Steve Austin vs. The Rock

[7.0] "This match has just done the hardest and most impressive carry job of all time. Stone Cold is in his pomp here and was absolutely brilliant. Dont get me wrong, Dwayne was fine, but this match was all Austin. Great match.7.5/10"

[7.0] "A prototypical Stone Cold Steve Austin match in which there is much crowd brawling. Poor Mike Chioda gets abolished with a hands down chair shot to the dome. We get sightings of ECW fans and Bill Apter and Stone Cold celebrates his win via drinking beer and assaulting his boss. All we're missing is an unnecessary blade job and Rob Feinstein with an RF Video sign and the universe would implode from the sheer concentration of 1999 energy."

[7.0] "As a first part of their rivalry that is iconic in the attitude era memory, this match was a brawl really fun and even though it's not a wonder if technique, the moments in it were fun and the heat from the crowd was strong, great reactions. 7/10 [****1/4]"

[8.0] "This match has three parts. The first is a really fun brawl in which Austin and Rock fight across the arena. This is a really fun segment, but obviously won't blow you away technically. The second segment sees The Rock try to put away Austin. Again, fun stuff. A couple of close near falls, which the crowd completely buy into. The final segment sees Mr McMahon and Mankind get involved for a chaotic ending stretch. How can you not enjoy this match? Is it a well-worked match in a traditional sense? Not really. But it's peak Attitude Era brawling between the two biggest stars of the era. ****"

[10.0] "Rewatching this all these years later just confirms why these two are the absolute GOATS of pro wrestling and why this rivalry is the rivalry of all rivalries in my opinion we all know they are regarded as the best and greatest but this 1st mania match was great not their best one but still great. Looked the action outside of the ring Austin selling the knee after the backdrop on the metal structure was great told a great story. The Rock showing his personality taking a stunner on the announcer table while holding the camera with the visual of Austin flipping him off on the camera was next level stuff that hasn't really been seen since just a great showing of both match quality and great storytelling with plenty of entertainment it's no secret why they headlined two more times together after this."

[5.0] "This match is some sloppy brawling until they get to the first table spot, then it picks up into the match it's supposed to be. Super Austin kicks out of a rock bottom and a chairshot to the head. There are a few chinlocks so they can call spots to each other. Rock gives his finish to the second referee right before overselling a stunner. McMahon comes out and Rock gives Austin a low blow. They both being stomping Stone Cold. Foley comes out and takes care of McMahon. Rock oversells a second stunner after a failed people's elbow and it's over. I think people view these attitude era matches with rose colored glasses a lot of the time; this isn't that impressive of a match despite the feud between these two being one of the best of all time. People complain about overbooked finishes a lot of the time but here is this match that's supposed to be one of the best ever that is basically a sloppy brawl plus overbooking. Not a bad match by any stretch but not some all time classic or anything."

[9.0] "The only one of the Rock/Austin trilogy that I had not watched start to finish. I'll be honest, it's my least favorite of the 3, but it still rules. The whole match is just excellence in execution. The no DQ stipulation really adds to the brutality and watchability of the match, with constant chair shots, ref attacks, and McMahon interference all felt like necessary additions to an already stellar match. The in-ring work is nowhere close to the work they'd have merely a few years later, as their chemistry and The Rock himself get way better as the years go on. Rock sells the hell out of the stunner during this match and gives Austin some nasty-looking chair shots that make you wonder how he's still operating at full mental capacity. I also just love Mick Foley coming out to be the 3rd ref we've had in this match, and he gets to attack McMahon and be the one to count Austin to the title. As the match draws to its climax, we see a counter at the end, and then a ref bump, McMahon, Foley, and Austin win, and it's actually a phenomenal sequence. The look on Vince's face is just great acting. It looked like he just received a cancer diagnosis; he's distraught, he's heartbroken. Jr mocking McMahon and Lawler sympathizing with him also just adds to the hilarity of the match. And maybe my favorite moment of the entire match is watching Earl Hebbner toast beers with Austin and get up on the turnbuckles, which was such an awesome moment to conclude the match. Another fantastic element of the match was Jr and The King on commentary; they make such a great pairing every time they're together, and like always, they just make the match come alive with each and every move that Austin and the Rock do."

[7.0] "The start of the Wrestlemania trilogy between these 2 and the best match of this show. This match is good by not as good as the ones that come later on."

[8.0] "The birth of WrestleMania's greatest trilogy ever, and what a wild ride it is. It's a super hot brawl with a hot start and a red-hot crowd rooting hard for Austin. It's all-over-the-place and it's quite a mess, but it's intense, the character work is awesome and the chaos is a whole lotta fun; from Shawn returning pre-match and screwing Vince's plan to referee the match, to the referee getting blasted with a chair shot, another one getting Rock Bottomed, Vince slapping another and beating Austin down alongside The Rock, Mankind coming to the rescue, Austin coming back and getting it done... The drama is crazy and the crowd is all in. Vince's reaction to Austin winning is, as always, priceless. It's a mess yes, but it's wildly satisfying. ***3/4+"

[5.0] "Pretty good overall, but ultimately it's most interesting as a testament to Austin's talent. He is working his ass off and basically wrestling himself. Although people see his brawling as compensating for a lack of ability, this match is a true example of his work as a 'ring general'."

[8.0] "Literally, the saving grace of a mediocre WrestleMania. Although, I personally would've went with a triple threat match with Austin, Rock & Mankind. But that's me personally. Nevertheless, it was still a great match."

[7.0] "The first match in the Rock/Austin WrestleMania trilogy. It's a super heated brawl where they wrestle on all sides of the arena. The in ring action is actually where they go a little too overboard for me though. Lots of ref bumps (though I do respect the one who took the chair to the head), then the McMahon and Mankind stuff. Just drops this match below great, though still quite good."

[7.0] "All things considered, this match was preeetty okay. You do have to rank it on the scale of an Attitude Era main event, after all, where certainly neither Rock or Austin were expected or asked to put on some kind of work rate classic. The crowd heat was incredible and the reactions were fantastic. The actual match itself? It was fine. Lots of brawling, lots of dramatics, lots of outside interference, just as you would expect, but the actual story of Rock and Austin is inherently more compelling than, you know, Road Dogg in the hardcore division or whatever, so it's a lot more excusable. I think this is firmly the worst of their WrestleMania trilogy, but it's a good worst match to have."

[8.0] "By far, the best match of the night when it was all said and done. Lightning in a bottle. That's the only way to describe The Rock and Austin coming together during this era to produce a classic feud."

"The first great WrestleMania main event. The chemistry between these two is awesome. I really like this match."

[7.0] "Really cool main event, and a huge payoff for the two biggest feuds of the period: Mankind vs Rock and Austin vs McMahon. That match was a satisfying conclusion, WrestleMania-worthy, and it was a pretty good brawl, where the wrestlers looked like the biggest stars ever, which they kinda are, and the match was super hot, Austin and Rock are really good together, their sequences are smooth. The match had a special guest referee controversy, with Mr. McMahon himself pleading the role, but Shawn Michaels appeared before the match and intervening. The match was a No DQ, and despite not being super violent, the brawl style adds a lot of intensity to the experience. The anarchic nature of the match made the ending stretch shenanigans possible, with two referees getting taken out, Vince appearing and kicking Austin, and Mankind doing a late run-in as the final referee, to take Mr. McMahon out, and provide a clean finish for the bout. The biggest star of the company won the title, and there was a huge celebration after the match - {***1/2}"

[10.0] "This feels like the biggest match of all time when you watch it. Two of the biggest stars in the history of wrestling clashing in a classic Attitude Era brawl on Wrestlemania's grandest stage. Not a technical bout by a longshot but this is still up there as one of the greatest wrestling matches of all time in my opinion. Stone Cold wins back the WWF Championship and Vince McMahon finally gets completely humiliated in front of the entire world. Five stars for me."

[9.0] "It's the weakest of their WrestleMania trilogy and there's a lot of overbooking to be had here, but it's still an amazing match between both men with really great in ring action and psychology between each other and it was great for Stone Cold to get the world title back from Rock and The Corporation."

[7.0] "Chaotic brawl with obvious interferences, however it was executed pretty entertaining. Saviour of this show."

[7.0] "An amazing Main Event to a very bad Wrestlemania! The first Stone Cold and The Rock match at Wrestlemania might be their weakest, but at that point in time it was a really good overbooked match with a lot of good action and hot crowd all the way through, earning it a (7/10) rating! It's an enjoyable Main Event, especially with the sight of Austin winning the crown once more to the delight of the crowd! Add the post-match Stunner to Vince McMahon, and you have a satisfying ending to a very bad Wrestlemania."

[4.0] "This Wrestlemania main event felt very formulaic, working more as a showcase of the main event style of the time instead of being a well-worked match that fit the template laid out. They brawled around the building, then went straight to the finishers and the run-ins. I actually think this match could have done with some of the Corporate geeks coming out and having Austin and Mankind dispose of them en route to dethroning Rock. It didn't feel like Austin conquered the Corporation or took down the new ace of the promotion. It just felt like a match that Austin won. A disappointing end to a bad show. **"

[8.0] "It's about the furthest thing from a technical wrestling classic, and is the weakest of their esteemed WrestleMania trilogy, but damn is this fun to watch. It's a total car crash from bell-to-bell; Austin and Rock never take their foot off of the pedal and what you get is nearly seventeen minutes of overbooked chaos played out in front of a red hot crowd. Like I said, it IS overbooked; there were three ref bumps, interferences, and finishers galore. Nevertheless, if there was ever a time for overbooking it was here. The crowd wanted desperately for Austin to overcome the odds and win, and that is exactly what they got. He beats Rock's ass, and then beats Vince's ass for good measure. Both Austin and Rock were great here; they are two guys who really understood their characters and know how to play them up for a rabid crowd. The Rock's sells on the stunners have to be seen to be believed. They are masterful in how goofy they are. Add in a great commentary performance from Jim Ross (and King is there too), who really adds to the chaotic feeling with his intonation throughout, and you get a very enjoyable mess. Overall, a highly entertaining match that will fly by. ***3/4"

[6.0] "A match made memorable largely by the incredible amount of heat stone cold and the rock could generate in those years, but in my opinion quite lacking in terms of logical development of the story and concatenation of in-ring spots. still a classic by two of the finest performers to ever grace a WWE ring"

[7.0] "It's a fun match, good pacing and crazy action, it's just the 3rd best these two have had at Wrestlemania, which isn't an insult as we're talking about the Rock and Austin. It is, however, by far the best match on a Wrestlemania that is lacking for good matches, so it has that going for it, but when I watched this for the first time I had already seen their WM17 class, so this always had a hint of "underwhelming" to it. I thought their rematch at Backlash '99 was better as well."

[8.0] "WWF Attitude Era ppv's sometimes had the issue of being one match shows, in practice if not in theory. Wrestlemania 15 exemplifies that trend by being both. I refuse to believe anyone bought this show to see Boss Man or Hunter or Shane, they bought it to see Stone Cold finally rip that smug asshole's eyebrow off. Depending on how gross and 1999 coded they were, they might have also bought it for Sable. Likewise, the only people returning to XV now are completionist assholes like myself or seeking the main event. Luckily, the main event is damn good. The first Mania mainer to be a true blue brawl, and the most intense main event since 8's Ric and Randy which WAS a main event IT WAS DAMMIT. Crazy how much better these two would get in their future encounters, seeing this post X7 and XIX makes it very clear they still had their limiters on. Oh well, Rock Lee has to wear weighted clothing too. It adds tension."

"As someone who wasn't around for the Attitude Era, this match best encapsulates what all the hype around it is about. Peak excess and just the right amount of chaos and overbooked shenanigans, but at the root of it is a real and intense brawl with a rocking crowd. At the main event of WrestleMania, this is the peak of this kind of vision of what pro wrestling can be. I was hooked with every twist and turn, so many believable finishes yet everything crescendoed at the perfect time. There is something incredible about Rocky sinching in a headlock in the latter stages of the match and it somehow works. Everything about this match screams that it should be a defining match in pro wrestling cannon, but I'm surprised that it is viewed as by far the weakest in their WrestleMania trilogy. This match is fun, gritty, and everything you'd expect from the loft heights this era and these two wrestlers have been hyped up with after all these years. A genuine ***** classic."

[7.0] "[***3/4] The one and only truly good match on this otherwise awful WrestleMania card ends up being the last one: the first match in the trilogy of WrestleMania matches between The Rock and Steve Austin. While not the best in the trilogy, the match is still an example of why these two are, and will be, the defining talents of this era. It's an electrifying bout with a big-time match feel, showcasing both competitors at their best. Unfortunately, it feels a bit overbooked for my liking, with all the ref bumps and McMahon and Mankind interferences. I would have preferred to see more of it fought inside the ring rather than outside. However, when you get a match this good on an otherwise awful card, it feels wrong to complain too much about that."

[9.0] "This was a big time Wrestlemania main event and the intensity with these two was just through the roof! The match starts great and it quickly escalated in to a big brawl all over the arena and eventually Rock actually hits Austin with the Rock bottom early in the match and it actually felt like a huge deal when Austin kicked out as that had never happened before. There's a few ref bumps here with a notable one where Mike Chiota takes an unprotected chair shot to the skull (fair does to him on that) and you do start to see some of the overbooking that had been going on all over the show but with the build to the match and McMahon desperately doing everything he could to stop Austin winning the title, it made perfect sense for the storyline that had been going on and then Mankind comes out to call the match down the middle and smack McMahon to a great reaction. Austin finally gets the win, McMahon gets the stunner and gets another beer bath and it's a nice feel good ending that almost made me forget about the rest of this show."

[7.0] "The first of their iconic WrestleMania trilogy, and probably their worst of the 3. I didn't completely love all the referee shenanigans, but this was an entertaining brawl and Mankind came out to call the finish which was cool. Apparently this was the first time the Rock Bottom had ever been kicked out of so that's cool too. ***1/2"

[7.0] "This was an awesome main event on an otherwise weak Wrestlemania. Sure, the match was overbooked as hell, with all the run ins and interferences, but the in ring work between Rock and Austin was awesome. The Rock is an amazing heel and used the numbers advantage with the Corporation, but Austin still was able to beat The Rock and The Corporation."

[8.0] "Solid back and forth brawl style match that seemed to work for the crowd, as they exploded when the three was counted. My personal favorite bump of the match is a back drop that Austin takes near the entrance ramp in which one of his legs lands on a light fixture, that looked pretty brutal. It was good storytelling having Mankind being able to come back after all of the referee bumps to count the pin as he was scheduled to be the special guest ref after his match with The Big Show earlier in this card. 4 star match at most as I feel these two could have a better match given more time."

[7.0] "Solid but definitely doesnt age welll. Its the most attiude era match possible overbooked as fuck a clusterfuck at times but definitely entertaining and fun to watch. A brawl for majority of its run time doesnt stay in the ring till the final few minutes or so. Overbooked as hell probably not a match worth watching more than once or twice. A match fitting the era. 3.5/5"

[8.0] "A fun match that is mostly just a brawl with a bunch of ref bumps and near falls. Pretty entertaining throughout but could have been better considering the two talents involved."

[5.0] "Surprisingly dull match from two legends. The problem here was overbooking. The fight starts outside and stays there for about half the match, including into the crowd. But this isn't wrestling and it looks awful. Every match on the card spent too much time on the outside, so there's very little new to see. Although credit to Austin for the elbow off the barricade through Rocky on the announce table. That looked great, but everything else outside could be cut. Keep it inside the ring! Once inside the match barely gets going when ref bump shenanigans start. We go through 3? 4? refs. Mankind eventually comes out. Vince comes out. Chair shots, low blows, just far too much crash TV booking. These two legends have a far better match two years later at WrestleMania X7. But this match on XV is mid."

"As someone who did not grow up watching the Attitude Era of wrestling I can see the charm of the energy, star power, announcing and overall presentation of the match. I think it's a good match but definitely underwhelming for a main event of this caliber, Hopefully when I watch the 17 one it will be better. Will be back later to rate."

[4.0] "I had no energy for this match after other fiascos from this show and they didn't help it with the fact, that we've already seen brawls, weapons, referee knockdowns and interferences in everything else. Here the star power carried the whole match, because it was nothing new from Austin and Rock at this point. They just don't want to work a normal match, because the crowd will eat everything up anyways, so why bother."

[7.0] "Fun match, Stone Cold works amazingly on brawls, the crowd was super hot and the last minutes were amazing, the sellings of Rock and the reactions for literally everything made it that much better."

[8.0] "Better than I remembered. A good brawl where the first half takes place outside the ring. The second takes place in the ring with multiple changes of referees up to Mankind. Very good. (4*)"

[7.0] "The first of the three Mania classics. For me, Rock vs Austin will forever be the greatest rivalry in pro wrestling history. This match is quite underrated by the majority. Sure, it had all your typical Attitude Era shenanigans. It had ref bums, interference, your Vince vs Austin moment (which I loved btw) but the best bit was the Rock on commentary and then picking up the video camera only to get stunned. As Vince would say - Such good shit. Still makes me nostalgic."

[5.0] "Typical Austin '99 match and he's even the one carrying Rocky because Austin was the better worker (despite being so hurt here)"

[8.0] "4 ref bumps, many finisher kickouts and Austin stands tall so this is peak WWF. Never got boring but the Rock doing a rest hold after there had been many big nearfalls was odd. Brawling up the stage, the cool table bump and the sells on the Stunner were pretty iconic moments so yeah, no huge complaints - ****"

[6.0] "Pretty slow match. The most interesting parts of the match were JR on commentary and the amount of interference in the match."

[7.0] "Pretty typical Attitude Era style main event that is carried by the star power of the two competitors. It has all the brawling, ref bumps, and general chaos that you'd expect, with a hot crowd that is well and truly along for the ride. It's a fun match that sums up the main event style of the era well, but nothing too remarkable beyond the atmosphere and the names involved."

[8.0] "One of the best in ring matches of the attitude era so far. Hilarious when mankind came out in a referee outfit."

[5.0] "JR takes over from Cole on Comms and what a difference a bit of gravitas and excitement bring. I was looking forward to this but beyond the finish, this was mostly incredibly dull which fits in with the rest of the night perfectly."

[8.0] "Out of their WrestleMania trilogy, this match was the weakest, but still an enjoyable match. This match was an overbooked, but still fun brawl. It was not the greatest thing in the world, but the crowd's energy helped to lift the match up, as these two could do no wrong with them. While the overbooking can be annoying, it paid off at least in this case and created a happy ending."

[7.0] "Jim Ross is introduced as special color commentator. Earlier in the nigh, Vince McMahon named himself the special ref since Mankind was too injured and Big Show was arrested for attacking Vince. Shawn Michaels the acting commissioner comes out looking like he's been vacationing inside a bottle somewhere and says Vince can't decide who the special ref should be. Only the commissioner can. Also this is a no disqualification match. Both guys go at it immediately. Ausin beats Rock all over the building for a good 3 minutes. Rock manages to slam Austins bad leg on some scaffolding by the entrance way. Then they fight over to the announcers table and both go through that one. Both are back in the ring and Rock hits the rock bottom but Austin kicks out at 2. The ref goes down after something. Rock's got a chair and he's smashing Ausin's leg brace. Rock catches Austin with a Samoan drop for 2. Rock is mad at the second referee for not counting fast enough so he rock bottoms Tim White. Austin gets up and scores a stunner but there ain't no ref. Hebner hauls ass to the ring and starts counting but Rock kicks out at 2. McMahon comes down to ringside to distract Austin. Rock hits Austin low. Mcmahon gets in the ring and knocks Hebner down. Vince and Rock attack Austin. Crowd is going crazy, what's going on? Mankind is coming to ringside. Mankind decks Vince. Mankind is the current ref. Rock hits a second rock bottom but decides to go for the corporate elbow. But he misses. Austins up, Rock tries another rock bottom but Steve fights it off and hits a stunner and gets the pin. We have a new champ. Vince looks like he crapped his pants. Better than last years main event. Vince confronts Austin and says that is his belt. Austin beats him up for the hell of it. Easily the best match of this shitty PPV! Also, I think this might have been the starting point of the multiple finishers/false finishes era."

[8.0] "Well despite three different ref bumps, besides the continual brawling on the outside with Chioda counting on a No DQ match. This was an amazing tale of having start one of the greatest wrestling trilogies of wrestling history. ****1/4"

[7.0] "Much of the in ring action here was pretty good by the standards of these two, being a decent brawl with some actual wrestling - certainly more actual wrestling than their match two years later. Sadly it's also an overbooked mess with so many ref bumps and interferences that the impact of Foley coming out towards the end loses its impact. The crowd loved it, and if you like big men brawling it'll be for you - it's certainly a great example of that. But as with everything on this show the surrounding nonsense diminishes the match."

[8.0] "The start to this match was amazing with some excellent brawling. They continued the fast pace and brawling, with some rough bumps to enhance it. Overbooking works here and actually makes sense as the whole point of Stone Cold's story is could he overcome the odds. These two had the crowd at the palm of their hands all match long. Austin getting jumped by Vince and Rock only for Mankind to show up to take out Vince was a great moment. Rock after hitting another Rock Bottom looks to hit the people's elbow but Austin counters, both try to hit their finishers, but Austin nails the stunner for the win. Jr called one hell of a match coming off bell's palsy. ****"