The Rock Was Asked To ‘Bury’ Steve Austin On WWE Television

The Rock and Vince McMahon have some of WWE’s most memorable catchphrases. “Took his ball and went home,” one of The Brahma Bull’s most famous phrases, was a dig at Stone Cold when he left the WWE after a disagreement with Vince McMahon. Jim Ross, Michael Cole, and The Rock had been instructed by the studio to ‘bury’ Austin on-screen.

Stone Cold once refused to lose to Brock Lesnar on a RAW show. The six-time WWE Champion simply refused to conduct business and walked out. He was suspended by the company, and they attempted to bury him on-air.

Even if he returned later, he never regained his popularity as a result of the company’s mistreatment of him. The Rock was directed to attack Austin on air, according to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. The two men were long-time rivals and are credited with the Attitude Era’s huge success.

‘Nobody was buried as badly as Austin, who was the biggest star the company had as far as winning the wrestling war a few years earlier, including Jim Ross, Austin’s best friend in the company at the time, and Dwayne Johnson both being told to bury him and doing so, including Johnson using the famed “took his ball and went home” line on television.

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With Austin out of commission, The Brahma Bull had no choice but to follow the company’s lead. According to the report, after Stone Cold returned, McMahon was scheduled to confront him in house events. The plan was to resurrect Austin’s glory days while also burning bridges between the two men.

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