1. Steve Austin vs. Triple H – No Way Out – 2.25.01
As the Attitude Era drew to a close, Steve Austin and Triple H were mired in a vicious blood feud stemming from an incident where Triple H paid Rikishi to run Austin over with his car at Survivor Series 1999.
The injury was booked as a way to write Austin off TV for a year while he had spinal fusion surgery, and shortly following his return it was revealed that Triple H was behind it all. The two had a wild brawl at Survivor Series 2000 which ended in a no-contest, and after several run-ins both on RAW and at the 2001 Royal Rumble, Triple H challenged Austin to a Three Stages of Hell match. The first fall would be a traditional bout, the second a Street Fight, and the third a Steel Cage match.
Austin defied expectations by winning the pure wrestling contest, while Triple H unexpectedly won the No-DQ fall. By the time the cage was lowered for fall three, both men were covered in blood and nearing exhaustion. The closing moments saw Austin swing a chair at the same time Hunter swung his signature sledgehammer. Both shots connected, and both men fell to the mat unconscious.
But Hunter happened to land on top of Austin and the referee counted the Rattlesnake down, awarding this epic match to The Cerebral Assassin. This match was easily the best these two ever delivered and still holds up as a prime example of the WWF at the top of its game, circa the millennium. I consider it the best 2/3 Falls match of all time.
That’ll wrap it up for today. Here’s hoping the 2/3 Falls match makes a comeback, as it’s one of the best gimmick matches in terms of spotlighting pure wrestling. Thanks for reading, and don’t forget to check out Enuffa.com for more wrestling, movie, and music stuff!
