Whos better, austin or the rock.

[Brahma Bull]

I have been debating with people over stone cold for a couple days now. i want people to say who they think is better and then give some reasons why.
they are both considered the two biggest men during the attitude era, and a constant saying of the big three with the 2 of them and hogan has been thrown around these forums a lot.

now to those i debated with the past couple of days, lets just have everything start over. i do not want this thread to get personal, or have anything from before. fresh and new, please no insults or anything. people feel passionately and i get it. but its a freaking wrestling forum, lets all be adults, including me, and have fun talking about these 2 guys.

ill start. you guys can probably tell from my name that im a rock fan. he was my favorite wrestler growing up, and was one of my childhood hereos. i also think he was the best during the attitude era. ill give you some reasons.

the rock established way more stars than austin. everyone he fueded with got more over just being with the rock because the rock had some great fueds. the exception being mr ass, lol. i really dont know too many wrestlers that got over because of austin.

austin did not keep the wwe alive. the wwe was just fine without austin when he was getting surgery for having his neck broken. the rock led the wwe and the wwe put out some really great entertainment.

austin just got to the top because of his fued with mr mcmahon. mcmahon was hated, BY THE PEOPLE, because of the screw job. if that never happened, austin would probably be about as high as kane. he also got over because of his props. who else got to drive a beer truck? of course that would get austin over. angle drove a milk truck, and look what happened to his career. (i think angle would have gotten big anyway, but not as fast.)

the rock had many more memorable fueds than austin, and had way better promos than austin. most of austins promos were the same. if you wanna see me beat his ass give me a hell yeah pretty much covers most of his promos.

after austin turned face again he never got back on top. the rock had already started taking over as the top of the company ( leading the wwe against the aliance and facing hogan at wrestlemania are 2 facts i use as proof to defend this.) austin wasnt able to make it back to the top because without fueding with vince, he only got by on the nostalgia people had of him before.

austin did NOT start the attitude era. the girls were getting ****tier, the matches were getting more brutal, and everyone was getting more edgier before austin took over at the top. he was definately the biggest during most of the attitude era, and he did manage to be successful in his fued, but the rock got over on his own, and brought others up with him.

the rock cared about the company more than austin. i think this can be defended by the fact that austin refused to job to people, whereas the rock did, and austin walked out on numerous occasions. (i know ive stated this many times in the other thread, but this is a new thread) i know the rock left to do movies, but do we need to see our wrestlers break their bodies to be able to leave? the rock left at the smart time to bigger things. austin stuck around because he couldnt do anything else, and now that he can finally start making movies, he doesnt need the wwe as much. they both have still come back a couple times, but just because austin broke his neck doesnt mean he loved the business more. it could just mean he needed it more.

now, i dont think austin was the worst thing ever, but i definately feel that austin was not as good as the rock.

have fun debating, and if you disagree with me, let me know why. but please dont use rumors like austin was gunna face hogan. if he was, prove it. i used many facts, mixed with some oppinions, such as who loved the company more, which i can only support but not prove. so if you do debate please post some facts and not just, austin/rock rules yeaaaaaah.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

I have been debating with people over stone cold for a couple days now. i want people to say who they think is better and then give some reasons why.
they are both considered the two biggest men during the attitude era, and a constant saying of the big three with the 2 of them and hogan has been thrown around these forums a lot.



now to those i debated with the past couple of days, lets just have everything start over. i do not want this thread to get personal, or have anything from before. fresh and new, please no insults or anything. people feel passionately and i get it. but its a freaking wrestling forum, lets all be adults, including me, and have fun talking about these 2 guys.

ill start. you guys can probably tell from my name that im a rock fan. he was my favorite wrestler growing up, and was one of my childhood hereos. i also think he was the best during the attitude era. ill give you some reasons.

This could get ugly.

the rock established way more stars than austin. everyone he fueded with got more over just being with the rock because the rock had some great fueds. the exception being mr ass, lol. i really dont know too many wrestlers that got over because of austin.

Who are these stars that Rock established? The Hurricane? Goldberg? Lesnar? Goldberg was a disappointment in the WWE and not because he didn't do anything wrong. The WWE made him more human because they weren't going to make him the unstoppable force he was in WCW. I argue that Lesnar beating Undertaker in his own structure made him more established than beating the Rock. Austin helped Benoit be established as a main eventer in the future and Angle was on fire during 2001. Who helped him out there? Austin.

austin did not keep the wwe alive. the wwe was just fine without austin when he was getting surgery for having his neck broken. the rock led the wwe and the wwe put out some really great entertainment.

Austin was HUGE in 1998 and 1999. The Rock benefitted from Austin being out and as soon as Austin got back, he was number one and Rock was a distant second maybe even third behind Angle.

austin just got to the top because of his fued with mr mcmahon. mcmahon was hated, BY THE PEOPLE, because of the screw job. if that never happened, austin would probably be about as high as kane. he also got over because of his props. who else got to drive a beer truck? of course that would get austin over. angle drove a milk truck, and look what happened to his career. (i think angle would have gotten big anyway, but not as fast.)

How did Rock become the major heel in 1998 again? By aligning himself with none other than McMahon.

the rock had many more memorable fueds than austin, and had way better promos than austin. most of austins promos were the same. if you wanna see me beat his ass give me a hell yeah pretty much covers most of his promos.

Austin had memorable feuds with Bret Hart, Undertaker, McMahon, Undertaker, Kane, HHH, and the aforementioned Rock.

The Rock talking about sticking stuff up people's asses and smelling what he is cooking while calling someone a jabroni and telling them to go down a certain boulevard pretty much covers most of his promos.

after austin turned face again he never got back on top. the rock had already started taking over as the top of the company ( leading the wwe against the aliance and facing hogan at wrestlemania are 2 facts i use as proof to defend this.) austin wasnt able to make it back to the top because without fueding with vince, he only got by on the nostalgia people had of him before.

Leading WWE against the alliance doesn't mean he was on top of the company. As long as Austin, the WWF champion, was still there, Rock was always number two. Deal with it. The Rock only got to the top because Austin was injured which I already covered.

austin did NOT start the attitude era. the girls were getting ****tier, the matches were getting more brutal, and everyone was getting more edgier before austin took over at the top. he was definately the biggest during most of the attitude era, and he did manage to be successful in his fued, but the rock got over on his own, and brought others up with him.

Still doesn't change the fact that Austin made Vince more money than anybody outside of Hogan. How did the Rock win his first championship? McMahon.

the rock cared about the company more than austin. i think this can be defended by the fact that austin refused to job to people, whereas the rock did, and austin walked out on numerous occasions. (i know ive stated this many times in the other thread, but this is a new thread) i know the rock left to do movies, but do we need to see our wrestlers break their bodies to be able to leave? the rock left at the smart time to bigger things. austin stuck around because he couldnt do anything else, and now that he can finally start making movies, he doesnt need the wwe as much. they both have still come back a couple times, but just because austin broke his neck doesnt mean he loved the business more. it could just mean he needed it more.

now, i dont think austin was the worst thing ever, but i definately feel that austin was not as good as the rock.

have fun debating, and if you disagree with me, let me know why. but please dont use rumors like austin was gunna face hogan. if he was, prove it. i used many facts, mixed with some oppinions, such as who loved the company more, which i can only support but not prove. so if you do debate please post some facts and not just, austin/rock rules yeaaaaaah.

Austin's legacy isn't hindered by the fact that he walked out on numerous occasions. Shawn Michaels was a dick for most of the 90's and that doesn't affect his legacy.

 

[mulkeymania]

ive always thought that both the rock and austin were fairly equal on in ring work but IMO austin was more entertaining in his promos and that might be due to shock factor just never knowing what he would do next and with the rock it always seemed the same--just come out and cut somebody down as low as he could where austin came with different promos.

i am not knocking the rock or taking away from his accomplishments-he was great in his own right but i was always more entertained by austin week in and week out and even watching his WCW and ECW stuff he was entertaining there as well.

good thread brahma bull

 

[LongHessa]

LOL, The OP is hilarious. Well I always liked Austin more and he was more entertaining IMO. Rocky was predictable in his promo's and style, Austin was a loose cannon and you literally had no idea what he would do next. Austin is the bigger star also, 98-99 Austin is superior to any point in The Rocks career. He was one of the biggest TV characters in the world, got the biggest pops ever and sold a shitload of merch. The Rock was great and has since become a huge star in Hollywood, but he was always a half step behind Austin in his wrestling career.

 

[Hulkamaniac]

I voted for the Rock. I feel he cut the more entertaining and varied promo, and played a more versatile character. I think Austin was a slightly better face than Rock, but Rock was a much better heel.

In the ring, I think Austin was more technical, even post neck injury, but Rock's athleticism and showmanship made up for it. He involved the crowd more in his matches. I mean, the guy not only used the People's Elbow as a serious finisher, but he got it OVER. I mean, ridiculously over. And that move was ridiculous. People have tried similar things since then, like Cena with his 5 Knuckle Shuffle (even though he doesn't use it as a finisher), but nobody has come close to getting such a ridiculous move over, let alone as a finisher.

Rock just flat out entertained me more. No shot at Austin, who is great in his own right.

 

[Brahma Bull]

This could get ugly.



Who are these stars that Rock established? The Hurricane? Goldberg? Lesnar? Goldberg was a disappointment in the WWE and not because he didn't do anything wrong. The WWE made him more human because they weren't going to make him the unstoppable force he was in WCW. I argue that Lesnar beating Undertaker in his own structure made him more established than beating the Rock. Austin helped Benoit be established as a main eventer in the future and Angle was on fire during 2001. Who helped him out there? Austin.



Austin was HUGE in 1998 and 1999. The Rock benefitted from Austin being out and as soon as Austin got back, he was number one and Rock was a distant second maybe even third behind Angle.



How did Rock become the major heel in 1998 again? By aligning himself with none other than McMahon.



Austin had memorable feuds with Bret Hart, Undertaker, McMahon, Undertaker, Kane, HHH, and the aforementioned Rock.

The Rock talking about sticking stuff up people's asses and smelling what he is cooking while calling someone a jabroni and telling them to go down a certain boulevard pretty much covers most of his promos.



Leading WWE against the alliance doesn't mean he was on top of the company. As long as Austin, the WWF champion, was still there, Rock was always number two. Deal with it. The Rock only got to the top because Austin was injured which I already covered.



Still doesn't change the fact that Austin made Vince more money than anybody outside of Hogan. How did the Rock win his first championship? McMahon.



Austin's legacy isn't hindered by the fact that he walked out on numerous occasions. Shawn Michaels was a dick for most of the 90's and that doesn't affect his legacy.

why's this gunna get ugly, lol? the people the rock got to the top. hhh, foley, big show, angle (not austin in my opinion, i think angle and rock played off each other better) jericho (would have eventually gotten over, but debuting against the rock helped propell him), and lesner the next big thing. austin got benoit... good for him.

they both did have good fueds, but every fued the rock touched turned to gold, with the exception of the ass man, but nothing was able to get him over. austin always seemed to have to be involved with mr mcmahon to have a good fued, except bret hart. ill give you that. and the matches austin had with bret were great. he was horrible, i just think the rock had better fueds.

and really, austin did not become number 1 again. the rock led the company. steam started fading from austin once he found out who hit him. not to mention the rock was a waaaayyyyy better heel.

your right that the rock became heel by aligning himself with mr mcmahon, just like who... austin. but the rock got over on his own. he was what randy orton is now, the fans just couldnt stop cheering him so he had to be face.

and i love what you said about the promos. ill agree some, but the rock was able to change up his insults a lot. austin really couldnt.

i wont deal with the rock always being number 2 because he wasnt, and angle was never ahead of the rock. lol. but this would go on forever, since there is no absolute proof either way. and you never really covered it, you just told me to deal with it.

and austin may have made mcmahon more money at the time, but the rock established way more stars. setting up the company to make money. lesner was going to be the next big thing, he left, but the rocks legacy of what he left behind is way bigger than austins. austin left behind WHAT. lol. (i meant what by the actual word, i wasnt asking a question, lol.)

i like how this thread is going. people are making good points, and you bringing up shawn micheals and what he did makes me change my mind about austin a little. but shawn was like that in the beginning, then found God, and came back and worked hard. austin was at the top then became and ass at the end. not quite the same thing. but i like your logic.

 

[mikeyboy]

Austin , i never could stand the rock , never thought he was funny or entertaining in the least.
I was an Austin fan from the beginning when he was Stunning Steve Austin in WCCW and NWA/WCW, he was a great wrestler even if the Stone Cold character didnt show it off, not that the Rock was a bad wrestler but not as good as SCSA.
AS far as nobody else being able to get the elbow over as a finisher as someone else said , Dusty Rhodes used the bionic elbow when Rock was just a baby and there are alot of things the same with Dustys character and the Rock and btw i never could stand Dusty either.

 

[Attitude]

I chose Austin. The reason being is Austin was THE HOTTEST THING in wrestling 96-99. A lot of people make the argument that in 2000 when Austin was injured the WWE did just fine without him and the Rock the WWE then. The argument is Austin only put over Beniot. How do you think Rock got over? Austin. And I might get bashed for this but I make the argument that Triple H is over because of Austin. Sure Rock and Triple H might of had a few good matches but IMO it was always Autin who put over Triple H. The Austin/Triple H fued in my opinion is by far one of if not Triple H's greatest fued. This fued always stands out to me and I remember this fued. The Rock/Triple H fued don't remember to much if any at all. Plus Austin once again elevated Kurt Angles status too. You can't pin this on Rock by himself because the Angle/Austin fued was awesome. IMO anybody that fueded with Austin became GOLD including, Rock, Triple H, Kane (Who Austin also put over NOT the Rock), Beniot, Kurt Angle, and RVD. Austin was by far bigger than the Rock.

Everybody makes the argument Austin was big because of his rivalry with Mcmahon and that they needed each other. Rock needed Austin to become big. The Rock/Austin fued is by far the biggest fueds or at least one of them to this day. Austin might have needed Mcmahon but Rock needed Austin otherwise we would never have had the Rock.

 

[Yarrie]

For me it is the Rock. Heel or Face he was awesome. Yes he did talk about shoving things up you arse but it was funny as. His rock concerts, Mick Foleys this is your life, his acting made you really believe in him as a character. And even though he has left the WWE and gone Hollywood, he is just as electrifying. I think his in ring ability is far better than Austins as well.

I am not an Austin fan, ignorant rednecks are not my cup of tea. Beer drinking, swearing, finger giving, stacey keilber stunning, Austin 316 says I'm gonna kick your ass...just not me, HOWEVER, this guy was like a god. He could have done anything and the crowd loved him. Never seen anything like it ever. He could have killed Hulk Hogan in middle of the ring by bashing his skull in with a beer can, and the world would have cheered (that would have actually made me a fan too).

Whether Rock or Austin put people over or not is not relevant, I dont know why people get so worked up over it, it is a dog eat dog world.

IMO, however The Rock is more entertaining. Austin was same shit dif day.

 

[#hamler]

The Rock. Steve Austin is a tremendous wrestler but the Rock or now Dwayne Johnson has been able to move beyond the ring and is overall better because he has found superstardom in two different categories of entertainment.
As for wrestling wise...still the rock. Better promos, ring action, fueds, mic skills, looks (no homo). Rock wins it but not by a lot...He's the bigger star. Ask an old lady who dwayne the Rock johnson is? Then ask her who Steve Austin is....case closed

EDIT: also...the rock could play any role in the wwe. A heel or face. Hell, he even played stone cold steve austin better than austin did...lol

 

[RKOLYMPIC_SLAM]

SCSA hands down he was/is a BA and was wrestling. The Rock was great and charasmatic as all hell but SCSA kick ass no matter what plain and simple he paved the path for people like Orton

 

[Jackal960]

I personally always had more fun when watching the Rock and his promos. Not to say that Austin wasn't entertaining but Rock was more enjoyable for me. Some may find Austin more funny and is understandable, that's just the taste of humor, and it varies from one person to another.

However Austin had a more important role in creating the Attitude Era. To give some examples it was the episode of Austin vs Mcmahon on Raw that finally scored higher ratings than WCW after 2 long years. It was Austin's promos who changed the wind from WCW to WWE. Because Austin was injured in his match against Owen WWE had to delay the company's comeback for several months.

By saying that, Austin didn't put the Rock over, as Rock was already an established superstar with great promos even before the Austin feud. I think after Summerslam 98 he was one of the top guys in the business and this is 9 months before his first feud with Austin. He was always a big draw, he always got attention and people always cheered for him regardless of him being heel or not. He got even bigger with that feud but he was one of the top guys even if that feud have never happened. Rock would still be very popular and very enjoyable to watch. He is funny and enjoyable to watch because of himself, not because of Austin.

Just don't forget putting someone over the other will be your personal opinions, not facts, as it changes from one another. So when you are putting someone over you don't act like the other one was trash. They are both legends from the Attitude Era and noone needed the other to become the top guy in business.

 

[TREE24K]

Am I the only one who remembers Austin as one dimensional once he became "Stone Cold"? Punch, kick, Lou Thes Press. Middle finger. Stuvnner. Repeat. Now I know the dude had skills as "Stunning" Steve and hell, even the "Ringmaster". It just seemed like once he realized he did have to wrestle, he didn't.

Rock was always adding to his arsenal. The Rock Bottom. The Float over DDT. The sharp shooter.

On the mic...don't even get me started. Rock got over because of his promos. Austin got over because he was sticking it to the (Mac) man.

I think at their peaks, Austin was more over. I think Rock should have. Better worker. Better stick man. More entertaining.

My vote. The Rock by a mile. But hey, I didn't like Hogan in his prime either.

 

[CyDeez]

I'll easily say The Rock was and IS better than Austin... As a matter of fact, The Rock is the only wrestler that is better than Austin... I think they are the 2 best ever and no one before or after them will compare!

But I think The Rock was more entertaining, better on the mic (by ALOT) and also better and much smoother in the ring...

I am not an Austin hater by any means... He is a close 2nd favorite of mine... But I believe The Rock is better for the reasons I stated above...

People that Rock helped get over...

Mankind
HHH (In DX, Before DX and after DX)
Brock Lesnar
Goldberg
All members of DX and The Nation
The Big Show
All Members of The Corporation
Chris Jericho
Kurt Angle
Chris Benoit
Eddie Guerrero
Evolution (Batista and Orton)
Definetly he helped Austin get over as well

Just to name a few...

I voted for The Fuckin' Rock!

The Most Electrifying Man In Sports Entertainment HISTORY!!

 

[BuckshotBrian13]

I'll easily say The Rock was and IS better than Austin... As a matter of fact, The Rock is the only wrestler that is better than Austin... I think they are the 2 best ever and no one before or after them will compare!

But I think The Rock was more entertaining, better on the mic (by ALOT) and also better and much smoother in the ring...

I am not an Austin hater by any means... He is a close 2nd favorite of mine... But I believe The Rock is better for the reasons I stated above...

People that Rock helped get over...

Mankind
HHH (In DX, Before DX and after DX)
Brock Lesnar
Goldberg
All members of DX and The Nation
The Big Show
All Members of The Corporation
Chris Jericho
Kurt Angle
Chris Benoit
Eddie Guerrero
Evolution (Batista and Orton)
Definetly he helped Austin get over as well

Just to name a few...

I voted for The Fuckin' Rock!

The Most Electrifying Man In Sports Entertainment HISTORY!!

The Rock may have put over more people, but if it wasn't for Stone Cold, there would be no WWE today. He put the company on his back through the Monday Night Wars when the Rock was still in the mid-card scene and the Nation of Domination. Austin could be declared as the biggest name in wrestling history outside of Hulk Hogan.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

well this is the direct result of did anybody dislike stone cold thread i guess.and i guess i can take some credit for that.duh the thing that most rock fans need to realise is that he did not put as many people over as is stated.

i remember rock and eddie guerrero having only one match that rock won.if that is the case then austin may have put over about 20-30 people.

angle had clearly much better matches with austin as compared to rock.their summerslam match is a five star match.

again with evolution rock had only one match the guy that truly put them over was foley

hhh and benoit had better matches with austin than with rock.incidentaally people forget that hhh had his first title defense in 1999 against austin.


also some dumb guy mentioned that austin had only five moves.that is so wrong.i have seen austin give suplex superplexes german suplexes sharpshooter(better than rock imo) and quite a lot of other moves.what i have also seen from austin is other than the thesz press and stunner he did not repeat a lot of his moves(mudhole stomp too)

in my opinion it is really close. austin imo was a much better wrestler than rock but rock i think was versatile when it came to character playing.he could switch from face to heel and vice versa effortlessly.even though i think austin was a good heel in 2001 and that he mainly did not get heat due to a non availability of faces(rock THE COMPANY MAN left for movies,hhh who was about to turn got injured,benoit got injured)he was not better than rock as a heel.

rock was imo pretty flashy as a wrestler.he tried to use a lot of signature moves and sometimes even the opponents finisher but austin had a much better grasp of psychology than rock.rock also oversold imo but austin's selling was always perfect.

in short rock was better on the mic but it is close.i think what a lot of people are missing out is that with austin you always believed what he said.he made prowrestling look real.rock also did that and had a bit more charisma to back it up.

but in ring i will always say that austin was much better and he has the matches to prove it.austin has i think about 7 five star matches while rock has only 1or2(vs austin at wm 17 and jericho at no mercy)

so ill go with austin

 

[mayankeagle]

I'm neither an Austin fan nor a Rock fan. My favourite wrestlers are the Undertaker, Shawn Michaels and Kurt Angle, and I've watched the WWF/ E since 1990. I have also moderated wrestling websites in the past, and I'll give my unbiased perspective about Austin and Rock.

In all fairness, I think Austin was definitely the bigger star. There is no doubt about that. When Vince inducted Austin into the Hall of Fame himself, he called Austin as the greatest superstar in WWE history. When Ric Flair gave his speech at the Hall of Fame 2008, he called Austin the greatest superstar in WWE history (saying that he is tired of saying its Hogan, because its not Hogan, its Austin). Think about it - why would Vince come and induct somebody into the HoF? Would he induct the Rock? No, it would probably be Austin who inducts the Rock. The Rock could've also been the one to induct Austin but no, Vince wanted to do that honour himself and its not just because of their on-screen rivalry.

Austin did not get popular simply because of his feud with McMahon and because McMahon was a hated heel after the screwjob. Austin was very popular since his 1996 win @ King of the Ring. His victory speech kind of ushered the attitude era. After that, his popularity grew in 1997 and he was already at the top in 1998 when he beat Shawn Michaels for the title at Mania 14. After that, he retained the belt at Summerslam against Undertaker (though with a low-blow) after which the Undertaker handed Austin his belt in a kind of "passing the torch" moment. Austin's feud with McMahon was not his only reason for success, and it started after his title win at Mania.

To be honest, Rock was booed a lot during his early days as a face mainly because of Austin's popularity. The crowd had started liking anti-hero like characters and they did not buy into Rock's character which was like a kiddie hero, something like what Cena is right now. Fans kept shouting "Die Rocky Die" and "Rocky sucks". Read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwayne_Johnson#Training_and_Rocky_Maivia_.281996.29 to know more about it. The Rock's character also had to be modified to be able to suit a more mature audience and then he started doing more vocal promos, which is what led to his popularity later on. However, to say that he was ever able to beat Austin in popularity was very difficult.

In technical ability & wrestling skill, there is no doubt that Austin was better. His submission match with Bret Hart at Mania 13 is considered one of the greatest matches ever, and one of the only 4 WWE matches to receive a 5 star rating from Wrestling Observer Newsletter. None of the Rock's matches are mentioned there. While the Rock must have had the best matches of his career against Austin at Wrestlemania, Austin has had better matches against Bret Hart, Undertaker and Shawn Michaels. The Rock's signature move - the people's elbow, is one of the worst "popular" moves that I've seen (honestly, would you believe that to ever end a match? It looked so fake the way he used to pose before delivering it, as though only kids would get impressed by that). The Stone Cold Stunner on the other hand, is one of the most popular finishers ever, and was ranked at # 1 by WWE in their "List This" rankings of best finishers (even ahead of the Tombstone Piledriver, which was ranked at # 2, and which I'd expected to be ranked at # 1 because it has taken down more wrestlers in history than any other move, it is very dangerous since it can break your neck and very difficult to execute which is why only 2 wrestlers have the "official" permission to execute it in the ring - Undertaker and Kane).

As far as their promos go, it is true that the Rock's promos had more variety, however, I think Austin's style and choice of words were such that they struck a note with the adult crowd better. The few phrases from the Rock which everyone remembers and repeats are probably "Finally the Rock has come back to ....", "it doesn't matter what you think", "roody poo" and "If you smell what the Rock is cooking". However, Austin has had many more catch-phrases and words which the crowd would remember, like "What?", "3:16", "Austin 3:16 says I just whooped your a**", "stomp a mud hole and walk it dry", "I said .....", and "and that's the bottomline 'coz Stone Cold said so". There's no wonder that his 3:16 T shirt is the highest selling merchandize in history. Even these days, when Khali talks in Hindi, doesn't the crowd chant with a "What?".

Even when they were heels, they did get cheered, however the Rock got more boos as a heel later in 2003 than Austin got in his entire career. But, the Rock did pass on the torch better than Austin did. Austin walked out the company when they wanted him to lose to Lesnar and push him, but the Rock lost to Goldberg cleanly and then left, thereby pushing Goldberg in the process.

So you see, they both had their plus points and minus points in terms of what they did for the company, however, in a simple 0 or 1 binary-like discussion, if the question is that who was the bigger star of the WWE, it was Austin. I would loved to say its Undertaker or Michaels. Maybe Undertaker is arguably the biggest star overall right now by looking at longevity and other factors (he was also voted as Greatest Superstar in Raw history by fans as well as the Greatest Legend of Wrestlemania), but during the attitude era, it was definitely Austin.

 

[LongLiveTheStreak]

I have to go with Stone Cold Steve Austin. Nothing against The Rock, he is one of my favorites too. But I vote for Austin for a few reasons.

1. I agree with the poster who said there would be no WWE now if not for Stone Cold. I belive that it was the Austin/McMahon feud that swung the Monday Night ratings war into WWF'S favor. I think WCW would have won the war and gone on to grow bigger and stronger than WWF, and evenutally take them over.

2. Steve Austin overcame so many injuries in his WWF career. Austin had neck surgery twice in his career and knee surgery a few times, and kept coming back at 100%. I disagree with those who say Austin significantly slowed down in the ring after his first neck surgery, I thought he was still just as good. I'm not sure if THe Rock or anyone could come back to wrestling after so many injuries like that(Well....Edge, I guess)

Actually I don't think I can choose who was better in promos and on the mic. I think in that area, Austin and The Rock are just about even. I have always found them to be equally as funny, charismatic, and entertaining. Crowds would sing along with The Rock's catch phrases just as much as Austin's. Anyways, I think Stone Cold is the better man.

 

[Si Robin]

I don't think there is any doubt that Austin was the biggest star of the Attitude era, but that doesn't make him my favourite.

Rock was easily my fave wrestler in my early teens. His promos were fantastic and they were what sold him. The guy had loads of catchphrases and every crowd, no matter where he was, would join in with every one of them. I spent about an hour and a half on Youtube the other night just watching his promos and all of them were "electrifying".

Austin was great, he was sticking it to the man (or McMahon if you prefer), and as I said was easily the biggest star at the time, but if I had to pick my favourite then I have to go with The Rock.

 

[Hazardous]

oh you silly silly man... okay, well, since i was one of the ones you were talking about in the OP, i might as well post in here too, i voted Austin. why? here's the break down:

on the mic: Rock
In ring ability: Rock (austin's neck didnt help that much)
character believability: Austin
Bigger Legend: Austin

Austin did more for wrestling, you can say he didnt, and that WWF would have been no different without him, but you have no proof it would have. people tuned in when he was gone, because he had established a big boom in peoples interest for the product, and The People did latch on to the Rock, but when he came back, they were right back to Austin. Yes, Rock was great, and had millions and millions of fans, but again, Austin sold more. You say the fans wouldnt let Rock stay Heel long? what about Austin? didnt let him either. what was his longest Heel run? and i mean FULL heel, not his "i do what i want when i want, go fuck yourself" and yes, Austin may have brought in "WHAT?" but know what? thats still around to this day. anytime a Heel is talking, you still hear a chant start up. a lot of them are kids who have no idea why they're saying it, just like the Ric Flair "WOOO" and i herd you mention the Hogan/Rock match, was either in here, or the other thread, but that was a classic, i'll admit that, who did Austin wrestle that night? Scott Hall? i would much rather liked to of seen Austin/Hogan and Rock/Hall. personally i think those would have been better matches.. Rock was not, WAS NOT, the face of the company. he may have been huge, no doubt about it, but Austin in the end of the day will go down as one of, if not THE most influential names in wrestling history.

P.S Austin never put over anyone? go back and watch him early on. also, him and Rock put over the same man on the same night. Chris Jericho, wh omade history that night, so you cant say Austin never did anything of the sort.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

why's this gunna get ugly, lol? the people the rock got to the top. hhh, foley, big show, angle (not austin in my opinion, i think angle and rock played off each other better) jericho (would have eventually gotten over, but debuting against the rock helped propell him), and lesner the next big thing. austin got benoit... good for him.

HHH and the Rock got to the top because Austin wasn't there. Foley got over the Rock after he turned heel in 1998. I would love for you to tell me how The Rock got Big Show and Angle over.

they both did have good fueds, but every fued the rock touched turned to gold, with the exception of the ass man, but nothing was able to get him over. austin always seemed to have to be involved with mr mcmahon to have a good fued, except bret hart. ill give you that. and the matches austin had with bret were great. he was horrible, i just think the rock had better fueds.

Please tell me you're not saying that Austin was horrible in his feud with Bret Hart because you couldn't be further than the truth.

That Rock/Hurricane feud went real great for Helms didn't it. Where did it get him again?

and really, austin did not become number 1 again. the rock led the company. steam started fading from austin once he found out who hit him. not to mention the rock was a waaaayyyyy better heel.

The Rock was number one or number two for only one year in 2000. I guess you're going to ignore 1998 and 1999 when nobody was as hot as Austin. Just face it, Austin was on top for a longer period of time than The Rock even when he was in the midcard and fans were wanting Rocky to die.

your right that the rock became heel by aligning himself with mr mcmahon, just like who... austin. but the rock got over on his own. he was what randy orton is now, the fans just couldnt stop cheering him so he had to be face.

He was still number two behind Stone Cold. Other than his matches with Foley, what did the Rock even do in 1999?

and i love what you said about the promos. ill agree some, but the rock was able to change up his insults a lot. austin really couldnt.

Keep telling yourself that.

i wont deal with the rock always being number 2 because he wasnt, and angle was never ahead of the rock. lol. but this would go on forever, since there is no absolute proof either way. and you never really covered it, you just told me to deal with it.

Austin = gone, Rock = #1
Austin = back, Rock = #2

I suppose we're not going to talk about the great year Angle had in 2001 with his feuds with Benoit and Austin. What did Rock do in 2001? Lose at WM 17, left to make a movie, and came back and won at Survivor Series because ANGLE helped him.

and austin may have made mcmahon more money at the time, but the rock established way more stars. setting up the company to make money. lesner was going to be the next big thing, he left, but the rocks legacy of what he left behind is way bigger than austins. austin left behind WHAT. lol. (i meant what by the actual word, i wasnt asking a question, lol.)

i like how this thread is going. people are making good points, and you bringing up shawn micheals and what he did makes me change my mind about austin a little. but shawn was like that in the beginning, then found God, and came back and worked hard. austin was at the top then became and ass at the end. not quite the same thing. but i like your logic.

How did he set the company up to make money? Lesnar wasn't a big draw. The Rock didn't set up the company for anything after he left. It put more pressure on HHH and damn near killed the WWE.

The Rock. Steve Austin is a tremendous wrestler but the Rock or now Dwayne Johnson has been able to move beyond the ring and is overall better because he has found superstardom in two different categories of entertainment.
As for wrestling wise...still the rock. Better promos, ring action, fueds, mic skills, looks (no homo). Rock wins it but not by a lot...He's the bigger star. Ask an old lady who dwayne the Rock johnson is? Then ask her who Steve Austin is....case closed

EDIT: also...the rock could play any role in the wwe. A heel or face. Hell, he even played stone cold steve austin better than austin did...lol

So just because The Rock has been able to move beyond the ring possibly better than Stone Cold, he is a better wrestler? Lame argument.

John Cena has done plenty of movies. Ric Flair hasn't. Does that mean Cena is a better wrestler than Ric Flair?

Hopefully the next argument is better.

I guess not.

Am I the only one who remembers Austin as one dimensional once he became "Stone Cold"? Punch, kick, Lou Thes Press. Middle finger. Stuvnner. Repeat. Now I know the dude had skills as "Stunning" Steve and hell, even the "Ringmaster". It just seemed like once he realized he did have to wrestle, he didn't.

Austin stuck to a moveset that worked and he become huge. You don't have to perform a bunch of moves to get over and entertain the crowd. *sigh*

Rock was always adding to his arsenal. The Rock Bottom. The Float over DDT. The sharp shooter.

Good for him.

On the mic...don't even get me started. Rock got over because of his promos. Austin got over because he was sticking it to the (Mac) man.

I think at their peaks, Austin was more over. I think Rock should have. Better worker. Better stick man. More entertaining.

My vote. The Rock by a mile. But hey, I didn't like Hogan in his prime either.

You had it right when you said Austin was move over at their peaks.

I'll easily say The Rock was and IS better than Austin... As a matter of fact, The Rock is the only wrestler that is better than Austin... I think they are the 2 best ever and no one before or after them will compare!

But I think The Rock was more entertaining, better on the mic (by ALOT) and also better and much smoother in the ring...

I am not an Austin hater by any means... He is a close 2nd favorite of mine... But I believe The Rock is better for the reasons I stated above...

People that Rock helped get over...

Mankind
HHH (In DX, Before DX and after DX)
Brock Lesnar
Goldberg
All members of DX and The Nation
The Big Show
All Members of The Corporation
Chris Jericho
Kurt Angle
Chris Benoit
Eddie Guerrero
Evolution (Batista and Orton)
Definetly he helped Austin get over as well

Just to name a few...

I voted for The Fuckin' Rock!

The Most Electrifying Man In Sports Entertainment HISTORY!!

Please tell me how he got at least two of these guys over. Especially Eddie Guerrero.

Austin helped at least get half of those guys over with Jericho, Benoit, HHH, and Angle. I know people can do better.

 

[fraserbee]

It is an interesting question, which is very hard to answer. To put it in a soundbite; Austin was an entertaining wrestler but Rock was a wrestling entertainer.

I think if you're an old time wrestling fan, you'd go with Austin. He looked like a wrestler, acted like a wrestler and just had a bit more of a legitimate feel to him. The Rock was a bit spotty, overly flash and often had a slight 'I'm cooler than wrestling' smugnss about him, but he was excellent fun.

Personally I'm an Austin guy, because that's what I like.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

oh you silly silly man... okay, well, since i was one of the ones you were talking about in the OP, i might as well post in here too, i voted Austin. why? here's the break down:

on the mic: Rock
In ring ability: Rock (austin's neck didnt help that much)
character believability: Austin
Bigger Legend: Austin

i generally agree with what you say but i disagree big time that rock was better.okay austin had to cut down a bit on 1 or 2 risky manouvers and bumps coz of his neck.he was also less mobile.but inspite of all that austin has produced much better matches throughout his career.like i said he has about 7 five star matches which are memorable to all those who saw them.if you want i can even list those seven for you

in comparison rock has maybe 1 or 2 memorable matches.his match with austin at wm 17 and his match with jericho at no mercy are great.his match with hogan was a magnificent spectacle but nothing more than that so there you go

 

[Hazardous]

i generally agree with what you say but i disagree big time that rock was better.okay austin had to cut down a bit on 1 or 2 risky manouvers and bumps coz of his neck.he was also less mobile.but inspite of all that austin has produced much better matches throughout his career.like i said he has about 7 five star matches which are memorable to all those who saw them.if you want i can even list those seven for you

in comparison rock has maybe 1 or 2 memorable matches.his match with austin at wm 17 and his match with jericho at no mercy are great.his match with hogan was a magnificent spectacle but nothing more than that so there you go

what i ment by that was the rock was more athletic. as in Rock could do things that Austin couldnt do. again, his neck held him back, as did his knees later on.
but there is no denying the rock could pull out some pretty athletic moves, that DDT he pulled out here and there, the kip up, few things like that, but i agree that Austin has had more high profile matches

 

[Brahma Bull]

i generally agree with what you say but i disagree big time that rock was better.okay austin had to cut down a bit on 1 or 2 risky manouvers and bumps coz of his neck.he was also less mobile.but inspite of all that austin has produced much better matches throughout his career.like i said he has about 7 five star matches which are memorable to all those who saw them.if you want i can even list those seven for you

in comparison rock has maybe 1 or 2 memorable matches.his match with austin at wm 17 and his match with jericho at no mercy are great.his match with hogan was a magnificent spectacle but nothing more than that so there you go

please post this list of yours since there was no 5 star match after 1997 and before 2004, you know when austin was the man. im thinking his match agaisnt hart was one, now what are those other 6 you speak of?

if you want to go with pwi match of the year, the rock has more than austin. rock vs mankind in the i quite match and rock vs hogan at wrestlemania. austin vs hart was austin's match of the year, and it deserves it, but you need to back up what you say now. toodles



i also find it interesting how the poll is going. austin is in the lead by a little. last time i saw this poll (yes it has been done before but that was many months ago so im good, lol) rock ended up winning by a couple votes. i guess it goes to show how this message board is changing.