"It's what I wanted" – The Rock on the popularity of six-time WWE Champion
WWE legend The Rock recently said he wanted to be as popular as Stone Cold Steve Austin.
The upcoming offering of A&E WWE Rivals looks back at the legendary rivalry between The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin. They feuded on various occasions during the Attitude Era. Their rivalry has been dubbed by many as the greatest of all time.
The Great One was interviewed for the A&E WWE Rivals' latest presentation. He candidly spoke about the impact Austin had on fans:
"His popularity was so strong. And honestly, it was so infectious because it motivated me and drove me. It's what I wanted," said Dwayne Johnson.
The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin are two of the greatest ever to step foot in the ring
It wouldn't be a stretch to claim that The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin were primarily responsible for WWE's victory over WCW. The two were incredibly popular among the WWE Universe during the peak of the Attitude Era and were selling out arenas weekly.
The iconic feud gave fans three memorable WrestleMania battles. The duo fought over the WWE Title at WrestleMania 15 and WrestleMania 17, with Austin winning on both occasions. At WrestleMania 19, they faced off for the final time, with Austin taking the loss.
The Brahma Bull has become one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. With 330 million followers, he's one of the most followed celebrities on Instagram. It's safe to say he's a future WWE Hall of Famer.
As for Austin, The Rattlesnake made his surprise return to the ring at this year's WrestleMania. Austin headlined Night 1 of WrestleMania 38 against Kevin Owens and picked up a huge win. Austin was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009 and will go down as the greatest superstar to grace the WWE ring.