3 shocking Reasons why “Stone Cold” Steve Austin Is Not The GOAT In Wrestling

Stone cold Steve Austin is widely regarded as one of, if not the best wrestler to ever lace up the boots. Austin was arguably the biggest driving force behind the WWE’s triumph over WCW in the late-90s and was one of the few professional wrestlers to completely break into the mainstream.

It’s likely that Austin’s star power is what actually led to his reputation of being one of the most well-loved performers inside the squared circle. But while Austin was great in terms of moving the business and WWE forward, he wasn’t the GOAT. This is a controversial topic, but there are reasons to support this argument.

1 His Anti-Climatic Retirement

While it’s weird to think about, your final match in the ring can absolutely boost fans’ thoughts on you as time goes on. Retirement matches such as Ric Flair at WrestleMania 24, and Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 26 were both widely acclaimed and helped both men in the long run as they went out with a bang. Granted, both men later came out of retirement, but the point stands.

Austin on the other hand had about as weak of a retirement as it gets. While he needed the time off after WrestleMania 19 to get in better shape and heal due to lingering neck issues, nobody expected him to hang it up. A hyped Austin retirement match could have ended as an all-time great, especially if it was a rumored CM Punk match in 2011. However, that never came to fruition, and Austin’s fade into retirement was one of the more disappointing endings to a performer’s career.

2 Austin’s Short Reign At The Top

Austin was only a performer in WWE for eight years. During that time, he became arguably the most famous professional wrestler of all time, put on many classic moments, and helped drive WCW out of business by being the face of WWE. However, while Austin’s ability to become a classic in that timeframe is something to admire, it does hurt him in the long run.

When thinking of some greats inside the ring, they all had lengthy careers. They all had lengthy runs at the top, however, Austin’s main event run only lasted a few years. While he made the most of his chances during the short stint as a main-eventer, most of the other GOAT contenders had a lot longer run as active performers.

3 Austin’s Slew Of Injuries

Something that hurts Austin’s standing in the GOAT conversation isn’t something that is his fault. Austin was notably a bit injury-prone during his WWE run, but while a lot of performers seem to be made of glass, that wasn’t Austin. “Stone Cold” had the misfortune of having a few terrible accidents in the ring. Most of the incidents which led to Austin’s injuries weren’t exactly his fault either.

Austin’s biggest injury obviously came in 1997, in a match against Owen Hart. Hart had messed up on a piledriver which led to Austin being dropped directly on his neck. While Austin eventually recovered, this injury and a few other back and ankle injuries hindered his ability to stay competitive for long.