Despite having a relatively short career in WWE by modern-day standards, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin transcended professional wrestling to become of the biggest mainstream stars in history. As one of WWE's biggest attractions during their hottest time period, Austin not only helped revitalize WWE but made wrestling one of the coolest things to be watching during his time on top.
With numerous WWE Championships and marquee matches to his credit, Austin carried WWE on his back for several years as the number one wrestler in the industry. Before his in-ring career winded down in 2002, Austin was the face of WWE and anything that the did on television was a must-see, even if the feud he was involved in is not the greatest in retrospect.
10 Rikishi
Throughout Rikishi's long wrestling career, he only received one shot at the main event level. In 2000, Rikishi was revealed as the person driving the car that hit Steve Austin at Survivor Series the previous year, but it did little to help his career overall.
After the big reveal, Rikishi was confronted by Austin which lead to a no holds barred match at No Mercy, but he was savagely beaten and looked foolish during the match. Instead of his feud with WWE's biggest star helping boost his career, his main event push floundered very quickly.
9 The Invasion
Wrestling fans had fantasy-booked what matches between WWE superstars and WCW wrestlers would look like all the way through the Monday Night War. By the time the Invasion began in 2001, the landscape of wrestling looked much different and the entire storyline was not what fans had imagined.
With the exception of some stars like Booker T and Rob Van Dam, The Alliance's team was comprised more of WWE wrestlers towards the end of the storyline. Despite "Stone Cold" still being a very popular star, not even he could turn the Invasion into a success story.
8 Kane
Despite being booked as an unstoppable monster throughout the majority of his long WWE tenure, Kane did not always come out on the winning end of his big feuds. In fact, his one and only WWE Championship win may have come against Steve Austin, but it did not last long.
Kane was only the WWE Champion for less than twenty-four hours after defeating Austin in a First Blood match in 1998 because Austin quickly won it back the next night on RAW. While he always looked like a credible force inside the ring, Kane's big moment was spoiled before it even caught steam.
7 Mick Foley
At the beginning of Austin's meteoric rise to the top of the wrestling world, the main event landscape featured many new stars bursting onto the scene. As a veteran in other companies, Mick Foley had only begun his tenure in WWE in 1996. Austin would cross paths with many "faces of Foley" in his career, but his first feud was with Mankind.
While Austin would become Tag Team Champions with Foley's other persona, Dude Love, Mankind was the one he faced in the ring. Ultimately, the two would work together to try and defeat Vince McMahon's Corporation, but their feud helped set the stage for the next steps in Foley's WWE career.
6 Kurt Angle
In 2001, WWE was in need of building new stars for the main event level. While in the middle of the Invasion storyline, one relatively new wrestler seemed poised to become one of the next greats inside the ring, but he needed a feud that could boost him up further, and Kurt Angle found that in his blood feud with Steve Austin.
Following the tragedy of 9/11, WWE fans were looking for something to cheer for, and Angle gave them that in spades. After defeating Austin for the WWE Championship at Unforgiven that year, fans rejoiced at the feel-good moment of their Olympic hero defeating the bad guy, and it became a defining moment of his career.
5 Shawn Michaels
WrestleMania 14 is often cited as one of the most defining moments of the Attitude Era, as it was the moment when Steve Austin became WWE Champion for the first time after defeating Shawn Michaels. However, that moment was not only great because of Austin's rise, but also because Shawn Michaels is one of the best performers of all time.
Despite Michaels being on his last legs as a performer in 1998, he gave it his all during his program with Austin in order to usher him in as the new top guy in the company. While Michaels may have had his own personal demons to work through during this time, there is no denying that he still performed at the highest level during the final feud of this stage of his career.
4 The Undertaker
Despite the Attitude Era being based more on realistic circumstances, The Undertaker's gimmick stood the test of time. Transitioning more into a satanic cult leader, The Undertaker was hell-bent on destroying WWE and reigning as champion, and Austin was the only person brave enough to stop him.
While Austin will never be accused of being a white-hat baby face, he still stepped up to defeat the demonic Deadman. Whether it was in Buried Alive or First Blood matches, or even later on in the Attitude Era, The Undertaker and Austin never failed to entertain fans in a series of hard-hitting matches against two veteran wrestlers.
3 Triple H
Each match between Triple H and Steve Austin has one very common distinction - each time they matched up in the ring, Austin was considered the good guy and Triple H was always the bad guy. While some continuous feuds will switch the roles of wrestlers, this one was very clearly defined.
Dating back to the days of Austin feuding with D-Generation X, up to Triple H revealing himself as the architect behind Rikishi running Austin over with his car, these two were incredible rivals. Whether it was Austin dropping Triple H from a forklift or their incredible Three Stages of Hell match from No Way Out 2001, they always delivered drama and excitement inside of the ring.
2 The Rock
If there are two wrestlers who personified the Attitude Era inside of the ring, it is "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and The Rock. Arguably two of the most bankable wrestling stars of all time, their feud helped bring new eyes onto professional wrestling, and their matches defined an entire era for wrestling fans.
After headlining three WrestleMania's against each other and trading the WWE Championship back and forth numerous times, the feud between Austin and Rock has become solidified as legendary. Had it not been for their series of matches against each other, WWE may have never reached the level of popularity it did, and these two may have never reached their legendary status.
1 Vince McMahon
While in-ring action is what drives professional wrestling fans to enjoy a show, sometimes what takes place in between can make things even more exciting. While Steve Austin and Vince McMahon did face each other in the ring on a handful of occasions, their antics outside of matches are what made their feud most exciting.
Whether it included beer trucks, Zambonis, fake firearms or bedpans, the various ways that Austin would "cross the boss" made the Attitude Era incredibly exciting. The unpredictability of the intense feud between boss and employee made WWE must-see television during their incredibly long feud.