For years, wrestling fans have questioned why WWE never delivered a dream showdown between “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan during Hogan’s final run with the company. According to Jim Ross, the reason had less to do with creative plans and more to do with Austin’s own instincts about the match.
Speaking on Grilling JR, Jim Ross explained that Steve Austin was not confident the two legends would have the necessary in-ring chemistry to produce a match worthy of the hype.
“Austin didn’t want to work with [Hogan],” Ross said. “It was wrong place at the wrong time… Steve just didn’t have a good gut feeling that they would have passable chemistry, and just to be passable wasn’t good enough for Austin.”
Why Does Jim Ross Think Austin Vs. Hogan Wouldn’t Have Worked?
Jim Ross suggested that Steve Austin’s physical, hard-hitting style would have clashed with Hulk Hogan’s limitations at that stage of his career. By that point, Hogan had undergone numerous back surgeries and was dealing with significant wear and tear.
“[Steve] was kind of a middle linebacker in a squared circle, and he liked to hit people, and he liked to be aggressive,” Ross explained. “No one thought that Hogan could maintain that… Hogan should not have even been in a ring because he couldn’t get it done anymore.”
Ross pointed to Hogan’s rematch with The Rock at No Way Out in February 2003 as evidence of those struggles. Despite the magnitude of the pairing, he described the bout as underwhelming compared to their celebrated WrestleMania 18 encounter.
“Rock and Hogan situation was very disappointing,” Ross said. “They didn’t come close to taking care of that business… you can only do so much for the guy that’s all crippled up, right? And that match right there kind of showed us that our investment we were making in Hogan was going to be on a part-time basis.”
The same event featured Austin facing Eric Bischoff in what Ross called more of an attraction than a traditional wrestling match. While the show reportedly drew around 450,000 buys, Ross described WWE’s overall business in early 2003 as “flat” and in transition.
In Ross’s view, the long-debated Austin vs Hogan clash ultimately fell victim to timing, physical realities, and one key decision from Austin himself.
