wrestling / Columns

Smart Marks 07.13.13: One Last Time

July 13, 2013 | Posted by Dino Zucconi

Welcome back to another edition of Smart Marks. I’m Dino, your host for our weekend wrestling discussion party.

This week, I’m going to break from the usual formula of Marks that need attention. Earlier this week, a friend of mine named Brendan Smith passed away at the age of 30 due to cancer. He was a good man, and a good friend. Brendan was also a part of the Pro Wrestling Club that I started my Junior year of High School (Class of ’99!). The point of that club was basically to keep myself and a few other friends out of trouble as on Tuesdays, we’d spend most of our class time discussing what happened the night before on Monday Night Raw or Monday Nitro. Tired of being yelled at because the shows we were discussing weren’t Ally McBeal or Friends, I rallied to start an official school club. We met every Tuesday, discussing anything and everything we wanted to.

Brendan and I also attended the same college, though I was a couple years ahead of him. He would always make sure to say hello, and after the brief small talk, his first question was always “So, you still watching??” Of course, I’d smile and say “Of course I’m still watching! What about you??” And he’d smirk a little bit, “Eh, still catch it, but these new guys aren’t as good as The Rock or Stone Cold.”

See, I was in high school when the Monday Night Wars exploded. The night Scott Hall walked onto Nitro was the final month of my Freshman year. So I spent those years involved in two major fights- WCW vs. WWF, and The Rock vs. Stone Cold. Though I watched both leagues at all times, I always identified myself as a WWF guy, and that was basically because I felt that Hulk Hogan was better than Ric Flair when I
was a kid, and I stuck with that later on. I didn’t mind arguing WCW vs. WWF. However, when it came to The Rock vs. Stone Cold, well, I’d argue that one all day.

Brendan loved Stone Cold Steve Austin. I loved The Rock. I rooted against Stone Cold basically throughout the majority of his run. I didn’t “hate” Steve Austin, mind you- I just rooted against him at nearly all times.

So, it was always nice to run into my friend, and relive those discussions. The last time I saw him was just a little over a year or so ago in my small California town. We were at the same bar, and I saw a familiar smile across the room. I walked over, shook his hand, and we exchanged small talk.

“So… you still watching??” “Of course I’m still watching. I’m never gonna stop. What about you?” “Eh, once in a while. No one’s as good as Stone Cold.” And we were off.

It hurts my heart to know that I won’t get those meetings anymore. That I won’t get to shake his hand, say hello, and catch up. That he’s not around to light up the lives of those around him. It’s common practice when someone passes- especially far too young- to make that person sound greater than they were. If I were to drop right now, anyone who described me as “patient and sweet” would be lying. However, Brendan Smith was by far the nicest man I had the fortune of meeting. In his honor, I’m gonna hold off on the venom, and just write about one of my favorite matches, and one I had the pleasure of attending live.

Austin vs. Rock

Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Rock, WrestleMania 19.

This match was more or less billed as the “End of an Era” and it really did feel like it when it was all said and done. It’s not often- especially in wrestling- that one watches the show and immediately afterwards know that they were part of something special. Sitting in Safeco Field that night, this match ranked only second in how much I was anticipating watching it. I finally got to see Stone Cold vs.The Rock live!

I had spent basically 1997 until that moment arguing that The Rock was “better” than Stone Cold, whatever that means. For me, it was almost insane that there were people out there that didn’t like The Rock. He talked trash better than everyone. He was so cool. He had some ridiculous moves, that still seemed to fit in just fine in the kick and punch Attitude era.

Yet through the years, Rocky just couldn’t get one on Austin. Whether he was a good guy or a bad guy, The Rock was always stuck behind Steve Austin. IC Titles, WWF Titles… always taken from Rock by Austin. I remember when WrestleMania 17 had its Main Event officially announced, and I was convinced that FINALLY…, Rocky was going to get one over on Austin. They were both good guys, they talked respect the whole build up. I remember feeling really good about Rock’s chances that day.

And I remember storming out of the house when the show ended. Make no mistake, I was 19 years old when WrestleMania 17 took place. I was not some dumb mark kid. But man, when Vince and Steve proceeded to hit Rocky about 53 times with a chair before Austin got the pin, I was freaking livid. Angry at the writing. Angry at the bookers. Most of all, angry that Rocky once AGAIN failed to defeat Steve Austin.

My hopes for a face Rock to feud with a fully heel Steve Austin were also derailed as Rock took that spring off to film a movie, leaving Austin and Triple H to feud with Kane, Undertaker, Chris Benoit, and Chris Jericho. Even when Austin joined the Alliance, the Rock instead chose to feud with Booker T, while Kurt Angle went after Austin and won the title from him. In fact, only the WWF vs. WCW Survivor Series match saw the Rock get any kind of real victory over Austin. That was all I had to hang my hat on as far as “Rock vs. Austin” went.

Luckily, in the early part of 2003, Rocky returned. He was again a heel, this time in a cocky Hollywood actor mold. It was awesome, and featured one of the better remixes of his theme. After wrestling Hulk Hogan at No Way Out that year, it was announced shortly thereafter that at WrestleMania, the Rock was going to set out to do what he hadn’t been able to do before: beat Steve Austin at WrestleMania.

This time, however, I didn’t have the same feeling that I did heading into WrestleMania 17. I mean, sure, the signs were all there: it had become increasingly clear that Steve Austin wasn’t capable of working a full time schedule anymore. He did his best in 2002, but the writing was on the wall that he wasn’t going to be able to continue to be the workhorse for years to come. Meanwhile, Rocky himself was showing that he was looking to become a movie star more and more, as his breaks for filming kept him away for large periods of time. Now my brain had to weigh the options- give Rocky his big win, or let Austin go out on top? As I’m sure you can imagine, it hurt my heart to think about this, as eventually, I came to the conclusion that Austin was going to be allowed to go out on top, and that Rocky could easily wrestle a half schedule for years to come, and still be fine.

So as I sat on that 26 hour bus from San Rafael, California to Seattle, I tried not to think about that match too much. Yes, it was gonna be cool. Yes, I was excited to the gills as this was my first WrestleMania. However, I tried to focus on the other matches, instead. Hulk and Vince was going to be awesome. Maybe Booker T was gonna beat Triple H? Jericho and Michaels will probably deliver a great match! Maybe Rey Misterio and Matt Hardy will have an underrated classic? Brock and Angle should be amazing!

However, every so often, a voice would whisper in my head: “Rock’s losing.” And I’d seriously get bummed about it, which is just so ridiculous. Ah well. I got off the bus in Seattle with about 90 minutes until the show started. I walked a few blocks from the Greyhound Station to Safeco, and the second I was inside, I was like a child on Christmas. And still, while I was there for Hogan/McMahon (seeing Hulk Hogan at a WrestleMania was something I never thought I’d be able to do once he left for WCW, even after his Mania 18 appearance), a giant part of me was physically nervous about Austin and Rock.

At this point, I have to be honest, I was more worried about whether Austin would even be able to have a good match. As I said, it had become clear that he couldn’t work a full schedule anymore, and was barely even getting into much physical activity at all. Would Austin get hurt? The fact that I was worried about two great wrestlers suffering career ending injuries on this night (Angle was also dealing with a neck injury heading into his match) only added to the awesome feeling of being there, in that crowd.

And then, all of a sudden, it was time. Time for “Is cookin…” Time for the glass to shatter. And just like that, I was taken back in time by 5 years, watching as the two juggernauts of the Attitude Era went at it one last time.

I’m not going to give you a recap. If you’ve seen the match, you know how it went. Multiple Stunners. Multiple Rock Bottoms. Austin eating a Stunner. Rock eating a Rock Bottom. Kicks. Punches. Trash talk. Rock wearing Austin’s vest.

And when it was all said and done, The Rock covered Austin and got that 1… 2… 3! I marked out huge a few times that night, and my friends and I have dissected my DVD of the event to watch my reactions, as I’m pretty easy to find in the crowd. I may have geeked out way harder during Hogan vs. Vince, but nothing made feel so happy, so proud to be a fan of someone, as I did when Rocky finally got his win over Austin.

I can still clearly recall Rock not immediately getting up to celebrate, but instead leaning over Austin, and talking to him, even shoving the ref away in the process to say the words he wanted to say. That was when I realized that Austin was, in fact, most likely finished as well.

I cheered for The Rock as he celebrated. I was happy for him. Icheered for Austin as he walked back that final time. I respected him. And in the end, though he lost countless battles along the way, the Rock had actually won the war. Say what you want about Triple H vs. Undertaker in Hell in a Cell, the end of the era happened that night in Seattle, when Rocky pinned Austin.

As a wrestling fan my whole life, I’ve watched some legendary feuds. Absolutely legendary. I won’t name them all, but I have a feeling you guys can probably name a few. However, nothing galvanized fans together like “Austin vs. Rock” did, in my opinion. You didn’t find too many guys who said “Eh, I like both guys, I just want a good match.” You were either rooting HARD for Rocky, or for Austin.

Brendan Smith was a Steve Austin fan until the very end, and he always enjoyed taking a few swipes at The Rock along the way.

I’ll always be a fan of Brendan Smith. Rest In Peace, my friend.

That’ll do it this week. Thank you for your time, your thoughts, and for being a wrestling fan. Thank you, TNA and, as always, enjoy your WWE, enjoy your TNA, enjoy your Lucha Libre, your Puro, and your Indies.