Wrestling fans have been discussing a Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Hulk Hogan dream match for almost 30 years. In the late 1990s, Stone Cold was the top star for WWE, and Hogan was in direct competition at World Championship Wrestling (WCW).
After the “Monday Night War” ended, WWE had the chance to finally have the dream match at WrestleMania 18 in 2002. Unfortunately, a series of issues prevented the match from becoming a reality. Many wrestling critics and fans have blamed Hulk Hogan over the years for not wanting to lose to Austin on the grandest stage of them all. Others have blamed Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Bleacher Report published a piece in 2018 to explain why WWE fans missed out on the dream match of a generation. Even in their later years, Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Hulk Hogan would have sold out the biggest stadiums in the world. In sports entertainment, there is no bigger what-if match. After all these years, we know why Stone Cold turned down the match with Hulk Hogan.
GettyWWE HOFer Stone Cold Steve Austin did not believe that Hulk Hogan would “do business” in 2002.
Why Did Stone Cold Turn Down a Match With Hulk Hogan?
Bleacher Report revealed in their accounting that Hulk Hogan actually wanted the match with Stone Cold at WrestleMania 18. However, Stone Cold was the one who turned down the match because he didn’t believe that their wrestling styles would work in a match together.
The fact is that Stone Cold Steve Austin was just a year away from his retirement in 2003. For Stone Cold, the wheels were falling off. At the time, Hogan was also well past his prime. Hogan would continue to wrestle for years, but Austin’s concern was that there was way too much hype for an Austin vs. Hogan match with conflicting wrestling styles, especially for a WrestleMania.
Austin also felt that Hogan wouldn’t “do business” and allow Stone Cold to win the match. Back in 2002, Hulk Hogan was coming off his “creative control” years with WCW. He built an insane reputation of being hard to work with and “playing his creative control card” when he wanted a situation to go his way. Also, it doesn’t sound like Stone Cold wanted to lose to Hogan either.
GettyHulk Hogan claims that he would have loved to have the chance to put over Austin at WrestleMania 18.
What Was Hulk Hogan’s POV on a Match With Stone Cold?
During an appearance on Wrestling With Rosenberg back in 2011, Hulk Hogan shared his side of the story. Hogan explained that when he, Scott Hall, and Kevin Nash brought the NWO to WWE before WrestleMania 18, they were being cheered as bad guys. He theorized on the podcast that both Austin and The Rock were impacted by that, which created some genuine backstage heat.
Hogan made it clear that he wanted to work with Stone Cold, but Stone Cold did’t want to work with him. “I wanted to have that match [with Austin]. That was the one match I never had,” Hulk told Rosenberg. “I want to do good business, help the sport, and give the fans what they want… Working with Steve would have done all three.” Hogan continued, “I’ve got no idea why Steve didn’t want to have a match at WrestleMania. I don’t know if he has a personal problem with me.”
Hulk Hogan vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin is THE dream match of the 1990s for wrestling fans. We never got to see it become a reality, but Hulk Hogan vs. The Rock is a heck of a consolation prize. Sometimes the best matches are the ones that live in our minds. Hulk Hogan vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin would’ve been a blast for WWE fans, but maybe it’s for the best the match didn’t happen.
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