All language subtitles for WWE Rivals - Season 1 - EP-03 - Stone Cold VS. The Rock

- It's Stone Cold Steve Austin
versus The Rock

for the world title.

There can be only one.

- His popularity was
so strong,

and honestly,
it was so infectious

because it motivated me
and drove me.

It's what I wanted.

If you smell...

- Rock came up so fast,

and was just the
complete opposite of Steve.

[glass shatters]

- There was competition.

There's only one
number one spot...

and I'm gonna take it.

[crowd cheering]

- We were rivals because
he was trying to get the top.

I was the top.

And I was determined
to stay on top.

- This rivalry has just
escalated into a war!

- When two legends collide,

their rivalry stays pinned
in our minds forever.

[dramatic music]

This is where we break down
the legendary stories

behind the greatest rivalries
of all time.

I'm Freddie Prinze Jr.,
and this is "WWE Rivals."

- The greatest book
ever written

is the one titled
"The Rock versus Stone Cold."

[crowd cheering]

- The Rock
and Stone Cold Steve Austin,

two of the most
popular WWE superstars

in sports entertainment
history.

- In my mind, the two biggest
draws of all time.

In all due respect to Bruno
to Hulk and Flair

and all the guys that came on
and drew a lot of money,

these two guys were
the hottest two guys.

We did more ratings.

And that was the first time
that wrestlers became

mega stars in all of society.

[crowd cheering]

- The Rock laid the smack down
on all their candy asses.

[cheers and applause]

- They were able to transcend
into the pop culture.

You literally were making fun
of wrestling yesterday,

but then you come into school
with a 3:16 shirt.

- With my cousin,
Dwayne, The Rock,

when he--
- It's so casual.

"Oh, my cousin,
Dwayne, The Rock, yeah."

- "Oh, that's my cousin."
- I guess.

[laughter]

He speaks about Stone Cold

and he speaks about the
way that they performed

in front of the audience.

I mean, he has this bond
and this connection

with him that--it does.

It chokes him up
every single time

he starts to talk about it.

- This Austin/Rock
confrontation,

one of the great rivalries
of all time.

It's Ali and Frazier.

It's the Lakers
and the Celtics.

- It had so much longevity.
There was so much electricity.

It's amazing to me
because on TV,

I never saw two people
hate each other more.

- It took me a while to find
out who I was in the business.

It turns out that who
I was in the business

was me at
a highly competitive level.

All I did was up the intensity.

[glass shatters]

[hard rock music playing]

[crowd cheering]

From the Stone Cold
character standpoint,

nothing was handed to him.

He had to work his ass off
for every single thing.

Give me a hell yeah!

all: Hell yeah!

- Oh, you're damn right
because Stone Cold,

we're gonna crash the party
any time I want to.

[crowd cheering]

- The Stone Cold
character defined the era,

it defined the times
of a more rebellious

attitude all over the world.

- You can kiss my ass.

[crowd cheering]

- You had a guy like
Stone Cold Steve Austin

on the ascension, on the rise.

Here I was over here.

[indistinct chatter]

[scattered cheering]

My first couple of years
in the business,

I didn't know
if I was gonna make it.

No one knows.

- I don't remember
the first time

I met Dwayne,
like, where it was.

I remember seeing him, though.

- Rocky Maivia!

- Now, there's gonna
be the man right there.

That's Blue Chipper
right there.

- 6'5", 6'4",
whatever it is,

probably already 275
back then,

but you could see
the gimmick was wrong.

- Now, I know
I've got a lot to learn here

in World Wrestling
Entertainment,

but with your support
and the great people

of World Wrestling
Entertainment behind me,

I believe Rocky Maivia
can accomplish anything.

- He was so stereotypical
in his delivery of his promos,

the content of his promos.

- I'm gonna give the
best that I can give.

Thank you.

And I'll make you
and all my fans proud.

- Steve was kinda
already breaking the mold

of what you'd expect to see
on WWE television

as far as language
and mannerisms.

- Austin 3:16 says,
"I just whipped your ass."

[crowd cheering and whistling]

- The people were
clamoring for Austin.

So Rocky almost became
like the,

"Well, no, this is the guy
we don't want."

- You've kind of gone
through a little change here

in our sport of
professional wrestling,

you know, with the fans and
how they perceive certain guys,

and whether or not they smile,

or whether
they use the word "ass"

like it's going out of style.

- Hey, there ain't
nothing on my mind

but whipping anybody's ass
that gets in my way.

Steve Austin does
what he wants when he wants.

- Steve's impact
and the reason

why he was so successful
is because he was authentic.

You can rest assured
and bet your bottom dollar

that Rocky Maivia will always
give 110%.

That's why I am the
Intercontinental Champion.

Here I was,
this guy who was happy

and happy to be there
even when I lost,

fans can see through that.

You're not authentic,
then you're done.

That's when they
became visceral

and basically,
you're full of [bleep].

all: Rocky sucks! Rocky sucks!

Rocky sucks!
Rocky sucks!

- The crowd started yelling
to him, "Die, Rocky, die."

all: Rocky sucks!
Rocky sucks! Rocky sucks!

- When you try
to be a babyface, a good guy,

and someone's telling you,
"Hey, [bleep] you."

[chuckles]
Not good, right?

[tense dramatic music]

- Rock had injured his knee

and had been out
for a little while

and the question came up,

"God, you know, bring him back,
what do you do with him?"

We had a faction at the time,
the Nation of Domination.

♪ ♪

Hmm.

♪ ♪

- There's The Rock!
Great to see The Rock back.

- What's he doing in the ring?

- Checking on a referee,
make sure he's okay.

And--
- Look at this!

[crowd cheering]

- What?
Wait a minute.

- I remember getting
a phone call from Jim Ross,

and he said,
"How do you feel about

"joining
the Nation of Domination,

"and we're gonna
turn you into a bad guy?

You're going to become a heel.
How do you feel about that?"

I said, "I love it."

- What?
- Whoa!

♪ ♪

[indistinct chatter]

- The Nation of Domination
was a group

that was really
anti-establishment

at the time as well,

but more anti-the-audience
in many ways.

Audience is crapping
on Rocky Maivia.

What if Rocky came back

and crapped on the audience
in return?

[swelling dramatic music]

- I got three words:

"Die, Rocky, die."

That's the gratitude I get
from your pieces of crap?

- I believed in the guy.

Looks, size, rap,
charisma, ability.

I knew he had
all those things.

- I was just able
to be authentic.

You're not a character.

It's exactly who you are,

just with the volume
turned way up.

[indistinct chatter]

- Rocky took it
and ran with it.

[dramatic percussive music]

And people viewed him as
this cocky, arrogant person.

As a human being, he wasn't,

but he would walk into a room
and own it.

It's interesting when you look
at the two characters,

because they were
both rebellious,

they were both anti.

And when the two come together,

it's like, "All right,
this is beautiful music."

[crowd cheering]

[glass shatters]

[hard rock music playing]

♪ ♪

- In the fourth quarter
of 1997...

[crowd cheering]

That was really, really
an exciting time.

- Ladies and gentlemen,
Stone Cold Steve Austin!

- And we're looking
for bad guys

who Stone Cold can work with.

The Nation comes out...

[suspenseful music]

And all of us are standing
at the top of the stage.

And Steve basically says...

- All you got to do
is bring your ass to the ring,

or any one
of them people up there.

I'll stomp a mud hole in you
and walk you dry.

- Everyone's arguing
who's gonna go.

And then finally,
it's decided...

- Go out and kick his ass.

- The Rock
is gonna run down there.

- Rocky Maivia
accepts the challenge!

- Look at this!

- There's a stunner!
[crowd cheering]

- Steve and I had never had
a wrestling match before,

so all this was to just see,

"Is there anything?"

And when you watch the
audience reaction...

[crowd cheering]

- Stone Cold stunned
Rocky Maivia out of his boots!

- There's something there.

- Stone Cold
through the crowd!

- It was a palpable buzz
in that arena.

- And there goes
the Rattlesnake,

much to the dismay
of the Nation of Domination.

- A moment like that
between Rock and Austin

is really confirming

who you need to put your time
and effort into,

and it tells you what's working
and what's not.

- These guys want
each other bad.

- Seeing Rock and Austin
collide for the first time,

this is going to be special.

- If anybody wants to see

Rocky Maivia get
his ass whipped,

give me a hell yeah.

all: Hell yeah!

- That's about what I thought.

[cheers and applause]

- The last thing The Rock needs
is some jabroni

asking him questions when
he's got all the answers.

- You have to appreciate
the growth, right?

The story, who Rock was before.

You didn't quite know as a fan
that he had the level of talent

that he portrayed later
in his career.

- Come on in here, Hulk Hogan.

- Dwayne was doing promos from,
I mean, when he was young.

I'm sitting there with
Auntie Ata, his mom,

and we're cracking up
at these videos of him.

He's cutting promos
in the kitchen.

- Lightning bolts coming down
on the Hulkster!

Now I'm the new champ.

And when you take
a lesson from the Hulkster,

Hulkamania's gonna run wild!

Whoo!

- He was practicing
from when he was young.

- Before he even knew.

- Before he even knew that
he was gonna become The Rock.

- Steve Austin,
your bottom line will read,

"Has been,
compliments of The Rock."

- With Rocky Maivia, we were
working in the ring with him.

We knew how talented he was.

And now all of a sudden,
you have this competitor

come along to Steve.

We see the snowball rolling
at that point,

going, "Oh my God,
this is unbelievable."

[crowd cheering]

- Rocky,
I'm calling all the shots,

and I'm gonna tell you
something right now.

When you're walking
through the airport

and your beeper goes off,

you look down
and it says 3:16,

you know your ass belongs
to Stone Cold.

- In the beginning
stages of Rock/Austin,

I remember them going after the
Intercontinental Championship.

And you're going, "Something's
gonna happen here."

[dramatic rock music]

Like, this is gonna be
a huge, huge rivalry.

- My God, the Rattlesnake
is right behind The Rock.

- Rock, Rock, Rock!

- Rocky's beeper
just went off.

And it must say 3:16!

Stone Cold has opened up a can
of whoop ass on Rocky Maivia!

- Pretty much immediately,
you know, we had chemistry.

We clicked.

- And Maivia has
got some brass knucks

on that right hand.

This'll be it if he connects!

[crowd cheering]

Austin with a stunner
on Maivia!

- Stone Cold Steve Austin
was Intercontinental Champion.

It was just one of those
things where creatively,

he was getting ready
to go on his run

for the WWE World Title.

[crowd cheering]

- So what I'm gonna do, Rock,

is I'm gonna forfeit the
damn title to you tonight...

- What?

- Because I got
bigger fish to fry.

So go ahead
and take the damn thing

because
I don't want it no more.

- He just gave me the
Intercontinental Championship.

- Has been Intercon--whoa!
Austin! Stone Cold stunner!

- And then
he wound up stunning me.

- DTA, Rock!
Don't trust anybody.

- Even in that,
I just remember that night.

We all just remember
that night,

that there was
something special.

- Stone Cold Steve Austin

with the Intercontinental
Championship belt.

Rock, when
I gave this belt to you,

I did just that.

You didn't have
to earn a damn thing.

So I'll see you
a little bit later.

[crowd cheering]

[loud splash]

- When I see a title
get thrown off a bridge,

that's a that's a big deal.

I had never seen
anything like that.

- And I heard that title
was never found.

- That's what I heard too.
- Oh, damn.

- That's, like,
the urban legend,

that the title was never found.

- Wow.

- We did the
Intercontinental Title stuff.

And it's only inevitable

that as he continues down
the road he's going down,

I continue what I'm doing,
it's gonna come back around,

and it's gonna come
at a bigger, higher level.

[dramatic music]

- Michaels going
for another kick.

Austin, he got it!

Austin is the champion!

Stone Cold!
Stone Cold!

- You got a guy
as tough Stone Cold,

my hunger, my thirst to
be the best, to get to the top.

- A new WWE Champion!
The Austin era has begun.

- Company finally picked me.

I'm gonna do
something with this.

Nobody,
especially Vince McMahon

tells Stone Cold Steve Austin
what to do,

and that's the bottom line.

- Please welcome
the Rattlesnake,

Stone Cold Steve Austin.

- He's getting pulled in a
thousand different directions.

- Stone Cold Steve Austin
is the man.

- So I stunned
McMahon's sorry ass,

and that's the bottom line.

- Stone Cold's
popularity got to a point

where you had
to experience it.

- Nice to meet you, man.
- Nice to meet you too.

- I'm a fan of yours.
- Thank you very much.

I appreciate it.

- And we were chatty.

But at the same time, there
was still never animosity,

but there was competition.

And at that time,
he had a stack of 8x10s...

- Thank you, sir.
- You're welcome.

- He's signing away.

So I remember he had jokingly
signed a picture to me.

"Hey, Rock.

"You might make it one day,
kid.

"Keep working hard.

Stone Cold Steve Austin,
number one."

[soft dramatic music]

And I thought, "Oh,
he's [bleep] around with me."

But then I look and I realized

that that's
how he signed his autograph.

"Stone Cold Steve Austin,
number one."

- Thanks, Steve.
- You're welcome.

I was number one.

I believed I was number one.

And I signed that
number one on that picture

so that the person
receiving that autograph

knew I was number one as well.

- I said, "One day,
I gotta write number one."

He said,
"You gotta earn that one."

I said,
"I'm going to earn it."

He said, "Well, you're not
gonna take it from me."

[laughs]

♪ ♪

- You can say a lot of things
about Rock but he was a study,

and he was always trying new
and different things.

- Why are you looking
at The Rock like that?

You're drooling.

[chuckles]
- Thanks, man.

- Thanks, I appreciate it.

- I've never seen anybody grow
so much week to week.

- Know your role before
The Rock lays a smackdown

on your candy ass, jabroni.

- Then he becomes so good
at being a bad guy

that he's a good guy.

- Whatever happened
to "Rocky sucks"?

You know,
I think the evolution

and the development
of this young athlete

certainly has impressed
a lot of fans.

- There ain't nothing
that could ever compare

to being the people's champ.

- The business is
very competitive.

As hot as I was getting,

and he was kind of
coming up right behind me,

I was very keenly aware
of where he was

and what he was doing.

♪ ♪

He was trying to get the top.
I was the top.

And I was determined
to stay on top.

I'll tell you this:
you will always be, in my eyes,

some punk kid
spitting out nursery rhymes.

[crowd cheering]

- A tell in the business

is whenever a top guy
is watching someone

who's on the rise.

And Steve looking at The Rock
and just going,

"Yeah, you know, (bleep),

"when he comes out
and raises an eyebrow,

has a couple cute phrases,
that don't mean he's over."

That comment right then
said to me,

"Rock's catching on.
Rock's over."

Because the top guy now
is noticing him.

You know, he sees somebody
nipping at his heels.

- It has been ten years

since the WWE has had
to crown a WWE Champion

via a tournament.

The winner of this match
is the new man,

either Mankind or the
people's champion, The Rock.

And The Rock's rise
to superstardom

here in the WWE is nothing
short of extraordinary.

- In the world of the WWE,
life moves at lightspeed.

- Oh, sharpshooter!
That's a Sharpshooter!

- Sharpshooter!
[bell ringing]

- McMahon said ring the bell!

Wait a minute.
- What?

- Yor ass off,

you have the opportunity
to become the guy.

I'm gonna quote
the great Jim Brown.

"That [bleep] was sweet."
[laughs]

- The winner and new

World Wrestling Entertainment
champion,

The Rock!

- Not only do you
become World Champion,

but now you align yourself

with the company's top heel,
Vince McMahon...

- What?
- What the hell?

- And take the moniker
of the People's Champion,

you turn it corporate.

[crowd cheering]
- There's your champion!

There's your
corporate champion!

- I'ma share with you guys

my crazy grandmother from
Puerto Rico, María Ramirez.

She introduced me
to professional wrestling.

And when The Rock
turned corporate,

my grandmother hated the man
to the point where

when my wife made
a movie with him,

she stopped speaking
to my wife.

And when I asked her why,
she said,

"Because he had a choice,
and he chose corporate."

[laughter]

That's the effect that this man
was able to have on people.

That was the energy that
came into this rivalry.

- Stone Cold is back.
[crowd cheering]

- What?

- That's just a match
made in heaven

because if The Rock
is gonna side with Vince

and Vince is the corporation,

and I'm anti-corporation,
well, then that's a must-see.

[crowd cheering]
- Here comes Austin!

- Oh, no!
Get away, Mr. McMahon!

- The McMahons
are running away.

- You now have solidified Rock
as someone you wanna hate

because he is aligned himself
with the man.

- World Wrestling Entertainment
champion,

the corporate champion,
The Rock!

[crowd booing]

- You are all unintelligent

pieces of trailer park trash.

[crowd booing]

You're all no different
from the biggest

piece of trailer park trash
in Stone Cold Steve Austin.

[crowd booing]

- There's the old saying
of opposites attract.

They're about as far apart

as I think as anyone
could possibly be.

[glass shatters]

Steve's drinking beer,

Rock is eating
fat-free blueberry muffins.

[dramatic music]

- These guys are so different,

but yet they are exactly
one in the same

just in terms of,
"I wanna be the best,

and nothing's gonna stop me."

[suspenseful music]

♪ ♪

Well, that doesn't
surprise The Rock

that you're watching
back there, Stone Cold,

because there's
something about The Rock

that draws you to The Rock.

If you smell what
The Rock is cooking.

[crowd cheering]

[glass shatters]

- Uh-oh!
- What?

- Hey!
It can't be!

- He's towing the Titan-tron
with a beer truck!

- Austin's in the beer truck!
- Look out!

[hard rock music playing]

♪ ♪

- You better
get your ass serious

because Stone Cold Steve Austin

is going to check right in
to the "SmackDown" hotel,

roll right in to room 3:16

and burn that son of a bitch
to the ground!

both: Whoa!
[crowd cheering]

- Austin pulling into an arena
in a giant beer truck,

it was just mind-blowing.

- Wait a minute!
- [shrieks]

- Stone Cold with a beer bath!
- Beer! [shrieks]

- Beer bath
for the corporation!

[crowd cheering]

- He's drowning Mr. McMahon
in beer!

[dramatic music]

- It was just another
groundbreaking piece

to an already
groundbreaking story

of that time, that rivalry.

[glass breaks]
[hard rock music playing]

- Stone Cold is ready
for "WrestleMania!"

- Rock was popular,
Steve was popular.

The matchup is epic.

You wanted it to be
on the grandest stage.

The only place to do
it was "WrestleMania."

[crowd cheering]
[fireworks popping]

- You know,
the very first "WrestleMania"

that we headlined was
in Philadelphia.

It was my very
first "WrestleMania"

headlining "WrestleMania."

I was 26 years old,

and just wanted
to do a great job.

- Oh, my gosh!

- Austin throwing The Rock
right over the--

into the first row ringside!

- I'll never
forget that match.

[announcers exclaiming]

- Oh, man, what contact!

- From
a performance standpoint,

he was a motivating factor...

- This is a war!

- 'Cause he's very competitive.

- No!
- Oh, my God! Oh, my God!

- When you know you perform
at the highest level

and you deliver,
just a great feeling.

- The stunner!
The stunner!

all: One, two, three!

- Austin wins, Austin wins,
Austin wins!

- It was just amazing
to watch.

And while most rivalries

will culminate
at "WrestleMania,"

it really was just
getting started.

- Hey, redneck piece of trash!

Exactly.
It's the great one.

Does this look familiar
to you, Austin?

Does it?

It's your piece of trash title.

It's the bridge,
there's the water,

and it's a long way down.

You want the piece of trash?

You come get
the piece of trash.

- They were raising the bar
every single week.

You never knew what
was gonna happen next.

- Here we go.
Here we go now!

- He found him!
- This fight is on!

- You piece of [bleep]!
Go to hell.

Austin, you want your belt?
I'll tell you what.

Here it is, and you take
it to hell with you.

- The water cooler talk
every week was, "Oh my God,

did you see what happened
on Monday night?"

The two people
driving that discussion

were Rock and Austin.

[engine chugging]

- Austin is destroying
The Rock's new Lincoln
Continental!

- That competitiveness
drives greatness,

and they were trying as hard
as possible to outdo the other.

- I'll give
the son of a bitch

all the credit in the world,

but (bleep), if
I say this son of a bitch

is coming with me,
it's coming to me.

And that's all I got
to say about that.

- Watching those two perform,
you feel it,

and you feel that energy
and you feel that passion.

That's what they did.

They made that magic
every freaking night,

you know what I'm saying?
- It's crazy.

It's like they were

breaking their own record
every single week.

- Yeah.

- That rivalry spawned energy
to the rest of us.

That's what
made the product so great.

They pushed each other.

- Give me the camera,
give me the camera.

[overlapping chatter]

Stone Cold Steve Austin.

- Man, there's a period
there where everything we did

was a home run
and a grand slam.

- Hey, Rock!
- Oh, the Rattlesnake is up!

A stunner!

[crowd cheering]

♪ ♪

- It's the best job
in the world.

Every now and then,
you're just glad to go home

and just kind of kick back
a little bit.

But, you know,
with the schedule we got,

you know, the way World
Wrestling Entertainment works,

Soon as you say, "Hey, Vince,
I need some time off,"

what you're doing is creating
a window of opportunity

for someone else to step into.

I'm right in the middle
of a hell of a run,

so I'm gonna finish
this son of a bitch.

[soft tense music]

♪ ♪

Going into back end of '99,

you know, I started
to have some side effects

from getting dropped
on my head in '97

by Owen in the Summer Slam.

[crowd cheering]

Everybody I thought
I broke my neck.

I didn't break my neck.
I bruised my spinal cord.

[indistinct chatter]

- Get the ambulance people.
Where are the ambulance people?

- Ambulance.

- Couple of years later,
I went and got another MRI.

And that's what we discovered

I had a bone spur
growing into my spinal cord.

- Steve having surgery
in '99 was a scary time.

Is Steve gonna come back?

And if Steve does come back,

at what level is Stone Cold
gonna come back?

♪ ♪

- Stone Cold was gone
for a year.

Where's my hero?

And there's The Rock saying,
"He's right here."

- Okay, you're losing one
of your biggest attractions

of all time
in Stone Cold Steve Austin.

However, you had another
attraction in The Rock.

Okay, now, it's time
to put on the big boy shoes,

and you're gonna be the man.

♪ ♪

- Since you've
been on the shelf,

The Rock's popularity
has really risen.

- Mm-hmm.

I'd like to get in
the damn ring with him

and just
knock the hell out of him

because that's
the kind of relationship

me and The Rock have.

- Stone Cold was gone.

Dwayne Johnson
is now that top star.

- The Rock says this,
Michael Cole jabroni,

how do you feel
about the match?

- I think it's gonna be--

- It doesn't matter
how you feel!

- He competed against
every other performer

and said, "You can't do this
better than I can."

- They are chanting
The Rock's name.

all: Rocky! Rocky! Rocky!

- The Rock called himself
the People's Champion, right?

Because everybody
wanted to be The Rock,

but I feel like Austin was
also the People's Champion.

[glass shatters]
[hard rock music playing]

- Uh-oh!
- Oh, my God!

- My God, will you listen
to this ovation?

The Rattlesnake
is back!

And business has damn sure
picked up!

♪ ♪

- Having Stone Cold back
was a relief.

- Stone Cold Steve Austin,
welcome back to "Raw."

- The audience
was just so happy,

but the audience had also grown
to fall in love with The Rock.

- The Rock came around,
Triple H came around,

The Undertaker was
always there,

so I mean when a guy goes down,
it's like, you know,

chum in the water 'cause
that's just the way it is.

And I respect it,

but I wasn't keen to watch who
was gonna try to fill my spot.

I won the "Royal Rumble,"

which gave me this shot
at the champ at "WrestleMania."

It turns out that
the champ is The Rock.

- What a "WrestleMania"
main event this is gonna be.

- And it was the two biggest
and best colliding again.

- Without a doubt, this is the
most eagerly anticipated

main event
in "WrestleMania" history.

- The backstage interview that
myself and The Rock did

with Jim Ross as a mediator...

Do I want to beat you
on a personal level?

Oh, hell yeah, I do.

But on a professional level,

which bleeds over
in my personal existence,

I need to beat you, Rock.

I need it more than anything
that you can ever imagine.

I needed that championship.

I thought The Rock
was coming up there.

I needed to stay here.

So that was a shoot line
for me, and he never knew that.

- I got one reason
and one reason only

to go inside that ring,

and that is to beat
Stone Cold Steve Austin.

It's just that simple.

There was tension,
but it was great tension.

It was important to me that I
was the one leading the pack.

- And here's to you, Rock.

[dramatic music]

- I didn't wanna be second

when I knew
first was available,

and Steve Austin sure as hell
didn't want to be second.

- Oh!

- And here's to your ass
getting whooped

at "WrestleMania."

♪ ♪

- Oh, wait a minute!

Austin and The Rock
exchanging blows!

The main event
at "WrestleMania"

going on right here!

- Talking "WrestleMania,"
and it's time for them to go.

- Steve was such a mega star,
and Rock was such a mega star.

- And then you put
those two guys together,

and that's insane.

- You knew when
those two touched,

it was just a perfect matchup.

[overlapping chatter]

- We're three days away
from Austin versus The Rock!

- It was the match.

It was on so many levels work,

but super personal for him,
super personal for me.

[crowd cheering]

- With over 60,000 fans,

we welcome you to Houston,
Texas.

[epic music]

- The atmosphere in the arena
at "WrestleMania XVII"

was through the roof.

Everything was built
to the highest peak that

it could be because I was
super-hot as a babyface,

Rock was super-hot
as a baby face.

♪ ♪

[crowd cheering]
It was just insanity.

I blow the roof off the place.

♪ ♪

- A very partisan Texas crowd.

- And he was white hot,
don't get me wrong,

but I thought I got a little
bit more of the flashbulbs.

He blows the roof off
the place

to just a little bit
lesser degree.

- Here we go!
It's on!

- They didn't waste any time,

and nor did
we think they would.

- The second "WrestleMania"
is very special

because we broke
pay-per-view records.

- You can tell just how badly
he wants the title.

- We were fighting.

We were animals, we were
pit bulls, we were lions,

we were all those things,
all those aggressive animals.

[cheering and booing]

- And now,
The Rock fighting back.

The heart of a champion.

- The people hanging on
every single move,

waiting to see who
was gonna win this match

'cause it was damn near 50/50
throughout the whole thing...

- Oh, and Austin just nailed
The Rock with a ring bell!

- I cannot believe just
how physical this has gotten.

♪ ♪

- Stunner! The Rock scores
with a stunner on Austin!

But why is Vince McMahon--

what the hell
is he doing out here?

- He's coming out to ringside.

- Austin, now,
the clear-cut advantage.

Reversed.

Stunner!
I don't believe it.

But why is Vince McMahon--

- He's coming out to ringside.

- And now
detaining the referee.

- McMahon has no love lost
for either The Rock or Austin.

Oh, Austin got the stunner!

My God, the stunner!

Austin got the leg hook

all: One, two...(Crowd cheering)
Oh! The Rock!

- At that time,
from a character standpoint,

I'd actually felt like I was
maybe starting to flatline

just a little bit because
I've been running so hot.

[crowd cheering]

- What's McMahon
gonna do with a chair?

- I wanted to turn heel.

- What the hell is this?

- Stone Cold Steve Austin
has sold his soul

for the WWE title!

- What the hell is this?
all: One, two, three!

- It's a new champion!
[bell rings]

- The winner of this bout

and new World Wrestling
Entertainment champion,

Stone Cold Steve Austin!

- It was surreal
for a lot of people.

[soft dramatic music]

It was a difficult image
for people to absorb.

The turn only
made the audience desire

having their hero back.

- Yes, I wanted his spot.

But if I ever got
that top spot,

it was because I earned it.

It was also because
he helped me get there.

One of the things that
I can appreciate about Steve

and about our relationship,
it's just that--

it's like
with any relationship,

trust happened over time.

[energetic music]

He started trusting me more,

which then made our matches
that much better.

- There's the perfect synergy
and the clash of styles,

and the same type of respect

whether it was a house show

a pay-per-view or "Raw,"
whatever.

We were out there to, you know,
bring the house down.

- We got The Rock against
Stone Cold Steve Austin,

and we're gonna go out there
and do our thing.

It's gonna be a great match.

- Rock and Stone Cold
were able to go out,

feed off the audience,
and feed off one another.

- The match is over!

- The match would end,

we would stay in the ring
easily every night

for an additional
30 to 45 minutes...

[crowd cheering]

- 'Cause we would have
these performances

and these monologues.

And that's when the
fun would begin.

[crowd cheering]

- We became
really good friends.

[crowd cheering]

We were just firing
on all cylinders.

[soft dramatic music]

- You can be great friends

with somebody
in this business,

but you can be
really great friends

with somebody in this business
when you draw money together.

[laughter]
That bond gets real tight.

- Rarely do you have two stars

that are mega stars
at the same time.

Every building we put
Steve's name on, he sold out.

Against another guy
who's exactly the same.

- There was a tie for a while

as to who number one was,
Stone Cold and The Rock.

You can argue that
they were interchangeable

in that number one spot.

[crowd cheering]

- In the world of wrestling
where there is no offseason

and guys tape up
their injuries,

they play through pain
every single night.

All the "Monday Night Raws,"
all the "Smackdowns."

Steve played through a
multitude of physical issues.

- I had a surgery
to correct a few things.

There are still some
things that are going on.

I could pass tests
that I needed to pass,

but I could see
what my body was turning into

by the stress and the beatings
that I was placing on it.

And finally, I decided,
"Man,

"when is your body
gonna give you enough signals

that you need
to get your ass out of here?"

It's a real heavy gamble

that I don't really want
to take any more.

[soft dramatic music]

- The one thing that The Rock
has not done, one thing,

is whoop that bald candy ass
at "WrestleMania."

[crowd cheering]

- "WrestleMania" happened
to be around the corner,

and, you know,
it was me and The Rock.

I'm like, "Hey, man,
it's [bleep] time."

- Everybody knows
we got a big match,

the biggest match
of my career,

'cause what
I'm finally looking to do

is to beat Stone Cold Steve.

Now, I know he's right over
here signing autographs,

but I'm not gonna pay attention
to Stone Cold right now.

He's not paying attention
to me.

I remember finding out
that it was his last match,

and I was honored
and privileged.

- It's almost a shame I gotta
whip your ass on Sunday.

How many days have we got?
[crowd shouting]

No, but I mean,
that's what we're there for.

I mean, by the same token,
you could whip my ass,

or as you would say,
whip my candy ass.

[soft dramatic music]

- Programs, get your program.

[crowd cheering]

♪ ♪

- It was very emotional
in this final match

of this extraordinary journey

between myself and
Stone Cold Steve Austin.

[dramatic music]
[fireworks popping]

- Welcome
to "WrestleMania XIX."

- We had a few conversations
prior to that match

at "WrestleMania XIX."

I wanted to give
him the greatest performance

I possibly could...

- Introducing first,
from Miami, Florida, The Rock.

[crowd cheering]

- And do right by the company,
and do right by Steve.

[glass shatters]
[hard rock music playing]

- Glass breaks
and I walk down there.

It's a pretty long walk.

- From Victoria, Texas,

weighing 252 pounds,

Stone Cold Steve Austin!

- It's like, "Okay, man,

let's go turn it on,
rip it up."

- Who is the greatest
of all time?

One of these two men.
Only time will tell.

- 54,097 here, and over 150
countries around the world,

you're seeing one hell
of a match at "WrestleMania."

- Stone Cold Steve Austin
went out there with a bad neck

in his last match.

And the Steve that was
on top of that point

had to work with tons
and tons of injuries.

That's remarkable.

[stairs crash loudly]

- Anytime you step
in the ring with The Rock,

he's gonna give you
everything he's got.

[crowd cheering]

"WrestleMania XIX," it's one
of the greatest of all time.

It was very special.

- The rock bottom on Austin!

- Hell, I'd beaten Rock,
I don't know how many times

and the two previous
"WrestleManias."

- It's over!

No, it's not!
Austin kicked out.

- He was everything
that you would want,

to be the guy that
you would pass the torch to.

[dramatic music]

- Another rock bottom,

Austin fighting desperately
out of it.

And look--
oh, right back in.

A rock bottom! Rock bottom!
Rock bottom two!

- That's gotta be it.

♪ ♪

all: One, two--

[crowd cheering]

- My God, I don't believe it!

♪ ♪

- The third time's the charm.

- Big one!

- Oh, God,
a third rock bottom!

A third Rock Bottom!

The hook of the leg,
and The Rock has done it.

- History has been made!

- Here is your winner,
The Rock.

- The Rock beat Austin
at "WrestleMania."

♪ ♪

- You know, I wanna be
the best at what I do,

and it's because of guys
like Austin,

specifically, Steve Austin
doing what he does for me

that I'm able
to accomplish that.

♪ ♪

After the one, two, three,
pushed the referee away.

"You can't hear this."

And I said, you know,
I admire him, I respect him,

I'm proud
to call him my friend.

- You are looking
at two of the greatest

that this business
will have ever offered you.

- Hey, man...

I love The Rock,
and The Rock loves me.

[soft piano music]

It was a really,
really cool moment.

Two big-ass, tough-ass guys

telling each other
that they loved the other one

in front of millions
of people.

♪ ♪

- When you see those
two gentlemen in the ring,

one of the best rivalries in
the history of this business--

I mean, they did
three "WrestleManias"?

- You know the old saying

that lightning
never strikes, you know, twice .

One of the moments when I was
a kid that I'll never forget

is when the Beatles ran out
in Shea Stadium.

Rock and Stone Cold
did it three times.

- That smile on your face
that just snuck up,

that little smile is like the
way you're looking back at it.

- Yeah, I think people
kinda knew at the time,

you know what,
this is something special.

♪ ♪

- To be able to see, like,

my two People's Champions
go head-to-head,

it's like that
fantasy booking scenario

that we always dream about,

the two guys who were
at the top of the industry.

And the fact that we got it

for such a long time
is awesome.

- It's really wonderful
to come back

and see so many
smiling faces tonight.

For example,
Stone Cold Steve Austin.

[crowd cheering]

- We'll definitely
think about that.

One more match.

- There will always
be a bit of a rivalry

between Rock and Austin.

♪ ♪

I also think that there's a
great deal of love and respect

for one another for what each
did for the others' career.

- Then what?
Then he's gonna stun you.

[laughter]
Great.

- I listen back and I hear
some of these stories,

I'm like, "What a piece
of [bleep] I was."

I mean, I was in a
different zone back then, man.

- No, it actually
worked out better.

And you were like, "Listen,

"you're gonna be a hell
of a talent,

you take it..."
- Yeah.

- "And take this with you."
[laughter]

- All right. I know you're
gonna do your thing.

- All right, brother.

- Good seeing you.
I'm proud of you.

- Good seeing you.
Thank you.

- They had something special,
and they knew it.

Your antagonist is only
as good as your protagonist...

[swelling epic music]

And they pushed
each other to the limit.

- Is it safe to say that

these two guys
just don't like each other?

- Absolutely.

- I learned two top guys
could go out there

and have as much fun
as we did...

- $500 shirt!

- And hate each other

as much as we appeared
to hate each other.

- What competition,
what a rivalry!

- He brought out
something in me,

and I brought out
something in him

that made us as good
as we could be.

- And that's the bottom line...

- 'Cause the great one said so!

- We were fighting for the exact
same thing.

and that was the number one
top spot

in the company at a time

and the company was changing
the way the game was played.

- Look at the new damn champ.

Jabroni.

And we take a lot of pride

in it being
the greatest rivalry

the sports entertainment world
has ever seen.

♪ ♪