Hulk Hogan said,there was some heat between him and Stone Cold. Probably one of the reasons that the biggest match of WWE never took place.
Stone Cold Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan are one of the biggest stars of WWE. Both the wrestlers have immense popularity, not only in the arena of WWE but across all areas of professional wrestling. The two wrestling stars are counted among the biggest most popular wrestlers in WWE.
In terms of fame, they stand alongside The Rock and Ric Flair even in today’s era. Riding on the fame of these wrestlers, WWE had planned an epic treat for its fans. The company had planned an epic encounter between Stone Cold Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan. But, owning to the ring tussle between Stone Cold Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan, the biggest match of WWE never took place.
The return of the big guns
In the year 2001 WWE ended the Monday Night Wars by buying WCW. And, at the beginning of 2002 witnessed the return of Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash to the arena of WWE. At the WrestleMania 18, on one hand, Hulk Hogan would have had an all-time classic with The Rock. At the same time, Stone Cold had an encounter to forget with Scott Hall.
Bruce Pritchard said on his podcast that WWE had booked The Rock and Hulk Hogan first. The company had thought they had a chance of wrestling a match between Stone Cold Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan. The company failed to identify the fact that Stone Cold was out of WWE a few short months after WrestleMania 18. The wrestler had a return to WrestleMania 19 the very next year. He completed his trilogy with superstar The Rock.
The babyfaces of Steve Austin and The Rock were complaining
Hulk Hogan believes that Steve Austin and The Rock were a little put out when the NWO arrived in WWE. Hulk Hogan challenged the top spot of both the wrestlers.
“Was there some legitimate heat (between Austin and me)? There was. When I and Scott Hall and big Kev’ [Nash] came into the WWE with the NWO, we had such an edge. And, we were getting cheered. I guess the babyfaces [Austin and The Rock] weren’t used to it,” said Hulk Hogan.
“[They] were complaining, ‘Those guys are turning us upside down. And, we’re getting booed instead of cheered…’ So there was some legitimate heat there. You know, on a business level.
Speaking about Stone Cold, the star wrestler said,
“I never got to work with him, but Stone Cold always said, ‘If there’s money to be made – let’s make it.’
Hulk Hogan also said that there was a certain level of awkwardness with Stone Cold from a Hall of Fame ceremony where Hogan and Bret Hart had a misunderstanding and Austin firmly took Hart’s side.
‘It didn’t happen because Steve didn’t push for it’
Jim Ross, the legendary announcer and a close associate of Stone Cold said that from a stylistic point of view the Texas Rattlesnake did not like the matchup.
“Austin had it in his mind that Hogan’s style and Austin’s styles were oil and water. He just didn’t feel the chemistry. Austin was never about having good matches. Austin was about having great matches. He knew better than anybody else in the world whom he could work the best with. Hogan wasn’t on that list,” said Jim Ross.
He further added,
“Steve could be wrong too. I’m not saying that Hogan and Austin couldn’t have a good match. Look at the match Hogan had at WrestleMania 18 with the Rock. Steve is a stubborn guy and he just didn’t feel it. That’s what we are trying to explain in meeting with these guys is that there is a new sheriff and town and his name is Stone Cold.”
“It is not Hulkamania anymore. But if we could bitterly use Hulkamania, angrily, maybe we could get a WrestleMania out of it. That was the idea but it never came to fruition. It didn’t happen because Steve didn’t push for it. I believe Hogan probably would have gone along with it because it would have been a great payday and he could have worked with Austin,” said Jim Ross.
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