During this week's episode of Grilling JR, Jim Ross and Conrad Thompson talked in detail about the period in Stone Cold Steve Austin's life when he walked out of WWE. That infamously led to Vince McMahon telling fans at home that the Texas Rattlesnake had taken his ball and gone home, and recounting a number of behind the scenes stories from the time, Ross revealed why Austin decided against facing Hogan.
"Austin had it in his mind that Hogan’s style and Austin’s style were oil and water," Ross explained. "He just didn’t feel the chemistry. Austin was never about having good matches. Austin was about having great matches. He knew better than anybody else in the world who he could work the best with. Hogan wasn’t on that list. Steve could be wrong too. I’m not saying that Hogan and Austin couldn’t have a good match."
"Look at the match Hogan had at WrestleMania 18 with the Rock. Steve is a stubborn guy and he just didn’t feel it," he continued. "That’s what we are trying to explain in meeting with these guys is that there is a new sheriff and town and his name is Stone Cold. It is not Hulkamania anymore. But if we could use Hulkamania in a bitter way, in an angry way, maybe we could get a WrestleMania out of it. That was the idea but it never came to fruition. It didn’t happen because Steve didn’t push for it. I believe Hogan probably would have gone along with it because it would have been a great payday and he could have worked with Austin."
This could have been a WrestleMania main event level match, but if Austin didn't feel it, that explains why it didn't happen. It's certainly interesting to think about what might have been, but this is clearly just one of those matches that simply wasn't meant to be.
What do you guys think?