WWE Hall of Famer 'Nature Boy' Ric Flair joins Chris to discuss his thoughts on why he believes that 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin is the G.O.A.T. of professional wrestling.
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Love It CVVCLIPS Bro Woooooooooooo.
@@TimLoyalToWifeHaterFreeZoneA The king of drip is flexin' with that yellow gold prezzie Rolex. Woooooo!
That thumbnail is out of line. You couldn't screenshot him when he wasn't turning his neck. You made Ric Flair look like Stephen Hawking.
He retired in 03 and fans are still doing the What chant in '23🔥
Lol i just found out recently that they still do this. I have long since stop watching wrestling. I stopped when Austin stopped wrestling.
Not only that, he's still on the top 5 merch sellers in WWE, 20 years after he retired, and I could argue that Austin 3:16 shirts are still the one of the most sold items in wrestling business, I don't know that for a fact but just a hunch 😅
The What chant came late in his career was in 2001 or 2002.
AND WEARING ' WHAT' MEMORABILIA ❤❤
thankfully after all these years it changed to YEAH
Steve Austin and The Rock were for me the best two that ever did it. They both brought something special to the business and created a lasting effect. Nothing blew the roof off more than these two
That's not factual because Hogan and Macho man did everything Austin and Rock did years ahead
@@theetruth8626 Austin did way more, the rock just was talking shit. Austin was doing some crazy shit, driving 4 wheeler and shit....
@@marcmartel7542 average IQ of wrestling fan right here...
I agree.. I’d pick Austin and Rock as well. Those guys were huge stars
Sting was epic too during his Crow 🐦⬛ era of WCW
It’s wild that Steve’s run was only five years. FIVE. And yet what he did during that time was unfathomable. He took the WWE from a struggling company failing against peak WCW to a billion dollar Wall Street business. He made himself a household name. He became a multimillionaire. He won 6 world championships and headlined multiple Wrestlemanias. He wrestled and beat the best in their prime from Bret Hart to HBK, the Rock, HHH, the Undertaker, Kurt Angle, Mick Foley, Rob Van Dam, and many others. He became one of the biggest box office draws in the history of the industry. What a career. Imagine what he could’ve accomplished had he had just another 5 years.
And it seems like it was so much longer cuz his presence was so huge...
Quality > quantity
Not "one of the biggest draws" ... he was THE biggest draw in the history of the business. Him, Flair and Hogan are 3 GOATs of the business. They made wrestling the coolest thing on tv. Not Rock, not HHH, not Taker, DEFINITELY NOT Cena
A lot of truth there but WWE was hardly struggling. Its position at the top was being threatened a bit but it's not like Vince and those guys were in serious trouble at all.
You guys gotta quit saying he beat the best when it’s scripted 😂
IMO if there was no Stone Cold, we might be watching WCW right now, lol. Totally agree with Flair.
WCW killed WCW, not Austin. They were a really badly run company. He just helped to kill them off faster, along with The Rock, Mick Foley, and others.
WCW killed WCW...they had no idea how to move on from the NWO...they had a lot of talent and had no clue what to do with it...the last couple of years were like a parody...
I loved WCW lol
No mjf is no AEW
@@population-_-420 no body watches aew even with mjf
Stone Cold was my gateway. Never watched wrestling before in my life. Channel surfing and I’d land on what I eventually learned was RAW and immensely entertained by who I eventually learned was Austin.
Best way to describe Stone Cold, he had the greatest peak of anybody in history. Hogan is a close second.
Lies again? Horny Weed Gold Cup
ROFL that’s funny as fuck fate saw to it you would know Austin
@@djt8870and then Rock and Goldberg
Same here!
Austin & Rock were like 2Pac & Biggie: short yet transformative careers who’s impact still reverberates throughout their respective professions to this day. Both pairs were all-time greats who we wished could’ve had longer careers but one of the few silver linings of a short career is that they never grew stale (which is a problem Cena had for a long time).
Great analogy
Nah they were more like lamb and tuna fish
Biggie sucked no where near Austin 316 or the rock both are world wide known
@@youngbainthin5193stop trying to be cool smh
Who’s 2pac a bigge?
Truth be told, Ric Flair is correct. Stone Cold Steve Austin is the GOAT❤
Austin was awesome bigger than HOGAN
Stone cold was number 1
@@willkane7597indeed!
@@willkane7597 Hulk Hogan is the one who saved WWE in the 90s. He saved Vince McMahon from prison after the steroid trial. Hogan's testimony saved Vince from going to prison. Saving Vince from prison means saving the future of WWE. Saving the future of WWE means saving the future of Vince McMahon and All the wrestlers like Steve Austin, Undertaker, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Rock, Triple H and others. Hulk Hogan is the G.O.A.T. of professional wrestling Not Stone Cold Steve Austin .
@@AizenborgmanNa, Hogan and WCW was trying to put WWE out of business in which they almost succeeded, till Austin came in and the rest is history. If WCW would've of won no more Wrestlemania, no undertaker streak, no Rock vs Hogan at WM 18, Hogan not in the HOF. Austin gave you all that and more since the attitude era
Attitude era was untouchable, better than any era of wrestling.
It was like whatching a violent soap opera. Turning in every week to see next plot twist
U must be young nothing was better than the 80s wrestling
@@theetruth8626nothing beats the TLC matches from the attitude era imo.
@@benllewellyn1887 bruh who cares we talking impact not no TLC matches
@theetruth8626 they go hand in hand you melter.
Steve Austin’s presents elevated everyone around him. The word attitude was derived from stone colds aura.
I've always heard that he gave the best presents.
@@DekeRadiohe always seemed more like the grinch to me… climb down the chimney, knock down a few Steveweisers, stun the old man and steal the gifts.
Nah, he'd beat up the wife too@@CharlieMyrkr
Nah it was Shawn Michaels that inspired the whole attitude thing
Stone cold giving out presents😂
The stars that burn twice as bright only burn half as long. That was certainly true in Steve Austin’s case. He (and Vince) made wrestling cool, made it mainstream. And the story was simple: employee Vs maniacal boss, something every working person can relate to.
STEVE STILL LOOKS GREAT .HAVE A FINAL MATCH , STEVE VS. TOY BOY MICHAELS. MICHAEL'S AFTER BEING THRASHED BY STEVE, WILL BE CHANTING : ' WHAT ' THE REST OF HIS DAYS. THANKS AGAIN 😇😇❤️❤️ STEVE ... G O A T 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🇺🇸🇺🇸
Hmm. Odd how that expression doesn't apply to Bollea. His candle burned ten times brighter than anyone else from the last 40 years...and it burned for decades.
These people are young making these comments. They don't know what Hulk Hogan was to wrestling
@@theetruth8626 theetruth8626: AGREE . I REMEMBER VIVIDLY 1984 WHEN HOGAN DEFEATED THE IRON SHEIK. THAT WAS WHEN HULKAMANIA REALLY TOOK OFF . MY AGE GROUP REMEMBERS 1970'S HOGAN. WASN'T INTO THE STEROID'S MUCH IF AT ALL THEN . HE WOULD ENTER THE RING WEARING A LONG CAPE/ROBE. HIS MGR. THEN WAS : 'CLASSY FREDDY BLASSIE THE FASHION PLATE '. BACK A BIT FURTHER , 1963 BRUNO SAMMARTINO DEFEATED THEN NATURE BOY BUDDY ROGERS, IN 48 SECOND'S , USING HIS BACKBREAKER HOLD. BRUNO WAS TO THE WWWF , WHAT HOGAN YEARS LATER WOULD BECOME TO THE WWF / WWE . IN HIS ERA, BRUNO WAS A GREAT CHAMPION 🤗🤗RIP BRUNO 🙏🙏 RWG🙏🙏 / THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES ❤️
@@theetruth8626 Flair knows Hogan...and you just saw him say Stone Cold is the GOAT. 🤷♂
5 year run but never ending memories, for me the attitude era is the greatest era in wrestling and will never be replicated..
Amen
7-8 years run.
If ric says austin is the goat, that’s good enough for me
Stone colds ability to be a fan favorite no matter what was amazing. Even as a heel people loved him. He also found the perfect character. He basically just had to be himself every single night.
They all respect Steve because he pretty much saved the business, their jobs in WWE, he made the company a global phenomenon and without forgeting about Hulk Hogan what those 2 did is the reason the WWE is what it is today... 👏👏👏
Merchandise and ppvs at the time Austin is the goat he made wwf what it is today facts
Stone Cold saved the WWE when the company lacked good product. It was their answer to the nWo that was immensely popular at that time. Before that, Hogan made wrestling what it is today. He took the WWE away from the “smoky dark middle of nowhere arenas” and into America’s pop culture. Vince Sr. was never sold on the idea of making wrestling a global thing. He among the other territorial promoters thought the same way. They all thought that wrestling has its own fan base, its own “world” sort of speak. His son had a bigger vision of the industry that included larger venues, national coverage and a fusion between pop culture and wrestling. Hogan pioneered this vision and captivated others to follow suit.
Good summary. Hogan was the first larger than life character that allowed the company to transition to national TV. The 90s was a new era. Fans were listening to Korn and Limp Bizkit and identified with the anti-hero Austin.
Yeah the Austin 3:16 speech was two weeks before the NWO formed by Hogan turning heel. Summer 96 was awesome
Yeps, Austin & Hogan are the two most important characters in pro-wrestling
@@scooobydoo27 No, he wasn't the first larger than life character. Apparently, you've never heard of André Roussimoff. I'm not talking about his size. Do some research into how big he was before Hogan came into his own in the mid '80s.
Thank you for typing the truth! Stone Cold was the man and the best of his era. But GOAT? Nope. That will always be Hulk Hogan!
Austin was you and me. Blue collar hard working guy that took crap off of management on the regular for being himself. We projected ourselves onto him because he actually did get to beat the tar out of the boss on the regular. We would actually tune in on mondays just to see what steve was going to do. You had to be there in that time to know what I am talking about. Video just doesnt do it justice compared to the feeling watching it live. My circle of friends and one of their dads (rip Rodger Jarrett) would wait for monday just to see what Austin was going to do next. The rest of the stars were great too, but Austin was who we wanted to be. Also you can say a lot about vince mcmahon but damn, he created an icon.
Yup. Every dude looked up to him. Dads would spend time with their sons and cheering Austin as he beat Vince and pour beer into his face while dropping f bombs. It's one of those things that's hard to recreate as WWE became more sterile in the PG era. Hoping the likes of LA Knight could bring some of that back.
Austin is the GOAT but its why I hold Dwayne is such high regard too. To be able to pretty much match Austin was incredible on his part
The thing is Stone Cold had not only had this meteoric rise to what we know him as but he also changed the landscape of wrestling as a whole. He changed the attitude of everybody around the business he set a new path for people where they didn't have to act super PG all the time like he definitely is the greatest of all time. There's nobody who could honestly touch him he is in a different league and stratosphere all his own.
Both Austin and The Rock had such short WWE careers but their impact will last forever . Just shows it doesn't always matter how long you can go
In my opinion It’s better to have a 3-5 years run, but very impactful, instead of 10-20 years dragged out run that will ruin your impact.
And whenever either of them makes a WWE appearance till this day they make the crowd go into a frenzy
100% They're in the mount Rushmore for sure. Those 2 were like rockstars in the late 90s. Every young man wanted to be like them .
Roman 💀
IT DOESNT MATTER how long you can go. 🤨
No lies told
Absolutely is. The Undertaker is the GOAT. Always will be.
@@hollywoodmkxUndertaker was there during these big periods, but he was never the main reason for any of these boom periods.
Hulk Hogan is THE GOAT without Hogan WWF WWE would NEVER have been a world wide phenomenon
@@donjohn2695Hulk Hogan had his time yes. But, there was a period where wrestling had lost its momentum. If it weren't for Steve Austin then it wouldn't of became as mainstream as it was. I would go so far as to say that Austin's contribution to wrestling was just as great as Hogans. Hogan made wrestling in the 80s, but Austin brought it back. Honorable mention to the Rock and Mick Foley too, and even Vince McMahon himself (greatest heel ever).
@@jackhughes7637Undertaker is like a Tim Duncan hes Top 5 BUT he aint the GOAT
He was the game changer in the WCW vs WWE period. Of course there were other elements such as WCW badly running their business, but in terms of storytelling and in the ring action, people wanted to see Stone Cold.
Stone cold saved the wwe and was responsible for the attitude era. All that degeneration x and nwo stuff was because of a character Steve created on his own, not something manufactured by wrestling machine. He was the machine. GOAT.
The nWo did not arise from Steve Austin, it was an immensely popular entity all on its own
Why lie? The NWO was around before Austin blew up.
You just watching a normal match live, you hear that Glass Break, Stone cold theme music hits. You go nuts.
That’s high praise from the Nature Boy. Ric is my personal favorite of all time but Austin comes close.
As far as cutting promos and story lines ric flair, stone cold in wwe. I gotta say micheal hayes was a great also just wasn't in wwe until after his wrestling career was over.
Austin vs Mcmahon Fued I Loved it 🎉
His feud with the Rock was peak WWF
Sure was! I got hooked into the attitude era then!
The top 3 in terms of their impact on the pro wrestling business would be Stone Cold, Hulk Hogan, and Undertaker. The GoAT could be any of these 3 based on who you ask .
Undertaker can’t be compared to stone cold or hogan, they are probably the GOATS
As much as I love Taker, it’s The Rock who belongs in this place. The top 3 biggest draws of all time and those who impacted the business the most are Hogan, Rock, Austin.
Rick flair is right. Stone Cold is the greatest of all time.
Now we got these new jack asses in wwe
Stop it Flair has a problem with Hogan Hogan is the greatest that ever done it. Nobody been on top for decades like Hogan was not even Stone Cold
@@theetruth8626 I miss the attitude era 😔 only a few understand. Stone Colds anger gets me through rough times.
@@theetruth8626 Stone Cold is the GOAT
Objectively Hogan is. No one has elevated two wrestling companies to number one expect Hogan.
This is the correct answer. Him and the Rock really changed the game.
Austin was bigger than the rock just rock had a longer duration
we are united with this answer! he is the GOAT!
I didn’t realize you speak for all wrestling fans
The most insane thing about it is that most people have Austin as the goat and his Stone Cold era was so short in wrestling terms, if he didn’t break his neck their wouldn’t even be a question about it
Just shows how great he was. He saved the WWF and the entire wrestling business in alot of ways.
@@TheJosephPriceHe didn't. Austin 96-97 and 2000-2003 didn't draw a dime. What was so different about Austin in late 97 through late 99, bro?
@danielburger1775 You realize its public record how much the WWE earned in the Austin Era compared to before. Where on this Earth did you come to the conclusion that Austin didn't draw a dime, especially in 98, where the PPV buy rate clearly showed a climb with Austin on top as World Champion.
@@mr.whisper3338 I totally agree with everything except for the fact that Austin never was World Champ in 97. He won his first WWF Title against Michaels at WM XIV in 98.
@@marvelmiller4022 Thanks for the heads-up. I meant 98. 👍
ATTITUDE ERA will ALWAYS be the GOAT of ALL eras!
& thats the bottom line cause stone cold said so!
Since Flair thinks Austin is the GOAT and Austin has said a million times Flair is the GOAT, they should have a debate to settle it.
Goat for his popularity lvl and money making- agreed. No wrestler has ever been at that height before or since. Was really awesome living in that time period.
Stone Cold Steve Austin 3:16 💀 my all time favorite wrestler tha G.O.A.T. 🐐💯
Steve Austin is and always will be The GOAT
Hogan is a joke and a disgrace
No such thing. And pro wrestling isn't even a legitimate sport. It's scripted. Wake up.
There is such thing - YOU WAKE UP AND DEAL WITH IT
I mean even if it’s scripted it’s a sport they get hurt for our entertainment if you want to complain watch something like ufc tbh that’s the real deal, for me it’s hard who is the goat it’s between rock, cena, taker, stone cold, Randy orton those 5 has done it all
Nope
Absolutely that's why he's called the greatest draw in the history of the Wrestling business i remember in 98 and 99 almost everyone had an Austin 3:16 shirt i remember i knew someone who wasn't even a Wrestling fan had an Austin 3:16 shirt there was nobody like him and there won't be again it was him that was responsible for WWF beating WCW
It's still in top 3 selling merch even today let alone during his prime time. That is austin's effect on the business
Bruh stop it Hogan in the 80s put wrestling in a whole different lime light
@theetruth8626 you people keep saying this yet wrestler after wrestler says its stone cold
Stone cold steve austin was the time stamp. Austin 3:16 defined an era that was THE turning point for pro wrestling.
Stone Cold = The Goat The Rock = The Most Electrifying Man Undertaker = The Lord Of Darkness Mick Foley = Hardcore Hulk Hogan = The Immortal Ric Flair = The Nature Boy HHH = The Cerebral Assassin HBK = The Sexy Boy Kane = The Devils Favorite Demand John Cena = The Fruity Pebble
No such thing as goat. It doesn't exist because it cannot be proven. On top of that, pro wrestling is not a legitimate sport. It's scripted. Wake up and join reality.
Stone Cold would actually be The Rattlesnake
The Hitman had a run. He was the foundation and the most technical wrestler.
Shane Douglas = The Franchise
Booker T= Harlem Heat
Austin having a 5 year run which was less than the Rock's and AJ Styles run but still feeling like it was longer is crazy
Stone Cold hanging around after taping to pop the crowd and have a few beers with them was always great. The best match I ever saw in person was a dark match after a Nitro in Charlotte. Flair didn’t wrestle on Nitro but afterwards he and Macho Man had an amazing match that lasted about 30-40 minutes.
I Agree with Rick! One Hundred Percent!💯👏🏾👏🏾
Stone cold was the ultimate entertainer in wrestling he didnt need 100 moves he used his gestures and mouth and in 5 years he sold more merch than nay wrestler and made more money for the business than any wrestler compared to 20 year runs that makes u the goat
Good thing for WWE that Stone Cold helped them defeat WCW in the ratings. I would be terrible for the wrestling industry if WCW put WWE out of business for only a few years later for TNT to cancel them anyways. WCW wasn't a well run company so even if they had beaten WWE wouldn't change the fact they still might've gone out of business themselves. We would've been stuck with nothing but a bunch of upstart promotions without any name recognition.
Did you hear that WWE?? I am sick and tired of them announcing Cena as the greatest. Cena could never draw the same ratings or have the impact as Austin did for the business.
Woah calm down don’t take it personally.
Cena was fucking pretty much done in the wwe until stephanie hurt him rapping 😆
Cena appealed to the kids in his era, Austin appealed to you and me when we got off work, had a beer and dreamed of beating the crap out of our boss.
Eh, it’s all subjective. Only wrestlers look at it from a business standpoint. There’s a bunch of GOATs that WWE didn’t capitalize on like they did with Steve.
Vince has called Steve the GOAT, in front of Cena, during Cena’s peak. That said, Cena is a very loyal company man and a friendly image to have as the face of your business, so just take the clear marketing tactic for what it is.
I loved the attitude era I don't watch anymore. One of the things I think people forget was the mid to late 90's was the pirate box era of cable. You could watch all the pay per views for free if you had one. UFC also. I think being able to see all the PPV's every month on Sunday made more people tune in for Raw and Nitro on Monday. They were fun times every guy I worked with from age 20 to 60 watched wrestling during that period.
"GOAT is the guy who did the most to the business" wow Ric has a great definition of a GOAT
I think hulk Hogan did more for the business.
The rock.
There are so many different categories to describe the goat. It's too hard. Is the goat the best wrestler? (Bret, shawn etc) Is the goat the guy who draws the most money? (Austin, hogan, rock) Is the goat the guy who has the most fans? (Austin,hogan,rock,taker)Is the goat the guy who had the longest career? (Hogan, flair, taker) There's just too much that goes into it. But there's one guy in my mind who never gets talk about when the goat convo comes up and it's a shame. This guy could wrestle, he could fly, he could talk, he was charismatic and flamboyant. He could do it all. He was The Macho Man Randy Savage.
I think it’s a combination of in ring ability, work rate (how you get the crowd involved in the match or a promo), drawing power, charisma, and mainstream popularity.
@@Big_3000 and Savage has all of those.
@@joshuaa1605 when you think about it, many superstars have a case to be the GOAT.
@Big_3000 I feel like most guys are always missing something. Like bret had it all but mic skills weren't the best. Hogan had it all but in ring skills weren't the best. Shawn Def had it all too. Like Savage they were kind of a total package.
Great answer. Stone Cold is my second favorite wrestler. There's nothing like that glass break, its always a magical pop.
I'm in that camp. I absolutely love Stone Cold Steve Austin.
People forget that for a while after Eddie and Benoit both passed that Undertaker was the one holding the fort down, specially on Smackdown, least until Cena was ready for the top spot and then Edge and Orton both skyrocketed. Austin wasn't there long but he was there for a vital part of the wrestling business where they were getting hammered on ratings by WCW.
Cena was already big during that time frame and also Batista was the guy during that smackdown era
Taker is GOAT! Stone Cold & Rock are career shorten guys, they quit Wwe because of movie industry!
@@mirospajic9929 Austin didn't.
@@moderusprime Stone Cold refuse to lose from Brock Lesnar and quit! He was in some movies also! His prime was few years, just like The Rock prime!
@@mirospajic9929Austin didn't quit because he didn't wanted to lose to Lesnar. Austin was pissed off that WWE is willing to give Austin vs Lesnar on a random episode of Raw, he thought that they could have made some serious money if it happens on a PPV. This happened in 2002 and Austin did wrestle The Rock at Wrestlemania 19 (2003), it was his neck issues which forced him to retire.
I'm listening and at first I think it's actually an interesting take from Flair to answer Austin as the greatest of all time. Then I realise he's just using it as a way to segway into bashing Bischoff some more 😂
Not a new take for him, honestly. Flair has been referring to Steve in this way for probably 2 decades now.
Stone Cold for me is the best. I always picked him any time we play wrestled in school or played any games or anything. I really loved Mankind too but Stone Cold was just the coolest.
That's so true. Back in the days we only watched wrestling only to see stone cold.
Hogan has to be considered the GOAT based on how this term is being defined by Ric. Younger folks don’t realize how huge Hulk was in the 80s and early 90s. He made pro wrestling what it is today with a huge fan base.
And Austin absolutely crushed everything Hulk did. Single handily save the WWE in ratings and the company, outsold Hogan in ticket sales. Austin 3:16 destroyed Hulkamania and NWO combined in product sales.
Absolutely and everyone knows that deep inside whether they want to admit it or not. 💯
.. and Hulk will forever insist that Andre was pro wrestling’s greatest superstar
SINGLE-handedly, bud?? Really???
I was a Rock fan but the whole premise that you could talk smack and 'be real' was all Austin. Rock took that (mic-wise) and ran with it. Austin was Goat 100%
Insane to see the impact....5 year top run, and still the top selling merch mover in wwe after decades lmfao INSANE! Idk if there will ever be another austin...certainly not another austin AND rock at the same time like that era
80s wrestling laid the foundation and me WWE more global. But the attitude era made it mainstream and was the peak golden era imo. Stone Cold was def the biggest reason for that, followed by The Rock. Those 2 can never be replicated. In style or their impact that they had.
About time someone said it! Austin nearly won the Monday Night Wars single-handedly. I don’t care how many championships John Cena has won over his career, nothing he’s done can touch that accomplishment.
20+ years later the arena still goes apeshit when the glass breaks. No one was more popular than Stone Cold
Not only did stone cold take wrestling to heights its never seen before, he did it when wrestling or wwe was at its worst at the start of 1996. From one end of the spectrum to the other all because of stone cold.
ric flair should honestly be in this conversation. he cut so many great promos. who sold his ass off in the ring. he told a story through wrestling everytime. a literal beast of a wrestler with charisma and style. ric flair is and was the man
On god besides his career being short stone cold saved wwe and got pops everywhere you hear glass shatter and instant on your feet moment you know hell was gonna be raised
Still, the crowd chants "What!?"
Austin is 100% in the discussion but for me it would have to be Hogan. Main reason being is he was the #1 guy or main event attraction carrying a company. For 2 different companies and 2 different eras doing it both as a baby face and a heel. That and he is probably the 1 guy across the world even people who don't watch wrestling either knew of or heard of.
Agree, if we're talking about the wrestler who did the most for the business, Hulk Hogan made wrestling go mainstream in the 80's.
If Hogan would have bowed out gracefully then yes. However he stayed in the business and made it worse for everyone including himself by being selfish and hard to work with. Think about it stone cold did so much in such little time. He is the Goat.
@@hazard_us132 Had Hogan bowed out in 2005 his reputation wouldve been a bit more in tact, you are correct there. But at the end of the day, Ric will always tow the company line and say Austin. I don't think even he believes that, He has said Hogan is the biggest star ever multiple times, but since he is always in need of alimony money, he keeps WWE close to the chest. Austin had the biggest single year ever in 1999, that is a fact. But, Hogan was the top dog in the industry from 84-91 and again 96-98. Everyone knows him and knows pro wrestling because of him. I used to still wear my "Austin 3:16" shirt still in 2006 and there were so many people who asked what that was and didn't even know who Stone Cold was. Id respond he was a pro wrestler, kinda like Hulk Hogan, and then theyd get it.
Popularity is not the key factor in being the Goat. Just because casuals recognize the name does not make anyone the greatist. I would also say that Hogan did not carry WCW in fact he was a major reason for its downfall. In the end its all subjective which makes these conversations fun.
Yeah, even people in the backwoods of Finland knew who Hulk Hogan was before internet was even a thing. Stone Cold was a household name in north america for sure but outside NA? Non wrestling fans hadn't probably even heard about the guy.
One thing that always reflect on when i think of the attitude era. The top guys knew when to do the job for the other guys and go away. Beloved by the crowd and knew how to work them as a face or heel too. ...unlike a certain hustle loyalty and respect goober.
I still remember the first time i saw him on tv as a kid, blew my mind had no clue what wrestling really was at the time. I only saw it a few times before that
Once Steve broke through, it was the stone cold show. Bottom line
You’re def a little kid that didn’t watch wrestling then… nobody was saying “the stone cold show•
We all watched it because of him so yea , he’s right.
People forget before his neck injury He was very technical before he had to change his style
And the knee injuries. Before all that his skill was up with the likes of Bret Hart and HBK.
@@zacharyradford5552He wasn't that good, but I get what you're saying. Stunning Steve was peak Austin, as far as wrestling ability goes.
Austin did this at house shows too. He stayed for 30 minutes after the main event teasing 100 fans who stayed around. He was a heel with HHH then and would still do this
He’s absolutely right. The attitude / Raw era (96-00 imo) is the greatest of years. I remember it like yesterday, and I haven’t watched much wrestling since then! Steve was that American badass the people wanted and they got it! I would also go as far as saying McMahon is also one of the greatest wrestlers / performers too. His storyline antics with Austin were incredible and so funny.
Stone Cold Steve Austin is my all time favorite 🔥
No one was as popular as Austin
Hogan in the 80s
Hogan
Numbers says different, Hogan was big in the 80s but not as big as Austin, no doubt Hogan means a lot to wrestling, maybe even more than Austin, but Austin was bigger.
@@fleezelight Hogan was Hogan in the 80s AND 90s. He completely reinvented himself in the 90s to the point that he was the reason WCW was beating WWF in ratings. When Austin tried to become a heel, he failed. Plain and simple, his heel turn sucked and the crowd didn't buy it and had no desire to see it whatsoever. Austin just had it in his head through his own paranoia that it was something he needed to do, and he has acknowledged it sucked and it was a mistake. Hogan was comparably popular and he did it for way longer. Austin's peak might have been higher but he was able to reach that peak inside of a company that Hogan and Vince built. Without Hogan's 80s run, the WWF would not have been a big enough promotional vehicle to launch Austin to the heights he reached.
Hall & Nash started WCW’s ratings growth and streak prior to Hogan even returning. His residual star power definitely added shock value & momentum, but that’s a ball that was already rolling without him, and of which he benefited greatly from. A more accurate assertion would be to acknowledge that his original jump is what even made WCW a competitor. As for Austin, his initial ‘heel’ run as ‘Stone Cold’ is what grew his popularity into superstardom. His second turn is what was rejected because, as his ‘babyface’ character was already just being a ‘cool heel’, he had to basically become a crowd antagonizing parody of himself just to differentiate from it and try to force fans not to cheer him.
That man changed WWE for the better and he popped in every arena. I concur highly
Stone Cold Steve Austin was Pure Electricity ⚡️
I was never an Austin fan, but he's unarguably the best draw in wrestling.
you better be now!
@@James.Gatsby No... I always preferred in ring work and by the time Austin became Stone Cold, he couldn't really wrestle. His early work was pretty good, and his mania match against Hart was a classic though.
Steve Austin couldn't wrestle that's absolutely flat out ridiculous SMFH
@@JJA1987 His matches were punches, stomps, elbow drop, finisher; with his (top tier) character work carrying him. Not his fault, his body took a beating and he worked with what he had, but compared to workers of his era, a worker he was not.
Most people know Austin was the greatest draw even Cena himself call Austin was wwe biggest draw
The Austin vs McMahon feud was the height of professional wrestling. Monday night wrestling was must see TV and every Tuesday at work we all spent the day talking about it. It was white hot for a couple of years there.
i literally started watching wrestling because of stone cold! when i heard the glass shattered it was crazy as a kid and i had to have the games and all the collectibles for christmas. the attitude era was the absolute peak of wrestling.
Highest Peak=Steve Austin In-ring performer=HBK Also HBK is underrated on the mic.
HBK is the all package. Like him or not, is the goat.
@@marketingcoelho2058that's bs Shawn never surpassed Bret with in ring performance and he his not on The Rock or Steve Austin level on a mic
@@younglionel88 I'm not saying he is the best on the ring, on the mic, or gimmick. But he's probably top 2 on all that, and in my opinion it makes him the best. Even if he's not my favorite wrestler.
@@marketingcoelho2058 I think Savage was the whole package, he was a great babyface and heel, great on the mic/promo guy, great in the ring and did it at a high level for years.
Michaels had what Brett didn't. Charisma. The guy oozed style and portrayed himself as someone you either loved or wanted to punch in the face.
New gen Z fans have no clue what wrestling was like with Austin. It was a great time
wwe net work it shows the old episodes.
Attitude era was something else.
We appreciate all your stories your the legend Ric Flair
Glad someone else on here stated it
to me, ric flair is also one of the GOATs. he basically laid the ground work of playing heel character that to this day is still relevant. the fact that every time a chop happened, the crowd would still wooing, shows you how much of an impact he had in this business
Nobody touches Rowdy Roddy Piper as a heel.
Austin is without a dought the GOAT nobody has achieved the level he hit since and I dint think anybody ever will. What he did between 1997-2002 will never be matched. The Rock also, what he achieved in 5-7 years was just insane. Looking at some of the talent on the current Roster people like Seth, Roman are over and have achieved incredible things but they are galaxies away from hitting what Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock hit and these guys today have been doing it for the better part of a decade. Stone Cold and The Rock did it in 5 years. Some people will say longevity means your the GOAT but for me it doesn't matter how long your in, if you hit the stratosphere and reach levels that high you have to be considered. My top 5 will always be in this order Stone Cold The Rock The Undertaker John Cena Shawn Micheals/HHH
1. Ric Flair 2. Stone Cold 3. Hulk Hogan 4. The Rock 5. Macho Man Randy Savage Honorable mentions- Andre the Giant, Harley Race, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Undertaker.
John Cena? No. This is when you know it’s not a serious list.
1. Ric Flair 2. Steve Austin 3. The Undertaker 4. The Rock 5. Hulk Hogan These are the true GOATS. Honorable mentions: 1. Shawn Micheals 2. Bret Hart. 3. Kane 4. HHH 5. Sting 6. Mick Foley 7. Kurt Angle 8. Eddie Guerrero 9. Bill Goldberg 10. Rey Mysterio
@kyz8390 the reason I've put John Cena in is purely because I base it on what the person did for the company and to say I have Stone Cold and The Rock as the top 2 is because they achieved heights nobody has ever achieved at a time when the wrestling business was at its peak! With a Roster stacked off talent. Before anyone thinks I'm a teenage kid living of the RA era I was born in 91 and watched WWF/E Weekly from 97-2006/7 so tbh I didn't actually watch much Cena if I'm honest but I'm aware what he did for the business what John Cena did for the company only Stone Cold and Hogan have done in my opinion (the reason I don't have Hogan is simply because I didn't watch him live in the 80's and I don't belive the Roster he had back then was as good as peak Attitude Era) John Cena might not have been the best wrestler but neither was Stone Cold, but nobody carried a business on there back like Stone Cold or Cena, also may I add the things he did outside the ring such as the fact he did a make a wish for every single day 1 year while being full time in the company that is just insane! So yes John Cena deserves to be mentioned atleast Time will tell but I belive that in the next 5-10 years he will truly get his flowers from the fans who hated him. Even the people you regard as the true GOATs hold him up there with the best. If we were talking GOATs in terms of pure wrestling it would be a complete different 5 with the likes of Kurt Angle, Brett Hart or Eddie Guerrero at the top. But as I said I base it mainly in what they did for the company and the time they did it that's why Stone Cold and The Rock will forever be the top 2 for me but Cena HAS to be mentioned if not on the list
@@kyz8390keep crying
Stone Cold will forever be the 🐐
Undertaker
Stone Cold is the correct answer. He truly truly saved the WWE and made me a fan forever.
Stone Cold was an amazing wrestler. In his early days of being Stone Cold, the matches with Bret Hart showed he had immense skills in the ring.
Agreed. Austin changed everything.
The fact that we had both the Rock and Stone Cold at the sane time is crazy. Im thankful i grew up during the Attitude Era. Stopped watching right before Cena and the PG Era
I remember I got a shirt before I even started watching WWE back in the day and said who is this bald wrestler, he looks brutal and cool at the same time. And then I saw him in action on TV, the entrance music, his presence, his mic skills, his actual wrestling talent. unmatched
NOBODY was as big as Steve in the late 90s early 2000s
In 1996-1997, when the NWO was hot in WCW, I'd be in the gym pumping iron and nearly everyone would leave before 7 P.M. because we all wanted to see what the hell was going to happen with both WCW and WWF that night during the "Monday Night Wars". It's was nuts. We were literally flipping channels. Stone Cold really was a life saver to the WWF.
Those whole group of guys helped WWE. Stone cold, rock, undertaker, Mick Foley, triple h as the leader of dx. The Dudley Boyz, edge and Christian, and the hardy Boyz. 1997-2001.
The memories!
How do you say Austin and not say Rock? It’s like saying having peanut butter and no Jelly. They both saved WWE. Austin was gone with a neck injury during the WWE vs WCW wars and Rock carried the company and took it to even higher heights in 2000.
Oh hell Yeah he's the goat Austin no1 🍺🍺🍺🍺
😂 It ain’t CENA.
Great answer Ric I could feel that at that time the stone cold and rock era
I was 14 in the attitude era,him against vince is the greatest rivalry ever,and the pop that stone cold got till this day is unmatched
I mean by almost every important metric Austin qualifies as the greatest of all time
Is longevity an “important metric”??
Austin driving out the Beer truck and spraying it on The Corporation was a highlight of my childhood.