Rock Bottom" at the very least is a slam! Maybe a pole on which non finishing move is better between a STO or a simple Jaw Breaker should be taken. Secondly Stone Cold has used his whole career, being nearly twice as long as The Rock's, improving and working with greats who back then were more traditional. The Rock is up there on the list as one of the most athletic, wise, and intelligent wrestlers, especially out of the main "superstar" bunch. John Cena...pathetic. And this is who they have chosen to take The Rock's place. Out of every wrestler that has had a move, finisher or not, with an oppenent laying on their back and that is started by runing from off the ropes, no one has had a taunting one, in any way, as successful as "The People's Elbow". Now just about every wrestler has to have a taunting move with a laying opponent. The only thing Stone Cold has left behind, is a lot of "What" coming from the audience, which is now fading away. The only argument that could be made about these two is one about their personas. That, I will leave alone gladly. After all that is what wrestling favouritism is all about. But while judging which human is more capable, use common sense ( any special capacity for perception, estimation, appreciation) ....

 

[Chicago1989]

I would say Stone Cold has an edge when it comes to wrestling skills and experience than The Rock. Austin started his wrestling career even before the 90's and The Rock started his around '96. Even though Stone Cold suffered a neck injury that has affected the rest of his career, he was still able to show good technical and brawling skills like he did before in his WCW days.

The Rock was definitely more athletic and leaner than Austin but he wasn't that big on technical or brawling skills. He was more of a "showman" type wrestler who would do moves that would excite the fans and do these taunts while he's at it. Austin would just go out there and whip your ass, be it technical or brawl-wise.