Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan discuss the dream match never coming together.
Throughout the Monday Night Wars, one match fans clamored for was Hulk Hogan against Steve Austin. The bout would have pitted the top two stars in their respective companies and two of the biggest box office attractions of all-time against each other. When WCW went out of business and Hogan returned to WWE in 2002, the dream match looked possible.
However, Hogan ended up working with The Rock at WrestleMania X-8 while Austin battled Scott Hall. In the end, Hogan and Austin never met in singles competition.
On the latest episode of his podcast, Austin talked with Hogan about why the match never came together.
"I was in such a different headspace when that window of opportunity presented itself. Sometimes I kick myself in the ass over it. I was so frazzled towards the end and was just in a bad space. It never happened. And it should have happened. I think if we could have just got in a room, you and I, and just talked," said Austin. "[When you came to WCW], I remember, I'm up-and-coming and here comes the biggest attraction in the history of the business to WCW and I'm thinking, 'Great, here comes the top attraction and now I'm another notch down the ladder.' I always had this grudge against you because you were the guy. How am I going to overtake [you] when I can't even get past midcard status? It was a competitive grudge. [When you came back to WWE], if we had ever got into a room, we probably could have done business together. That's one of the biggest regrets off my career outside of not showing up against Brock [Lesnar]. I would have loved to work a program with you."
For years it was reported and speculated that Austin and Hogan never did business together due to Austin's feeling towards Hogan when Hogan came to WCW in 1994. There was also the issue of the finish as Hogan was notorious for not always putting talent over. In fairness, Hogan had no problem putting over The Rock at WrestleMania X-8 and in the interview with Austin, stated he would have done the same for him.
"When I went back to WWE, I was all about making money, brother. As a heel, I could put anybody over and then say, 'Stone Cold never beat me' and lie my ass off. When I got that reaction with The Rock, my sights were set on you," said Hogan. "I thought it was gonna be you first. But Vince asked me to work with Rock. But I was trying to work with you. I understand you had physical stuff and maybe mental, so I get it. I've been there and done stuff, not knowing I did it, and got heat on me because I was screwed up in the head personally."
Hogan went on to say that, if Austin wasn't 100% physically, he would have taken care of him in the ring. Austin admitted that it wasn't his physical state that was his issue.
"I could still go. I was just on a different page. I guess I was pissed off because I was getting fizzled out and I was running hard," stated Austin.
The only time Austin and Hogan shared the ring as competitors was on the March 11, 2002 episode of Raw when Austin teamed with The Rock to take on Hogan, Scott Hall, and Kevin Nash. They would share the ring as legends at WrestleMania 30 and at WWE Raw Reunion.
