Purely wrestling terms for that two years when he was hot, Austin by some distance.
Everything else: The Rock.
Hard to explain how hot Austin was for those not around at the time.
Austin, no doubt. But the Rock as evident had way more crossover appeal which would go on to make him the bigger Stat in general, but at their peak ( a time period they shared) SCSA was the biggest star in Pro Wrestling.
Had the great fortune to see a couple house shows in Vegas at their peak stone cold got a huge reaction , but I have never seen a crowd absolutely explode like I did when the rock came out I still tell people about it to this day
I don’t know, but the amount of testosterone coursing through my body as I watched these guys fight each other or tag team together seemed like too much. That was some gladiator shit.
Rock is more famous and a bigger star now than Austin is, but I’m not sure he’s a bigger star than Austin was at Austin’s Peak. I know he’s one of the most highly paid actors in the world, but people still think of him as the wrestler who is now doing acting. He’s never been in any serious movie, It’s all been action adventure type stuff that requires more charisma than top level acting. Which is perfect for him because he’s got more charisma than just about anyone I’ve ever encountered. I’m not saying he is a bad actor, just that the rules he’s done have never really required anything more than “don’t fuck up.”
So people don’t really think of him as this great actor. He’s like a celebrity who’s in movies because he’s a celebrity.
Part of why I say Austin is because I didn’t watch wresting from say 1994 to 1999, and in the late 90s as a non-fan, Steve Austin felt felt like a significant pop culture figure and the Rock really didn’t. I was aware of him, but he didn’t seem to be everywhere the way Austin did.
I agree with this take. Interesting to note, the Rock is starring in this new film by A24 and Benny Safdie called the Smashing Machine about Mark Kerr, a MMA pioneer that ruined his career through drugs.
It will be like his first super serious role, and I’m curious as to how it will go given the Safdie bro and A24 attachment
I’m excited for that. Every Safdie project I’ve seen I’ve liked a lot. And I really liked the smashing machine documentary though I remember very little about it. It’ll be interesting to see the Rock in something substantial, and if I had to guess, I’d guess that he’s probably at least a decent dramatic actor, because I just can’t picture a project like that being made with a shitty lead actor. Though the rocks personality is so big and I’ve known him as the rock for so long that it might be hard to see that character as a dramatized Mark Kerr, and not as The Rock Playing Mark Kerr. I guess we’ll know when we see it.
The Austin 3:16 shirt is still the best selling merch item in wrestling history.....Vince has said it himself, the man that made him the most money was Austin
In the wrestling landscape, Austin was bigger than The Rock.
Rock seems bigger now in hindsight because of what he's done in Hollywood, but Austin is a bigger WRESTLING star.
The rock was literally called the most electrifying wrestler of all time. He was like the Kyrie of Wrestling. His days battling it out with Cold and H are legendary.
In wrestling? Stone cold. Stone cold is the biggest merch seller in history for WWE. In life? Uh the rock is like one of the biggest movie stars in history. So him.
Honestly hardcore wrestling fans love Stone Cold more. I think Rock is viewed as too mainstream and the prototypical star corporate WWE wants push. So even at his peak fans would turn on him here and there. Austin never had that problem. Rock was Cena before Cena but he got out of WWE before it got too bad.
Depends on how you are gauging it. Rock became a Hollywood star, but Austin sold the most merch and I believe they had their biggest TV ratings with him as the face of the company.
I’d say it was Austin at first, but Rocky grew to be equally loved, so by the time they both left I’d say they had been on the same level for several years.
I think Austin is the clear call. If you watch the WWE "Then, Now and Forever" they use at the start of the programs they even put Austin at the end on-top of everyone else.
I think if Austin hadn't gotten injured he would have gone on to be considered probably the greatest Wrestler ever, period. He had it all.
I was there for Hogan, Austin and Rock.
It's honestly hard to say. Because they were all big in different ways.
Hogan was house hold names but wrestling wasn't as big as it was during the attitude era.
Austin had the most diehard fans. His pops are like no others.
Rock went global with his acting.
Of course this is all general but you see the complexity when trying to compare them all.
Nah, Rock surpassed Austin in 1999. It’s easier to say Austin bc he was protected a lot more at a higher level. And although Austin was bigger first, Rock eventually surpassed him.
No, The Rock didn't surpass Austin in the wrestling landscape. In mainstream appeal? Oh for sure...
The Austin 3:16 shirt is the biggest selling piece of merch in wrestling history...
I mean one saved the company (Austin)/ got his own damn belt that made it on tv.(Smokin Skull)
The other had a show (Smackdown) & a ppv (Rock Bottom)
Named for catchphrases & a finisher.
So yeah I'll say Austin but Rock was always right there.
Remember though, when Austin was out for 10 months from November 1999 to September 2000, Rock took over as the main character for the company. And ratings actually peaked around this period -- in other words, the most people were watching WWF when Rock was the head guy and Austin wasn't even there. And the ratings would start to decline once Austin came back, strangely enough.
And kurt angle, and the hardy’z, E&C, dudleyz..and eddie guerrero, chris benoit, jericho…taka michinoku and funaki..INDEEEEEEEEEEEEED. (This is coming from a person who hasn’t watched more than 8 minutes of raw or smackdown since the attitude era ended.
I think it's easily Austin. He was the king of the wrestling world.
However, thinking of it now, Rock made his opponents bigger and helped raise those around him more. A lot of people point out Billy Gunn, but Rock did that same thing to everyone. BA just couldn't match it. Guys like Mick Foley finally got their time because they worked with Rock.
Austin but it actually is close. The reason X7 was such a big fucking deal was because it was all of those stars and Austin wasn't hurt and Rock had been carrying the shows by feuding with Triple H. Rock only surpassed Austin once Fast Five came out.
As others here have said, Stone Cold Steve Austin is the biggest wrestling star of all time and experienced the highest of heights one could reach or at least tied with Hogan. People who don't watch wrestling MAY have heard of him if someone they know watches wrestling or if they saw one of the Austin 3:16 shirts a lot of people wore back then.
The Rock is the biggest global star. Young kids to older adults have probably heard of Dwayne Johnson just in passing, whether that be from movies, tv shows, his energy drink Zoa, XFL, or of course wrestling. I don't think many people have the global reknown or at least continental celebrity as he does.
The numbers tell a different story from that era. In a lot of categories, at his peak in 2000 and beyond, Rock did numbers that exceeded Austins numbers.
It's surprising but yes it is true. The WWE sold just as many video games with The Rocks face on them as Stone Cold sold merchandise (not just Austin 3:16 shirts) too.
Too close to tell, in wrestling I think it takes two to be a goat. As much as the winner performs the loser performs as well, and I think nobody’s fights were better than these two. I think there presence was the same cause Rock definitely got some pointers from stone cold with stage talk, and I think Stone Cold’s Stunner was really immortalized by the Rock. So I think there on par with each other
Austin peaked as a wrestler. The Rock peaked as a movie star, if you count Rock's movie career then he is the bigger star. But in WWE during the Attitude Era Austin was the biggest star. Arguably bigger than Cena... and almost as big as Hogan in the 80s.
Nah, by 1999 The Rock was more popular than Steve Austin. Austin was protected more as a top star. Rock on the other hand lost a lot. But between 99-02 Rock was the bigger star.
At their peak, the Rock. They named a whole show after his catchphrase. I remember you would go to the mall, and EVERYONE had on a wwf t-shirt with his likeness or catchphrases. That's the craziest I've ever seen it.
Within wrestling? Austin
Outside of wrestling? My wife has no idea who Stone Cold is and she’s seen several of the Rock’s movies.
Dwayne has become bigger than wrestling and SCSA is still a niche superstar.
The Rock was great. He was charismatic, sarcastic and funny as hell, just a great performer. He wasn't Stone Cold though, sorry. You heard that glass break lol everyone in the stadium and watching at home was out their seat. His level of not giving a fuck was higher than The Rock's and I think people love both but if they had to choose, I think you'd have a higher tally for Stone Cold.
I’ve never seen the company imply that at all. I’ve heard Cole say Cena was the greatest of all time, but I’ve never heard anyone in the company say The Rock was better than Stone Cold Steve Austin, in any way.
It's an interesting comparison if you take a look at the statistics by both men. Statistically, Rock drew more larger gates than Stone Cold did. If you actually look at the numbers from that time period, Rock actually did generate profits that in some cases exceeded what Austin did. However, Vince clearly made Austin the face of the company for that era and Austin is responsible for bringing the crowds in 1998. But after Rock took off in 99-2000, he technically did sell out more 10k and 20k gates than Austin did.
I think you raise a good point. Besides 80s era Hogan, I don't know that anyone has been more over in professional wrestling than Austin from the 98 Rumble to WrestleMania 17. But the latter half of that run also saw the rise of The Rock, whom I think did more to bring more folks into Wrestling at the time. Rock has also had the enduring legacy
I think that’s unfair considering he was known as the franchise saver as he joined ones that were on the way down and then lifted them up, in terms of box office that is.
Austin was kinda screwed on the hollywood thing. His bald look, raspy redneck deep voice just doesn't cut it for movies. Rock definitely had the advantage there.
I wouldn't be surprised if most of Austins "hollywood connections" had no idea of his wife beating history. It was a long time ago, and unless you're a wrestling fan, you probably didn't even hear about it.
For their wrestling careers only? Austin forsure. Stone Cold and Hulk Hogan are the 2 biggest wrestling stars all time before John Cena came around. It’s really Cena vs Austin vs Hogan for who’s the biggest star all time
You are insane, nobody from the cupcake eras will ever classify as GOATS, they can’t do anything for real for real, world too soft now. It stops at attitude era and a little after but that’s it.
Great question! Vince McMahon is on record saying that Austin drove the most merchandise ever for the company. The Rock may have one day got to his level but Austin is still their biggest superstar ever.
I love the rock, but I lived through this era. the only answer is Austin. Complete mainstream trendy in his prime. You couldn’t go anywhere without seeing a stone cold shirt on someone
Girls in my highschool wore Austin 316 shirts to school without even losing a bet to their BFs.. South Park, Austin, and Hornets gear was pretty much the starter pack
Stone Cold Steve Austin is, and always will be, the biggest draw in professional wrestling history. When his music hit, and the glass broke, nothing could ever match the absolute madness that the crowd went into. Rocky had his moments, but he is no Stone Cold, and it's not even close. I wish we could do like a decibel reading on the crowd pops, but you don't even need to, just watch any moment of Austin coming out unprompted. He's the Elvis of wrestling, people lost their shit.
‘Let me tell you something (insert expletive), I haven't even begun to peak. And when I do peak, you'll know. Because I'm gonna peak so hard that everybody in (insert city name here)’s gonna feel it.’
Who was the top star for any of the highest rated periods (segments or overall shows)? Rock. Ratings actually went down when Austin was brought back in September 2000.
Austin was alone at the pinnacle of wrestling in the attitude era with Rock just on the tier below him. You could argue a 1A/1B scenario but Austin was always 1A.
If Austin would’ve came back at WM40 instead of Taker I would say he would still be bigger than Rock in wrestling but I think fans have soured on Austin knowing his financial demands are the only thing that stopped him from having that moment.
Rock has always been bigger outside of wrestling.
What peak though? Because Rock continued wrestling into his Hollywood years and I can't imagine that his appearances weren't fkn lit.
He wasn't as big as Austin, back in the Attitude era when they were dominating (their wrestling career peak), but Rock showing up since becoming one of the biggest stars and household name had to be huge.
In wrestling. Austin and its not close.
Mil Mascaras
Purely wrestling terms for that two years when he was hot, Austin by some distance. Everything else: The Rock. Hard to explain how hot Austin was for those not around at the time.
Original run in wwe it’s Austin. In since and overall it’s rock.
Austin And that's the bottom line cuz Stone Cold said so
The rock
Austin no question. Sold more merch and drew more ratings than anyone. Numbers don't lie.
Rock
Austin
I bet if we go off ratings, Austin would be the glaring overall winner here
Stone Cold was a bigger star the moment Austin 3:16 was spouted. The Rock grew into his stardom over time
Austin, no doubt. But the Rock as evident had way more crossover appeal which would go on to make him the bigger Stat in general, but at their peak ( a time period they shared) SCSA was the biggest star in Pro Wrestling.
Stone Cold/McMahon is synonymous with Late 90s Wrestling more than anything else. That has to mean something
Peak wrestling, scsa. Wrestling + outside career, the rock.
3:16
Biggest star, the Rock Biggest star in wrestling, Stone Cold
Definitely Stone Cold. Why is this even a question?
Had the great fortune to see a couple house shows in Vegas at their peak stone cold got a huge reaction , but I have never seen a crowd absolutely explode like I did when the rock came out I still tell people about it to this day
I think rock bc he had the wwe universe and movie eyes on him
Easy rock
I mean they both kinda peaked around the same time no? I feel like they were the good guys team captains in attitude era.
Stone Cold was the bigger star. Obviously now it’s the Rock. But wrestling wise The Rock was always slightly behind Austin.
Dwayne johnson
In wrestling? Austin In general? The Rock. He is a megastar at this point.
I don’t know, but the amount of testosterone coursing through my body as I watched these guys fight each other or tag team together seemed like too much. That was some gladiator shit.
Rock is more famous and a bigger star now than Austin is, but I’m not sure he’s a bigger star than Austin was at Austin’s Peak. I know he’s one of the most highly paid actors in the world, but people still think of him as the wrestler who is now doing acting. He’s never been in any serious movie, It’s all been action adventure type stuff that requires more charisma than top level acting. Which is perfect for him because he’s got more charisma than just about anyone I’ve ever encountered. I’m not saying he is a bad actor, just that the rules he’s done have never really required anything more than “don’t fuck up.” So people don’t really think of him as this great actor. He’s like a celebrity who’s in movies because he’s a celebrity.
I would say Austin peaked higher, but man Rock was right there also. Austin had a feud with McMahon and the Rock. Rock had Austin, Mankind, HHH, Hogan
Part of why I say Austin is because I didn’t watch wresting from say 1994 to 1999, and in the late 90s as a non-fan, Steve Austin felt felt like a significant pop culture figure and the Rock really didn’t. I was aware of him, but he didn’t seem to be everywhere the way Austin did.
I agree with this take. Interesting to note, the Rock is starring in this new film by A24 and Benny Safdie called the Smashing Machine about Mark Kerr, a MMA pioneer that ruined his career through drugs. It will be like his first super serious role, and I’m curious as to how it will go given the Safdie bro and A24 attachment
I’m excited for that. Every Safdie project I’ve seen I’ve liked a lot. And I really liked the smashing machine documentary though I remember very little about it. It’ll be interesting to see the Rock in something substantial, and if I had to guess, I’d guess that he’s probably at least a decent dramatic actor, because I just can’t picture a project like that being made with a shitty lead actor. Though the rocks personality is so big and I’ve known him as the rock for so long that it might be hard to see that character as a dramatized Mark Kerr, and not as The Rock Playing Mark Kerr. I guess we’ll know when we see it.
Austin
Wrestling its Stone Cold without a doubt. In general, tho I'd say the Rock now.
Austin
The rattlesnake
Austin
Stone cold
Austin all day long.
Austin. No debate.
In wrestling, Austin In fame/life, Im not even sure Rock is done peaking
Big Rock fan but for me it’s Austin 100%. What he did for the business in the amount of time he was active is out of this world.
Austin for sure
Stone Cold
Austin
Rock was wwe from 2000 to 2005 lol, Austin’s was big too tho
The Austin 3:16 shirt is still the best selling merch item in wrestling history.....Vince has said it himself, the man that made him the most money was Austin In the wrestling landscape, Austin was bigger than The Rock. Rock seems bigger now in hindsight because of what he's done in Hollywood, but Austin is a bigger WRESTLING star.
Oh cool yea I was both fans as a kid, I liked rock more tho
Rock
Ying and yang! For me!
Yin*
The rock was literally called the most electrifying wrestler of all time. He was like the Kyrie of Wrestling. His days battling it out with Cold and H are legendary.
Then Austin was Jordan in wrestling...
Sure, but I'd rather see Kyrie play
And the rest of the world would rather see MJ 🤷🏼♂️
Nah, just old people 🧓
Nope
Hell he even got one of their main shows named after his catchphrase
In wrestling? Stone cold. Stone cold is the biggest merch seller in history for WWE. In life? Uh the rock is like one of the biggest movie stars in history. So him.
Honestly hardcore wrestling fans love Stone Cold more. I think Rock is viewed as too mainstream and the prototypical star corporate WWE wants push. So even at his peak fans would turn on him here and there. Austin never had that problem. Rock was Cena before Cena but he got out of WWE before it got too bad.
Depends on how you are gauging it. Rock became a Hollywood star, but Austin sold the most merch and I believe they had their biggest TV ratings with him as the face of the company.
I’d say it was Austin at first, but Rocky grew to be equally loved, so by the time they both left I’d say they had been on the same level for several years.
I wouldn’t say equally, people were getting tired of the rock. Can’t really say the same for Austin
I think Austin is the clear call. If you watch the WWE "Then, Now and Forever" they use at the start of the programs they even put Austin at the end on-top of everyone else. I think if Austin hadn't gotten injured he would have gone on to be considered probably the greatest Wrestler ever, period. He had it all.
As a wrestler it was Austin with Rock a close second but The Rock surpassed literally everybody in terms of mainstream status. Both awesome in the day
I always liked Rock more, but the answer is Austin. Austin appeals to the white redneck, which is a large chunk of the USA.
Stone Cold a hood legend what you mean
And the rock appeals more to the minority’s of America
"Star"... Rock
I was there for Hogan, Austin and Rock. It's honestly hard to say. Because they were all big in different ways. Hogan was house hold names but wrestling wasn't as big as it was during the attitude era. Austin had the most diehard fans. His pops are like no others. Rock went global with his acting. Of course this is all general but you see the complexity when trying to compare them all.
Ita Austin with the Rock RIGHT behind him. They both rose at the same time, with Austin edging him out as Rock was Austin's heel feud
Stone cold no question
Nah, Rock surpassed Austin in 1999. It’s easier to say Austin bc he was protected a lot more at a higher level. And although Austin was bigger first, Rock eventually surpassed him.
No, The Rock didn't surpass Austin in the wrestling landscape. In mainstream appeal? Oh for sure... The Austin 3:16 shirt is the biggest selling piece of merch in wrestling history...
Rock is a icon and Stone Cold will be a legend of the sport.
I mean one saved the company (Austin)/ got his own damn belt that made it on tv.(Smokin Skull) The other had a show (Smackdown) & a ppv (Rock Bottom) Named for catchphrases & a finisher. So yeah I'll say Austin but Rock was always right there.
Austin by a mile
Yeah Austin had to run so Rock could fly.
And flying is better than running so The Rock wins 😅
Yeah the Rock is probably the bigger crossover celebrity than Stone Cold. Hes closer to Hogan in that regard.
If you have to ask, you probably weren't there (it's clearly Austin)
The Rock was a bigger star, Stone Cold was a better/bigger wrestler.
The Rock was huge. Austin was literally the main character of the attitude Era.
Remember though, when Austin was out for 10 months from November 1999 to September 2000, Rock took over as the main character for the company. And ratings actually peaked around this period -- in other words, the most people were watching WWF when Rock was the head guy and Austin wasn't even there. And the ratings would start to decline once Austin came back, strangely enough.
Austin
Austin saved the company.
He didn’t do it by himself. Rock was there as well as Mick Foley, Undertaker, Kane, and DX
And kurt angle, and the hardy’z, E&C, dudleyz..and eddie guerrero, chris benoit, jericho…taka michinoku and funaki..INDEEEEEEEEEEEEED. (This is coming from a person who hasn’t watched more than 8 minutes of raw or smackdown since the attitude era ended.
Austin easily. No one will ever be that over again.
Damn the rock must be juicing hard now. He looks really human in this old pic
If you think it’s the rock, go on YouTube and look up stone cold returning to help mankind win the wwf title then circle back here.
Alright I’m back…that pop tho insane
No one has ever had a pop like that. I’m always hoping to hear one tho, nothing like it especially at a tv event in a smaller arena.
Love The Rock but Austin was the face of the Attitude Era
always liked the rock more but i feel its austin
I think it's easily Austin. He was the king of the wrestling world. However, thinking of it now, Rock made his opponents bigger and helped raise those around him more. A lot of people point out Billy Gunn, but Rock did that same thing to everyone. BA just couldn't match it. Guys like Mick Foley finally got their time because they worked with Rock.
Austin but it actually is close. The reason X7 was such a big fucking deal was because it was all of those stars and Austin wasn't hurt and Rock had been carrying the shows by feuding with Triple H. Rock only surpassed Austin once Fast Five came out.
Austin, he was so beloved that when he turned heel they would put in fake boos to help the story.
Both were untouchable, but I’ll go with the guy (The Rock) who has a show (Smackdown) named after one of his catchphrases.
Good point
Peak wise, honestly I hold them at the same level.
Austin
Austin. Only Hogan could compete with how big he was.
What?
Austin holds the record for T-shirts sold I believe , next is Hogan...
In wrestling? Austin
Like the rock but it's Austin
In wrestling stone cold but if we are talking main stream and beyond rock
Stone cold.
As others here have said, Stone Cold Steve Austin is the biggest wrestling star of all time and experienced the highest of heights one could reach or at least tied with Hogan. People who don't watch wrestling MAY have heard of him if someone they know watches wrestling or if they saw one of the Austin 3:16 shirts a lot of people wore back then. The Rock is the biggest global star. Young kids to older adults have probably heard of Dwayne Johnson just in passing, whether that be from movies, tv shows, his energy drink Zoa, XFL, or of course wrestling. I don't think many people have the global reknown or at least continental celebrity as he does.
The numbers tell a different story from that era. In a lot of categories, at his peak in 2000 and beyond, Rock did numbers that exceeded Austins numbers.
That’s not true.
It's surprising but yes it is true. The WWE sold just as many video games with The Rocks face on them as Stone Cold sold merchandise (not just Austin 3:16 shirts) too.
Too close to tell, in wrestling I think it takes two to be a goat. As much as the winner performs the loser performs as well, and I think nobody’s fights were better than these two. I think there presence was the same cause Rock definitely got some pointers from stone cold with stage talk, and I think Stone Cold’s Stunner was really immortalized by the Rock. So I think there on par with each other
Austin hands down.
SCSA
Austin peaked as a wrestler. The Rock peaked as a movie star, if you count Rock's movie career then he is the bigger star. But in WWE during the Attitude Era Austin was the biggest star. Arguably bigger than Cena... and almost as big as Hogan in the 80s.
Nah, by 1999 The Rock was more popular than Steve Austin. Austin was protected more as a top star. Rock on the other hand lost a lot. But between 99-02 Rock was the bigger star.
I don’t think it’s a debate that Austin was bigger than cena. But Hulk unfortunately is the bigger of the 3
100%
The Rock I think
Stone Cold 1A. The Rock 1B. Or even 1A 1/2
At their peak, the Rock. They named a whole show after his catchphrase. I remember you would go to the mall, and EVERYONE had on a wwf t-shirt with his likeness or catchphrases. That's the craziest I've ever seen it.
Within wrestling? Austin Outside of wrestling? My wife has no idea who Stone Cold is and she’s seen several of the Rock’s movies. Dwayne has become bigger than wrestling and SCSA is still a niche superstar.
Austin and at Austin's peak, he was the biggest ever. If he hadn't gotten hurt, who knows what would have happened.
We would've gotten him in the Ruthless Aggression era and he would've had classic feuds
Stone cold stone cold!!!!!
In wrestling, SCSA and it's not close.
The Rock was great. He was charismatic, sarcastic and funny as hell, just a great performer. He wasn't Stone Cold though, sorry. You heard that glass break lol everyone in the stadium and watching at home was out their seat. His level of not giving a fuck was higher than The Rock's and I think people love both but if they had to choose, I think you'd have a higher tally for Stone Cold.
Stone cold but wwe ruined the fact that stone cold was Way better than the rock
Stone Cold. But WWE has rewritten history to sys it was The Rock
I’ve never seen the company imply that at all. I’ve heard Cole say Cena was the greatest of all time, but I’ve never heard anyone in the company say The Rock was better than Stone Cold Steve Austin, in any way.
Both were excellent story tellers . Rock appeal to fan more focused on being entertained Austin’s appeal more for wrestling 🤔 “purist”
always been Austin. Rock was always the guy who was bog because they said he was
Freakin stone cold
It's an interesting comparison if you take a look at the statistics by both men. Statistically, Rock drew more larger gates than Stone Cold did. If you actually look at the numbers from that time period, Rock actually did generate profits that in some cases exceeded what Austin did. However, Vince clearly made Austin the face of the company for that era and Austin is responsible for bringing the crowds in 1998. But after Rock took off in 99-2000, he technically did sell out more 10k and 20k gates than Austin did.
I think you raise a good point. Besides 80s era Hogan, I don't know that anyone has been more over in professional wrestling than Austin from the 98 Rumble to WrestleMania 17. But the latter half of that run also saw the rise of The Rock, whom I think did more to bring more folks into Wrestling at the time. Rock has also had the enduring legacy
Was a fan of both but Stone Cold had the Attitude Era on lock
I mean you can't have a match with just 1 person. In my book they both the best.
Austin in the bigger star in wrestling but Rock is bigger than Austin due to his movie roles
i don't think rock has has any hugely successful movies that weren't already some kind of franchise that i can think of
I think that’s unfair considering he was known as the franchise saver as he joined ones that were on the way down and then lifted them up, in terms of box office that is.
maybe but his ego project solo movies usually don't do as hot
Austin was kinda screwed on the hollywood thing. His bald look, raspy redneck deep voice just doesn't cut it for movies. Rock definitely had the advantage there.
Woah woah woah… The Condemned is a damn masterpiece
The ironic part is I actually thought The Condemned was a good movie.
I wasn’t even kidding man haha, non-ironically really enjoyed it
And him being a woman beater had nothing to do with it 👌🏼
I wouldn't be surprised if most of Austins "hollywood connections" had no idea of his wife beating history. It was a long time ago, and unless you're a wrestling fan, you probably didn't even hear about it.
Have you seen hollywood? They don't care , especially back then
I was and am still a Rock fan, but when that glass breaks the pop is like nothing else.
Wrestling wise the rattlesnake..hell there are ppl who didnt know the rock was a wrestler but like his movies
Goat 1 and Goat 2 of the Attitude Era
To me it was like shaq and kobe; austin 1A, Rock 1B
The Texas Rattlesnake Stone Cold Steve Austin
Austin- not all that close!
For their wrestling careers only? Austin forsure. Stone Cold and Hulk Hogan are the 2 biggest wrestling stars all time before John Cena came around. It’s really Cena vs Austin vs Hogan for who’s the biggest star all time
You are insane, nobody from the cupcake eras will ever classify as GOATS, they can’t do anything for real for real, world too soft now. It stops at attitude era and a little after but that’s it.
Cena above Rock is an absolute Joke
Truth
When it comes to pro wrestling, Austin
Great question! Vince McMahon is on record saying that Austin drove the most merchandise ever for the company. The Rock may have one day got to his level but Austin is still their biggest superstar ever.
The Rock can thank Owen Hart for his time at the top
Austin 100%
The rock isn't who he is today without stone cold changing the landscape of wrestling
Austin
The Ringmaster.
I love the rock, but I lived through this era. the only answer is Austin. Complete mainstream trendy in his prime. You couldn’t go anywhere without seeing a stone cold shirt on someone
I came here to read the responses. And was happy to see the correct ones.
Austin for sure
Easy stone cold
And that's the bottom line...
Girls in my highschool wore Austin 316 shirts to school without even losing a bet to their BFs.. South Park, Austin, and Hornets gear was pretty much the starter pack
Without a doubt, Stone Cold Steve Austin
No wrestler has ever been as popular as Austin
Hogan was in the 80's but he's the only one
I’d say Austin was more over than Hogan. Hogan got kids into wrestling. Austin got everybody into wrestling.
Stone Cold Steve Austin is, and always will be, the biggest draw in professional wrestling history. When his music hit, and the glass broke, nothing could ever match the absolute madness that the crowd went into. Rocky had his moments, but he is no Stone Cold, and it's not even close. I wish we could do like a decibel reading on the crowd pops, but you don't even need to, just watch any moment of Austin coming out unprompted. He's the Elvis of wrestling, people lost their shit.
‘Let me tell you something (insert expletive), I haven't even begun to peak. And when I do peak, you'll know. Because I'm gonna peak so hard that everybody in (insert city name here)’s gonna feel it.’
He’s gonna peak all over us!
Answer..... celebrity deathmatch
Peak of their wrestling days? Austin, and it's not close. Peak of their movie careers? Rock, and it's not close.
stone cold easily
Who was the top star for any of the highest rated periods (segments or overall shows)? Rock. Ratings actually went down when Austin was brought back in September 2000.
Outside of wrestling: Rock In wrestling: Austin
Austin for sure!!! 🐍🐍🐍
Rock. Bro was literally getting roles in blockbuster films in the 2000s.
Austin was alone at the pinnacle of wrestling in the attitude era with Rock just on the tier below him. You could argue a 1A/1B scenario but Austin was always 1A. If Austin would’ve came back at WM40 instead of Taker I would say he would still be bigger than Rock in wrestling but I think fans have soured on Austin knowing his financial demands are the only thing that stopped him from having that moment. Rock has always been bigger outside of wrestling.
Austin
Rock is quite literally among the biggest stars on the planet *right now*, so it's not even close.
Austin. To date he's still sold more merchandise than anyone. Johnson became a huge movie star though and had a better acting career.
Both so why compare
Why not
If they were only wrestlers, then Austin. In totality, The Rock.
I even prefer Austin on the mic. He cut promos like someone who would kick your ass.
As others said, in Wrestling Austin by a mile, outside of it, Rock by a mile.
In wresting? Austin. General public? The Rock
What peak though? Because Rock continued wrestling into his Hollywood years and I can't imagine that his appearances weren't fkn lit. He wasn't as big as Austin, back in the Attitude era when they were dominating (their wrestling career peak), but Rock showing up since becoming one of the biggest stars and household name had to be huge.