Jim Ross Explains Why Steve Austin Vs. Hulk Hogan Never Happened 

On a recent episode of his podcast, “Grilling JR,” Jim Ross discussed why ”Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan never took place in WWE, especially in 2002 and 2003.  The two stars never ended up wrestling, and Hogan once suggested it was due to some personal animosity. Here are the highlights:

On the Match Not Happening:
“Austin didn’t want to work with him. It was the wrong place at the wrong time. There was a time in both their careers that that match would have been the dream match, the two biggest stars in the last two generations of wrestling fighting each other. But again — and I not trying to make excuses for Hogan. But all truth be known, he should not even been in a ring because he couldn’t get it done anymore. I think I saw on the A&E stuff where Hogan said he had like, 10 back surgeries or something? That’s amazing. That’s cruel and inhuman punishment. So Austin wasn’t really high on — and it’s all about the calendar.”

On the Styles Not Meshing:
“It just wasn’t going to work, and he didn’t want to do it. It was never pushed that hard, quite frankly. Vince knew that Steve would want to go at a breakneck pace. He was a kind of middle linebacker in the squared circle. And he liked to hit people, and he liked to be aggressive. And obviously, no one thought that Hogan could maintain that, on that on that given calendar year. Doing it earlier, five, six, eight, 10 years earlie? You know, who knows? But 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. He couldn’t live himself if that’s what he was doing.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit the Grilling JR podcast with an h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.