Welcome to a new series on the website, called Rating The Champ. This will follow my prior World Title Series, where I reviewed each and every WWE Heavyweight Champion in history from Hulk Hogan’s first title win in 1984 all the way to the current days. Money in the Bank cash-ins will not be included for obvious reasons, unless it was a proper match (ie: Rob Van Dam at One Night Stand 2006). Royal Rumble and battle royales won’t be included as well.
In this new series, I will rate all the PPV matches from each and every WWF/E Heavyweight Champion in history. To be fair, since this is the WWF/E title, I’ll only rate their PPV matches in the WWF/E. In this edition, we’ll be looking back at the PPV career of the one and only, former WWF Champion, Steve Austin.
1996
- Vs. Savio Vega (WrestleMania XII) ***1/2
- Strap: Vs. Savio Vega (IYH 8: Beware of Dog) ****
- Vs. Marc Mero (King of the Ring) ****
- Vs. Jake Roberts (King of the Ring) *
- Vs. Marc Mero (IYH 9: International Incident) ***3/4
- Vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley (IYH 11: Buried Alive) ***1/4
- Vs. Bret Hart (Survivor Series) *****
1997
- Final Four: Vs. Bret Hart vs. The Undertaker vs. Vader – WWF Championship (IYH 13: Final Four) ****1/4
- Submission: Vs. Bret Hart (WrestleMania 13) *****
- Vs. Bret Hart (IYH 14: Revenge of the ‘Taker) ***3/4
- Vs. The Undertaker – WWF Championship (IYH 15: A Cold Day In Hell) ***1/2
- Vs. Shawn Michaels (King of the Ring) ****
- W/ Team USA vs. Team Canada (IYH 16: Canadian Stampede) *****
- Vs. Owen Hart – WWF Intercontinental Championship (SummerSlam) ***1/2
- Vs. Owen Hart – WWF Intercontinental Championship (Survivor Series) **
- Vs. The Rock – WWF Intercontinental Championship (D-Generation X) **3/4
1998
- W/ Owen, Cactus & Chainsaw vs. DX (No Way Out of Texas) ***1/4
- Vs. Shawn Michaels – WWF Championship (WrestleMania XIV) **3/4
- Vs. Dude Love – WWF Championship (Unforgiven) ****
- Vs. Dude Love – WWF Championship (Over the Edge) ****1/2
- First Blood: Vs. Kane – WWF Championship (King of the Ring) ***1/4
- W/ The Undertaker vs. Kane & Mankind – WWF Tag Team Championship (Fully Loaded) **1/2
- Vs. The Undertaker – WWF Championship (SummerSlam) **1/4
- Vs. The Undertaker vs. Kane – WWF Championship (Breakdown) **
- Vs. The Big Boss Man (Survivor Series) 1/2*
- Vs. Mankind (Survivor Series) ***
- Buried Alive: Vs. The Undertaker (Rock Bottom) 1/2*
1999
- Steel Cage: Vs. Vince McMahon (St. Valentine’s Day Massacre) ***
- Vs. The Rock – WWF Championship (WrestleMania XV) ***3/4
- No Holds Barred: Vs. The Rock – WWF Championship (Backlash) ****1/4
- Vs. The Undertaker – WWF Championship (Over the Edge) **3/4
- Handicap Ladder: Vs. Vince & Shane McMahon (King of the Ring) **1/2
- First Blood: Vs. The Undertaker – WWF Championship (Fully Loaded) ****1/4
- Vs. Triple H vs. Mankind – WWF Championship (SummerSlam) **1/2
- No Holds Barred: Vs. Triple H (No Mercy) ****
2000
- No Holds Barred: Vs. Rikishi (No Mercy) **1/2
- No DQ: Vs. Triple H (Survivor Series) ***
- HIAC: Vs. Angle vs. Rock vs. HHH vs. Undertaker vs. Rikishi – WWF Championship (Armageddon) ****1/4
2001
- 3 Stages of Hell: Vs Triple H (No Way Out) *****
- No DQ: Vs. The Rock – WWF Championship (WrestleMania X-Seven) *****
- W/ Triple H vs. The Undertaker & Kane – WWF Tag Team, IC & World Championships (Backlash) **3/4
- No Holds Barred: Vs. The Undertaker (Judgment Day) ***
- Vs. Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho – WWF Championship (King of the Ring) ***3/4
- Inaugural Brawl: W/ Team WWF vs. Team WCW & ECW (InVasion) ***1/2
- Vs. Kurt Angle – WWF Championship (SummerSlam) *****
- Vs. Kurt Angle – WWF Championship (Unforgiven) ****1/4
- Vs. Kurt Angle vs. Rob Van Dam – WWF Championship (No Mercy) ***3/4
- W/ The Alliance vs. Team WWF (Survivor Series) ****1/4
- Vs. Kurt Angle – WWF Championship (Vengeance) ***1/2
- Vs. Chris Jericho – WWF & World Championships (Vengeance) ***1/4
2002
- Vs. Chris Jericho – WWF Undisputed Championship (No Way Out) ***
- Vs. Scott Hall (WrestleMania X8) **1/2
- Vs. The Undertaker (Backlash) **
- Handicap: Vs. Ric Flair & Big Show (Judgment Day) ***
2003
- Vs. Eric Bischoff (No Way Out) N/R (no rating)
- Vs. The Rock (WrestleMania XIX) ****
TOP FIVE
5. Vs. Kurt Angle (SummerSlam 2001)
4. Vs. The Hart Foundation (Canadian Stampede 1997)
3. Vs. Bret Hart (Survivor Series 1996)
2. Vs. The Rock (WrestleMania X-Seven)
1. Vs. Bret Hart (WrestleMania 13)
Average rating per year
- 1996 – 3.5
- 1997 – 3.75
- 1998 – 2.59
- 1999 – 3.38
- 2000 – 3.25
- 2001 – 3.92
- 2002 – 2.63
- 2003 – 4
Overall average rating
3.38/5
Don’t miss the next article here on Rating The Champ, where we’ll be looking back at former WWF Champion, Vince McMahon.