Greatest Match Round 2: Rock/Austin WM17 vs. Mankind/Undertaker HIAC

[Everlong]

SquaredCircle's Greatest Match of All Time!

(2) The Rock vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin, No Disqualification, WrestleMania 17



VS

(3) Mankind vs. Undertaker, Hell in a Cell, King of the Ring 1998



VOTE NOW for which you liked better. Voting will last six days. In the event of a tie, the winner will be decided by which match had more people commenting in its favor.

[PorkChop]

I don't think either of these are particularly great matches. Entertaining and memorable sure, but I've seen hundreds of matches better than the both of these. The reason these are here is because of hype and spectacle, rather than actual wrestling.

I'll vote Rock vs Austin because it's actually the better wrestling match, but it's nowhere near the quality of matches like Hart vs Bulldog at SS 92, Angle vs Lesnar at WM19, or Bret vs Owen at WM 10, all of which were eliminated in round one.

[VaderBomb]

I don't think either of these are particularly great matches. Entertaining and memorable sure, but I've seen hundreds of matches better than the both of these. The reason these are here is because of hype and spectacle, rather than actual wrestling.

I'll vote Rock vs Austin because it's actually the better wrestling match, but it's nowhere near the quality of matches like Hart vs Bulldog at SS 92, Angle vs Lesnar at WM19, or Bret vs Owen at WM 10, all of which were eliminated in round one.

Ditto.

[Everlong]

Yeah basically exactly what Porkchop said. Rock/Austin is the better match here but it's a crying shame it beat out Bulldog/Hart.

[Hanley!]

Rock/Austin is a better technical match, but it's not a great one in itself. Both matches are only here because of the spectacle really, and Mankind/Undertaker has a whole lot more of it, so that's the match I chose.

I'd love to have been voting for Hart/Bulldog or Hart/Hart or one of those matches instead, but those were genuinely good technical matches. Austin/Rock was just a big deal because it was such a massive main event between two huge stars. Wrestling wise, we've probably had several better matches so far this year.

At least Mankind/Undertaker is something very unique, that's never been replicated. And it's something that still feels huge when you go back to watch it now. When I rewatch these matches, Undertaker/Mankind still has an effect on me. Austin/Rock had an effect on me at the time, but not anymore really.