 What's good, Joshua boros back again with another video. So we're going to check out how the rock versus stone cold change WWE forever. A wrestling documentary by off the top rope. Saw this in my sub box a while back. I was like, you know what? I need to make time to check this out because the rock in stone cold. Arguably the greatest feud in wrestling history. These two individuals definitely carried WWE and the attitude error. And everyone knows who the rock in stone cold is. Everyone knows their legendary feuds back and forth segments promos matches. We all know the history and even people that don't watch wrestling anymore. Know who the rock and who stone cold is. That's how influential they were to the wrestling business as a whole. And they're my favorite wrestlers. Stone cold is one a the rock is one B you can you can switch them out. So we're going to check this out, man. We're going to go back down memory lane because I'm looking forward to just reliving some of these great moments from these legendary wrestlers. Should be an interesting one. I'm going to link the original video down below. Make sure you guys go check out off the off the top rope. Give them a subscription. Let's get right into this one. March 30th, 2003 a sold out stadium erupted in cheers and chants as the world watched in awe as two legends stepped into the squared circle one last time. The energy was palpable and the anticipation was unmatched. WrestleMania 19 bought together the two biggest names in the WWE universe at the time. Stone Cold Steve Austin and the Rock. These two superstars had defined an error, setting the wrestling world ablaze with their charisma, intensity and rivalry. They had engaged in multiple battles before, but this time the stakes were higher than ever. The story of this epic rivalry begins with the Rock and Steve Austin initially not striking a chord with their audience during the first few years of their career. While Steve spent his initial years of his career in WCW, he was highly underrated. Regardless of how good he was in the ring, Steve was never seen as the guy that could take WCW to new heights. For the company, he was just a wrestler who switched factions until he was eventually released in 1995. And the Rock, on the other hand, had a football background and was a third-generation superstar. And when the Rock made his debut as Rocky Myath here in 1996, it didn't take long for the blue chipper to realize that fans were not in love with his persona at all. Being portrayed as a happy babyface all the time didn't really connect with the fans at the time. However, their identical drive for success, both wrestlers realized that they had to take things more seriously if they wanted to make it to the top of the mountain. So as time passed on, both the Rock and Steve Austin began working much more serious gimmicks for themselves as they were utilizing every opportunity that was presented to them. In Oslo's case, after being released from WCW, Steve would join Paul Heyman in ECW for a short time. And he used this period to work on his promo skills and character work. After his time in ECW was up, Steve would come to WWE under the ringmaster name. And while the reception of this gimmick wasn't strong either, Steve knew he would have to change things up if he wanted to be seen as a top guy. In his own words, the ringmaster gimmick just wasn't marketable. Steve wanted to be portrayed as a tough SOB, so that's when he went to creative to ask for a change, and that's how he got his iconic name. The ringmaster didn't have staying power, didn't have legs, hard to merchandise the ringmaster. I came up with the concept of just a co-blooded Ruthless Hill. And they came back with names like Fang McFrost, Otto von Ruthless, and Ice Dagger, temperature-based names. I was very frustrated. My wife at the time was from England. She made me a cup of hot tea, and she said, well, don't worry about it. You'll come up with something. Just go ahead and drink your tea before it gets stone cold. That's your name, Stone Cold Steve Austin. That's so cool. Just those little things, that's how they become synonymous and big and global. Just because she said, hurry up and drink it before it gets stone cold. Boom. There it is. Because the names they gave were fucking trash. So that's, if he didn't have that drink that day, that tea, will we have stone cold? I don't know. It wasn't until the King of the Ring pay-per-view in 1996 that the Texas Rattlesnake was officially born. At the event, Steve Austin defeated Jake Roberts in the tournament's finals. It wasn't particularly the match that fans remember today, but it's what happened after that made Steve Austin a household name. Stone Cold will cut a promo in which he taunted the religious beliefs of Jake Roberts and uttered the famous words, Austin 316 for the very first time. Talk about your Psalms. Talk about John 316. Austin 316 says I just whipped your ass. Fans began to take Austin seriously from that moment on, and it was Crystal Clare who would be the top guy in the company for the years to come. On the flip side of the coin, the company saw that Rocky Maivir was a major flop and the Rock needed a change. So in August 1997, the Rock turned heel and joined the nation of domination stable and quickly became the leader of... It's crazy what a good heel turn can do for you, bro. What a character change can do for a restless career. It works. Most of the time, it works. If you want that guy to be a potential top star, you give them a little bit of character change. If you give them a little bit more freedom to really dig into that new character change, you'd be surprised what comes out of it, man. Of the group, it was at this point that superstars began referring to him as the Rock, as he hated being called Rocky Maivir. So it was with the help of Pat Patterson, he managed to get his name changed to the one we all know him by now. The birth story of the Rock is my original wrestling name was Rocky Maivir, which was a combination of my dad's first name and my grandfather's last name because both of them were pro wrestlers and I hated the name. I hated it. The lineage I had gave me the opportunity to at least knock on the door. I wanted my own identity, my own space, so I was very proud to come from who I came from with my dad and my grandfather, a guy who was my father figure, Pat Patterson. He said, what do we call you the Rock? The French guy, the tough French accent. I said, I love it. He goes, okay, you're the Rock. So as we turned by, the Rock became more popular with the fan base. Every week, the Rock will cut promos either in the ring or backstage using a sharp sense of humor to belittle his opponents and the fans. The company began to notice the hundreds and thousands of fans that will be on the edge of their seats to see the Rock appear on TV. So WWE wanted to capitalize on the momentum and it was no time in pushing the Rock to the main event scene. Shut up, bitch. As they should. It doesn't matter what you are for. Your daddy called a daddy, bitch. What did he say? This is a good video, man. As a result, it was inevitable that these two would meet in the ring, but many fans seem to forget the first time these two legends cross paths for the very first time. Before they were battling for the WWE Championship, the Rock and Steve Austin were feuding over the IC belt. So on November 10th on an episode of Raw, we finally got to see these two interact for the very first time. If you've got enough manhood to accept my challenge, then your bottom line will read has been compliments of the Rock. I've got a couple of challenges for you. I challenge you to get your decent haircut. The feud commenced with the nation of domination attacking Steve on Raw and the Rock made it clear he was coming after the prestigious intercontinental championship. So at the D-Generation X in your house pay-per-view, Steve Austin will go on to defeat the Rock in just under 6 minutes to retain his championship. And in the following episode of Raw, we saw Vince McMahon ordering Steve to defend his title once again against the Rock. As an act of defiance, the Texas Rattlesnake threw the championship inside the river forfeiting the title to the Rock in a memorable segment. I really don't give a damn about you or the WWE. So I'll see you a little bit later. Little did anyone know that this would be setting up the feud between the Texas Rattlesnake and Vince in motion. However, the story would come full circle one year later. The rivalry between the Texas Rattlesnake and the evil boss himself is the stuff of legends on its own. However, the on-screen chemistry between Vince and Steve Austin was cherished by everyone. At the time, the storyline was regarding a defiant wrestler who went against his boss was unheard of. And things were just getting better and better for Stone Cold. Considering this was the boom era of WWE and also taking into account the all-time classic he had against Bret Hart at WrestleMania, Steve Austin at the top of the card made all the sense in the world. So as soon as Steve Austin won the WWE Championship from Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 14, he continued to feud with the corporation. While the Rock was still in the IC picture, despite not being in the world title program, the Rock didn't show any signs of slowing down. With feud with the likes of Triple H, the Rock's popularity continued to see an upwards trend to the point where he was turned face for good. It was clear the Rock wasn't going to remain in the shadows of Stone Cold Steve Austin. Steve Austin already in the main event scene, it was only a matter of time when the Rock would be inserted in the world title picture. At the annual event of the Survivor Series in 1998, the Rock joined hands with the evil faction, The Corporation, and defeated Mankind in a controversial manner to become the WWE Champion turning heel in the process. And the Rock played the role perfectly. And at that year's Royal Rumble, the two would meet again in an now infamous I quit match where the Rock would go- Yeah, him turning heel and lining with Vince was so good because he was already skyrocketing, but then it really put him in that upper tier because now you're with one of the most hated people in the company, Vince McMahon. And now you align yourself with him after screwing over Mankind. And now one of the biggest baby faces in the company that's been beefing with McMahon for a while, now he has that person he can actually beef with on behalf of McMahon. And they're both great when it comes to in the ring. They're both great when it comes to their promos. They have history. But that's just money. Just all about the dollars. As Vince McMahon would say, all about the moolah. Just money print itself. Go on to win, but not without some controversies as he had Mankind handcuffed and then proceeded to hit him in the head. 11 times in the steel chair. The scene was brutal. And with that, the stage was set with Stone Cold being positioned as the number one guy in the company and the rock just behind him as number two. This had all the makings of a perfect face versus heel match. What also happened at the Royal Rumble event in 1999 was Mr. McMahon decided to enter the Royal Rumble match and with the help of his allies and the rock, he eliminated Stone Cold to win the whole thing. Yep. Oh, I was so mad. So mad. I was so pissed. And on the following night on Raw, Vince forfeited his opportunity of the world title match at WrestleMania indicating that the rock wouldn't even need to defend his championship at all. But things didn't go to plan for the corporation because the WWE commissioner at the time, Shawn Michaels informed the whole world that the runner up of the Royal Rumble match would be the Rock's opponent at WrestleMania 15. This meant the Rock would come face to face with Steve at the grandest stage of them all. The fans were struck by anticipation. After all, we were witnessing history in the making so when the match took place at WrestleMania, the Rock fought hard and showcases desperation to become the man to put an end to the top guy in Stone Cold Steve Austin. And even with multiple distraction and interferences, Steve was able to put down the Rock and become the new WWE champion once again. This wasn't the only main event between the two at WrestleMania as they were destined to do it again but things will get even better and more personal next time. By the time 2000 rolled around, Steve left to deal with the neck injury meaning there was a top spot left wide open and who else better than the Rock to fill that huge void? And that's the brilliance of having top talent. Even when one goes down, one has to leave for injury. Whatever the case may be, if you have a solid roster that you've invested time and energy into, they can pick up where the other person falls off. Simple. If you put all your eggs in the one basket and you hadn't really built up anybody else, have you know what we've seen? Not I wouldn't say recently, but in previous years, especially during the John Cena era, they weren't building up other people. They had to organically just happen to get over and be built up because it just happened that way. But they weren't really investing into other options. And when you do that and your top guy gets hurt, now you left with people that people care about, but they're not the top star. And now you have to put them in that spot and sometimes it doesn't it doesn't work. But with the Rock, it worked out perfectly. I mean, absolutely perfectly. And despite the fact that Vince and the Rock knew he was filling in for Big Shoes. His popularity was so strong. And honestly, it was so infectious because it motivated me and drove me. It's what I wanted. We were rivals because he was trying to get the top. I was the top. Yeah. So with his relentless desire, the Rock used this opportunity to become the top guy the company needed at the time and prove he could be more than a superstar that was meant to drop the championship to Steve. During this period, the Rock would be turned face and end up feuding against the corporation. So by the early 2000s, the Rock was looking to become a world champion again. At that year's backlash pay-per-view, the Rock faced Triple H in the main event and Steve Austin was scheduled to appear at the event. However, as the event progressed, it felt like Steve wasn't going to show up and you could see it in the fans faces. And during the main event, when it looked like Triple H had the match won and just when all hope was lost, Steve Austin appeared. Woo! Get that, bro! Crowd, they're crazy. With the crowd-bucket bigger than ever, it's still considered one of the greatest WWE Championship matches of all time. However, despite joining hands at the end of the match, things were far from being over between the two. And WWE had a unique situation on hand. It's rare that two baby faces would face each other in the ring against one another. As we all know, traditional storytelling in WWE usually goes bad guy versus good guy, with good guy overcoming all the odds. So at the 2001 Royal Rumble match, the Rock and Steve Austin came face to face once again and the fans went crazy of them in the arena. And if this was a test from Vince in terms of storytelling to see how fans would engage these two going against each other again, simply put, it exceeded all expectations as the fans loved it. So this was the stepping stone for another match at WrestleMania. And Steve Austin would end up winning the Royal Rumble match for an unprecedented third time. On the other hand, the Rock will win the world title again a month later from Kurt Angle and the feud was set between the two once again. And this promo package, the promo build for this match will always give me goose bumps. My way, my way of the highway. Oh man, bro, just that. Oh, you know, WWE is really good with their promo package. They sold this. He's like, Rock, I don't, I don't just want to. I need the WWF championship. I need to beat, just, I can't even, I can't put words. It's just great. This time, things got way personal. So to kick things off, Steve's real-life wife, Debra, was ordered by Vince to be the manager for the Rock. Both the Rock and Austin were against this and Stone Cold made it clear that he'll be beating the hell out of anyone who tried to harm his beloved wife. And things started to get more heated with the passage of time as Austin's patience was being put to a test. And during the Rock's rematch against Kurt Angle, Debra got herself in a predicament where she was placed in an ankle lock hold. Austin seen this, made him lose his mind. He beat the hell out of Kurt Angle and the Rock. And for the next few weeks, the Rock and Steve Austin fought ferociously and the main event of WrestleMania was getting more and more exciting. The sit-down interview with JR summed up everything perfectly. Is I never asked for Debra to be my manager. Who wanted Debra to be my manager. Supposed to be your manager and I'm wrestling you for the World Wrestling Federation Championship of WrestleMania. Yeah, that's a problem. I like the tone of your voice when you mentioned my name or my wife. The fact is Rock, you got the WWF title and I won it. There can be only one. When the second main event between the two icons took place, things came full circle when Vince McMahon insert himself into the match. And the Rattlesnake had a significant advantage in the home field as there are no DQ main event commenced. The match started off with a fierce battle with Austin dominating from beginning to end. And the focus of the match was Stone Cold's desperation and the Rock's resilience. And it was Austin who took the initiative by introducing the ring bell which was later returned by the Rock. Then Mr. McMahon made his way towards the ring. Adding to the history with his feud with Austin, it seemed like the Chairman was once again planning to betray and sabotage his longtime rival. However, there was a big twist when Mr. McMahon pulled the Rock off Stone Cold and after a last ditch low blow from Stone Cold to the Brahma Ball, Vince McMahon's true intention became evident when he struck the Rock with a chair. The fans were shocked as the Rock managed not only to kick out but also deliver impactful Rock to Steve Austin and then went for the cover. And once again, Vince interfered during the pinfall attempt by getting involved. And this prompted the People's Champion to unleash his wrath upon Vince. Unfortunately, as he turned around, he got Stone Cold stunted. But nevertheless, the Rock displayed great perseverance as he kicked out yet again with desperation reaching its peak for Austin at this point. He resorted... And what's crazy? If you go back and watch this match, they were booing the Rock. Stone Cold was the overwhelming favorite. Like, he... Nah. They didn't care that he was using a chair, that he was aligning himself with Vince. They didn't care. They just wanted to see Stone Cold win. That's... Go back and watch that, the actual match. Anytime the Rock was really getting some offense, I guess he had cheers, but it didn't matter, bro. They were... It was pro Stone Cold. Stone Cold could have hit him with a damn truck and they still would have cheered him. Using the chair against Rock, hitting him multiple times until considerable damage had been inflicted towards him. And finally towards the end of the match with Vince by his side, he'll pin the Rock to win the WWE Championship once again. I must say, these two just made history. Everything about this was amazing. The brawl, Jim Ross on commentary, a hot crowd, the amazing work between the two. And finally, the shot of Stone Cold shaking the hand of his old rival, Vince McMahon, is one for the ages. Yes, it's definitely an iconic shot, but I don't think they should... I mean, Stone Cold has said it himself. I don't think they should have turned him heel. Not that that wasn't it. They shouldn't have went that route. But nevertheless, still made for some very interesting television. It's no doubt that fans witness one of the greatest endings to WrestleMania ever. So after WrestleMania 17, Steve would align himself with Vince and Triple H. All the Rock became a babyface superstar once again. And it's important to note that these two wrestlers did meet each other at Survivor Series that year, as part of WWE vs. WCW Invasion storyline in a traditional 5v5 match. While both men showed great tenacity, the match concluded with Team WWE winning by Kurt Angle hitting Stone Cold with a belt and the Rock pinning him for the three count. So as time went by, the Rock was transitioning into his Hollywood career, while Steve Austin had multiple injuries and created differences with the company, indicating that his time as a full-time wrestler could be coming to an end. At the time, Vince wanted Stone Cold to lose to Brock Lesnar in the first round of that year's King of the Ring. With Austin being so hot, he didn't want to. He believed that their build to their match should have been the final and it should have been properly built up towards. And this is where the infamous quote comes from where Steve took his ball and walked away. And in regards to his injuries, he said it best himself how hard the decision was as he felt if though he was being forced out. Now the trilogy was set, but with Stone Cold having two victories over the Rock at WrestleMania, this amazing rivalry would have felt hollow had he not got a winner over him. At this point, the Rock was more of an actor than a wrestler and he was desperate to show that he could score victory. So at WrestleMania, in a typical showdown between the two competitors, both men engaged in back and forth exchanges, mirroring each other's moves. Whenever one wrestler used the finish off the other, the other four it was necessary to do the same. And at the beginning of the match, Stone Cold unleashed a rapid series of tack. However, as the battle progressed, Austin would tire while the Rock would seize control. And just like the WrestleMania 17 encounter when Austin had to resort to desperate measures to secure victory, this bout presented a similar challenge. It required three rock bombs to finally incapacitate Stone Cold and for the Rock to claim victory over his greatest rival. In a touching moment after the pinfall, the Rock will look away from the hard cam, shove the referee and the two will share some words. We're both laying in the middle of the ring and I sat up and I remember I pushed the referee or had an ear away. He knew that I was going. He knew that I didn't want to go and this was a hard decision for me to make. I lowered my head down to Steve's ear and I said, I can't thank you enough for everything that you have done. And then I said, I love you. That's awesome, bro. I remember just laying there in front of 70,000 man. That's awesome. I love you too. No. What am I talking about? No, I agree, bro. I've heard this story before, but oh my God, bro, this is why they're the goats. This is why they're my favorite wrestlers of all time. They're few. They're camaraderie, their brotherhood. You got to care about somebody to make these few that have been just legendary stand to test the time and and putting on these great matches and trusting someone to make sure they don't hurt you in that ring. Time and time and time again, the millions of dollars they have brought in just off of their legendary feud. You have to have some type of love for someone on some type of level, especially in the wrestling business to do what they've done. So for him to cap it off like that, like, hey, man, just want to say I love you, bro. I appreciate everything you have done for me and my career. Because at the end of the day, they they helped each other's career elevate to levels that we'll probably never see again. This shit means something to me, man. Say the rivalry between these two is epic would just be an understatement. The Rock and Steve Austin are responsible not only putting the company on the map, but also breaking viewership and attendance records. Heck, you can even argue that these guys took out WCW because of their epic rivalry. And at the time, WWE witnesses highest TV ratings ever and the house shows and pay-per-view attendance were at all time high. Pay-per-view buys were never the same after Steve Austin and Stone Cold called it a day. Despite the success John Cena achieved and his contributions to helping the company move ahead in the absence of the two legends, some still argue that WWE was never the same. There's a reason why people pop huge when Steve returns on TV. There's a reason why people are eager to see the Rock return to fight his cousin. There's a reason why these two are always in the conversation for the greatest professional wrestler of all time. And there's a reason why WWE became the global phenomenon it is today. If you like the video guys, make sure to click the thumbs up and subscribe. I got a man. I'm gonna go ahead and give this a like, bro. I'm gonna go ahead and subscribe because this was fantastic. Y'all go subscribe to this video. Show him some love man. This was well made and it just brought me back down memory lane, bro. This was fantastic. I'm gonna link the original video down below. Show him some love. This was great. I'm man. I'm gonna go back and watch that WrestleMania 17 promo. I gots to just to get the feels. I'm literally after this video. I'm going back to watch the WrestleMania main event promo between Stone Cold and the Rock. I gotta get the feels man. But comment down below. Let me know y'all favorite match from Stone Cold and the Rock. Let me know what's your favorite match from them out of all the matches they've had. What's your favorite from them? I appreciate all love and support you guys showing on channel Road to 150K and I'm still getting speedy. You to the rest of the world. Appreciate y'all kicking in with me. See y'all next one. Peace.