#FiftyMatches: "Stone Cold" Is Back

Triple H v. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin

2 Out Of 3 Falls

No Way Out 2001
February 25, 2001

"These guys are literally going to destroy each other"  -Jerry "The King" Lawler

Writing about the World Wrestling Federation in the year 2000, one storyline keeps popping up over and over again - The rise of Triple H.

In January 2000, he was an unproven champion still searching for a signature win. As the months passed, he earned the respect of fans. He held his own against The Rock, and dominated Chris Jericho and Kurt Angle. 2000 was the most successful year of Triple H's career, and he was in the perfect position for the biggest opportunity of his life inside the ring.


Toward the end of 2000, WWF programming was dominated by the return of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. It had been nearly a year since he was run down by a car. He took time off to undergo a long overdue neck procedure. It kept him away from the ring for months.

When Austin returned, there was only one item on his agenda - Find the man behind the wheel of that car. That investigation led to Rikishi revealing himself as the driver. Austin's revenge came quickly in a surprisingly forgettable match between the two that left fans wanting more. Those fans demanded a rivalry worthy of the long wait for Austin's return.

Whether it was part of the WWF's original plan or not, there was something missing from Austin's return. Into that void stepped Triple H. He revealed himself as the mastermind behind the attack on Austin. Fans bought in, and a deeply personal and violent blood feud was off and running.

The first act was a messy encounter at Survivor Series 2000, with a memorable ending - Austin dumping a car carrying Triple H from high atop a fully hoisted forklift. At the time, it looked like we'd seen the last of Triple H for a while. That wouldn't be the case. Triple H resurfaced just over a week later, just in time to cost Austin a WWF Championship match against Kurt Angle.

Triple H was back just in time to be part of the 6 man Hell In A Cell match for the WWF Championship at Armageddon 1999. With so many issues intersecting, there was little time for Austin and Triple H to renew their hostilities. After Armageddon, Triple H once again went unseen, this time for nearly a month. When he returned, it was once again during a match between Austin and Angle. The rivalry that was on a slow boil for weeks had the heat turned up all the way.

I guess you could call this a "do over", but it's still a great moment in Austin-Triple H rivalry, and perhaps the most important night in the career of "The Game". The leather jacket. The big muscle pose. Motorhead. The only thing really missing for Triple H is his trusty sledgehammer. Not sure why the steel pipe was the weapon of choice on this night.

Regardless, the final effect was thrilling. Here was the ultimate villain in the WWF truly and viciously taking out the invincible "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. After months of beating up nearly everyone put in front of him, Triple H was finally ready to take on the one man who truly stood in his path to greatness. 

The stage was set for an epic encounter at No Way Out 2001. Perhaps the match should have taken place at WrestleMania X-7. It certainly felt worthy of such a stage. There's no doubt, this main event was quite the appetizer for the WWF's biggest pay per view of the year.

Triple H got the career making victory he spent so many months searching for. He defeated "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, straight up, with no outside interference. The result was shocking at the time, and you have to think it's one the likes of which we won't see for a very long time.

When is the next time WWF will put a Royal Rumble winner into a match on the following pay per view, and have him lose to a man who will not be in the main event at WrestleMania, while the same man who lost still goes on to not only challenge for the title in the main event at WrestleMania, but actually win it? Try to wrap your brain around the logic of what the WWF was thinking at the time of this match. It's not easy.

Austin may have lost, but he gained a lot. Since returning from his neck surgery, fans had yet to see him put in a vintage, full-speed "Stone Cold" effort. There were whispers and perhaps even some doubt about his ability in the ring. This match silenced just about everyone. It was clear Austin was back, and in top form. That would be a key to the build-up for the WrestleMania X-7 main event between he and The Rock.

In storyline, Austin's loss was absolutely necessary. There are also a lot of a allusions to the evil version of Austin that would emerge just a little over a month later. Austin's steel chair assault on Triple H is nearly a photocopy of the final moments of the main event of WrestleMania X-7. Fans cheered on this night. A lot of fans cheered when he did it to The Rock. It's also interesting that this two out of three falls match flips the script on the typical face and heel roles. Austin wins the first fall, then Triple H, the heel here, wins two straight to win the match. Clearly, the lines between good and evil were blurring.

The intensity of the rivalry between Triple H and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin is something rarely seen in professional wrestling today. You had two guys making you believe that they genuinely wanted to hurt the other. The ending of this match made you think that these two would meet again, and for a few seconds on the night following WrestleMania X-7, it looked like they would rekindle their feud with reversed roles. Instead, they again did something fans were not expecting. They joined forces. 

This is the last one on one match between Triple H and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.