Why Steve Austin Refused to Work with Hulk Hogan

A fantasy matchup between “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan never materialized. Despite the fact that both superstars worked for WWE in the early 2000s, they were not scheduled to face one another. In 2003, at No Way Out, there was a chance for a collision between the two. However, recently, Austin’s close friend Jim Ross revealed why the match did not take place

The aforementioned event saw Hulk Hogan compete against The Rock in a WrestleMania 18 rematch while Austin faced the RAW General Manager at the time, Eric Bischoff.

When recently reviewing the 2003 high-profile live event, current AEW commentator Jim Ross recently gave an explanation for why a confrontation between the two former WWE Champions never took place. He spoke about this on his “Grilling JR” podcast.

“Austin didn’t want to work with him. It was the wrong place at the wrong time. There was a time in both of their careers when that match should have been the dream match. The two biggest stars in the last two generations of wrestling fighting each other. But, again, and I’m not trying to make excuses for Hogan, but all truth be known, he should not even have been in a ring because he couldn’t get it done anymore.”

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Jim Ross previously revealed that Stone Cold Steve Austin refused to collaborate with Hogan because he believed their working styles would be incompatible. The high-profile collision, in The Texas Rattlesnake’s opinion, would not have lived up to the anticipation.

Both Stone Cold Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan were top draws of their respective generations. They led the two most important eras of WWE on their back cementing the company as a top giant in the wrestling world.

What would have happened if these two titans would have clashed in a dream encounter, perhaps on a stage like WrestleMania will always remain unknown. But looking at the caliber of Hulk Hogan and Steve Austin during their prime, we can say without a doubt that it would have a blockbuster match for the ages.

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