Stone Cold Steve Austin is no stranger to championship title matches. He's a six-time WWE Champion who elevated wrestling from sports entertainment to a worldwide phenomenon. Austin is one of pro wrestling's biggest legends and he's had more than his share of epic title matches.
The Texas Rattlesnake's Hall of Fame career is full of amazing matches that are on par with some of "Stone Cold's" greatest promos. His title matches are among the best the WWE has ever seen and this list looks at "Stone Cold's" highest-rated matches according to fans on Cagematch.net. Do you agree with the wrestling aficionados who rated these matches?
10 Vs Kurt Angle (Unforgiven 2001 - 7.09)
The very forgettable WCW Alliance angle is often dismissed as a low point after the Monday Night Wars. Add in a poorly-received heel turn for Stone Cold, and you have an era full of great matches during sub-par storylines. One of the brighter spots of this era, however, was the rivalry between Steve Austin and Kurt Angle. Their wrestling styles could not be any more different, but Austin vs Angle was always fun to watch. This match included an Angle Slam from Steve Austin and a stunner from Kurt Angle. In the end, Angle forced Austin to submit and won the WWE Championship, but it was not the last fan-favorite match between two Hall of Famers.
9 Vs The Rock (WrestleMania XV - 7.43)
Stone Cold vs The Rock is one of the greatest rivalries of all time. This is not "the" Mania match people think of when they remember this classic rivalry. The truth is, this match is often slept on because WrestleMania 15 is one of the lower-rated PPVs of the Attitude Era. The Rock vs Stone Cold was easily the best match of the show, and it's not even close. In a storyline that technically dates back to the 1998 Royal Rumble, Vince McMahon tried his best to stop Steve Austin from being champion and his interference in this match is, honestly, unnecessary as the two put on an amazing match. In a classic that went for 17 minutes both inside and outside the ring, Stone Cold won back the title he lost at In Your House: Breakdown at the hands of McMahon.
8 Vs Rob Van Dam Vs Kurt Angle (No Mercy 2001 - 7.52)
In a match that featured three future Hall of Famers, RVD was thrown right in the middle of the Angle/Austin rivalry, experiencing his first major push. This triple threat match for the WWE Championship had three very different styles that complemented each other very well from the moments of sharp technicality by Angle to RVD flying all over the place. It also featured interference from Vince and Shane McMahon and at one point seemed like RVD would capture his first world championship. Austin ended up retaining in one of the best bouts of the heel Austin era. It's a dream match on paper that actually delivers.
7 Vs The Rock (WWF Backlash 1999 - 8.13)
Not only was Stone Cold defending his WWE title in this match, but he was also trying to win back his Smoking Skull belt from The Corporation. This was rematch of The Rock and Stone Cold's battle at WrestleMania 15.
With Shane McMahon as the special guest referee, the victory was not easy for Stone Cold. Shane stopped after a two count, but Stone Cold was able to pick up the win thanks to the help of Vince McMahon. Out of context, the storyline is very strange, but the action from the match is prime Rock vs Austin.
6 Vs Bret Hart Vs The Undertaker Vs Vader (In Your House: Final Four - 8.21)
Excluding the Royal Rumble, a battle royal has traditionally been seen as more of a "filler match" than a main event product. The Final Four match between Austin, Hart, Vader, and The Undertaker was a main event WWE Championship match after Shawn Michaels "lost his smile" and vacated the title. This battle royal took up almost half of the pay per view and was entertaining for every moment of the match. The two crossing storylines (Hart vs Austin and Undertaker vs Vader with Paul Bearer) made for a main event full of emotion, but, more importantly, action. Austin was the first one eliminated and his interference ultimately led to Bret Hart receiving his fourth reign with the WWE Championship.
5 Vs Dude Love (In Your House: Over The Edge - 8.59)
Anytime Mick Foley and Steve Austin entered the ring against one another, you knew you were in for a show. Despite the many classics Austin had with Mankind, this match is a fan favorite due to the people involved. With Gerald Brisco as a guest timekeeper, Pat Patterson as guest ring announcer, and McMahon as guest referee, this WWE Championship match had very few low points. It is also arguably one of Dude Love's greatest matches. The match became Falls Count Anywhere mid-match as the two brawled all over the arena. Austin finally managed a victory with the help of The Undertaker. His interference in the match eventually led to the classic feud between Mankind and Undertaker.
4 Hell In A Cell (Armageddon 2000 - 8.63)
This six-man Hell in a Cell featured six legends and was in many ways the precursor to the elimination chamber. McMahon demolished the door and was thrown out, leading to a match that was as entertaining inside the cell as it was outside of it. Rikishi getting choke slammed off of the cage onto a pine chip-filled truck bed, brought to the ring by McMahon, was the craziest moment of the match. In the end, Angle retained but received a congratulatory stunner along with the WWE Title.
3 Vs Kurt Angle (SummerSlam 2001 - 8.82)
Of the handful of classics between Austin and Angle, this match is one of the best. With four near falls and both men operating at their absolute peak, this match is a clinic. The only real downside is how it ended. Austin retained via DQ after an amazing bout. Kurt Angle's ankle lock to the referee sums up everyone's frustration with the ending to this absolute classic.
2 Vs Chris Benoit (SmackDown, May 31, 2001 - 9.02)
This WWE Title match is often forgotten since it took place on an episode of SmackDown (also because it involves Benoit). It was a rematch from their championship match on that Monday's Raw. Benoit locked in the crossface four different times in the first three minutes of this classic.
This match had no low points and although Benoit probably should've won, thanks to interference from Vince McMahon, Austin stole the victory in one of the most intense matches SmackDown has ever shown.
1 Vs The Rock (WrestleMania 17 - 9.35)
One of the greatest WrestleMania matches of all time, The Rock vs Stone Cold at 'Mania 17 is the reason many fans fell in love with wrestling. It was the two icons at the height of their peak. Two stars that are still more relevant than most of today's roster battling in a No DQ match for the WWE Title. This match defined their rivalry and the entire Attitude Era. Near fall, after near fall, with interference from the company's ultimate heel, Vince McMahon. It led to Austin turning heel and was, in many ways, a snapshot of an entire era of wrestling.